Dame Helen Mirren and Billie Piper will go head-to-head at this year's Olivier Awards - while James McAvoy is in the running for Macbeth.
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, based on the hit murder mystery novel about a boy with Asperger's syndrome, leads the way with eight nominations, including Best Actor, New Play, and Director.
Dame Helen is up for Best Actress for her role as the Queen in The Audience, which has garnered five nominations.
The production, inspired by the Queen's weekly audience with prime ministers at Buckingham Palace, is also up for New Play, Director (Stephen Daldry) and Supporting Actor for Richard McCabe's performance as Harold Wilson.
Former Secret Diary Of A Call Girl star Piper is in the running for Best Actress for The Effect, set in the world of pharmaceutical drug trials.
Kristin Scott Thomas (Old Times) and Hattie Morahan (A Doll's House) are also nominated in the same category.
X-Men star McAvoy, who has earned rave reviews for his role in Macbeth, goes up against Rafe Spall for Constellations and Rupert Everett for The Judas Kiss for the Best Actor award.
Twelfth Night's Mark Rylance and The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time's Luke Treadaway are also nominated.
While The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time is the front-runner, new musical Top Hat and the revival of Sweeney Todd follow closely with seven and six nominations respectively.
Kiss Me, Kate has five nominations and Constellations has four, in what are the highest honour for London theatre.
Billy Elliot The Musical, last year's seven-time winner Matilda The Musical, The Phantom Of The Opera and Wicked are nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award, the only gong voted for by the public.
Former Pop Idol star Will Young is up for Best Actor In A Musical for his West End debut in Cabaret.
New writing is seen across the categories, with the likes of The Effect, Constellations, This House, and Goodnight Mr Tom.
Dance nominations are split between The Royal Ballet and Sadler's Wells, while the English National Opera has three of the four nominations for Best New Opera production.
Mark Rubinstein, President of the Society of London Theatre, said: "Congratulations to all of this year's Olivier Award nominees whose incredible talents contributed to a record-breaking year for London Theatre."
The Olivier Awards, established in 1976 and now sponsored by MasterCard, take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday April 28, hosted by Hugh Bonneville and Sheridan Smith.
2013 Nominations
BEST ACTOR
Rupert Everett - The Judas Kiss
James McAvoy - Macbeth
Mark Rylance - Twelfth Night
Rafe Spall - Constellations
Luke Treadaway - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
BEST ACTRESS
Helen Mirren - The Audience
Hattie Morahan - A Doll's House
Billie Piper - The Effect
Kristin Scott Thomas - Old Times
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Paul Chahidi - Twelfth Night
Richard McCabe - The Audience
Adrian Scarborough - Hedda Gabler
Kyle Soller - Long Day's Journey Into Night
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Janie Dee - NSFW
Anastasia Hille - The Effect
Cush Jumbo - Julius Caesar (Donmar Warehouse)
Helen McCrory - The Last Of The Haussmans
Nicola Walker - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
MASTERCARD BEST NEW PLAY
Constellations
The Audience
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
This House
BEST DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry - The Audience
Marianne Elliott - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Jeremy Herrin - This House
Simon McBurney - The Master And Margarita
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Ball - Sweeney Todd
Alex Bourne - Kiss Me, Kate
Tom Chambers - Top Hat
Will Young - Cabaret
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Heather Headley - The Bodyguard
Imelda Staunton - Sweeney Todd
Summer Strallen - Top Hat
Hannah Waddingham - Kiss Me, Kate
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Adam Garcia - Kiss Me, Kate
Debbie Kurup - The Bodyguard
Sian Phillips - Cabaret
Leigh Zimmerman - A Chorus Line
BEST NEW MUSICAL
Loserville
Soul Sister
The Bodyguard
Top Hat
BEST REVIVAL
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Macbeth
Old Times
Twelfth Night (Apollo Theatre)
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
A Chorus Line
Cabaret
Kiss Me, Kate
Sweeney Todd
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
Cinderella (St James Theatre)
Goodnight Mister Tom
Hansel And Gretel
Room On The Broom
WHITE LIGHT AWARD FOR BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Paul Anderson - The Master And Margarita
Paule Constable - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Lee Curran - Constellations
Mark Henderson - Sweeney Todd
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Ian Dickinson - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Paul Groothuis - Sweeney Todd
David McSeveney - Constellations
Gareth Owen - Top Hat
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Bob Crowley - The Audience
Jon Morrell - Top Hat
Jenny Tiramani - Twelfth Night
Anthony Ward - Sweeney Todd
XL VIDEO AWARD FOR BEST SET DESIGN
Hildegard Bechtler - Top Hat
Miriam Buether & Wang Gongxin - Wild Swans
Bunny Christie & Finn Ross - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Tim Hatley - The Bodyguard
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
Aeternum by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Cacti by Nederlands Dans Theatre 2 at Sadler's Wells, choreographed by Alexander Ekman
A Streetcar Named Desire by Scottish Ballet at Sadler's Wells
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Lez Brotherston for the set and costumes for Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, New Adventures at Sadler's Wells
ILL-Abilities company in Breakin' Convention at Sadler's Wells
Marianela Nunez for Aeternum, Diana & Actaeon and Viscera, The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
Scott Ambler - Chariots Of Fire
Bill Deamer - Top Hat
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Stephen Mear - Kiss Me, Kate
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Caroline Horton for You're Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy at the Bush Theatre
The production of Red Velvet at the Tricycle Theatre
The season of new writing at the Royal Court Upstairs
Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd for You Me Bum Bum Train, presented by Theatre Royal Stratford East
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
Billy Budd, English National Opera at the London Coliseum
Caligula, English National Opera at the London Coliseum
Einstein On The Beach at the Barbican Theatre
La Traviata, English National Opera at the London Coliseum
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
Edward Gardner for his conducting of The Flying Dutchman and Billy Budd at the English National Opera, London Coliseum
Bryan Hymel for his performances in Les Troyens, Robert Le Diable and Rusalka at the Royal Opera House
Music Theatre Wales for In The Locked Room/Ghost Patrol at the Linbury Theatre, the Royal Opera House
The Stage Management teams at English National Opera, London Coliseum and the Royal Opera House
BBC RADIO 2 AUDIENCE AWARD
Billy Elliot The Musical
Matilda The Musical
The Phantom Of The Opera
Wicked
SPECIAL AWARD
Gillian Lynne
Michael Frayn