WhatsOnStage Theatregoers Choice Awards -Nominations Announced

THE FULL LIST OF 2010/11 NOMINATIONS

The SPOTLIGHT Best Actress in a Play
Helen McCrory – The Late Middle Classes at the Donmar Warehouse
Jenny Jules – Ruined at the Almeida
Kim Cattrall – Private Lives at the Vaudeville
Nancy Carroll – After the Dance at the National, Lyttelton
Tracie Bennett – End of the Rainbow at Trafalgar Studios
Zoë Wanamaker – All My Sons at the Apollo


The SPOTLIGHT Best Actor in a Play
Benedict Cumberbatch – After the Dance at the National, Lyttelton
David Suchet – All My Sons at the Apollo
Matthew Macfadyen – Private Lives at the Vaudeville
Rory Kinnear – Hamlet at the National, Olivier & Measure for Measure at the Almeida
Simon Russell Beale – Deathtrap at the Noel Coward & London Assurance at the National, Olivier
Toby Stephens – The Real Thing at the Old Vic


Best Supporting Actress in a Play
Clare Higgins – Hamlet at the National, Olivier
Emma Cunniffe – The Crucible at the Open Air Theatre
Fiona Shaw – London Assurance at the National, Olivier
Harriet Walter – Women Beware Women at the National, Olivier
Jemima Rooper – All My Sons at the Apollo
Tamsin Greig – The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick


Best Supporting Actor in a Play
Adam James – Blood & Gifts at the National, Lyttelton
Adrian Scarborough – After the Dance at the National, Lyttelton
Eddie Redmayne – Red at the Donmar Warehouse
Lee Ross – Birdsong at the Comedy
Nigel Lindsay – Broken Glass at the Tricycle
Stephen Campbell Moore – All My Sons at the Apollo


The BABY GRAND Best Actress in a Musical
Anna-Jane Casey – Bells Are Ringing at the Union
Elena Roger – Passion at the Donmar Warehouse
Sheridan Smith – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Sierra Boggess – Love Never Dies at the Adelphi
Tamzin Outhwaite – Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Haymarket
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt – Flashdance at the Shaftesbury


The EMG Best Actor in a Musical
Alex Gaumond – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
John Owen-Jones – Les Misérables 25th anniversary production at the Barbican
Mark Umbers – Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Haymarket
Michael Arden – Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Ramin Karimloo – Love Never Dies at the Adelphi
Sahr Ngaujah – Fela! at the National, Olivier


The NURSING STANDARD Best Supporting Actress in a Musical
Hannah Waddingham – Into the Woods at the Open Air
Jill Halfpenny – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Josefina Gabrielle – Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Haymarket
Rosalie Craig – Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Scarlett Strallen – Passion at the Donmar Warehouse
Summer Strallen – Love Never Dies at the Adelphi


Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
Chris Ellis-Stanton – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Dave Willetts – Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Joseph Millson – Love Never Dies at the Adelphi
Michael Xavier – Into the Woods at the Open Air
Paul J Medford – Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Haymarket
Tim Newman – All the Fun of the Fair at the Garrick


Best Ensemble Performance
Hair – at the Gielgud
Les Misérables 25th anniversary concert – the company of companies – at The O2
Men Should Weep – at the National, Lyttelton
Posh – at the Royal Court Downstairs
When We Are Married – at the Garrick
Women, Power & Politics – at the Tricycle


The CAPITAL BREAKS Best Solo Performance
Bob Golding – Morecambe at the Duchess
Caroline O’Connor – The Showgirl Within at the Garrick
Hugh Hughes – The Wonderful World of Hugh Hughes at the Barbican Pit
Meera Syal – Shirley Valentine at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Trafalgar Studios 1
Michael Gambon – Krapp’s Last Tape at the Duchess
Simon Callow – Shakespeare - The Man from Stratford, Dr Marigold & Mr Chops at Riverside Studios


The TAKE ONE MEDIA Best Takeover in a Role
Ben Richards – Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Palace
Denise Van Outen – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Griff Rhys-Jones – Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Kerry Ellis – Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Lee Mead – Wicked at the Apollo Victoria
Rachel Tucker – Wicked at the Apollo Victoria


The OBERON BOOKS Best New Play
Anne Boleyn by Howard Brenton – at Shakespeare’s Globe
Blood & Gifts by JT Rogers – at the National, Lyttelton
Posh by Laura Wade – at the Royal Court Downstairs
Red by John Logan – at the Donmar Warehouse
Ruined by Lynn Nottage – at the Almeida
Tribes by Nina Raine – at the Royal Court Downstairs


Best New Comedy
Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris – at the Royal Court Downstairs
Midsummer by David Greig – at Soho
Morecambe by Tim Whitnall – at the Duchess
Really Old, Like Forty-Five by Tamsin Oglesby – at the National, Cottesloe
The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane – at the Garrick
Yes, Prime Minister by Antony Jay & Jonathan Lynn – at the Gielgud


The SEE TICKETS Best New Musical
All the Fun of the Fair by David Essex & Jon Conway – at the Garrick
Departure Lounge by Dougal Irvine – at Waterloo East
Fela! by Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Bill T Jones & Jim Lewis – at the National, Olivier
Flashdance by Robbie Roth, Robert Cary & Tom Hadley – at the Shaftesbury
Legally Blonde by Nell Benjamin, Laurence O'Keefe & Heather Hach – at the Savoy
Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Glenn Slater & Ben Elton – at the Adelphi


The RADISSON EDWARDIAN Best Play Revival
After the Dance – at the National, Lyttelton
All My Sons – at the Apollo
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – at the Novello
Deathtrap – at the Noel Coward
Design for Living – at the Old Vic
The Real Thing – at the Old Vic


The AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP Best Musical Revival
Bells Are Ringing – at the Union
Hair – at the Gielgud
Into the Woods – at the Open Air
Les Misérables 25th anniversary production – at the Barbican
Passion – at the Donmar Warehouse
Sweet Charity – at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Theatre Royal Haymarket


The SHAKESPEARE 4 KIDZ Best Shakespearean Production
As You Like It – at the Old Vic
Hamlet – at the National, Olivier
Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 – at Shakespeare’s Globe
Macbeth – at Shakespeare’s Globe
Measure for Measure – at the Almeida
The Comedy of Errors – at the Open Air


The LAST SECOND TICKETS Best Director
Howard Davies – All My Sons at the Apollo, The White Guard & Blood & Gifts at the National, Lyttelton
Nicholas Hytner – Hamlet & London Assurance at the National, Olivier
Roger Michell – Rope at the Almeida & Tribes at the Royal Court Downstairs
Rupert Goold – Earthquakes in London at the National, Cottesloe
Thea Sharrock – After the Dance at the National, Lyttelton
Timothy Sheader – Into the Woods & The Crucible at the Open Air


Best Set Designer
Bunny Christie – Men Should Weep at the National, Lyttelton
Joanna Scotcher – The Railway Children at Waterloo Station
Miriam Buether – Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Downstairs & Earthquakes in London at the National, Cottesloe
Morgan Large – Flashdance at the Shaftesbury
Soutra Gilmour – Into the Woods at the Open Air
Stephen Brimson-Lewis – An Ideal Husband at the Vaudeville


The WHITE LIGHT Best Lighting Designer
James Farncombe – Ghost Stories at the Lyric Hammersmith & Duke of York’s
Neil Austin – The Prince of Homburg at the Donmar Warehouse & Women Beware Women at the National, Olivier
Paul Keogan – Novecento, Donmar at Trafalgar Studios 2
Paule Constable – Blasted at the Lyric Hammersmith, Posh at the Royal Court Downstairs & Love Never Dies at the Adelphi
Peter Mumford – Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Downstairs
Rick Fisher – Tribes at the Royal Court Downstairs


Best Choreographer
Arlene Phillips – Flashdance at the Shaftesbury
Bill T Jones – Fela! at the National, Olivier
Jason Gilkison – Burn the Floor at the Shaftesbury
Jerry Mitchell – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Karole Armitage – Hair at the Gielgud
Stephen Mear – Shoes at Sadler’s Wells & Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Theatre Royal Haymarket


The DEWYNTERS London Newcomer of the Year
Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna – Burn the Floor at the Shaftesbury
Anya Reiss (playwright) – Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court Upstairs
Daniel Kaluuya – Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Downstairs
Jacob Casselden – Tribes at the Royal Court Downstairs
Jonathan Groff – Deathtrap at the Noel Coward
Robyn Addison – The Rivals at the Theatre Royal Haymarket


The LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE Best Off-West End Production
A Number – at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Bells Are Ringing – at the Union
La Bohème – at the Cock Tavern, Kilburn & Soho
The Beauty Queen of Leenane – at the Young Vic
The Drowsy Chaperone – at Upstairs at the Gatehouse
The Wages of Thin – at the Old Red Lion


Best Regional Production
Hamlet – at Sheffield Crucible
Chess – on tour
Antony & Cleopatra – at the Liverpool Playhouse
42nd Street – at the Chichester Festival Theatre
Lend Me a Tenor – at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth
A Raisin in the Sun – at the Royal Exchange, Manchester


The EQUITY Best West End Show
Jersey Boys – at the Prince Edward
Les Misérables – at the Queen’s
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – at the Palace
The Phantom of the Opera – at Her Majesty’s
War Horse – at the New London
Wicked – at the Apollo Victoria


The AKA Theatre Event of the Year
Jellyfish, the UK’s first recycled theatre, built on a playground in Southwark
Judi Dench returning to the role of Titania after 40 years for Sir Peter Hall in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Rose, Kingston
Les Misérables’ 25th anniversary concert at The 02 & screened to cinemas worldwide
The Donmar Warehouse’s “Sondheim at 80” concerts
The relaunch of the King’s Head as London’s first new opera house in 40 years
The transformation of the Eurostar terminal at Waterloo for The Railway Children

Drat! I've voted once (Go Team Waddingham!) but it is no good for my anxiety that I can constantly see the votes updating. My blood pressure rises every time into the woods goes down and Jill bloody Halfpenny (Nothing against the girl) goes up.

What did you expect Bob?
Its WhatsOnStage!

"And no nomination for David Thaxton!???? That's just plain crazy."
Oh thank you. I was getting insecure here about my choice of nominations when I filled in the form last month and was trying to not say anything about it but YES. THAT.
But then Mama is right, of course. It's WOS and... hardly anyone knows him and especially the "Best Actor in a Musical" category is strongly influenced by who's got the biggest fanbase and is most popular and prominent in the West End anyway, so if you keep a "low profile" there's not much of a chance, is there?
Still.

On the other hand, good for Tracie Bennett. Nice to see she got in there so quickly. And I really wish Neil Austin had a chance to get recognised for Lighting.

Updated On: 12/3/10 at 06:25 PM

But there are just so many now 6 the WOS ones are very teenager based with all the Wicked fans etc etc.

Well, different opinions, Princeton. I thought his performance was fantastic and compared to other musical theatre roles much more demanding and unforgiving in terms of acting. And I like to think that I'm not alone with that opinion. And while I loved Scarlett Strallen, I honestly don't see how her performance was that much more award-worthy than Thaxton's, really... But that was exactly my point: Elena Roger and Scarlett Strallen are, after all, much more well-known and much more in the public eye in the first place, so their names do stay in people's minds more easily... There is definitely a difference.

Updated On: 12/4/10 at 04:22 AM

Hm. I was lucky enough to see Passion a couple of times. Almost every time people around me would look through the programme and go "Oh yes, it's Scarlett Strallen, not Summer!" or "You were right, she was Mary Poppins!" or something and then, hesitantly: "David Thaxton... never heard of him" or, after the performance, go to the usher to ask who had played the male lead. And I am sure that you can't talk of a large fanbase when it comes to Les Mis and his Enjolras. Yes, there are people who do support him back from the Les Mis days, and I would count myself among them, actually, but trust me, there is virtually no fanbase and there are no fans like for JOJ or Karimloo etc.
It's not necessary to argue, actually.

Oh, and I wish Hair would get the Ensemble award. I always think that "ensemble" should be about people working together as one and having a wonder dynamic as a group and complementing each other, and I don't see how that was the case at the O2 concert where everyone just basically did their own thing. And I don't even understand how it quaifies, being a one-day-show and all... strange concept.