With a star-studded ceremony, hosted by Melanie La Barrie (Hadestown) and Bonnie Langford (Sondheim’s Old Friends), the WhatsOnStage Awards took over The London Palladium for the very first time this evening.
Alongside live performances from the likes of Disney’s Newsies, Flowers for Mrs Harris, Guys and Dolls, La Cage aux Folles, Next to Normal, Operation Mincemeat, and The Sound of Music, as well as a sneak peek at the upcoming world premiere of Burlesque the Musical, the event saw a whole host of freshly crowned WhatsOnStage Award winners take to the stage in front of a capacity audience.
It was a successful night for Jamie Lloyd’s reimagining of Sunset Boulevard, taking home a grand total of seven trophies (equaling Frozen‘s accomplishment in 2022). Nicole Scherzinger triumphed in the Best Performer in a Musical category for her turn as Norma Desmond, while castmate Grace Hodgett Young won Best Professional Debut Performance for her portrayal of Betty Schaefer. Lloyd was honoured with the Best Direction award, with Alan Williams taking Best Musical Direction/Supervision. Other Sunset victors included Jack Knowles (Best Lighting Design), Adam Fisher (Best Sound Design) and Nathan Anzi and Joe Ransom (Best Video Design) for their groundbreaking efforts.
However, the production did not clinch the prize for Best Musical Revival, as the Bridge Theatre’s widely lauded production of Guys and Dolls saw off the competition in this category, while also managing to secure the awards for Best Set Design (for Bunny Christie) and Best Graphic Design (for Muse Creative).
Fan favourites Operation Mincemeat and Stranger Things: The First Shadow both proved their popularity among the theatregoing voters, winning the coveted awards for Best New Musical and Best New Play, respectively, while the Andrew Scott-led VANYA picked up the prize for Best Play Revival.
Another big winner of the night was Ivo van Hove’s sold-out production of A Little Life, with cast members Andrew Norton and Luke Thompson triumphing in the categories of Best Performer in a Play and Best Supporting Performer in a Play, respectively, while Next to Normal‘s Jack Wolfe was crowned Best Supporting Performer in a Musical.
The West End production of Cabaret also managed to take home two WhatsOnStage Awards, following its victories for Best West End Show and Best Takeover Performance (for Aimee Lou Wood’s interpretation of Sally Bowles), while other singular wins included Flowers for Mrs Harris (Best Off-West End Production), The Lord of the Rings (Best Regional Production), Love Never Dies in Concert (Best Concert Event), Disney’s Newsies (Best Choreography for Matt Cole), La Cage aux Folles (Best Costume Design for Ryan Dawson Laight), and The Little Big Things (Best Casting Direction for Jill Green).
You can find the full list of 2024 winners and nominees here.
The WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major UK theatre awards decided by the theatregoers themselves. At the annual concert ceremonies, alongside seeing the winners crowned, audience members also enjoy a host of exclusive live performances from top theatrical talent.
The WhatsOnStage Awards are considered one of the top highlights of the theatrical calendar, saluting the best of UK theatre. On the night, as well as seeing the winners crowned, attendees also enjoy a host of exclusive live performances from top theatre talent.