One of the biggest nights of the theatre year, and the only one where nominations and winners are closed by the public, the What’s On Stage Awards reached its 25th anniversary in style at the London Palladium last night.
I obtained a plum seat in the Royal Circle for a heavily discounted £15, and after the chaos of getting into the building – too many queues, very little signage, and some aggressive media folk – it was time to soak in the atmosphere.
This was a monster of a ceremony, hosted by Mazz and Gina Murray, singing powerhouse sisters. I thought they did a brilliant job offering talent, humour, and professionalism throughout.
There were so many of my favourite shows of last year up for awards. Although the wins were dominated by the trains and skates of Starlight Express (Andrew Lloyd Webber: ‘not the best musical in the world”) I rooted for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Pippin, and Babies.
Imelda Staunton was a popular winner for her Hello, Dolly! which filled the Palladium with so much joy last summer. Jeevan Braich’s Starlight Rusty gained an award for professional debut, while Something Rotten was crowned best concert (it’s creator noting that “Enough is Enough” should become the anthem of his home country, the USA).
On the dramatic side, David Tennant’s Macbeth and Freeya Agyeman’s Nurse in Romeo and Juliet flew the flag for both Shakespeare and Doctor Who. In the supporting role of Hermes in Hadestown, Melanie La Barrie, the day she left the show, was delighted with her award, as as Layton Williams for takeover performance in Cabaret, dedicating the award to his mum on her 50th birthday.
After the topic came up at last year’s Oliviers, it was great to see wigs, hair and make-up recognised with its own category. This went to Starlight (Jackie Saundercock and Campbell Young Associates) along with the awards for video design (the ubiquitous Andrzej Goulding), set design (Gabriella Slade), and lighting design (Howard Hudson).
Toby Marlow accepted the best West End show award for SIX, and the classy adaptation of Spirited Away was dedicated to Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki. The best direction and best studio production nods went out of the West End to reward the RSC’s The Buddha of Suburbia (Emma Rice) and Diary of a Gay Disaster (hurray for a seven-person team in from the Edinburgh Fringe) respectively.
This was a show to celebrate diversity, young talent, and new visions. Over and over again we heard about trans and LGBTQ+ rights, about women breaking glass ceilings (Dame Arlene Phillips and special award winner ‘the Queen of light’ Paule Constable), and celebrated Black performers.
The performances were exquisite, with Mean Girls (best new musical), MJ: The Musical, Becoming Nancy, 42 Balloons all raising the temperature, the last two showcasing work from the regions (Birmingham Rep & The Lowry, Salford).
Oliver!‘s win for best regional production – with the Chichester folk rushing down to accept, one taking off her shoes to run – allowed an impassioned plea to support venues outside the capital (by extension, any venue outside the West End).
This was a tip-top night which ended with two tasters of shows coming to the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. Brigadoon offers Gilli Jones in his professional debut as Charlie, while Shucked sent us off on a high, courtesy of Georgina Tobechi Onuorah.
Well done to all the nominees and winners!