Olivier Awards - Legally Blonde star Sheridan Smith was named best musical actress at the Laurence Olivier Awards at the weekend. Her co-star Jill Halfpenny won best supporting role in a musical, while the show also won best new musical. In an emotional acceptance speech, Sheridan Smith thanked Legally Blonde's US creators for letting a "chav play an American rich girl".
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera sequel Love Never Dies led the field before the ceremony with seven nominations - but won none.
Accepting the BBC Radio 2 audience award for We Will Rock You, Queen guitarist Brian May hit out at theatre critics who panned the musical, based on the band's hits, when it opened nine years ago.
A production of La Boheme by OperaUpClose, which began at a 35-seat pub theatre, beat the Royal Opera House, London Coliseum and Young Vic to the award for best new opera. The award for best musical revival went to Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods,/i>, staged by the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. At the ceremony's climax, Sondheim received a special prize in recognition of his contribution to theatre.
Arts Protest - Some of the biggest names in British film, television and theatre are warning that government cuts pose a serious threat to the arts in the UK. In a letter to the Observer, Dame Helen Mirren, David Tennant and others say public investment in the arts brings in a "staggering" return for the country. "Culture cannot and should not be an easy target for cuts," they add.
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said cuts to the arts were less deep than those to many other areas such as the police. In October, the government announced that Arts Council England - which distributes money to hundreds of arts venues, theatre groups and galleries - would have its budget cut by almost 30%. Since then a number of local councils have announced plans to slash their arts provision.
(Jim Evans)
