Theatre News

Harry Potter leads winners of the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards

The winners of this year’s WhatsOnStage Awards have been announced

Gary Barlow, Trevor Dion Nicholas and Billie Piper
Gary Barlow, Trevor Dion Nicholas and Billie Piper
© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

The winners of the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards have been announced.

In a ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre, hosts Vikki Stone and Simon Lipkin announced the winners of the only major theatre awards voted for by the audience.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the big winner of the evening, taking home eight awards, a record number of WhatsOnStage Awards won for a play. The eighth story in the Harry Potter series took home awards for Best Actor in a Play for Jamie Parker, Best Supporting Actress in a Play for Noma Dumezweni, Best Supporting Actor in a Play for Anthony Boyle, Best New Play, Best Set Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Video Design and Best Director for John Tiffany.

In the musical categories, Half a Sixpence took home the most awards with three, including Best Actor in a Musical for Charlie Stemp, Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Emma Williams and Best Choreography.

In the Best Play Revival category, No Man's Land, which starred Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, won, beating The Boys in the Band, The Deep Blue Sea and Travesties.

Billie Piper took home her second WhatsOnStage Award in three years, winning Best Actress in a Play for the Young Vic production of Yerma. Amber Riley was named as Best Actress in a Musical for her turn as Effie White in Dreamgirls.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's new show School of Rock won Best New Musical, while Funny Girl won Best Musical Revival.

Gary Barlow's musical The Girls – soon to officially open in the West End – took home Best Regional Production, while The Last Five Years took Best Off-West End Production. Disney's Aladdin took home two awards, Trevor Dion Nicholas won Best Supporting Actor and Gregg Barnes won Best Costume Design.

The winners were announced in a ceremony in the West End which featured performances from a host of shows in London. Tyrone Huntley sang "Heaven on their Minds", Ria Jones sang "As If We Never Said Goodbye", while Gary Trainor and the company of School of Rock performed "Teacher's Pet". Barlow also performed the song "Scarborough" from The Girls alongside Joanna Riding. Riley also performed alongside Dreamgirls co-star Liisi LaFontaine, and the cast of Half A Sixpence sung "Flash, Bang, Wallop". Trevor Dion Nicholas also appeared alongside Dean John-Wilson in a performance of "Somebody's Got Your Back" from Aladdin.

Marking 50 years in theatre, Cameron Mackintosh was honoured with a special award, the Equity Award for Lifetime Achievement (So Far).

The 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards winners in full

Best Actor in a Play, sponsored by Radisson Blu Edwardian

Ian Hallard for The Boys in the Band
Ian McKellen for No Man’s Land
Jamie Parker for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child WINNER
Kenneth Branagh for The Entertainer
Ralph Fiennes for Richard III

Best Actress in a Play, sponsored by Live at Zédel

Billie Piper for Yerma WINNER
Helen McCrory for The Deep Blue Sea
Lily James for Romeo and Juliet
Michelle Terry for Henry V
Pixie Lott for Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Best Actor in a Musical, sponsored by The Umbrella Rooms

Andy Karl for Groundhog Day
Charlie Stemp for Half a Sixpence WINNER
Michael C Hall for Lazarus
Michael Xavier for Sunset Boulevard
Ramin Karimloo for Murder Ballad

Best Actress in a Musical, sponsored by The Hippodrome Casino

Amber Riley for Dreamgirls WINNER
Carrie Hope Fletcher for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Devon-Elise Johnson for Half a Sixpence
Glenn Close for Sunset Boulevard
Sheridan Smith for Funny Girl

Best Supporting Actor in a Play

Anthony Boyle for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child WINNER
Derek Jacobi for Romeo and Juliet
Freddie Fox for Travesties
Jonjo O’Neill for Unreachable
Paul Thornley for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Best Supporting Actress in a Play, sponsored by Tonic Theatre

Jenna Russell for Doctor Faustus
Meera Syal for Romeo and Juliet
Noma Dumezweni for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child WINNER
Poppy Miller for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Vanessa Redgrave for Richard III

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, sponsored by Encore Radio

Adam J Bernard for Dreamgirls
Ian Bartholomew for Half a Sixpence
Joel Montague for Funny Girl
Trevor Dion Nicholas for Disney’s Aladdin WINNER
Tyrone Huntley for Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, sponsored by Newman Displays

Amy Lennox for Lazarus
Emma Williams for Half a Sixpence WINNER
Rebecca Trehearn for Show Boat
Sophia Anne Caruso for Lazarus
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt for Murder Ballad

Best New Play, sponsored by JHI Marketing

The Comedy About A Bank Robbery
The Flick
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child WINNER
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures or iHo
The Mother

Best New Musical, sponsored by Shine Creative Solutions

Disney’s Aladdin
Dreamgirls
Groundhog Day
Half a Sixpence
School of Rock WINNER

Best Play Revival

The Boys in the Band
The Deep Blue Sea
The Dresser
No Man's Land WINNER
Travesties

Best Musical Revival, sponsored by R&H Theatricals Europe

Funny Girl WINNER
Jesus Christ Superstar
Ragtime
Show Boat
Sunset Boulevard

Best Direction

Casey Nicholaw for Disney’s Aladdin
John Tiffany for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child WINNER
Matthew Warchus for Groundhog Day
Michael Mayer for Funny Girl
Rachel Kavanaugh for Half a Sixpence

Best Choreography, sponsored by Encore Radio

Andrew Wright for Half a Sixpence WINNER
Casey Nicholaw for Disney’s Aladdin
Casey Nicholaw for Dreamgirls
Drew McOnie for Jesus Christ Superstar
Peter Darling and Ellen Kane for Groundhog Day

Best Costume Design

Gregg Barnes for Disney’s Aladdin WINNER
Gregg Barnes for Dreamgirls
Katrina Lindsay for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Wright for Funny Girl
Paul Brown for Half a Sixpence

Best Set Design

Bob Crowley for Disney’s Aladdin
Christine Jones for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child WINNER
Lez Brotherston for Show Boat
Miriam Buether for Wild
Rob Howell for Groundhog Day

Best Lighting Design, sponsored by White Light

Charlie Morgan Jones for Little Shop of Horrors
Hugh Vanstone for Groundhog Day
Jack Weir for The Boys in the Band
Natasha Katz for Disney’s Aladdin
Neil Austin for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child WINNER

Best Video Design, sponsored by PRG XL Video

Andrzej Goulding for Groundhog Day
Finn Ross and Ash Woodward for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child WINNER
Finn Ross for The Tempest, RSC
Laura Perrett for Murder Ballad
Tal Yarden for Lazarus

Best Off-West End Production, sponsored by Les Misérables

The Boys in the Band (Park Theatre)
Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse)
The Last Five Years (St James Theatre) WINNER
Side Show (Southwark Playhouse)
Ragtime (Charing Cross Theatre)

Best Regional Production, sponsored by MTI (Europe)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (National Tour)
Flowers for Mrs Harris (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield)
The Girls (National Tour)WINNER
The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic)
Rent (National Tour/St James Theatre/Theatr Clwyd)

Best West End Show, sponsored by Capezio

Kinky Boots
Les Misérables WINNER
Matilda the Musical
The Phantom of the Opera
Wicked WINNER

Equity Award for Lifetime Achievement (So Far)

Cameron Mackintosh