Shortlist for the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards announced

The WhatsOnStage Awards nominations have been announced this year at a ceremony at Café de Paris in central London hosted by comedian Steve Furst. The launch marks the opening of the voting period for the only major theatre awards in which the audience decides who wins.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child leads this year's WhatsOnStage Awards shortlist with 11 nods across nine categories.

JK Rowling's latest story in the Harry Potter series opened in the West End this year to rapturous reviews and sell-out ticket sales. The public have responded to the eighth story by nominating Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in categories including Best Director – for John Tiffany – Best Play, Best Actor in a Play – for Jamie Parker – best Supporting Actor in a Play – Anthony Boyle and Paul Thornley – and Best Supporting Actress in a Play – Noma Dumezweni and Poppy Miller.

Half a Sixpence leads in the musicals categories with eight nominations, while Groundhog Day follows quickly behind with seven nominations. Leading men from both productions – Charlie Stemp and Andy Karl – get nods for Best Actor in a Musical alongside Michael C Hall for Lazarus, Michael Xavier for Sunset Boulevard and Ramin Karimloo for Murder Ballad. Aladdin also has seven nods, including Best New Musical, Trevor Dion Nicholas for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical and Casey Nicholaw for Best Direction and Best Choreography. Sheridan Smith has been nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for Funny Girl alongside Amber Riley for Dreamgirls, Carrie Hope Fletcher for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Glenn Close for Sunset Boulevard and Devon-Elise Johnson for Half a Sixpence.

Producer Sonia Friedman's shows were recognised across the board with 21 nominations for three of her productions – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Dreamgirls and Funny Girl

Elsewhere, the nominations recognise Ian Hallard for Best Actor in a Play for The Boys in the Band, alongside Ian McKellen for No Man's Land, Ralph Fiennes for Richard III and Kenneth Branagh for The Entertainer. Best Actress in a Play nominees are Helen McCrory for The Deep Blue Sea, Billie Piper for Yerma, Pixie Lott for Breakfast at Tiffany's, Lily James for Romeo and Juliet and Michelle Terry for Henry V.

The winners of the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards will be announced at a public ceremony on Sunday 19 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre. The public can vote for winners here until 31 January.

Click here to buy tickets for the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards concert

The nominees 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
Kenneth Branagh for The Entertainer
Ralph Fiennes for Richard III

Best Actress in a Play, sponsored by Live at Zédel
Billie Piper for Yerma
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
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
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
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
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 Aladdin
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
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
Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism with a Key to the Scriptures, or iHo
The Mother

Best New Musical, sponsored by Shine Creative Solutions
Aladdin
Dreamgirls
Groundhog Day
Half a Sixpence
School of Rock

Best Play Revival
The Boys in the Band
The Deep Blue Sea
The Dresser
No Man's Land
Travesties

Best Musical Revival, sponsored by R&H Theatricals Europe
Funny Girl
Jesus Christ Superstar
Ragtime
Show Boat
Sunset Boulevard

Best Direction
Casey Nicholaw for Aladdin
John Tiffany for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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
Casey Nicholaw for 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 Aladdin
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 Aladdin
Christine Jones for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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 Aladdin
Neil Austin for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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
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)
Side Show (Southwark Playhouse)
Ragtime (Charing Cross Theatre)

Best Regional Production, sponsored by MTI (Europe)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Flowers for Mrs Harris
The Girls
The Grinning Man
Rent

Best West End Show, sponsored by Capezio
Kinky Boots
Les Misérables
Matilda the Musical
The Phantom of the Opera
Wicked

Click here to buy tickets for the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards concert