At a ceremony tonight at the Prince of Wales Theatre hosted by Courtney Bowman, Laurie Kynaston and Billy Luke Nevers, the winners of the 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards were announced – the only major theatre awards decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves and the first theatre awards to establish gender-neutral performance categories.
Award presenters on the night included Jake Shears, George Takei, Bonnie Langford, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Arlene Phillips and Lisa Scott-Lee.
WhatsOnStage’s Sarah Coleman and Alex Wood said today, “Today’s awards demonstrate that our theatre industry is going from strength to strength, and with the continued support of our wonderful audiences, there has been another vibrant year of productions across the UK. We are proud to be the first theatre awards to introduce gender-neutral performance categories to honour our world-leading on-stage talent, and it is heartening to see the ongoing prevalence of new work in our theatres. Our thanks as ever go to the audiences who have remained with us, who have bought tickets, who have seen shows and who have decided our award winners from such a wellspring of creativity. All of us at WhatsOnStage look ahead with anticipation to another year of stories brought to life in our theatres.”
For the first ever gender-neutral performance categories, female performers triumphed with Courtney Bowman and Lauren Drew winning for Best Performer in a Musical and Best Supporting Performer in a Musical respectively for Legally Blonde, and Jodie Comer receiving Best Performer in a Play for her solo tour-de-force in Prima Facie. Best Supporting Performer in a Play went to Gwyneth Keyworth for her performance of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird and Lucie Jones won Best Takeover for her turn as Elphaba in Wicked. For his performance in The Trials at the Donmar Warehouse, Joe Locke scored with Best Professional Debut.
The big winner of the night was the enchanting My Neighbour Totoro with 5 awards from 9 nominations, receiving Best Direction for Phelim McDermott, Best Set Design for Tom Pye and Basil Twist, Best Lighting Design for Jessica Hung Han Yun, Best Musical Direction or Supervision for Bruce O’Neil and Matt Smith and Best Sound Design for Tony Gayle.
The Best New Musical Award went to Bonnie & Clyde the Musical, while Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, which previews in the West End from this week, won Best Musical Revival for its sell-out run at the Young Vic, while also winning Best Video Design for Joshua Thorson. In the straight play categories, the critically acclaimed Prima Facie, which opens on Broadway in the spring, won the prized Best New Play award, and Best Play Revival went to the West End première of Cock at the Ambassadors Theatre.
In the year that saw the opening of @sohoplace – the first new-build West End theatre in 50 years – producer and theatre owner Nica Burns was honoured with the Services to Theatre Award, in recognition of her extraordinary career and her unfailing commitment to the health of the theatre industry.
Homegrown hit musical SIX triumphed yet again in the Best West End Show category, picking up the prize for the third time; Curve Leicester’s production of Billy Elliot the Musical earned Best Regional Production, and Best Off-West End Production went to But I’m A Cheerleader: The Musical at The Turbine Theatre.
The 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Award Winners
BEST PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL sponsored by TICKX
Courtney Bowman, Legally Blonde, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL sponsored by NEWMAN DISPLAYS
Lauren Drew, Legally Blonde, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
BEST PERFORMER IN A PLAY sponsored by SINE DIGITAL
Jodie Comer, Prima Facie, Harold Pinter Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER IN A PLAY sponsored by EDWARDIAN HOTELS LONDON (Official Hotel Partner)
Gwyneth Keyworth, To Kill a Mockingbird, Gielgud Theatre
BEST TAKEOVER PERFORMANCE sponsored by TANDEM MARKETING
Lucie Jones, Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre
BEST PROFESSIONAL DEBUT PERFORMANCE sponsored by AKA
Joe Locke, The Trials, Donmar Warehouse
BEST NEW MUSICAL sponsored by TRAVELZOO
Bonnie & Clyde the Musical, Arts Theatre
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL sponsored by CONCORD THEATRICALS
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Young Vic
BEST NEW PLAY sponsored by TICKETMASTER
Prima Facie, Harold Pinter Theatre
BEST PLAY REVIVAL sponsored by AUDIENCEVIEW
Cock, Ambassadors Theatre
BEST WEST END SHOW sponsored by DEWYNTERS
SIX, Vaudeville Theatre
BEST REGIONAL PRODUCTION sponsored by MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL
Billy Elliot the Musical, Curve, Leicester
BEST OFF-WEST END PRODUCTION
But I’m A Cheerleader: The Musical, The Turbine Theatre
BEST CONCERT EVENT
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, Sondheim Theatre
BEST DIRECTION sponsored by LOVETHEATRE
Phelim McDermott, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION/SUPERVISION
Bruce O’Neil and Matt Smith, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre
BEST CASTING DIRECTION
Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher, Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Arlene Phillips, Grease, Dominion Theatre
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Gabriella Slade, The Cher Show, UK tour
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN sponsored by WHITE LIGHT
Jessica Hung Han Yun, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre
BEST SET DESIGN sponsored by PREEVUE
Tom Pye and Basil Twist, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre
BEST SOUND DESIGN sponsored by STAGE SOUND SERVICES
Tony Gayle, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre
BEST VIDEO DESIGN
Joshua Thorson, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Young Vic
BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN sponsored by HEXAGON PRINT
Studio Doug, Prima Facie, Harold Pinter Theatre
