Theater News

Audra McDonald to Perform at 2017 Olivier Awards

The London theater awards will be broadcast internationally from Royal Albert Hall.

Audra McDonald will perform during the In Memoriam section of this year's Olivier Awards.
Audra McDonald will perform during the In Memoriam section of this year's Olivier Awards.
(© David Gordon)

The Olivier Awards with Mastercard has announced its broadcasting plans for this year's ceremony, to be held Sunday, April 9, at Royal Albert Hall. The awards will be broadcast on ITV on Tuesday, April 11, 8pm-10pm (GMT). It will be broadcast worldwide at the same time on Facebook, and will stream to China for the first time ever via YouKu.

London's Magic Radio will broadcast the entire show live on April 9, hosted by Alice Arnold and Olivier Award winner Ruthie Henshall, with pre-ceremony coverage on air starting at 5:30pm. Sirius XM will broadcast the show via radio in the U.S. A new Red Carpet Live show debuts this year as well from 4:30pm-6pm (GMT), hosted by Anita Rani, Jamie Lambert, and Frank DiLella, exclusively on Facebook.

West End stars set to perform at this year's ceremony include Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, who will open the show alongside the cast of The Girls; Lead Actress nominee Amber Riley, who will perform the song "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls; and Tim Minchin, representing Groundhog Day, which recently began its Broadway run. The casts of School of Rock and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s acclaimed production of Jesus Christ Superstar, set to return this summer, will offer performances as well.

Additionally, there will be an exclusive performance from Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes (nominated for Best Entertainment and Family), while six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will perform during the show’s In Memoriam section, accompanied by the Olivier Awards’ orchestra.

The roster of guest presenters for the awards will be announced over the coming weeks.