The winners were announced this evening at the Prince of Wales Theatre for the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, presented by Simon Lipkin and Vikki Stone, celebrating the best of the UK’s theatre over the past year. The awards are the only major theatre prizes to be voted for entirely by the audience.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child leads the awards this year with eight victories, a WhatsOnStage Award record for a play, including Best Actor in a Play for Jamie Parker, Best Supporting Actress in a Play for Noma Dumezweni, Best Supporting Actor in a Play for Anthony Boyle, Best New Play, Best Director for John Tiffany, Best Set Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Video Design.
In the other acting awards, Billie Piper claims Best Actress in a Play for Yerma, her second WhatsOnStage Award in three years following her 2015 Best Actress in a Play victory for Great Britain.Amber Riley is named Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Dreamgirls and Best Supporting Actor in a Musical goes to Trevor Dion Nicholas for Disney’s Aladdin, which also saw success in the Best Costume Design category.
Half a Sixpence is the most successful musical with three awards, including Best Actor in a Musical for Charlie Stemp, Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Emma Williams and Best Choreography. Its producer Cameron Mackintosh is also celebrated with the Equity Award for Lifetime Achievement (So Far) as he marks 50 years in the theatre business. However, Half a Sixpence loses out in the Best New Musical category to School of Rock whilst the Best Musical Revival category is claimed by Funny Girl.
No Man’s Land, starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, wins Best Play Revival, whilst Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical The Girls, soon to open in the West End, wins Best Regional Production and, in a WhatsOnStage first, Wicked and Les Misérables tie for Best West End Show. In the celebration of London’s fringe theatre, The Last Five Years takes Best Off-West End Production.
A number of winners and stars from winning shows performed at the event including Gary Barlow, who performed the song ‘Scarborough’ from The Girls alongside Joanna Riding, Amber Riley who performed ‘Listen’ from Dreamgirls alongside Liisi LaFontaine, the cast of Half of a Sixpence with ‘Flash, Bang, Wallop’, Trevor Dion Nicholas who sung ‘Somebody’s Got Your Back’ from Disney’s Aladdin with Dean John-Wilson, and Gary Trainor and the company of The School Rock who performed ‘Teacher’s Pet’. There were further performances from Tyrone Huntley who sung ‘Heaven on their Minds’ from Jesus Christ Superstar and Ria Jones with ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’ from Sunset Boulevard.
Best Actor in a Play, sponsored by Radisson Blu Edwardian
Ian Hallard for The Boys in the Band
Ian McKellen for No Man’s Land
Jamie Parker for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Kenneth Branagh for The Entertainer
Ralph Fiennes for Richard III
Best Actress in a Play, sponsored by Live at Zédel
Billie Piper for Yerma
Helen McCrory for The Deep Blue Sea
Lily James for Romeo and Juliet
Michelle Terry for Henry V
Pixie Lott for Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Best Actor in a Musical, sponsored by The Umbrella Rooms
Andy Karl for Groundhog Day
Charlie Stemp for Half a Sixpence
Michael C Hall for Lazarus
Michael Xavier for Sunset Boulevard
Ramin Karimloo for Murder Ballad
Best Actress in a Musical, sponsored by The Hippodrome Casino
Amber Riley for Dreamgirls
Carrie Hope Fletcher for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Devon-Elise Johnson for Half a Sixpence
Glenn Close for Sunset Boulevard
Sheridan Smith for Funny Girl
Best Supporting Actor in a Play
Anthony Boyle for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Derek Jacobi for Romeo and Juliet
Freddie Fox for Travesties
Jonjo O’Neill for Unreachable
Paul Thornley for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Best Supporting Actress in a Play, sponsored by Tonic Theatre
Jenna Russell for Doctor Faustus
Meera Syal for Romeo and Juliet
Noma Dumezweni for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Poppy Miller for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Vanessa Redgrave for Richard III
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, sponsored by Encore Radio
Adam J Bernard for Dreamgirls
Ian Bartholomew for Half a Sixpence
Joel Montague for Funny Girl
Trevor Dion Nicholas for Disney’s Aladdin
Tyrone Huntley for Jesus Christ Superstar
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, sponsored by Newman Displays
Amy Lennox for Lazarus
Emma Williams for Half a Sixpence
Rebecca Trehearn for Show Boat
Sophia Anne Caruso for Lazarus
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt for Murder Ballad
Best New Play, sponsored by JHI Marketing
The Comedy About A Bank Robbery
The Flick
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures or iHo
The Mother
Best New Musical, sponsored by Shine Creative Solutions
Disney’s Aladdin
Dreamgirls
Groundhog Day
Half a Sixpence
School of Rock
Best Play Revival
The Boys in the Band
The Deep Blue Sea
The Dresser
No Man's Land
Travesties
Best Musical Revival, sponsored by R&H Theatricals Europe
Funny Girl
Jesus Christ Superstar
Ragtime
Show Boat
Sunset Boulevard
Best Direction
Casey Nicholaw for Disney’s Aladdin
John Tiffany for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Warchus for Groundhog Day
Michael Mayer for Funny Girl
Rachel Kavanaugh for Half a Sixpence
Best Choreography, sponsored by Encore Radio
Andrew Wright for Half a Sixpence
Casey Nicholaw for Disney’s Aladdin
Casey Nicholaw for Dreamgirls
Drew McOnie for Jesus Christ Superstar
Peter Darling and Ellen Kane for Groundhog Day
Best Costume Design
Gregg Barnes for Disney’s Aladdin
Gregg Barnes for Dreamgirls
Katrina Lindsay for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Wright for Funny Girl
Paul Brown for Half a Sixpence
Best Set Design
Bob Crowley for Disney’s Aladdin
Christine Jones for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Lez Brotherston for Show Boat
Miriam Buether for Wild
Rob Howell for Groundhog Day
Best Lighting Design, sponsored by White Light
Charlie Morgan Jones for Little Shop of Horrors
Hugh Vanstone for Groundhog Day
Jack Weir for The Boys in the Band
Natasha Katz for Disney’s Aladdin
Neil Austin for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Best Video Design, sponsored by PRG XL Video
Andrzej Goulding for Groundhog Day
Finn Ross and Ash Woodward for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Finn Ross for The Tempest, RSC
Laura Perrett for Murder Ballad
Tal Yarden for Lazarus
Best Off-West End Production, sponsored by Les Misérables
The Boys in the Band (Park Theatre)
Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse)
The Last Five Years (St James Theatre)
Side Show (Southwark Playhouse)
Ragtime (Charing Cross Theatre)
Best Regional Production, sponsored by MTI (Europe)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (National Tour)
Flowers for Mrs Harris (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield)
The Girls (National Tour)
The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic)
Rent (National Tour/St James Theatre)
Best West End Show, sponsored by Capezio
Kinky Boots
Les Misérables
Matilda the Musical
The Phantom of the Opera
Wicked
Equity Award for Lifetime Achievement (So Far)
Cameron Mackintosh
