Royal Opera House wins Olivier award

London’s Royal Opera House has been announced as winner of the 2023 Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production. At an awards ceremony held on April 2 at the Royal Albert Hall, the prize was awarded to the company for its production of Alcina.

The new production of George Frideric Handel’s enchanting 1735 opera seria was directed by Richard Jones and ran in November 2022 last year in a cross-Atlantic collaboration with New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The title role was played by soprano Lisette Oropesa with her sister Morgana played by British soprano Mary Bevan.

Bevan said: 'I was delighted and proud to receive the Olivier Award on behalf of all my colleagues involved in ROH’s production of Alcina. I think I speak for all the cast and crew when I say that this was a very special production to be a part of, and we’re all so happy that audiences reacted in the way they did, and that the success of the show has now been recognised by the Olivier Awards.' Mary Bevan as Morgana in Alcina ©Marc Brenner​

The Royal Opera House hosted all but one of the other nominees in the Best New Opera Production category, with Least Like the Other by Irish National Opera and Royal Opera and Peter Grimes by Royal Opera both having been performed at the venue. Sibyl at Barbican theatre was nominated in this category but won in the Outstanding Achievement in Opera category. South African artist William Kentridge received the award for his conception and direction of Sibyl with music composed by associate director Nhlanhla Mahlangu and music director Kyle Shepherd.

Stars including Jodie Comer and Paul Mescal were also recognised for their theatre performance, while the Barbican’s production of the Studio Ghibli classic My Neighbour Totoro, which received nine nominations, won in six categories. The awards ceremony was hosted by three-time Olivier Award nominee, Hannah Waddingham.