It was undoubtedly a night to remember for Rachel Zegler at the prestigious Olivier Awards in London on Sunday, but it was a certain marmalade-loving bear that stole the show. The U.K. equivalent of the Tony Awards, celebrating the best and brightest talent in the vibrant theater scene, crowned its winners at a ceremony broadcast by the BBC and hosted by the star of The Traitors and Ted Lasso, Nick Mohammed.
The new smash-hit production of Paddington the Musical dominated the awards, taking home seven prizes in total. The musical, currently running at the Savoy Theatre on London's West End, was honored with awards for best new musical, best supporting actor and actress, best director, best set design, and best costume design. The beloved bear's voice (performed by James Hameed) and suit (operated by Arti Shah) were also recognized with the best actor award.
Tom Fletcher, a member of McFly and composer of songs for Paddington the Musical, said while accepting the best new musical award: "We tried to create a show that celebrates kindness... to be part of this group of people putting that out into the world at this time feels so special, thank you so much."
Elsewhere, Zegler, who stars in Snow White, won best actress in a musical for her viral performance in Jamie Lloyd's Evita as Argentinian first lady Eva Perón. She had stirred the city by performing live to passersby on the balcony of London Palladium every night last year. "Thank you so much to the city of London for making me feel so welcome here," Zegler said as she took to the stage. "It was an honor to sing to the people on Argyll Street eight times a week. I can't believe I got so lucky to sing in front of thousands of you."
Rosamund Pike also won for her performance in legal drama Inter Alia, while Paapa Essiedu from Harry Potter took home best supporting actor for All My Sons, a show that also won best revival. U.S. star Bryan Cranston lost out on the best actor award to Jack Holden's Kenrex outing.
