Whatsonstage.com Awards 2009

Posted by Kathy
February 16, 2010

Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, Rowan Atkinson and X-Factor star Diana Vickers scooped prestigious theatre awards this week, voted for by the public in record numbers. Theatregoers voted online for their favourites across 26 different categories between December 2009 and January 2010. There was a record 46,000 voters who took part which was 11,000 more than the previous record set last year for the 2008 awards.

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s rival production of Hamlet, headed by former Doctor Who star David Tennant, was also a winner. Sir Patrick Stewart picked up two awards – best supporting actor in a play for playing scheming ruler Claudius in Hamlet and theatre event of the year award, shared with Sir Ian McKellen (X-Men) for Waiting for Godot.

Oliver! picked up three awards; the best Musical Revival category, Rowan Atkinson (Blackadder, Mr Bean) winning best actor in a musical for Fagin and Jodie Prenger (I’d Do Anything winner) receiving the best supporting acress in a musical award for her portrayal of Nancy.

Rowan Atkinson’s acceptance video told how he had tackled the role with some trepidation, having never sung in a musical before.

He said:

“This is absolutely great. I’m genuinely very pleased and very touched.

“When I embarked on this journey to play the part of Fagin in Oliver!, I did so with a degree of apprehension.

“I hadn’t been on the West End stage in 20 years and I had never sung in a musical – well, I’d never sung really.

“So it was quite a scary time, and what made it all possible was the warmth and accommodation and tolerance of the company of the production of Oliver!, all those actors, the adults and the children, and our directors and choreographers and designers, and, in particular, our director Rupert Goold for being so helpful to someone who was stepping with such trepidation into the project.

“Also, of course, the warmth and accommodation and tolerance of the audience who kindly came to see us.

“As this is more than anything an audience award – and the audience in the end, I think, is the most important element in any theatrical event – it really means something.

“So I’d like to thank you all sitting there very much indeed, but I’d also like to thank mostly all those who voted for me, and all those real people who spent real money to come and see the show. Thank you.”

Best West End show was taken by Wicked, which just won a very close vote with War Horse which was was the only play nominated in this category. Wicked is now in its 4th year at the Apollo Theatre in London and has been visited by over 2.5 million people, and taken over £90m in the UK.

Wicked’s executive producer Michael McCabe said in a statement:

“It has been an incredible year for West End theatre, and the productions that made the shortlist for this special award are proof of the diversity and quality that have helped maintain London as the world leader for live entertainment.

“We are therefore truly honoured that the public has chosen Wicked as London’s ‘best West End show’, and our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who voted.”

Priscilla Queen of the Desert received the highest number of awards with four, including Best Choreographer for the late Ross Coleman, Best New Musical, Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for Oliver Thornton and Best Set Designer for Brian Thomson.

Winning his fourth Whatsonstage.com award for Best Director was Sir Trevor Nunn for Inherit The Wind at the Old Vic and A Little Night Music at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Jerusalem won the very close battle for Best New Play, narrowly beating Enron. Jerusalem had 23.7% of the vote, with Enron taking 19.6%. With their recent transferrals to the West End, both productions have been very well received.

Diana Vickers (X-Factor) fought off competition from Lenny Henry, Jaime Winston, Nicholas Hoult, Patina Miller and Tom Sturridge to win the Best Newcomer category for her peformance in The Rise and Fall of Litte Voice.

However, Patina Miller did win the Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Deloris in Whoopi Goldberg’s Sister Act.

Best New Comedy award was taken by Tim Firth’s stage version of Calendar Girls, and Derren Brown beat Rob Brydon by only 10 votes to win the best solo performance.

Illusionist Derren Brown said:

“Obviously, I knew that I was going to win, but I wasn’t aware that I’d pipped Rob Brydon so closely at the last minute – I just found out that I won by 10 votes.

“So really this should go to both me and Rob, but it doesn’t; it goes to me as it turns out.”

John Barrowman (Touchwood) took the Best Takeover in a Role award for his return to the West End in La Cage Aux Folles. In his acceptance speech Barrowman said:

“I accept this on behalf of the entire cast and company of La Cage Aux Folles, particularly the Cagelles, who worked their butts off.

“Thank you very much.”

The full list of this years Whatsonstage.com Award winners are:-

Rachel Weisz – A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse

Jude Law – Hamlet, Donmar West End at Wyndham’s

Miriam Margolyes – Endgame at the Duchess

Sir Patrick Stewart – Hamlet, RSC at the Novello

Patina Miller – Sister Act at the London Palladium

Rowan Atkinson – Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Jodie Prenger – Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Oliver Thornton – Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert at the Palace

Derren Brown – Derren Brown: Enigma at the Adelphi

On The Waterfront – at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

John Barrowman – La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse

Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth – at the Royal Court Downstairs

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth – at the Noel Coward

Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert by Allan Scott & Stephan Elliott – at the Palace

A Streetcar Named Desire – at the Donmar Warehouse

Oliver! – at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Hamlet – RSC at the Novello

Sir Trevor Nunn – Inherit The Wind at the Old Vic & A Little Night Music at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Garrick

Brian Thomson – Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert at the Palace

Natasha Katz – Sister Act at the London Palladium

Ross Coleman – Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert at the Palace

Diana Vickers – The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice at the Vaudeville

The Pirates Of Penzance – at the Union Theatre

Adolf Hitler: My Part In His Downfall – Bristol Old Vic & tour

Wicked

The pairing of Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart in Waiting For Godot.


News, Theatre

Tell a Friend
Delicious
More

If you enjoyed this post, please consider telling a friend and leaving a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Comments

No comments yet.

Leave a comment

(required)

(required)



Tell a Friend
Delicious
More