The 16th annual WhatsOnStage Awards nominations shortlists have recently been announced, with the awards having gone from strength to strength with more members of the public nominating than ever before. The WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major UK theatre awards in which the audience are the judges, and the five nominations with the most votes become the shortlist.
Ultimately the public make up the audience who buy the tickets and therefore are the ones who generally decide on the success of a production. Following the nominations, the public then vote on their winners for each category. The winners will be announced in a concert - featuring live performances from many of the shows - at the Prince of Wales Theatre on 21 February 2016.
The shows Hamlet, In the Heights and Kinky Boots have each received nine nominations each, while Gypsy has been nominated eight times and American Idiot has been nominated seven times. In terms of off-West End, Chichester Festival Theatre has also scored 12 nominations for just two shows, which are Gypsy and Mack and Mabel. There are a variety of contenders for the musical-related awards with five nominees for best West End show: Wicked, Les Misérables, Kinky Boots, Miss Saigon and Matilda the Musical. Similarly Kinky Boots, Bend It Like Beckham, Elf The Musical, Beautiful and In The Heights were all nominated for best new musical.
The best musical revival, sponsored by R&H Theatricals Europe, had nominations of Gypsy, Cats, High Society, Mack and Mabel and American Idiot, and best choreography - sponsored by Capezio - included Kinky Boots, Jerry Mitchell; In The Heights, Drew McOnie; Gypsy, Stephen Mear and American Idiot, Racky Plews as nominees. It will be a close call for best actor and actress in a musical, as Killian Donnelly (Kinky Boots), Michael Ball (Mack and Mabel), Imelda Staunton (Gypsy) and Beverley Knight (Cats) have all been nominated.
WhatsOnStage Awards nominations
The 16th annual WhatsOnStage Awards nominations shortlists have recently been announced, with the awards having gone from strength to strength with more members of the public nominating than ever before. The WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major UK theatre awards in which the audience are the judges, and the five nominations with the most votes become the shortlist.
Ultimately the public make up the audience who buy the tickets and therefore are the ones who generally decide on the success of a production. Following the nominations, the public then vote on their winners for each category. The winners will be announced in a concert - featuring live performances from many of the shows - at the Prince of Wales Theatre on 21 February 2016.
The shows Hamlet, In the Heights and Kinky Boots have each received nine nominations each, while Gypsy has been nominated eight times and American Idiot has been nominated seven times. In terms of off-West End, Chichester Festival Theatre has also scored 12 nominations for just two shows, which are Gypsy and Mack and Mabel. There are a variety of contenders for the musical-related awards with five nominees for best West End show: Wicked, Les Misérables, Kinky Boots, Miss Saigon and Matilda the Musical. Similarly Kinky Boots, Bend It Like Beckham, Elf The Musical, Beautiful and In The Heights were all nominated for best new musical.
The best musical revival, sponsored by R&H Theatricals Europe, had nominations of Gypsy, Cats, High Society, Mack and Mabel and American Idiot, and best choreography - sponsored by Capezio - included Kinky Boots, Jerry Mitchell; In The Heights, Drew McOnie; Gypsy, Stephen Mear and American Idiot, Racky Plews as nominees. It will be a close call for best actor and actress in a musical, as Killian Donnelly (Kinky Boots), Michael Ball (Mack and Mabel), Imelda Staunton (Gypsy) and Beverley Knight (Cats) have all been nominated.