News

The Whatsonstage.com Awards were launched last Friday at London’s Cafe de Paris. The awards are the only major theatre prizes decided by public vote, with more than 7,000 people already taking part in the short-listing process. The 2011 nominations were confirmed at the event, with 26 award categories throwing up some fascinating head-to-head contests.

Family Affair for Lee Mead and Denise Van Outen

Legally Blonde leads the way for the Musicals with seven nominations, including Best Actress for Sheridan Smith. Meanwhile Love Never Dies received six nominations, including Best Actress for Sierra Boggess and Best New Musical.

Husband and wife Lee Mead and Denise Van Outen face each other for the award of Best Takeover in a Role for their respective performances in Wicked and Legally Blonde. Best Supporting Actress in a Musical is also a family affair with sisters Scarlett Strallen and Summer Strallen competing for the award - Scarlett for Passion at the Donmar Warehouse, Summer for Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre.

Whatsonstage Awards - Selected Nominations

The EMG Best Actor in a Musical

# Alex Gaumond – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
# John Owen-Jones – Les Misérables 25th anniversary production at the Barbican
# Mark Umbers – Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Haymarket
# Michael Arden – Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory
# Ramin Karimloo – Love Never Dies at the Adelphi
# Sahr Ngaujah – Fela! at the National, Olivier

The BABY GRAND Best Actress in a Musical

# Anna-Jane Casey – Bells Are Ringing at the Union
# Elena Roger – Passion at the Donmar Warehouse
# Sheridan Smith – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
# Sierra Boggess – Love Never Dies at the Adelphi
# Tamzin Outhwaite – Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Haymarket
# Victoria Hamilton-Barritt – Flashdance at the Shaftesbury

The TAKE ONE MEDIA Best Takeover in a Role

# Ben Richards – Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Palace
# Denise Van Outen – Legally Blonde at the Savoy
# Griff Rhys-Jones – Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
# Kerry Ellis – Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
# Lee Mead – Wicked at the Apollo Victoria
# Rachel Tucker – Wicked at the Apollo Victoria

The SEE TICKETS Best New Musical

# All the Fun of the Fair by David Essex & Jon Conway – at the Garrick
# Departure Lounge by Dougal Irvine – at Waterloo East
# Fela! by Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Bill T Jones & Jim Lewis – at the National, Olivier
# Flashdance by Robbie Roth, Robert Cary & Tom Hadley – at the Shaftesbury
# Legally Blonde by Nell Benjamin, Laurence O'Keefe & Heather Hach – at the Savoy
# Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Glenn Slater & Ben Elton – at the Adelphi

The RADISSON EDWARDIAN Best Play Revival

# After the Dance – at the National, Lyttelton
# All My Sons – at the Apollo
# Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – at the Novello
# Deathtrap – at the Noel Coward
# Design for Living – at the Old Vic
# The Real Thing – at the Old Vic

Voting Open into January 2011

Voting for the Whatsonstage.com Awards continues until the end of January 2011. The results will be announced on Sunday 20 February 2011 at a lavish ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre. To vote, click here.