Last week’s Olivier Awards 2016 with MasterCard nominations announcement was electric with the collective nerves of gathered actors, creatives and producers all desperately hoping to hear their name called, but the event’s host Michael Ball looked about as cool and steady as you can be.
Maybe it’s his 30 year career on stage, his two Olivier Awards or the support he had from long-time friend and on stage colleague Imelda Staunton, but it sure stands him in good stead for the gig of a lifetime next month.
On 3 April he’ll be returning as the Olivier Awards host, overseeing proceedings at the historic 40th anniversary ceremony that sees actors including Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicole Kidman, Mark Rylance, Judi Dench and Gemma Arterton in the running for one of the UK’s most prestigious theatrical statuettes.
With two Olivier Award hosting gigs already under his belt, there really is no need for nerves, even if this time his usual co-host and 2016 nominee Imelda Staunton will be “sitting in the posh seats”, as he put it to us, leaving him to lead the evening of prize-giving and exclusive performances solo.
We caught up with the musical theatre legend to find out what he made of this year’s nominees list, how he’s feeling about reprising his role as Oliviers host and which person in the audience he’d be willing to steal an Olivier Award for should the need arise…
The Olivier Awards 2016 with MasterCard take place on 3 April. You can listen live on Mellow Magic, watch a live stream of the ceremony on big screens at the ITV Stage at Covent Garden Piazza or catch highlights from the ceremony on ITV1. Visit www.olivierawards.com for full details.