A sequin-studded drag musical, a small theatre with a giant reputation and a veteran producer led this mornings nominations for the Olivier Awards.

But the prestigious theatre awards short-list is perhaps most notable for the omission of the two most high-profile male leads in the West End last year. David Tennant’s back problems meant that he failed to perform enough times as Hamlet to qualify for consideration while Kenneth Branagh’s lionised Ivanov has been surprisingly overlooked.

Last month Branagh won the Critics’ Circle award for best male performance but he was edged out of the Oliviers by David Bradley and Michael Gambon in No Man’s Land, Adam Godley in Rain Man and Derek Jacobi in Twelfth Night.

Tennant shared the critics’ award for Best Shakespearean performance with Jacobi.

La Cage Aux Folles, a revival of the 1973 French play - later a memorable film - bagged seven nominations, the highest number for an individual production. They include best musical revival, best director for Terry Johnson and two best actor nods for the show's original male leads, Douglas Hodge as drag queen Albin and Denis Lawson as his partner Georges.

The Donmar Warehouse, the intimate Covent Garden theatre where Sam Mendes forged his reputation, has 13 nominations, the same number as the commercial producer Sonia Friedman who has nominations for No Man’s Land, That Face, Maria Friedman Re-arranged and La Cage aux Folles.

Four different Donmar productions share the honours in the year that the theatre launched a groundbreaking residency in the West End, based around classic plays and heavyweight theatre stars.

Piaf, which transferred to the Vaudeville, secures five nominations (Best Musical Revival, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design) while The Chalk Garden, directed by the Donmar’s Artistic Director Michael Grandage, takes four, including nominations for both its leading ladies: Margaret Tyzack and Penelope Wilton.

Ivanov and Twelfth Night, the first two plays mounted at the lavishly restored Wyndham’s Theatre under the banner of Donmar West End, scored two nominations each.

The awards, now in their 33rd year, are organised by the Society of London Theatre, which recently announced record box-office takings for the West End in 2008. They will be presented by the actor James Nesbitt, on Sunday March 8 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Nica Burns, President of the Society of London Theatre, said: “The talent reflected in these outstanding nominations shows why London is the theatre capital of the world. Wonderful musicals, fabulous entertainment, brilliant plays to touch, provoke or make you laugh and truly great acting. Nearly 14 million people have packed our theatres to enjoy a terrific night out in a record breaking year. London’s theatre is something for all of us to be proud of.”

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2009 LAURENCE OLIVIER AWARDS

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