The voting has opened for the Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical in this year’s 2016 London Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Now in their 63rd year, the annual awards celebrate outstanding achievement and performance in London theatre.
Listeners will be able to cast their vote by heading to bbc.co.uk/radio2 and will have until 11.59pm on Sunday 23 October to register their vote.
The winner of the award will be announced live from the ceremony at London’s Old Vic Theatre on 13 November (9-11pm) as part of a special programme being hosted by Elaine Paige, and fellow Radio 2 presenter Ken Bruce. They will be presenting from backstage, bringing listeners exclusive access all areas news as well as speaking to the award winners and some of the stars gathered to celebrate.
The six musicals in the running are: Funny Girl (Menier Chocolate Factory/Savoy), Groundhog Day (Old Vic), Guys and Dolls (Savoy/Phoenix), Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (National Theatre’s Dorfman) and Sunset Boulevard (London Coliseum).
Elaine Paige said: “There have been so many wonderful shows during the past 12 months and the impressive list represents just a handful of fantastic productions. Each and everyone deserves their place on the shortlist and the Radio 2 audience is going to have a tough task ahead of them coming to a decision. Good luck to everyone nominated.”
The shortlist was compiled by this year’s advisory judging panel, which comprises Daily Mail columnist Baz Bamigboye; London Evening Standard’s chief theatre critic, Henry Hitchings; Guardian culture writer and broadcaster, Mark Lawson; WhatsOnStage’s Sarah Crompton and Matt Wolf, London theatre critic of the International New York Times; alongside the London Evening Standard’s editor, Sarah Sands, and BBC Radio 2 head of programmes, Lewis Carnie.
Carnie added: “The 2016 London Evening Standard Theatre Awards are a wonderful celebration of the thriving theatre scene in London. I’m delighted that Radio 2 is once again able to offer our audience the chance to have their say and vote for their favourite musical of the past 12 months.”
Other awards will include: Best Actor; the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress; Best Play; Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical; Milton Shulman Award for Best Director; Best Design; Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright; Emerging Talent Award; the Editor’s Award; Beyond Theatre Award and the Lebedev Award.
Commenting on this year’s awards, owner of the London Evening Standard, Evgeny Lebedev said: “In a tumultuous year for Britain, London’s theatres continue to represent the international gold standard by which productions around the world are measured. I am delighted once again to be hosting these awards, which reward the very best stage talent going. There could be no finer setting than The Old Vic, the scene of so many wonderful performances over the years and such an integral part of the capital’s cultural life.”
Elton John will take time out from the European leg of his Rocket Club tour to join Lebedev as the co-host of the ceremony. Lebedev added: “I am delighted to have Sir Elton John as my co-host for the 62nd Evening Standard Theatre Awards. He is a man of immense talent and a great patron of the theatre. The musicals he has composed, including Billy Elliot, which opened first in London, have entertained audiences globally.”
An honorary trustee of The Old Vic, Elton John said: “I think we produce some of the best theatre in the world here and I feel passionately that we must support it. The London stage has nurtured and given a creative voice for many, many talented individuals and it’s such a great honour for me to co-host these illustrious Theatre Awards at The Old Vic this year.”
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