'Hamilton' makes history with 13 Olivier nominations

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Hit hip-hop show "Hamilton" made history Tuesday at the Olivier awards – British theater's own "Oscars" – with a record 13 nominations.

It outpaced "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" and "Hairspray" which got 11 nominations in 2017 and 2008 respectively.

The show's leading actors, Giles Terera and Jamael Westman, were both recognized in the Best Actor in a Musical category while another three actors will compete for the Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, which means the most awards the show can win is 10.

Premiered in 2015, "Hamilton" tells about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, with music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The "Hamilton" cast and crew greets President Barack Obama on July 18, 2015. /Photo via wikipedia.org

The musical combines rap, hip-hop, blues, pop music, soul music and traditional-style show tunes, and also features color-conscious casting where no white actors were chosen to play the Founding Fathers and other historical figures.

"The Ferryman", currently running in London's West End ahead of transferring to New York's Broadway, is the most nominated new play, gathering eight nominations.

The National Theater in London has won 22 nominations with the musical "Follies" receiving 10 nominations. The Almeida Theater has received seven nominations for its production of "Shakespeare's Hamlet" and Jame Graham's new play "Ink". The Old Vic in London has five nominations from a new musical, "Girl from the North Country".

"The 2018 awards are set to be an exciting occasion with original new work dominating the categories and a significant number of artists receiving their first ever Olivier nominations," said a spokeswoman for the Society of London Theater & UK Theater, which organized the awards.

The winners will be announced at the Royal Albert Hall in London on April 8, with an awards ceremony hosted by actress-comedian Catherine Tate.