Theatre News

Benedict Cumberbatch and Nicole Kidman take home WhatsOnStage Awards

”Gypsy” and ”Kinky Boots” were also big winners at this year’s 16th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards

Benedict Cumberbatch and Nicole Kidman win WhatsOnStage Awards.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Nicole Kidman win WhatsOnStage Awards.
© Dan Wooller

Benedict Cumberbatch has won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Play while Nicole Kidman took home the award for Best Actress in a Play.

Cumberbatch received the award for his portrayal of the Danish prince in Hamlet which was directed by Lyndsey Turner at the Barbican this year.

Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet and Nicole Kidman in Photograph 51
Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet and Nicole Kidman in Photograph 51
© Johan Persson

Kidman won the Best Actress Award for playing scientist Rosalind Franklin in the UK premiere of Photograph 51, which was directed by Michael Grandage.

Judi Dench was also one of the winners, taking home Best Supporting Actress in a Play for starring as Paulina in The Winter's Tale. Kenneth Branagh, who co-directed Dench in The Winter's Tale was also presented a special award: the Equity Award for Services to Theatre.

Imelda Staunton took home one of the top musical theatre awards, winning Best Actress in a Musical for her critically acclaimed turn as Momma Rose in Gypsy.

Watch: Benedict Cumberbatch's acceptance speech

Other acting wins include Matt Henry who won for his performance as drag queen Lola in Kinky Boots and David Bedella who won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his role as Kevin in In the Heights. Mark Gatiss took home Best Supporting Actor in a Play for his role in Three Days in the Country.

Read the full list of winners below

Hamlet and Gypsy both lead the awards wins, with four victories each. Hamlet won for Best Actor (Cumberbatch); Best Play Revival; Best Set Design (Es Devlin); Best Lighting Design (Jane Cox). Gypsy won for Best Actress in a Musical (Staunton); Best Supporting Actress in a Musical – which went to Lara Pulver; Best Musical Revival and Jonathan Kent won for Best Director.

Matt Henry as Lola in Kinky Boots
Matt Henry as Lola in Kinky Boots
© Matt Crockett

New musical Kinky Boots was also a big winner on the night, winning Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Musical (Henry).

Other wins include Carrie the Musical which won for Best Off-West End production and the UK tour of Mary Poppins which took home the Best Regional Production. Les Miserables beat off stiff competition from the likes of Wicked, Kinky Boots, Miss Saigon and Matilda to bag Best West End Show.

Winners of the 16th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards were announced in a live ceremony on Sunday 21 February at the Prince of Wales theatre in London. Steve Furst hosted the awards alongside guest presenters and several musical theatre stars who performed during the night. Pixie Lott sang "Moon River" from her upcoming show Breakfast at Tiffany's, Jenna Russell performed a song from Grey Gardens and Emma Williams and Tracie Bennett sang a duet from Mrs Henderson Presents. We also saw a tribute to Lady Gaga from Alison Jiear, Amelia Lily and Alexis Gerred. Read the full list of winners below.

Keep up to date with all the coverage of the evening by following us on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsOnStage.com.

Read the full list of nominees with winners in bold below

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:

Ciaran 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 Miserables

Kinky Boots

Miss Saigon

Matilda


Equity Award for Services to Theatre:

Kenneth Branagh

Thanks to our sponsors