Love Never Dies looked set to dominate the prizegiving after landing the most nods, but it was overlooked in every category and beaten to the Best New Musical trophy by the stage adaptation of Legally Blonde.
The star of the West End show, Sheridan Smith, danced away with Best Musical Actress for her portrayal of sorority queen Elle Woods – the role played by Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 comedy – while her co-star Jill Halfpenny took Best Supporting Role in a Musical.
A production of Terence Rattigan satire After the Dance took home the most prizes with a tally of four, including Best Revival and acting nods for Nancy Carroll and supporting actor Adrian Scarborough.
Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods was named Best Musical Revival, while Queen musical We Will Rock You landed the BBC Radio 2 audience award.
Other winners included David Thaxton (Best Actor in a Musical for Passion) and Howard Davies (Best Director for The White Guard), and race relations show Clybourne Park claimed Best New Play.
The Laurence Olivier Awards celebrate the best of the year’s West End shows.
