Just three months before the Tony Award nominations are set to come out here in the United States, Britain has announced this year’s nominees for their Olivier Awards—the highest theatre awards in the United Kingdom.
This year, a play-version of Studio Ghibli’s beloved “My Neighbour Totoro” has received an astounding nine nominations for different awards. These nominations include Best Comedy, Best Actress, Best Director (Mei Mac), Best Theatre Choreographer (Phelim McDermott), Best Costume Design (Basil Twist), Best Set, Sound, and Lighting Design (Kimie Nakano and others). The play, which debuted at London’s Barbican Theatre, was a huge hit and drew crowds from all age groups with its whimsy and wonderous story and puppetry.
In addition to “My Neighbour Totoro,” a film and play generally geared towards a younger audience, other nominated plays span a variety of different genres. Some of the ones competing for Best New Play include “Prima Facie,” a play by Suzie Miller that follows the story of a woman who works as a defense lawyer in sexual assault cases and whose perspective on the legal system does a full 180 after she herself is sexually assaulted, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a play by Aaron Sorkin that is a play version of the novel by Harper Lee, and “For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy,” a play based on Ryan Calais Cameron’s book that follows the story of six black men who meet in group therapy.
One thing all these plays have in common is that they include artistic ways of exploring tough situations and one’s own beliefs. In Studio Ghibli’s “My Neighbour Totoro,” the two main characters Satsuki and Mei move with their family into an old house, while Yasuko, their mother, is recovering from an illness. Once they move in, they encounter and make friends with a variety of different spirits, some dark and dust-like, others bigger and fluffier like Totoro. A wonderful family classic, the story of “My Neighbour Totoro” teaches us the value of being kind to all creatures and not being quick to judge others for how they may seem at first. In addition to that, it also teaches us how kids specifically deal with tough situations and view the world.
On the other hand, plays such as “Prima Facie” explore deeper concepts more directly as they are generally geared towards an older audience. Through “Prima Facie,” we can see how dependent one’s beliefs and views are on their own experiences. It exemplifies to us how hard it can be to fully grasp and/or understand a different perspective if we haven’t shared the same experience. Similarly, “For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy” explores the idea of how one’s beliefs, both about themselves and others, are easily shaped by the world around them and what society says they should believe or how they are treated by society. In particular, it explores the intersection of race and masculinity and what it is like to exist in society today as a young Black man.
All in all, the nominations this year all carry a story with them. Whether that story is told through fantasy and other-worldly dimensions or through more realistic situations like acting as a lawyer in court or attending a group therapy session. This year’s nominations for the Olivier Awards emphasize the importance of vulnerability and authenticity in the world of theatre.