WhatsOnStage Awards 2016: Full winners list

The 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards took place last night (21st February) at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Hamlet and Gypsy led the awards this year with four victories each – Hamlet won for Benedict Cumberbatch in the Best Actor in a Play category, Best Play Revival, Best Set Design and Best Lighting Design with Gypsy picking up Best Actress in a Musical for Imelda Staunton, Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Lara Pulver, Best Musical Revival and Best Direction for Jonathan Kent.

Just behind Hamlet and Gypsy is Kinky Boots which received awards for Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical for Matt Henry, who also performed 'Hold Me in Your Heart', and Best Choreography for Jerry Mitchell.

Nicole Kidman was named Best Actress in a Play for her role in Photograph 51 which also picks up the award for Best New Play. In the other acting categories, Mark Gatiss received Best Supporting Actor in a Play for the second year running, David Bedella won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his role in In The Heights and Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress in a Play for The Winter’s Tale, directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh. Branagh himself was the recipient of this year’s Equity Award for Services to Theatre.

Elsewhere Mary Poppins picked up Best Regional Production and Carrie the Musical at Southwark Playhouse won Best Off-West End Production, while the long-running Les Misérables was named Best West End Show.

In addition to Matt Henry, there were performances from Pixie Lott, soon to be seen on stage in Breakfast at Tiffany’s; the cast of In The Heights; Jenna Russell with a number from musical Grey Gardens; Emma Williams and Tracie Bennett from Mrs Henderson Presents. Alison Jiear, Amelia Lily, Alexis Gerred and Rob Houchen sang an orchestral Lady Gaga medley whilst Stephen Ashfield, Laura Pitt-Pulford, Nadim Naaman and Anna O’Byrne gave a rendition of ‘Something’s Coming’ from West Side Story.

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