LONDON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The play "The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-time" on Sunday triumphed at the Laurence Olivier Theater Awards, winning seven of the eight awards it was nominated for.
The awards, known as the Oliviers after the famous British actor, are presented annually for achievement in theater.
The writer of the novel from which the play was adapted, Mark Haddon, told Xinhua: "There are no adjectives to describe this stage of my life; I am hugely thrilled."
The play scooped best play, and also best actor for Luke Treadaway for his role as the lead character Christopher Boone, and best supporting actress for Nicola Walker who played his mother.
The play also won Marianne Elliott the best director award. Elliott was director of "Warhorse," a hit for the National Theater and then in the West End like "The Curious Incident" which then became a film hit for Steven Spielberg.
"A Curious Incident" also picked up three technical awards -- best sound, best lighting, best set.
Dame Helen Mirren won best actress for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Audience," a play about the Queen and her private audiences with some of the dozen prime ministers during her 61-year reign.
Richard McCabe won best supporting actor for his role as prime minister Harold Wilson, PM in the 1960s and 70s, in the same play.
Extra lines had to be written to cover the death of Margaret Thatcher, said McCabe, with the Queen character commenting on why she had broken with precedent and attended the funeral.
Best actor in a musical went to Michael Ball for his role in Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd," which also won the award for Best Musical Revival and saw Imelda Staunton pick up best musical actress award.
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