Nominations announced for 24th annual WHATSONSTAGE AWARDS

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Hiba Elchikhe and Tim Mahendran announced the nominations for the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards today, marking the opening of the final voting stage (until 11 January), with winners announced at the annual Awards ceremony held on 11 February 2024 at the London Palladium.

WhatsOnStage's Darius Thompson and Alex Wood said today, “Watching our readers nominating in their record-setting droves was such a fantastic way to spend November and we’re thrilled to see them generate such a stellar and vibrant shortlist – filled with rising stars shoulder-to-shoulder with long-time favourites. It’s been an incredible year for the National Theatre, under out-going Artistic Director Rufus Norris, seeing the flagship venue receive an incredible 24 nominations across 5 productions – two of which, Dear England and The Motive and The Cue also transferred to the West End.

“Alongside our co-producers Alex Parker and Damian Sandys we’ve been assembling an exciting concert line-up laden with new musicals and fan favourites - ready to rock the iconic London Palladium in February. Now, it’s up to you to decide who take home the top prizes on the night!”

The Bridge Theatre’s critically acclaimed smash-hit production of Guys & Dolls leads the pack this year, with 12 nominations including Best Performer in a Musical for Marisha Wallace, Best Supporting Performer in a Musical for Cedric Neal, Best Professional Debut Performance for Andrew Richardson, Best Direction for Nicholas Hytner, Best Musical Revival, as well as nominations for Best Musical Supervision (Tom Brady), Best Choreography (Arlene Phillips with James Cousins), Best Costume Design (Bunny Christie), Best Lighting Design (Paule Constable), Best Set Design (Bunny Christie), Best Sound Design (Paul Arditti – double nominated for his work on Stranger Things: The First Shadow), and Best Graphic Design (Bridge Theatre). Also performing strongly in the musical categories are Jamie Lloyd’s production of Sunset Boulevard with Nicole Scherzinger with 9 nominations, and Michael Longhurst’s production of Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse with 6 nominations.

This year was a brilliant one for the National Theatre, who receive 24 nominations in total – they lead the straight play categories with their phenomenally successful production of James Graham’s Dear England with 10 nominations, including Best Performer in a Play for Joseph Fiennes’ portrayal of Gareth Southgate, Best Supporting Performer in a Play for Will Close, Best Direction for Rupert Goold, Best New Play, Best Casting Direction for Bryony Jarvis-Taylor – also nominated for her work on The Witches, Best Choreography (Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf), Best Lighting Design for Jon Clark – one of 3 nominations for Clark, Best Sound Design (Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons), Best Video Design for Ash J Woodward – also nominated for The Witches, and Best Graphic Design (Rick Guest, Rob Rae and the NT Graphics Studio). Also featuring strongly in the straight play categories are Stranger Things: The First Shadow, currently in previews at the Phoenix Theatre, with 8 nominations, and The Effect – also directed by Lloyd, with 5 nominations at the National Theatre.

In addition to nominations for Dear England, The Effect and The Witches, the National Theatre takes nominations for The Motive and The Cue – about to open in the West End - and Phaedra.

Completing the gender-free performance categories, in the Best Performer in a Play category, facing Joseph Fiennes are Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell both for The Effect, Andrew Scott for VANYA, Sheridan Smith for Shirley Valentine, and James Norton for A Little Life. The latter production, also saw a double nomination in the Best Supporting Performer in a Play for Luke Thompson and Zubin Varla, who go up against Michele Austin (also for The Effect), Will Close (Dear England), Bryony Corrigan (I, Daniel Blake), and Anjana Vasan (A Streetcar Named Desire).

In the Best Performer in a Musical category, Scherzinger and Wallace face stiff competition from Next to Normal’s Caissie Levy, Michael Ahomka-Lindsay for Disney’s Newsies, Natasha Hodgson for Operation Mincemeat, and Ed Larkin for The Little Big Things; and in the Best Supporting Performer in a Musical category, Cedric Neal’s fellow nominees are Aynrand Ferrer for Miss Saigon, Jak Malone for Operation Mincemeat, Jason Manford for The Wizard of Oz, Amy Trigg for The Little Big Things, and Jack Wolfe for Next to Normal.

Completing the performance categories, in Professional Debut alongside Andrew Richardson are Rita Bernard-Shaw for Trouble in Butetown, Laura Dawkes for Frozen, Lou Henry for SIX, Grace Hodgett-Young for Sunset Boulevard, and Louis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow; and in Best Takeover, Karis Anderson (TINA – The Tina Turner Musical), Cory English (Back to the Future: The Musical), Lucy St.Louis (Wicked) and three nominations for Cabaret for Mason Alexander Park, Rebecca Lucy Taylor AKA Self Esteem, and Aimee Lou Wood.

Best New Musical is a closely contested category with Disney’s Newsies, The Little Big Things, Mrs Doubtfire, Next to Normal, Operation Mincemeat, and The Time Traveller’s Wife in contention; with Best Musical Revival featuring La Cage aux Folles, The Lord of the Rings, The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz up against the heavily nominated Guys & Dolls and Sunset Boulevard.

Dear England goes up against A Little Life, Cowbois, Hamnet, The Motive and The Cue and Stranger Things: The First Shadow for Best New Play; with Best Revival of a Play seeing nominations for A Streetcar Named Desire, The Effect, The Merchant of Venice 1936, The Pillowman, Shirley Valentine and VANYA.

Hytner and Goold are joined by Polly Findlay for Assassins, Rebecca Frecknall for A Streetcar Named Desire, Jamie Lloyd for Sunset Boulevard, and Sam Mendes for The Motive and The Cue in a heavily garlanded Best Direction category.

The long runners battle it out for Best West End Show, with Back to the Future: The Musical, Cabaret, Les Misérables, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Phantom of the Opera and SIX all aiming to be the fan favourite; with Best Off-West End Production featuring Flowers for Mrs Harris, George Takei’s Allegiance, Othello, Rebecca, Scouts! The Musical and The Shape of Things; and Best Regional Production between Boys from the Blackstuff, Choir Boy, In Dreams, The Lord of the Rings, Miss Saigon and To Wong Foo The Musical; and again a strong year for the Best Concert, a form that continues with strength post pandemic, with Ariana DeBose and Darren Criss up against Evita, Love Never Dies, Once and Schwartz at 75.

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