WHATS ON STAGE AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

Posted on 5 December 2011

Who will the audience vote for in this years Whats On Stage (WOS) Awards?  The event is the only UK awards for the theatre industry voted for purely by the public. More than 11,000 theatregoers have cast nominations for their favourite performances and productions in the West End across 26 different award categories.

For the musicals the top rivals are Matilda the Musical and Ghost the Musical, both with nine nominations each.  Competing against them to be named Best New Musical is London Road, Betty Blue Eyes (with 6 nominations in total), Rock of Ages and Shrek the Musical (both with 5 nominations in total).

For the plays, the biggest amount of nominations goes to One Man, Two Guvnors and Anna Christie both with 5 nominations including the tough Best Actor category which has recent Evening Standard Award winner Benedict Cumberbatch going against Jude Law, Kevin Spacey, David Tennant, James Earl Jones and James Corden.

The voting opened last Friday 2nd December and will close at the end of January 2012 with the winners receiving their prize at the Awards Concert on 19 February 2012 at the West End’s Prince of Wales Theatre. Last year more than 46,000 theatregoers voted for their favourites.


THE FULL LIST OF 2011/12 NOMINATIONS -

Best Actress in a Play:

Eve Best – Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe
Kristin Scott Thomas – Betrayal at the Comedy
Ruth Wilson – Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
Samantha Spiro – Chicken Soup with Barley at the Royal Court Downstairs
Tamsin Greig – Jumpy at the Royal Court Downstairs
Vanessa Redgrave – Driving Miss Daisy at Wyndham’s

Best Actor in a Play:

Benedict Cumberbatch – Frankenstein at the National, Olivier
Jude Law – Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
Kevin Spacey – Richard III at the Old Vic
David Tennant – Much Ado About Nothing at Wyndham’s
James Earl Jones – Driving Miss Daisy at Wyndham’s
James Corden – One Man, Two Guvnors at the National, Olivier & Adelphi

Best Supporting Actress in a Play:

Bryony Hannah – The Children’s Hour at the Comedy
Catherine Tate – Season’s Greetings at the National, Lyttelton
Doon Mackichan – Jumpy at the Royal Court Downstairs
Jemima Rooper – One Man, Two Guvnors at the National, Olivier & Adelphi
Niamh Cusack – Playboy of the Western World at the Old Vic
Sheridan Smith – Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Best Supporting Actor in a Play:

Arthur Darvill – Dr Faustus at Shakespeare’s Globe
Charles Edwards – Twelfth Night at the National, Cottesloe
David Hayman – Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
Harry Hadden-Paton – Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Mark Gatiss – Season’s Greetings at the National, Lyttelton
Oliver Chris – One Man, Two Guvnors at the National, Olivier & Adelphi

The BABY GRAND Best Actress in a Musical:

Amanda Holden – Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Caissie Levy – Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly
Clare Foster – Crazy for You at the Open Air & Novello
Emma Williams – Love Story at the Duchess
Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram Eleanor Worthington Cox & Sophia Kiely – Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge
Sarah Lancashire – Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello

The THEATRE TOKENS Best Actor in a Musical:

Bertie Carvel – Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge
Nigel Lindsay – Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Oliver Tompsett – Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury
Reece Shearsmith – Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello
Richard Fleeshman – Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly
Sean Palmer – Crazy for You at the Open Air & Novello

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical:

Ann Emery – Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello
Hannah Waddingham – The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
Harriet Thorpe – Crazy for You at the Open Air & Novello
Lauren Ward – Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge
Meow Meow – The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the Gielgud
Sharon D Clarke – Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical:

Andrew Langtree – Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly
Ben Goddard – Million Dollar Quartet at the Noël Coward
David Burt – Crazy for You at the Open Air & Novello
Nigel Harman – Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Paul Kaye – Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge
Simon Lipkin – Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury

The LES MISÈRABLES Best Ensemble Performance:

Backbeat – at the Duke of York’s
London Road – at the National, Cottesloe
Richard III & The Comedy of Errors – Propeller at Hampstead
Some Like It Hip Hop – Sadler’s Wells at the Peacock
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – at the Donmar Warehouse
Top Girls – at Trafalgar Studios 1

The JO HUTCHISON INTERNATIONAL Best Solo Performance:

Daniel Kitson – It’s Always Right Now Until It’s Later at the National, Lyttelton
John Leguziamo – Ghetto Klown at Charing Cross
Kerry Ellis – Anthems at the Royal Albert Hall
Ruby Wax – Losing It at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Duchess
Simon Callow – Being Shakespeare at Trafalgar Studios 1
Stephanie Street – The Nightwatchman at the National, Paintframe

The SEATLIVE Best Takeover in a Role:

Alex Gaumond – We Will Rock You at the Dominion
Alfie Boe – Les Misèrables at the Queen’s
Kimberley Walsh – Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Matt Lucas – Les Misèrables at the Queen’s
Susan McFadden – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Tara Fitzgerald – Broken Glass at the Vaudeville

The NICK HERN BOOKS Best New Play:

Belongings by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm – at Hampstead & Trafalgar Studios 2
Collaborators by John Hodge – at the National, Cottesloe
Grief by Mike Leigh – at the National, Cottesloe
Mogadishu by Vivienne Franzmann – at the Lyric Hammersmith
The Heretic by Richard Bean – at the Royal Court Downstairs
Three Days in May by Ben Brown – at Trafalgar Studios 1

The EMG Best New Comedy:

Get Santa! by Anthony Neilson – at the Royal Court Downstairs
Jumpy by April de Angelis – at the Royal Court Downstairs
No Naughty Bits by Steve Thompson – at Hampstead
One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean – at the National, Lyttelton & Adelphi
Potted Panto by Daniel Clarkson, Jefferson Turner & Richard Hurst – at the Vaudeville
The Village Bike by Penelope Skinner – at the Royal Court Upstairs

The SEE TICKETS Best New Musical:

Betty Blue Eyes by George Stiles, Antony Drewe, Ron Cowen & Daniel Lipman – at the Novello
Ghost the Musical by Dave Stewart, Glen Ballard & Bruce Joel Rubin – at the Piccadilly
London Road by Adam Cork & Alecky Blythe – at the National, Cottesloe
Matilda the Musical by Tim Minchin & Dennis Kelly – at the Cambridge
Rock of Ages by Chris D'Arienzo – at the Shaftesbury
Shrek the Musical by Jeanine Tesori & David Lindsay-Abaire – at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The SAMUEL FRENCH Best Play Revival:

Anna Christie – at the Donmar Warehouse
Chicken Soup with Barley – at the Royal Court Downstairs
Driving Miss Daisy – at Wyndham’s
Ecstasy – at Hampstead & the Duchess
Flare Path – at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Saved – at the Lyric Hammersmith

The RADISSON EDWARDIAN Best Musical Revival:

Crazy for You – at the Open Air & Novello
Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be – at the Union
Parade – at Southwark Playhouse
Ragtime – at the Landor
South Pacific – at the Barbican
The Wizard of Oz – at the London Palladium

Best Shakespearean Production:

Hamlet – at the Young Vic
King Lear – at the Donmar Warehouse
Much Ado About Nothing – at Shakespeare’s Globe
Much Ado About Nothing – at Wyndham’s
Richard III – at the Old Vic
The Tempest – at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

The OAKLEY CAPITAL Best Director:

Danny Boyle – Frankenstein at the National, Olivier
Josie Rourke – Much Ado About Nothing at Wyndham’s
Matthew Warchus – Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly & Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge
Michael Grandage – King Lear & Luise Miller at the Donmar Warehouse
Nicholas Hytner – One Man, Two Guvnors at the National, Lyttelton & Adelphi
Trevor Nunn – Flare Path & Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Best Set Designer:

Mark Tildesley – Frankenstein at the National, Olivier
Jon Bausor – Lord of the Flies at the Open Air
Miriam Buether – Decade at St Katharine’s Docks
Paul Wills – Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
Rob Howell – Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly & Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge
Robert Jones – The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium

The WHITE LIGHT Best Lighting Designer:

Bruno Poet – Frankenstein at the National, Olivier
Hugh Vanstone – Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly
Mark Henderson – The Kitchen & 13 at the National, Olivier & The Emperor & Galilean at the National, Lyttelton
Neil Austin – Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello
Oliver Fenwick – My City at the Almeida
Paule Constable – Luise Miller at the Donmar Warehouse

Best Choreographer:

Aline David – The Kitchen at the National, Olivier
Ashley Wallen – Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly
Kate Prince – Some Like It Hip Hop at the Peacock
Kelly Devine – Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury
Peter Darling – Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge
Stephen Mear – Crazy for You at the Open Air & Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello

The DEWYNTERS London Newcomer of the Year:

Danielle Hope – The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
Johnny Flynn – The Heretic at the Royal Court Downstairs
Kara Tointon – Pygmalion at the Garrick
Kyle Soller – The Glass Menagerie & Government Inspector at the Young Vic & The Faith Machine at the Royal Court Downstairs
Shayne Ward – Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury
Tim Minchin – Matilda at the Cambridge

The TIME OUT Best Off-West End Production:

Accolade – at the Finborough
Realism – at Soho
The Animals & Children Took to the Streets – at Battersea Arts Centre
The Belle’s Stratagem – at Southwark Playhouse
The Riots – at the Tricycle
Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story – at the Tristan Bates & Charing Cross

The LUCKINGS Best Regional Production:

20th Century Boy – at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
Love Love Love – at the Drum Theatre, Plymouth & on tour
Macbeth – at Liverpool Everyman
Othello – at Sheffield Crucible
Sweeney Todd – at Chichester Festival
The Go Between – at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Derby Live & the Royal & Derngate, Northampton

The EQUITY Best West End Show:

Jersey Boys – at the Prince Edward
Les Misérables – at the Queen’s
The Phantom of the Opera – at Her Majesty’s
War Horse – at the New London
We Will Rock You – at the Dominion
Wicked – at the Apollo Victoria

The AKA Theatre Event of the Year:

David Tennant & Catherine Tate reuniting on stage in Much Ado About Nothing
Headlong’s commemoration of 9/11 with Decade, written by 18 authors & staged in a disused office block at St Katharine’s Dock
Michael Sheen & Bill Mitchell's National Theatre of Wales staging of The Passion on the streets of Port Talbot
The Bush Theatre’s 24-hour cycle of 66 Books, in response to the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, to open its new Shepherd’s Bush Library home
The Phantom of the Opera’s 25th anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall & screened to cinemas worldwide
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s 50th anniversary season & reopening of the Royal Shakespeare & Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon
Danny Boyle’s return to the stage with Frankenstein and his alternate casting of Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller in the leads
Duckie’s Lullaby, the Barbican’s first-ever sleepover show
The National’s opening of its Paintframe as a one-off performance space
Benefit concert to rescue Dress Circle