Michael Arden, Sierra Boggess, Kim Cattrall, Sahr Ngaujah, Zoe Wanamaker, et al. Receive Whatsonstage.com Award Nominations

The nominations for the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards have been announced.

The musical Legally Blonde has received the most nominations: a total of seven and it’s followed by the Menier Chocolate Factory revival of Sweet Charity and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, which received six nominations a piece. The musical Fela!, which continues its run on Broadway and has recently opened at the National Theatre, has received a total of three nominations, including ones for leading actor Sahr Ngaujah and choreographer Bill T. Jones.

Fela!, along with Legally Blonde and Love Never Dies, is also nominated in the Best New Musical category as are All the Fun of the Fair, Departure Lounge, and Flashdance.

The nominees for Best Actress in a Musical are Anna-Jane Casey (Bells Are Ringing), Elena Roger (Passion), Sheridan Smith (Legally Blonde), Sierra Boggess (Love Never Dies), Tamzin Outhwaite (Sweet Charity), and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Flashdance).

The men nominated in the leading actor category for the work in musicals, alongside Ngaujah, are Alex Gaumond (Legally Blonde), John Owen Jones (Les Miserables – 25th Anniversary production), Mark Umbers (Sweet Charity), Michael Arden (Aspects of Love), and Ramin Karimloo (Love Never Dies).

In the play categories, Howard Brenton’s Anne Boleyn, JT Rogers’ Glood & Gifts, Laura Wade’s Posh, John Logan’s Red, Lynn Nottage’s Ruined and Nina Raine’s Tribes have all be nominated as Best Play.

Best New Comedy nominees include Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park, David Greig’s Midsummer, and Douglas Careter Beane’s The Little Dog Laughed.

Leading performer nominees for their work in plays include Simon Russell Beale (Deathtrap / London Assurance), Kim Cattrall (Private Lives), Nancy Carroll (After the Dance), Benedict Cumberbatch (After the Dance), Rory Kinnear (Hamlet), David Suchet (All My Sons) and Zoe Wanamaker (All My Sons).

Other notable performers who received nominations include Clare Higgins, Eddie Redmayne, Fiona Shaw, Scarlett Strallen, Summer Strallen, Hannah Waddingham, Harriet Walker, Simon Callow, Kerry Ellis, Micahel Gambon, Caroline O’Connor, and Denise van Outen.

In addition, directors Howard Davies, Nicholas Hytner, Rupert Goold, and Thea Sharrock; and choreographers Stephen Mead and Jerry Mitchell were nominated for their work.

Finally, the ensembles of Hair, Les Miserables – 25th anniversary production, Men Should Weep, Posh, When We Are Married, and Women, Power & Politics have all been nominated.

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