Mark Gatiss wins Best Supporting Actor in a Play for the second year in a row.
With four victories each, the Benedict Cumberbatch-led production of Hamlet and Gypsy, starring Imelda Staunton, led the pack of this year's WhatsOnStage Award winners. The honors were presented the evening of February 21 at the Prince of Wales Theatre by Great British Bake Off favorite Mel Giedroyc and comedian Steve Furst. The awards are the only major theater prizes to be voted for entirely by the audience.
In addition to Cumberbatch's win for Best Actor in a Play and Staunton's recognition as Best Actress in a Musical, other notable wins went to Nicole Kidman (Photograph 51) for Best Actress in a Play, Judi Dench (The Winter's Tale) for Best Supporting Actress in a Play, and Mark Gatiss (Three Days in the Country) for Best Supporting Actor in a Play — an award he also snagged last year. The 2016 Equity Award for Services to Theatre was given to acclaimed actor and director Kenneth Branagh, who codirected the The Winter's Tale with Rob Ashford.
A full list of winners is as follows:
Best Actor in a Play sponsored by Radisson Blu Edwardian:
Benedict Cumberbatch, Hamlet
James McAvoy, The Ruling Class
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Mark Rylance, Farinelli and the King
Alex Hassell, Henry V
Best Actress in a Play sponsored by The Umbrella Rooms:
Nicole Kidman, Photograph 51
Denise Gough, People, Places and Things
Lia Williams, Oresteia
Rosalie Craig, As You Like It
Harriet Walter, Death of a Salesman
Best Actor in a Musical sponsored by Century:
Killian Donnelly, Kinky Boots
Michael Ball, Mack and Mabel
Matt Henry, Kinky Boots
Sam Mackay, In the Heights
Ben Forster, Elf the Musical
Best Actress in a Musical:
Imelda Staunton, Gypsy
Beverley Knight, Cats
Kimberley Walsh, Elf the Musical
Lily Frazer, In the Heights
Katie Brayben, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Best Supporting Actor in a Play:
Ciarán Hinds, Hamlet
Mark Gatiss, Three Days in the Country
Bertie Carvel, Bakkhai
Johnny Flynn, Hangmen
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Hamlet
Best Supporting Actress in a Play sponsored by The Tonic Theatre Company:
Sian Brooke, Hamlet
Anastasia Hille, Hamlet
Imogen Doel, The Importance of Being Earnest
Patsy Ferran, As You Like It
Judi Dench, The Winter’s Tale
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical:
Lucas Rush, American Idiot
Alexis Gerred, American Idiot
David Bedella, In the Heights
Jack Edwards, Mack and Mabel
Peter Davison, Gypsy
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical sponsored by Newman:
Lara Pulver, Gypsy
Jennie Dale, Elf the Musical
Amy Lennox, Kinky Boots
Lauren Samuels, Bend It Like Beckham
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, In the Heights
Best New Play:
Hangmen
Oppenheimer
Photograph 51
People, Places and Things
Farinelli and the King
Best New Musical sponsored by Shine Creative Solutions:
Kinky Boots
Bend It Like Beckham
Elf the Musical
Beautiful
In the Heights
Best Play Revival:
Hamlet
Importance of Being Earnest
The Ruling Class
Death of a Salesman
Oresteia
Best Musical Revival sponsored by R&H Theatricals:
Gypsy
Cats
High Society
Mack and Mabel
American Idiot
Best Direction:
Hamlet, Lyndsey Turner
In the Heights, Luke Sheppard
American Idiot, Racky Plews
Kinky Boots, Jerry Mitchell
Gypsy, Jonathan Kent
Best Choreography sponsored by Capezio:
Kinky Boots, Jerry Mitchell
In the Heights, Drew McOnie
High Society, Nathan M Wright
Gypsy, Stephen Mear
American Idiot, Racky Plews
Best Set Design sponsored by the Theatre Cafe:
Hamlet, Es Devlin
American Idiot, Sara Perks
Kinky Boots, David Rockwell
In the Heights, Takis
Gypsy, Anthony Ward
Best Lighting Design sponsored by White Light:
Hamlet, Jane Cox
In the Heights, Howard Hudson
American Idiot, Tim Deiling
Kinky Boots, Kenneth Posner
Gypsy, Mark Henderson
Best Off-West End Production sponsored by Les Misérables:
Shock Treatment, King’s Head Theatre
Carrie the Musical, Southwark Playhouse
You Won’t Succeed on Broadway If You Don’t Have Any Jews, St James’s Theatre
Grand Hotel, Southwark Playhouse
Assassins, Menier Chocolate Factory
Best Regional Production:
Mack and Mabel, Chichester Festival Theatre and tour
Mary Poppins, tour
Anything Goes, Sheffield Crucible and tour
Hairspray, tour
Henry V, RSC
Best West End Show sponsored by The Wine Treasury:
Wicked
Les Misérables
Kinky Boots
Miss Saigon
Matilda
Equity Award for Services to Theatre:
Kenneth Branagh