Following the announcement that the 2020 Olivier Awards, set for April 5 at Royal Albert Hall, had been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, ITV will air a special Olivier Awards April 5 at 10:15 PM GMT.
Hosted by Jason Manford, the hour-long Olivier Awards—Greatest Moments will look back at the past 10 years of Olivier ceremonies, featuring footage of past speeches and performances and a celebration of some of the Olivier Award-winning productions, including Dreamgirls, Hamilton, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, and Matilda. Magic Radio will also broadcast a special program beginning at 6 PM the same evening, celebrating Olivier Awards moments.
Olivier nominees this year included the new musical & Juliet, the West End revival of Fiddler on the Roof, and the U.K. premiere of Dear Evan Hansen. Winners will be revealed in a special ceremony—also broadcast on ITV and Magic Radio—on a date to be announced in the fall.
SOLT Chief Executive and Olivier Awards Executive Producer Julian Bird said in a statement, "Amid unprecedentedly difficult times for our theatre community, we look forward to providing audiences with a unique celebration of the last ten years of incredible, world-leading British theatre honored at the Olivier Awards, in anticipation of a separate ceremony for this year’s winners in the Autumn."
On March 16, the Society of London Theatre (representing all West End venues) and the UK Theatre Association (consisting of many Off-West End theatre and venues across the country) made the sweeping decision to close their doors until further notice as organizations globally contribute to efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
