The nominations for the eighth annual Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards were revealed today at a star-studded event at Café de Paris in London’s West End. This year, a record 5,000 people took part in the nominations phase of the judging process, with tens of thousands expected to vote from today until the winners are announced in mid-February.
Leading the way with 10 nominations is Hairspray, which garnered nods for Best New Musical, actors Michael Ball, Leanne Jones, Tracie Bennett, Ben James-Ellis, Mel Smith, director Jack O’Brien, and set designer David Rockwell, among others. The other nominated Best New Musicals are The Lord of the Rings, which received seven nominations, Bad Girls, Parade, Take Flight and The Drowsy Chaperone.
All About My Mother, the stage adaptation of Pedro Almodovar’s Spanish film, received five nods, including ones for lead actress Diana Rigg and Best New Play. Its competition includes A Disappearing Number, Joe Guy, Landscape With Weapon, That Face, and War Horse.
Among the many actors who earned nominations are such international stars as Daniel Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Maggie Smth, Janie Dee, Frances de la Tour, Kristin Scott Thomas, Charles Dance, Robert Lindsay, Henry Goodman, Fiona Shaw, and Kelly Osbourne.
A complete list of nominees follows. For more information, visit www.whatsonstage.com.
The FRANCO’S Best Actress in a Play
Anne-Marie Duff – Saint Joan at the NT Olivier
Janie Dee – Shadowlands at Wyndham’s
Kate Fleetwood – Macbeth at the Gielgud
Kristin Scott Thomas – The Seagull at the Royal Court
Maggie Smith – The Lady from Dubuque at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Tamsin Greig – Much Ado About Nothing, RSC at the Novello
Best Actor in a Play
Charles Dance – Shadowlands at Wyndham’s
Ian McKellen – King Lear, RSC at the New London
John Simm – Elling at the Bush & Trafalgar Studios
Paterson Joseph – The Emperor Jones at the NT Olivier
Patrick Stewart – Macbeth at the Gielgud, The Tempest & Antony & Cleopatra,
RSC at the Novello
Robert Lindsay – The Entertainer at the Old Vic
Best Supporting Actress in a Play
Amanda Hale – The Glass Menagerie at the Apollo
Andrea Riseborough – The Pain & the Itch at the Royal Court
Diana Rigg – All About My Mother at the Old Vic
Frances de la Tour – Boeing-Boeing at the Comedy
Pam Ferris – The Entertainer at the Old Vic
Ruth Wilson – Philistines at the NT Lyttelton
Best Supporting Actor in a Play
David Haig – The Country Wife at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Lee Evans – The Dumb Waiter at Trafalgar Studios
Mark Gatiss – All About My Mother at the Old Vic
Nigel Lindsay – Awake & Sing at the Almeida
Paul Ritter – The Hothouse at the NT Lyttelton
Rory Kinnear – The Man of Mode at the NT Olivier
The FIRST MAGAZINE Best Actress in a Musical
Denise Van Outen – Rent Remixed at the Duke of York’s
Lara Pulver – Parade at the Donmar Warehouse
Leanne Jones – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Sheridan Smith – Little Shop of Horrors at the Duke of York’s & Ambassadors
Summer Strallen – The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello
Susan McFadden – Grease at the Piccadilly
The SEE TICKETS Best Actor in a Musical
Bertie Carvel – Parade at the Donmar Warehouse
Henry Goodman – Fiddler on the Roof at the Savoy
James Loye – The Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Lee Mead – Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi
Michael Ball – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Paul Keating – Little Shop of Horrors at the Duke of York’s & Ambassadors
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical
Beverley Klein – Fiddler on the Roof at the Savoy
Elaine Paige – The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello
Laura Michelle Kelly – The Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Nicole Faraday – Bad Girls at the Garrick
Preeya Kalidas – Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi
Tracie Bennett – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
Ben James-Ellis – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Dean Collinson – Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi
Mel Smith – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Michael Jibson – Take Flight at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Michael Therriault – The Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Shaun Escoffery – Parade at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Solo Performance
Fiona Shaw – Happy Days at the NT Lyttelton
Lucy Briers – Some Kind of Bliss at Trafalgar Studios
Patrick Kielty – A Night in November at Trafalgar Studios
Ralf Little – Stacy at Trafalgar Studios
Richard Schiff – Underneath the Lintel at the Duchess
Robert Bathurst – Alex at the Arts
Best Ensemble Performance
Betrayal – at the Donmar Warehouse
Dealer’s Choice – at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Glengarry Glen Ross – at the Apollo
Philistines – at the NT Lyttelton
The Taming of the Shrew & Twelfth Night – Propeller at the Old Vic
War Horse – at the NT Olivier
Best Takeover in a Role
Dianne Pilkington – Wicked at the Apollo Victoria
Kelly Osbourne – Chicago at the Cambridge
Kerry Ellis – Wicked at the Apollo Victoria
Leila Benn Harris & Robyn North – The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s
Peter Davison – Spamalot at the Palace
Ramin Karimloo – The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s
The NICK HERN BOOKS Best New Play
A Disappearing Number by Complicite – at the Barbican
All About My Mother by Samuel Adamson – at the Old Vic
Joe Guy by Roy Williams – at Soho Theatre
Landscape with Weapon by Joe Penhall – at the NT Cottesloe
That Face by Polly Stenham – at the Royal Court Upstairs
War Horse by Nick Stafford – at the NT Olivier
Best New Comedy
Elling by Simon Bent – at the Bush & Trafalgar Studios
Moonlight & Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson – at the Tricycle
Rafta Rafta by Ayub Khan-Din – at the NT Lyttelton
The Pain & the Itch by Bruce Norris – at the Royal Court
Vernon God Little by Tanya Ronder – at the Young Vic
Whipping It Up by Steve Thompson – at the Bush & Ambassadors
The SUPERBREAK Best New Musical
Bad Girls The Musical by Kath Gotts, Maureen Chadwick & Ann McManus
– at the Garrick
Hairspray by Marc Shaiman, Scott Whitman, Mark O’Donnell & Thomas Meehan
– at the Shaftesbury
Parade by Jason Robert Brown & Alfred Uhry – at the Donmar Warehouse
Take Flight by Richard Maltby Jr, David Shire & John Weidman – at the Menier Chocolate Factory
The Drowsy Chaperone by Greg Morrison, Lisa Lambert, Don McKellar
& Bob Martin – at the Novello
The Lord of the Rings by AR Rahman, Varttina, Shaun McKenna & Matthew Warchus – at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Best Play Revival
Boeing-Boeing – at the Comedy
Equus – at the Gielgud
Saint Joan – at the NT Olivier
The Country Wife – at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
The Dumb Waiter – at Trafalgar Studios
In Celebration – at the Duke of York’s
The TICKETMASTER Best Musical Revival
Buddy – at the Duchess
Fiddler on the Roof – at the Savoy
Grease – at the Piccadilly
Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – at the Adelphi
Little Shop of Horrors – at the Duke of York’s & Ambassadors
Rent – at the Duke of York’s
Best Shakespearean Production
Antony & Cleopatra – RSC at the Novello
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – at the Roundhouse
King Lear – RSC at the New London
Macbeth – at the Gielgud
Much Ado About Nothing – RSC at the Novello
The Merchant of Venice – at Shakespeare’s Globe
Best Director
Jack O’Brien – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Marianne Elliott – Much Ado About Nothing, RSC at the Novello, Saint Joan
& War Horse at the NT Olivier
Matthew Warchus – Boeing-Boeing at the Comedy & The Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Roger Michell – Landscape with Weapon at the NT Cottesloe & Betrayal at the Donmar Warehouse
Rupert Goold – The Glass Menagerie at the Apollo, The Tempest, RSC at the Novello, Rough Crossings at the Lyric Hammersmith & Macbeth at the Gielgud
Thea Sharrock – Equus at the Gielgud, The Emperor Jones at the NT Olivier
& Cloud Nine at the Almeida
Best Set Designer
Anthony Ward – Glengarry Glen Ross at the Apollo, Macbeth at the Gielgud,
The Arsonists & Rhinoceros at the Royal Court
Bunny Christie – Philistines & Women of Troy at the NT Lyttelton
David Rockwell – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Hildegard Bechtler – All About My Mother at the Old Vic & The Hothouse
at the NT Lyttelton
Rae Smith & the Handspring Puppet Company – War Horse at the NT Olivier
Rob Howell – The Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Best Choreographer
Bill Deamer – Lady Be Good at the Open Air Theatre
Casey Nicholaw – The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello
Jerry Mitchell – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Kate Flatt – Fiddler on the Roof at the Savoy
Peter Darling – The Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Rob Ashford – Parade at the Donmar Warehouse
The DEWYNTERS London Newcomer of the Year
Arthur Darvill – Terre Haute at Trafalgar Studios & Swimming with Sharks
at the Vaudeville
Billie Piper – Treats at the Garrick
Colin Morgan – Vernon God Little at the Young Vic & All About My Mother
at the Old Vic
Daniel Radcliffe – Equus at the Gielgud
Leanne Jones – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury
Orlando Bloom – In Celebration at the Duke of York’s
Best Off-West End Production
A Christmas Carol & The Magic Flute – at the Young Vic
Dealer’s Choice – at the Menier Chocolate Factory
I Love You Because – at the Landor
tHe dYsFUnCKshOnalZ! – at the Bush
The Masque of the Red Death – at Battersea Arts Centre
Vernon God Little – at the Young Vic
Best Regional Production
Angels in America – on tour
Henry V – at the Royal Exchange, Manchester
Never Forget – on tour
Pygmalion – at the Theatre Royal Bath & on tour
Sunshine on Leith – at Dundee Rep
The Big Secret Live: I Am Shakespeare – at Chichester Festival & on tour
The AKA Theatre Event of the Year
Daniel Radcliffe’s steamy publicity shots for Equus
Launch of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Company & its first season under Jonathan Kent
Nicholas Hytner’s “dead white males” comment about critics
Punchdrunk’s takeover of BAC for The Masque of the Red Death
Reopening of the Royal Festival Hall
Reality TV head-to-head between Any Dream Will Do & Grease Is the Word
Honorable mentions:
The success of the Royal Court’s Young Writers’ Programme
Will Keen’s extraordinary performances in two roles for which he was not originally cast – Kiss of the Spider Woman at the Donmar Warehouse and The Arsonists
at the Royal Court
Michael Ball’s transformation as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray