Actor Jude Law takes a bow onstage at the opening night of "Hamlet" on Broadway, in New York, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Peter Kramer)

LONDON - Hollywood heavyweights feature strongly in the race for Britain's 2010 Laurence Olivier theatre awards, with Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, James Earl Jones and Keira Knightley among the nominees announced Monday.

Jones is shortlisted for best actor for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," alongside Law for "Hamlet," James McAvoy for "Three Days of Rain," Mark Rylance for "Jerusalem," Ken Stott for "A View from the Bridge" and Samuel West for "Enron."

Weisz received a best-actress nomination for her performance as faded belle Blanche Dubois in "A Streetcar Named Desire." Her competitors are Gillian Anderson for "A Doll's House," Lorraine Burroughs for "The Mountaintop," Imelda Staunton for "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" and Juliet Stevenson for "Duet for One."

"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Knightley is nominated in the supporting actress category for her turn as a manipulative movie starlet in "The Misanthrope."

Melanie Chisholm - better known as Mel C of the Spice Girls - is nominated for best actress in a musical, for "Blood Brothers." "Mr. Bean" star Rowan Atkinson is up for best actor for playing Fagin in "Oliver!"

The Olivier awards, Britain's equivalent of Broadway's Tonys, honour achievements in London theatre, musicals, dance and opera.

Sexy song-and-dance drama "Spring Awakening" received seven nominations, including best new musical. Lucy Prebble's "Enron," about the collapse of the Texas energy giant, and Jez Butterworth's raucous state-of-England play "Jerusalem" lead the drama field with six nominations each, including best new play.

Along with "Enron" and "Jerusalem," the new play contenders are Katori Hall's Martin Luther King drama "The Mountaintop" and John Logan's "Red," about artist Mark Rothko.

The best new comedy nominees are Tim Firth's film adaptation "Calendar Girls," Richard Bean's immigrant tale "England People Very Nice," suburban saga "Parlour Song" - a second nomination for playwright Butterworth - and Michael Wynne's party-from-hell play "The Priory."

New-musical contenders are "Spring Awakening," "Dreamboats and Petticoats," "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and "Sister Act."

The nods for "Enron" and "Jerusalem" are a coup for the small Royal Court Theatre, which gave them their first London run. Both plays have transferred to bigger West End playhouses, and "Enron" is moving to Broadway in April.

The Royal Court has 15 nominations in all, followed by the Donmar Warehouse with 10 and the National Theatre with nine.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on March 21.

Nominations for the 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards, honouring achievement in theatre, opera and dance in London:

New Play: "Enron"; "Jerusalem"; "The Mountaintop"; Red."

New Comedy: "Calendar Girls"; "England People Very Nice"; "Parlour Song"; "The Priory."

New Musical: "Dreamboats and Petticoats"; "Priscilla Queen of the Desert"; "Spring Awakening"; "Sister Act."

Musical Revival: "Annie, Get Your Gun"; "Hello Dolly!"; "A Little Night Music"; "Oliver!"

Revival-Play: "Arcadia"; "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"; "The Misanthrope"; "A Streetcar Named Desire"; A View from the Bridge"; "Three Days of Rain."

Actress-Play: Gillian Anderson, "A Doll's House"; Lorraine Burroughs, "The Mountaintop"; Imelda Stanton, "Entertaining Mr. Sloane"; Juliet Stevenson, "Duet For One"; Rachel Weisz, "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Actor-Play: James Earl Jones, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"; Jude Law, "Hamlet"; James McAvoy, "Three Days of Rain"; Mark Rylance, "Jerusalem"; Ken Stott, "A View From the Bridge"; Samuel West, "Enron."

Actress-Musical: Melanie C, "Blood Brothers"; Patina Miller, "Sister Act"; Samantha Spiro, "Hello Dolly!"; Hannah Waddington, "A Little Night Music"; Charlotte Wakefield, "Spring Awakening."

Actor-Musical: Rowan Atkinson, "Oliver!"; Aneurin Barnard, "Spring Awakening"; Bob Golding, "Morecambe"; Alexander Hanson, "A Little Night Music"; Tony Sheldon, "Priscilla Queen of the Desert."

Supporting Actor: Mackenzie Crook, "Jerusalem"; Rory Kinnear, "Burnt by the Sun"; Tim Pigott-Smith, "Enron"; Eddie Redmayne, "Red."

Supporting Actress: Hayley Atwell, "A View From the Bridge"; Michelle Dockery, "Burnt by the Sun"; Alexandra Gilbreath, "Twelfth Night"; Keira Knightley, "The Misanthrope"; Rachael Stirling, "The Priory."

Supporting Role-Musical: Sheila Hancock, "Sister Act"; Maureen Lipman, "A Little Night Music"; Kelly Price, "A Little Night Music"; Iwan Rheon, "Spring Awakening."

Director: Rupert Goold, "Enron"; Michael Grandage, "Hamlet"; Lindsay Posner, "A View From the Bridge"; Ian Rickson, "Jerusalem"; Bijan Sheibani, "Our Class."

Theater Choreography: Matthew Bourne, "Oliver!"; Bill T. Jones, "Spring Awakening"; Anthony Van Laast, "Sister Act"; Stephen Mear, "Hello Dolly!"

New Opera Production: "Der Fliegende Hollander," Royal Opera; "Lulu," Royal Opera; "Peter Grimes," English National Opera; "Tristan Und Isolde," Royal Opera.

New Dance Production: Russell Maliphant's "Afterlight"; Birmingham Royal Ballet's "E(equals)MC2"; Goldberg: The Brandstrup Rojo Project's "ROH2"; Rambert Dance Company's "A Linha Curva"; Fabulous Beast Dance's "The Rite of Spring."

Audience award for Most Popular Show: "Billy Elliot"; "The Phantom of the Opera"; "War Horse"; "We Will Rock You"; "Wicked."