THEATRE

Tommy has eight, Stanley has five and Virginia has three. Pardon? Nominations, silly. On 16 February, the Grosvenor House will host the annual Laurence Olivier awards, with highlights on BBC the following night.

So, having seen the nominations, I would like to tell the committee - five theatre professionals and eight members of the public - where it's all going wrong.

Let's take the strange case of Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. Now, how about anyone from David Levaux's excellent cast of Nine? Clare Burt as the tousled, tawdry temptress wrestling in white sheets? Or defiant Jenny Galloway standing her ground and introducing Guido to the delights of sex? No. The committee has focused its attention on the nth version of Des McAnuff's hi-tech staging of the classic Who album, Tommy. And who gets the nod? Not Ian Bartholomew, whose song-and-dance turn as Uncle Ernie is the standout. No, it's James Gillan. I'm sure Mr Gillan is a fine member of the ensemble, but no one I know can remember him as Second Pinball Lout. He was not mentioned in a single review. Indeed, I am reliably informed that even Mr Gillan is surprised. What is going on?

The voting procedure is closed, so I'm sure that the committee acted in good faith, but did they all see something everyone else missed?

Omissions? Ken Stott is rightly nominated for Art but why not for his stunning performance in The Prince's Play? And did nobody notice that set? Bob Crowley appears to have been edged out by Paul Farnsworth who received a nod for Passion which was functional and more colourful than the ugly, New York set, but please...

And then there's poor Lloyd Owen. Everyone else in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has been nominated except him. Why? He has the verbal and physical rhythm of an American and is completely plausible in the difficult role but it's just not one of those flashy award-grabbing roles. That sort of thinking probably accounts for Owen Teale's powerhouse partnering of Janet McTeer in A Doll's House being relegated to Best Supporting Actor. Still, if it means both he and Stott pick up the men's prizes, I'll be happy.