68 replies to this topic

[armadillo]

popcultureboy, on 18 February 2013 - 01:12 PM, said:

It might help if someone at WOS made a list of all eligible productions and performances in all categories before voting of any kind even begins? Ladykillers won best comedy, but it opened in 2011. American Idiot won best regional production, it was a tour, not a regional production. Idina Menzel won for Best Solo Performance, a concert can't really be considered as such (especially when it's against Cillian Murphy and the like). Will Young is not a newcomer to the stage, to singing, to acting, so how did he win the newcomer award? To me, it's errors like that which diminish these awards, not populist winners like Sheridan Smith (I love her, but Morahan should have won).

Wasn't Tom Hiddleston one year nominated as Best Newcomer for two different productions giving him a bizarrely unfair advantage over everyone else?

[Parsley]

I must say that these awards a quite a massive joke

I mean they are HARDLY the Oscars, Tonys or Olivier awards

The biggest flaw is that many people will not have seen most of the shows and will just vote for what they have

On the other hand people who haven't seen a show might still vote for it...I am sure not that many people saw Curious Incident during the limited run at the NT

They are a bit pointless really and I think everyone knows this

Natalie Casey and Sheridan Smith winning something within the same awards really says it all

On a serious noted, the WOS do degrade acting in proper plays as they hardly ever reflect "proper" acting talents, meaning actors who are versatile and worthy

The Olivier categories for plays at least have respectable shortlists...and I BET Natalie Casey will not be on it

These have about much clout as those awards for "best rear" and "sexiest male"

[MrBarnaby]

The people that vote are clearly 13 year old girls.. Or people who don't have a very broad theatre going life and only see things with someone famous in them.

How can you say Mel C was honestly the best supporting actress in all of the musicals last year? It's preposterous. The voters wouldn't know quality if it slapped them round the face.

Why not make up next years awards now with Sheridan Smith best actress for A Midsummers night dream. I bet my house on it.

[Titan]

with jcs arena tour included i dont see how they can be called 'theatregoers' awards anymore.

i dont mind that the big crowdpleasers win, that is always bound to happen in public voted awards but the boundaries of the catagories are now so laughabley flexible the awards are a joke. i also notices from the photos on wos that its edging more towards celeb spotting over theatre stars.

[vickster51]

I think these awards results seem to be getting sillier. A few of my votes won but the fact Luke Treadaway didn't win best actor says it all for me before I even think about some of the others!

[Schuttep]

The ground rules are: Whatsonstage presents a short list and The Public Votes.

Inevitably, you're going to get TV/film stars winning over and above the lesser known but brilliant actors' performances.

Always nice to see the Brits exercising their well-known trait of complaining on this and other fora but why moan about the ground rules when you know in advance what's going to happen?

I voted and some of mine won; others didn't. Nothing new there!

[Titan]

Thats true but some of the issues are why some shows were considered to be ok for the shortlist in the first place. An arena tour? I mean seriously

With regards to the regional production. Touring shows are considered regional I guess because they are in the regions, often designed to be and few people have access to a regional producing house (e.g Chichester, Sheffield, Leicester).  BUt maybe splitting the award in two would open things up more.

[paplazaroo]

Just watched the highlights video and would like to make a plea to any producers reading this. I know Mel C says that she would like to play Evita but please don't do it!

[Catqc]

I watched the awards on the streaming and I thought the worst thing was the presenters - if the awards are meant to be a joke, then get presenters who treat them like a joke, but if not...!! The swearing was completely unnecessary as were the insults to people who "just wanted to watch people being given awards". Could have been better if they'd streamed the performances, too

[serpentstoooth]

This is interesting, can't believe they would have less famous nominees sitting separately! http://confessionsof...-class-society/