Sir Tim Rice honoured for songwriting legacy

Songwriter Sir Tim Rice will follow in the footsteps of Stephen Sondheim when he is honoured at this year’s Olivier Awards.

He has worked on hit shows Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita and written lyrics for songs including Circle Of Life, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and I Know Him So Well.

Previous recipients of the award include Harold Pinter, Dame Judi Dench and Sondheim who was given the award last year.

The nominations for this year’s awards were revealed yesterday and saw a strong showing by Matilda the Musical which picked up ten nods, the maximum possible number for a stage musical this year. Among the nominations for the show, inspired by the Roald Dahl story, were nods for best director, best actor in a musical and a collective nomination for best actress in a musical for the four young performers who take the title role.

They are up against performers including former Coronation Street star Sarah Lancashire for the prize. Among those nominated for best actress are Kristin Scott Thomas, Celia Imrie and Ruth Wilson.