So the theatrical event of the year is over, all the champagne has been corked and party poppers exploded - the creme de le creme of Theatreland celebrated the night away last Sunday for the Laurence Olivier Awards.

Hairspray was top dog at the ceremony scooping a fair few trophies and good old Andrew Lloyd Webber was awarded the Society of London Theatre Special award for his achievements in London’s Theatreland and across the world.

Here are the awards in full just incase you missed them -

• Best Lighting Design - Howard Harrison for Chichester Festival Theatre’s production of Macbeth
• Best Sound Design - Paul Arditti and Jocelyn Pook for the National’s production of Saint Joan
• Best Newcomer in a Play - Tom Hiddleston for his role of Posthumus in Cymbeline at the Barbican
• Best New Dance Production - The Royal Ballet for its revival of George Balanchine’s three-part ballet Jewels at the Royal Opera House
• Outstanding Achievement in Dance - The Royal Ballet for its revival of George Balanchine’s three-part ballet Jewels at the Royal Opera House
• Best Costume Design - Vicki Mortimer for The Man Of Mode at the National Theatre
• Best Set Design - Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company for the National’s production of War Horse
• Outstanding Achievement or Performance in an Affiliate Theatre - Gone Too Far! in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
• Best Performance in a Supporting Role - Rory Kinnear in the role of Sir Fopling Flutter in The Man Of Mode at the National Theatre
• Best Actor - Chiwetel Ejiofor in Othello at the Donmar Warehouse
• Best Actress - Kristin Scott Thomas in the role of Arkadina in the Royal Court’s production of Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.
• Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical - Tracie Bennett in Hairspray
• Best Theatre Choreographer - Toby Sedgewick for War Horse
• Best Actress in a Musical - Leanne Jones in Hairspray
• Best Actor in a Musical - Michael Ball in Hairspray
• Best New Opera Production - Pelléas et Mélisande  at the Royal Opera House
• Outstanding Achievement in Opera - Natalie Dessay for her performance in La Fille Du Régiment at the Royal Opera House
• Best Revival - Saint Joan revived at the National Theatre
• Best Musical Revival - The Magic Flute - Impempe Yomlingo
• Best New Play - A Disappearing Number at the Barbican
• Best New Comedy - Rafta Rafta performed at the National Theatre
• Best Director - Rupert Goold for his production of Macbeth at the Gielgud
• Best New Musical - Hairspray
• Special Award - Andrew Lloyd Webber

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News just in, I’d Do Anything will start on BBC1 Saturday 15th March at 7.30pm!
Get ready to unhook your phone, detach the doorbell and sing Oom Pah Pah and As Long As He Needs Me for the best half of this year - it’s that time again when Andrew Lloyd Webber takes control of our Saturday nights!

The first few shows will cover the regional auditions in which thousands of hopeful girls are whittled down to just over 100 - who are then called back to perform before the panel of judges in London. Next step is Nancy School in which the girls are professionally trained and then compete in a knock out style competition each week.

Meanwhile 50 young talented boys are selected to work with musical theatre experts before twelve are chose by Webber to compete on the live shows. Each week the Olivers are set an individual and group task of which Webber and the panel will judge (they will NOT face a public vote).

Excited? You be!

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More London auditions have been posted on the I’d Do Anything site and each one is very different to the last. All I have to say to the woman in the red jumper is - NO NO NO! What the hell is that audition, not everyone can do a “Christina Aguilera” wail and you have certainly got it very wrong.

This week however they’ve put up a good audition, watch out for Lia Saville as I think she has an awesome voice and the right look (and accent) for Nancy. Margaret Feeny from the Glasgow auditions has an equally brilliant voice, however I feel she looks a little bit too old to play Nancy - no offence but she has to be young and feisty.

More exciting news though, last night I caught a glimpse of the “I’d Do Anything” trailer on BBC - that’s right folks the show is on it’s way to TV! I also found it on youtube for those of you who haven’t seen it. Too cheesy or just a bit of fun? You decide.

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This morning the Show and Stay team were very saddened to hear that film and theatre legend Patrick Swayze had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Best known for his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost, Swayze had also been very memorable in last years West End production of Guys and Dolls. Mr snake hips himself has said to be responding well to treatment and he’s been continuing on with his normal schedule - which includes two films!

We would just like to take this opportunity to wish him well and hope for speedy recovery - we want to see you back in the West End!

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No I haven’t just made this up in order to coax people to my blog, this is a genuine article found today Google news! Generally confused Doherty has decide that the next big step in his life is to write a musical, how very rock and roll. You can imagine him going through his “rock and roll” checklist……

Pete’s List of rock and roll must’s

• A) Be discovered and become nonchalant about the whole thing
• B) Destroy a few hotel rooms
• C) Stop washing
• D) Get a supermodel girlfriend
• E) Get a drug habit
• F) Go off the rails and get arrested
• G) ……. Write the most amazing musical anyone has ever seen and challenge Andrew Lloyd Webber for his theatre guru status

Hmmm the last one doesn’t seem to fit now does it. However, as much as I mock this story I would actually like to see it, who knows what twisted and interesting stuff lurks in the back of Doherty’s mind. One thing’s for certain, it would have an awesome soundtrack and would keep many viewers entertained even if the story were crap.
Apparently Doherty and his ex-bandmate Carl Barat are in the early stages of penning this masterpiece, but we can expect to see it appear early 2009.

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