Nicole Scherzinger and Grace Hodgett Young (below) were both winners for Sunset Boulevard. Picture: Marc Brenner
The big winner of the night at the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards at the London Palladium was Sunset Boulevard with seven awards from its nine nominations. The production received Best Performer in a Musical for Nicole Scherzinger, Best Professional Debut Performance for Grace Hodgett Young, Best Direction for Jamie Lloyd, Best Lighting Design for Jack Knowles, Best Sound Design for Adam Fisher, Best Video Design for Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom and Best Music Direction/Supervision for Alan Williams.
The Best Musical Revival was scooped by Guys & Dolls, still running to critical acclaim at the Bridge Theatre, one of three awards the production took home, also receiving Best Set Design for Bunny Christie and Best Graphic Design by Muse Creative.
Best New Musical was won by the highly garlanded Operation Mincemeat which arrived in the West End last year. The other musical categories saw Jack Wolfe win for the Donmar Warehouse’s production of Next to Normal, which transfers to the West End later this year; Aimee Lou Wood won Best Takeover for her turn as Cabaret’s Sally Bowles with the production also winning Best West End Show; and Best Choreography went to Matt Cole for Disney’s Newsies.
Best Costume Design went to Ryan Dawson Laight for his sumptuous work on La Cage aux Folles at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Best Casting Direction to Jill Green for The Little Big Things.
Best Off-West End Production went to Flowers for Mrs Harris; Best Concert Event to Love Never Dies In Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane; and Best Regional Production to The Lord of the Rings at The Watermill Theatre, continuing a spectacular year for the venue.
In a very evenly spread remaining field, the straight play awards were led by A Little Life – Ivo van Hove’s adaptation of the publishing sensation by Hanya Yanagihara, with James Norton winning Best Performer in a Play, and Luke Thompson winning Best Supporting Performer in a Play. However, Best New Play was snatched by the West End phenomenon Stranger Things: The First Shadow by Kate Trefry, with an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, currently running at the Phoenix Theatre. Best Play Revival was won by VANYA, adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens with a tour de force performance by Andrew Scott.
Picture: Roy J Baron
This year’s Award for Services to UK Theatre was presented to Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, who has led the company to great critical success. This has culminated in one of the most prolific years for them with work across the West End, including Dear England, The Motive and The Cue, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Crucible, as well as across all their stages, and tours including The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Sucker Punch.
WhatsOnStage’s Darius Thompson and Alex Wood said: “What a year for UK theatre this has been. Looking at the winners, voted for by WhatsOnStage readers, it is striking just how audiences are keen to lend their support to bold, experimental takes on classic tales – from solo versions of Chekhov to immersive takes on classic musicals, or radical re-imaginings of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows. Long may this continue – theatre would not be able to thrive without challenging and forward-thinking creativity.
“We’ve had a complete blast at the London Palladium – and the team at LW Theatres have been incredible in accommodating everything we’ve thrown at them, including the installation of an auditorium ramp in order to facilitate step-free access to the stage.”
Performances at the event included Disney’s Newsies, Flowers for Mrs Harris, Guys & Dolls, La Cage aux Folles, Next to Normal, Operation Mincemeat and The Sound of Music, accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra, as well as an exclusive world premiere from Burlesque the Musical, and three additional specially curated performances, featuring a tribute to Chita Rivera, a trip down memory lane to relive some iconic performances from the last few decades and a showcase of theatre’s next rising stars.
The ceremony at the London Palladium was hosted by Bonnie Langford and Melanie La Barrie. The WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major theatre awards decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves.
WINNERS IN FULL:
BEST PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL
Jack Wolfe, Next To Normal, Donmar Warehouse
BEST PERFORMER IN A PLAY
James Norton, A Little Life, Harold Pinter Theatre/Savoy Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER IN A PLAY
Luke Thompson, A Little Life, Harold Pinter Theatre/Savoy Theatre
Aimee Lou Wood wins Best Takeover Performance for Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club. Picture: Roy J Baron
BEST TAKEOVER PERFORMANCE
Aimee Lou Wood, Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
BEST PROFESSIONAL DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Grace Hodgett Young, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre
BEST NEW MUSICAL
Operation Mincemeat, Fortune Theatre
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre
BEST NEW PLAY
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Phoenix Theatre
BEST PLAY REVIVAL
VANYA, Duke of York’s Theatre
BEST WEST END SHOW
Cabaret, Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
BEST REGIONAL PRODUCTION
The Lord of the Rings, Watermill Theatre
BEST OFF-WEST END PRODUCTION
Flowers for Mrs Harris, Riverside Studios
BEST CONCERT EVENT
Love Never Dies in Concert, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
BEST DIRECTION
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION/SUPERVISION
Alan Williams, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre
BEST CASTING DIRECTION
Jill Green, The Little Big Things, @sohoplace
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Matt Cole, Disney’s Newsies, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Ryan Dawson Laight, La Cage aux Folles, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Jack Knowles, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre
BEST SET DESIGN
Bunny Christie, Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre
BEST VIDEO DESIGN
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre
BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN SPONSORED BY HEXAGON PRINT
Bridge Theatre, Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre
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