Paddington has turn out to be the first new West End musical to land nine awards on the WhatsOnStage awards.
The much-loved bear’s first look on the boards has wowed critics and delighted audiences because it opened in December, and it’s now one of many three most awarded exhibits within the WhatsOnStage ceremony’s historical past – alongside Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Miss Saigon – in addition to probably the most lauded new musical.
The Guardian’s theatre critic Arifa Akbar praised the state-of-the-art animatronics that deliver the bear to life, together with some “marvellous songs about marmalade”.
She stated: “This is the new Mary Poppins: a well-known story imaginatively staged, immaculately performed and utterly winning.”
At the twenty sixth version of the awards, voted for by theatregoers, the most recent interpretation of Evita, the musical charting the rise of populism in Nineteen Forties Buenos Aires, secured 5 awards, together with finest performer for Rachel Zegler. The actor and singer has won plaudits for her depiction of President Juan Perón’s spouse, together with a celebrated off-stage balcony scene during which she sings Don’t Cry For Me Argentina to passersby on the streets as an alternative of to paying prospects.
Although the winners’ checklist was dominated by musicals, Richard II on the Bridge theatre in Bermondsey was the largest winner within the straight play classes, with two wins together with finest play revival. Jonathan Bailey received finest performer in a play for his portrayal of the “cocaine-snorting king of misrule”, beating off stiff competitors from TV stars Ncuti Gatwa (Born with Teeth), Tom Hiddleston (Much Ado About Nothing) and Rosamund Pike (Inter Alia).
Crowning its fortieth 12 months, Les Misérables, the West End’s longest-running musical, received the distinguished finest West End present award, whereas finest regional manufacturing went to 13 Going on 30: The Musical on the Opera House in Manchester. The Hope Mill’s manufacturing of Young Frankenstein taking finest studio manufacturing.
The finest new play award went to The Comedy About Spies by Henry Lewis and Henry Shields, produced by Mischief, the comedy play manufacturing home finest recognized for West End stalwart The Play That Goes Wrong.
Stephen Fry took dwelling finest supporting performer in a play for The Importance of Being Earnest, whereas Amber Davies received finest supporting performer in a musical for The Great Gatsby, and Emma Kingston secured finest takeover for Elphaba in Wicked.
The inaugural finest little one efficiency class was received for the portrayal of Young Thomas in The Land of the Living on the National Theatre, a task shared by Platon Filatov, Darcy Tosun, Anton Vehring and Artie Wilkinson-Hunt.
WhatsOnStage’s Darius Thompson and Alex Wood stated: “The voters really did look after that Bear. Paddington’s record-setting awards haul has firmly cemented it as a fan-favourite new addition to the West End.
“A big thank you to everyone that nominated, voted and campaigned for their favourite shows and performers – the wealth of excitement around these awards highlights the unwavering passion and love for theatre that brings punters to venues night after night.”
Alongside successful finest new musical, Paddington landed finest skilled debut efficiency (Timi Akinyosade) and finest route (Luke Sheppard), together with gongs for its technical crew together with finest set design (Tom Pye), finest costume design (Gabriella Slade and Tahra Zafar, the latter of whom designed the animatronic bear), finest sound design (Gareth Owen), finest wigs, hair and make-up design for Campbell Young Associates, finest musical supervision and route (Matt Brind) and finest casting route (Natalie Gallacher CDG).
Evita received finest musical revival, finest choreography (Fabian Aloise), finest lighting (Jon Clark) and finest video design (Jamie Lloyd, Nick Ward and David Anderson).
The playwright James Graham was awarded the companies to UK theatre award. His new play Punch has won acclaim on either side of the Atlantic, whereas his adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s Boys from the Blackstuff was not too long ago staged at Liverpool Royal Court and the National Theatre. His play Make It Happen debuted at Dundee Rep and the Edinburgh worldwide pageant, and a TV adaptation of his celebrated work Dear England is in manufacturing on the BBC.
