Jeevan Braich won the WhatsOnStage Best Professional Debut Award for Starlight Express and Imelda Staunton won Best Performer in a Musical for Hello, Dolly! Pictures: Roy J Baron
At a ceremony at the London Palladium hosted by Gina and Mazz Murray, the winners of the 25th annual WhatsOnStage Awards in association with AudienceView were announced – the only major theatre awards decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves.
The most awarded of the evening was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, taking home seven out of its nine nominations and winning Best Musical Revival, Best Professional Debut for Jeevan Braich, Best Set Design (Tim Hatley), Best Lighting Design (Howard Hudson), Best Video Design (Andrzej Goulding), Best Costume Design (Gabriella Slade) and Jackie Saundercock and Campbell Young Associates in the new category for Best Wigs Hair and Make-up Design.
In the performance categories, Imelda Staunton won Best Performer in a Musical for Hello, Dolly!; with Melanie La Barrie winning Best Supporting Performer in a Musical category for her performance in Hadestown, which also won Best Musical Direction/Supervision for Liam Robinson and Tarek Merchant. Winning Best Supporting Performer in a Play was Freema Agyeman for Romeo & Juliet; and Layton Williams won Best Takeover for his role of the Emcee in Cabaret.
The always fiercely fought Best New Musical Award went to Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, currently turning the Savoy Theatre pink; with Spirited Away winning Best New Play for its run at the London Coliseum. The much-loved Six won Best West End Show; with Best Director going to Emma Rice for The Buddha of Suburbia – the critically acclaimed Wise Children and RSC co-production; and Best Choreography to Christopher Wheeldon for MJ the Musical.
This year’s awards saw the inclusion of the Best Studio Production for the first time, which was won by Diary of a Gay Disaster at Underbelly Cowgate and Arcola Theatre; with Something Rotten! – in Concert winning Best Concert Event. Best Regional Production was Chichester Festival Theatre’s revival of Oliver! which is currently running at the Gielgud Theatre. Best Casting Direction was won by Harry Blumenau and Sarah-Jane Price for Why Am I So Single?
In the week it debuts in cinemas, Macbeth led the straight play categories with three wins – for David Tennant Best Performer in a Play (making him the actor to win the most WhatsOnStage Awards with five wins), Best Play Revival and Best Sound Design (Gareth Fry).
Completing the evening, legendary lighting designer Paule Constable was awarded the Services to UK Theatre Award for her much-heralded career.
In addition to seeing winners crowned across a range of categories, theatregoers also enjoyed a host of exclusive live performances from top stage talent, accompanied by a 24-piece orchestra in this one-night-only showcase co-produced with creative directors Alex Parker and Damian Sandys. Performances included from 42 Balloons, Becoming Nancy, Mean Girls, MJ the Musical and The Artist. This year’s official charity for the WhatsOnStage Awards was Go Live Theatre.
WhatsOnStage’s Darius Thompson and Alex Wood said today: “This list of winners, coming after a quarter of a century of public nominating, voting and prize-giving, once more celebrates the sheer diversity and variety of theatre productions on our stages. With lightning-fast performers on rollerblades, cutting-edge new stagings of Shakespearean classics, or fresh, musical takes on Greek myths all triumphing, it proves that UK theatre really can do it all. A huge thank you to everyone who selected and championed their favourite shows and creatives, and to the team at The London Palladium for once more hosting this enormous spectacle – it’s been a pleasure. Here’s to the next 25 years of live theatre!”
WINNERS IN FULL
BEST PERFORMER IN A PLAY
David Tennant, Macbeth, Donmar Warehouse and Harold Pinter Theatre
BEST PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL SPONSORED
Imelda Staunton, Hello, Dolly!, London Palladium
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER IN A PLAY
Freema Agyeman, Romeo & Juliet, Duke of York’s Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL
Melanie La Barrie, Hadestown, Lyric Theatre
BEST TAKEOVER PERFORMANCE
Layton Williams, Cabaret, Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
BEST PROFESSIONAL DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Jeevan Braich, Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
BEST NEW MUSICAL
Mean Girls, Music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin and book by Tina Fey, Savoy Theatre
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
BEST NEW PLAY
Spirited Away, Adapted by John Caird and co-adapted by Maoko Imai, The London Coliseum
BEST PLAY REVIVAL
Macbeth, Donmar Warehouse and Harold Pinter Theatre
BEST WEST END SHOW SPONSORED BY DEWYNTERS
SIX, Vaudeville Theatre
BEST REGIONAL PRODUCTION
Oliver!, Chichester Festival Theatre
BEST STUDIO PRODUCTION
Diary of a Gay Disaster, Underbelly Cowgate and Arcola Theatre
BEST CONCERT EVENT
Something Rotten! – In Concert, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
BEST DIRECTION
Emma Rice, The Buddha of Suburbia, RSC’s Swan Theatre and Barbican Theatre
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY SPONSORED BY LADUCA SHOES
Christopher Wheeldon, MJ the Musical, Prince Edward Theatre
BEST SET DESIGN SPONSORED BY PREEVUE
Tim Hatley, Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Gabriella Slade, Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Howard Hudson, Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Gareth Fry, Macbeth, Donmar Warehouse and Harold Pinter Theatre
BEST VIDEO DESIGN
Andrzej Goulding, Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION/SUPERVISION
Liam Robinson and Tarek Merchant, Hadestown, Lyric Theatre
BEST CASTING DIRECTION
Harry Blumenau and Sarah-Jane Price, Why Am I So Single?, Garrick Theatre
BEST WIGS, HAIR AND MAKE-UP DESIGN
Jackie Saundercock and Campbell Young Associates, Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
Services to Theatre:
Paule Constable
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