Olivier contenders unveiled

'Oklahoma!' says OK to 9 noms

By MATT WOLF

LONDON -- David Hare's "The Blue Room" and the National Theater's revival of "Oklahoma!" led the balloting in the 1999 Olivier Award nominations announced Thursday. The London theater awards will be given out Feb. 12 at a lunch ceremony.

"Blue Room," currently on Broadway, took six nominations, including best play, director (Sam Mendes) and nods for stars Iain Glen and Nicole Kidman.

"Oklahoma!" took a total of nine nominations -- the most for any production -- including four acting categories as well as musical production and director.

Also garnering multiple nominations were "The Weir" (four noms), which is on its way to Broadway this spring; "The Unexpected Man" (five), also expected in Gotham this season; and the Almeida productions of "Phedre" and "Britannicus," which complete a stand at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Sunday.

Following is a complete list of nominees:

Play: "The Blue Room,'' by David Hare; "Copenhagen,'' by Michael Frayn; "The Unexpected Man,'' by Yasmina Reza; "The Weir,'' by Conor McPherson.

Musical production: "Annie," "Into the Woods,'' "Oklahoma!,'' "Show Boat.''

New musical: "Kat and the Kings,'' "Rent,'' "Saturday Night Fever,'' "Whistle Down the Wind.''

Comedy: "Alarms and Excursions,'' by Michael Frayn; "Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle, and Dick,'' by Terry Johnson; "Love Upon the Throne,'' by Patrick Barlow, with additional material by Martin Duncan and John Ramm; "Things We Do for Love,'' by Alan Ayckbourn.

Entertainment: "Jackie Mason -- Much Ado About Everything,'' "The Right Size in Do You Come Here Often?,'' "Steve Coogan Is the Man Who Thinks He's It,'' "Steven Berkoff in Shakespeare's Villains: A Masterclass in Evil.''

Actress in a play: Eileen Atkins, "The Unexpected Man''; Sinead Cusack, "Our Lady of Sligo''; Judi Dench, "Filumena''; Nicole Kidman, "The Blue Room''; Diana Rigg, "Britannicus'' and "Phedre.''

Actor in a play: Michael Gambon, "The Unexpected Man''; Iain Glen, "The Blue Room''; Jim Norton, "The Weir''; Kevin Spacey, "The Iceman Cometh''; David Suchet, "Amadeus.''

Supporting performance in a play: Brendan Coyle, "The Weir''; Emma Fielding, "The School for Scandal''; Adam Godley, "Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle, and Dick''; Michael Sheen, "Amadeus.''

Actress in a musical: Krysten Cummings, "Rent''; Maria Friedman, "Chicago''; Josefina Gabrielle, "Oklahoma!''; Sophie Thompson, "Into the Woods.''

Actor in a musical: The cast of "Kat and the Kings''; Adam Garcia, "Saturday Night Fever''; Hugh Jackman, "Oklahoma!''; Clarke Peters, "Chicago.''

Supporting performance in a musical: Shuler Hensley, "Oklahoma!''; Wilson Jermaine Heredia, "Rent''; Jimmy Johnston, "Oklahoma!''; Andrew Kennedy, "Annie.''

Director, play or musical: Howard Davies, "The Iceman Cometh''; Sam Mendes, "The Blue Room''; Trevor Nunn, "Oklahoma!''; Ian Rickson, "The Weir.''

Choreographer: Loukmaan Adams and Jody Abrahams, "Kat and the Kings''; Peter Gennaro, "Annie''; Arlene Phillips, "Saturday Night Fever''; Susan Stroman, "Oklahoma!''

Sets: Maria Bjornson, "Britannicus'' and "Phedre''; William Dudley, "Amadeus'' and "Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle, and Dick''; Richard Hoover, "Not About Nightingales''; Mark Thompson, "The Blue Room'' and "The Unexpected Man''; Anthony Ward, "Oklahoma!''

Costumes: Maria Bjornson, "Britannicus'' and "Phedre''; Bunny Christie, "As You Like It'' at Shakespeare's Globe; William Dudley, "Amadeus'' and "The London Cuckolds''; Robert Jones, "Henry VIII'' at the RSC.

Lighting: Paule Constable, "Amadeus'' and "Uncle Vanya''; Mark Henderson, "Britannicus'' and "Phedre''; David Hersey, "Oklahoma!''; Hugh Vanstone, "The Blue Room'' and "The Unexpected Man.''