Nominations Announced For 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards - &JULIET, EVITA, PRESENT LAUGHTER, and More!

Tyrone Huntley today announced the nominations for the 20th annual WhatsOnStage Awards via WhatsOnStage's social channels, the only major theatre prize-giving decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves. The announcement of the nominations marks the opening of the final voting stage (until 27 January), with winners announced at the annual Awards Concert held on 1 March 2020 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

WhatsOnStage's Chief Operating Officer Sita McIntosh said today, "As we enter our 20th year, we're thrilled to announce the nominations for the WhatsOnStage Awards. 2019 has proved a strong year for musicals with & Juliet dominating the field with 13 nominations - more than either Hamilton or Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in previous years. There's also been a strong showing for work outside the capital with venues including Hope Mill Theatre, Curve Leicester and Sheffield Theatres receiving multiple nominations. This is the particular joy of the WhatsOnStage Awards, that work from across the breadth of the UK is represented and championed."

Leading this year is the new musical & Juliet - currently running at the Shaftesbury Theatre, with 13 nominations across acting and creative categories including nominations for leading actors Miriam-Teak Lee and Oliver Tompsett who play Juliet and Shakespeare respectively, supporting actor nominations for Jordan Luke Gage, Cassidy Janson and Melanie La Barrie, Best New Musical, Best Choreography, Best Costume Design, Best Graphic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Set Design, Best Sound Design and Best Video Design. In the musical categories, Evita follows with 8 nominations and Mame with 7 nominations, ahead of Waitress with 6 nominations, and Come from Away and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with 5 nominations each.

For Best Actress in a Musical Miriam-Teak Lee faces competition from Tracie Bennett for Mame, Katharine McPhee and Lucie Jones - both for Waitress, and Zizi Strallen for Mary Poppins; and in the Best Actor in a Musical category Oliver Tompsett is nominated alongside David Hunter for Waitress, Charlie Stemp for Mary Poppins, Sam Tutty for Dear Evan Hansen, and Jac Yarrow for Joseph.

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical sees the stars of Waitress face off again with nominations for both Laura Baldwin and Marisha Wallace; who in turn are up against Cassidy Janson and Melanie La Barrie, both for & Juliet, and Rachel Tucker from Come From Away; and Best Supporting Actor nominees are & Juliet's Romeo Jordan Luke Gage, Joe Sugg from Waitress, Jack Loxton from Dear Evan Hansen, Oscar Conlon-Morrey for Only Fools and Horses The Musical, and Joseph's Jason Donovan.

Best New Musical will see a closely fought battle between & Juliet, Waitress, Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away and Only Fools and Horses; Best Musical Revival nominees are Mary Poppins, Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mame, and 9 to 5 The Musical.

In the straight play categories, Best New Play is a contest between The Doctor, The Son, My Beautiful Laundrette, Life of Pi and Appropriate; and Best Play Revival nominees are Betrayal, Death of a Salesman, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lungs and Present Laughter. The latter of these leads the play categories with 8 nominations; including Best Actor in a Play for Andrew Scott, Best Supporting Actress in a Play nominations for Sophie Thompson and Indira Varma and Best Direction for Matthew Warchus.

In a heavily nominated year for The Old Vic, Warchus receives a double nomination in the Best Direction category - for Lungs, as well as Present Laughter. His rivals are Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell for Death of a Salesman, Robert Icke for The Doctor and Jamie Lloyd for Evita.

Andrew Scott faces Tom Hiddleston for Betrayal, Matt Smith for Lungs, Wendell Pierce for Death of a Salesman, and Laurie Kynaston for The Son for the Best Actor in a Play Award - both Scott and Kynaston were recently honoured for their respective roles at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards. For Best Actress in a Play, the nominations are Claire Foy for Lungs, Zawe Ashton for Betrayal, Hayley Atwell for Rosmersholm, Sharon D. Clarke for Death of a Salesman, and Juliet Stevenson for The Doctor.

For Best Supporting Actor in a Play, nominated are Alexander Vlahos for Peter Pan, Charlie Cox for Betrayal, Hareet Deol for My Beautiful Laundrette, Hammed Animashaun for A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Giles Terera for Rosmersholm; and for Best Supporting Actress in a Play, Thompson and Varma are up against Ria Zmitrowicz for The Doctor, Monica Dolan for All About Eve, and Isabella Pappas for Appropriate.

Best Off-West End production nominees are The View UpStairs (Soho Theatre), Falsettos (The Other Palace), High Fidelity (The Turbine Theatre), Preludes and Fiver - both at Southwark Playhouse; and the Best Regional Production are Mame (Hope Mill Theatre), Life of Pi (Sheffield Theatres), West Side Story (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), My Beautiful Laundrette (Curve, Leicester, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse co-production), and The Color Purple (Curve, Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome co-production).

Tickets are available for the awards ceremony on 1 March via www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk from £25.00.

Full List of Nominations

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY SPONSORED BY EDWARDIAN HOTELS

Tom Hiddleston - Betrayal

Andrew Scott - Present Laughter

Matt Smith - Lungs

Wendell Pierce - Death of a Salesman

Laurie Kynaston - The Son

BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY SPONSORED BY TONIC THEATRE

Claire Foy - Lungs

Zawe Ashton - Betrayal

Hayley Atwell - Rosmersholm

Sharon D. Clarke - Death of a Salesman

Juliet Stevenson - The Doctor

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Alexander Vlahos - Peter Pan

Charlie Cox - Betrayal

Hareet Deol - My Beautiful Laundrette

Hammed Animashaun - A Midsummer Night's Dream

Giles Terera - Rosmersholm

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Ria Zmitrowicz - The Doctor

Isabella Pappas - Appropriate

Monica Dolan - All About Eve

Sophie Thompson - Present Laughter

Indira Varma - Present Laughter

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL SPONSORED BY DEWYNTERS

David Hunter - Waitress

Sam Tutty - Dear Evan Hansen

Jac Yarrow - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Oliver Tompsett - & Juliet

Charlie Stemp - Mary Poppins

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL SPONSORED BY CAFE DE PARIS

Lucie Jones - Waitress

Katharine McPhee - Waitress

Miriam-Teak Lee - & Juliet

Tracie Bennett - Mame

Zizi Strallen - Mary Poppins

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL SPONSORED BY THE UMBRELLA ROOMS

Joe Sugg - Waitress

Jack Loxton - Dear Evan Hansen

Jordan Luke Gage - & Juliet

Oscar Conlon-Morrey - Only Fools and Horses

Jason Donovan - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL SPONSORED BY NEWMAN DISPLAYS

Laura Baldwin - Waitress

Marisha Wallace - Waitress

Cassidy Janson - & Juliet

Melanie La Barrie - & Juliet

Rachel Tucker - Come From Away

BEST NEW PLAY SPONSORED BY TICKETMASTER

The Doctor

The Son

My Beautiful Laundrette

Life of Pi

Appropriate

BEST PLAY REVIVAL SPONSORED BY JHI MARKETING

Betrayal

Death of a Salesman

Present Laughter

A Midsummer Night's Dream [Bridge Theatre]

Lungs

BEST NEW MUSICAL SPONSORED BY h CLUB LONDON

Waitress

& Juliet

Dear Evan Hansen

Come From Away

Only Fools and Horses

BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL SPONSORED BY Concord Theatricals

Mary Poppins

Evita

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Mame

9 to 5 The Musical

BEST OFF-WEST END PRODUCTION SPONSORED BY LES MISERABLES

Fiver

The View UpStairs

High Fidelity

Preludes

Falsettos

BEST REGIONAL PRODUCTION SPONSORED BY MTI EUROPE

Mame

The Color Purple

Life of Pi

My Beautiful Laundrette

West Side Story [Royal Exchange Manchester]

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Fabian Aloise - Evita

Matthew Bourne - Romeo & Juliet

Kelly Devine - Come From Away

Jennifer Weber - & Juliet

Nick Winston - Mame

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Lez Brotherston - Romeo & Juliet

Katrina Lindsay - Small Island

Rob Howell - Present Laughter

Philip Witcomb - Mame

Paloma Young - & Juliet

BEST DIRECTION SPONSORED BY LOVETHEATRE

Marianne Elliott & Miranda Cromwell - Death of a Salesman

Robert Icke - The Doctor

Jamie Lloyd - Evita

Matthew Warchus - Lungs

Matthew Warchus - Present Laughter

BEST GRAPHIC DIRECTION SPONSORED BY HEXAGON PRINT

& Juliet - Dewynters

Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Muse Creative Communications

Equus - Feast Creative

Evita - Feast Creative

Rosmersholm - Bob King Creative

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN SPONSORED BY WHITE LIGHT

Jon Clark - Evita

Ben Cracknell - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Howard Hudson - & Juliet

Jessica Hung Han Yun - Equus

Tim Lutkin & Hugh Vanstone - Present Laughter

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

Ian Eisendrath, Alan Berry & Team - Come From Away

Kimberly Grigsby - The Light in the Piazza

Alex Parker - Mame

John Rigby - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Alan Williams - Evita

BEST SET DESIGN SPONSORED BY SINE DIGITAL

Soutra Gilmour - & Juliet

Soutra Gilmour - Evita

Rob Howell - Present Laughter

Robert Jones - The Light in the Piazza

Rae Smith - The Night of the Iguana

BEST SOUND DESIGN SPONSORED BY STAGE SOUND SERVICES

Ben Harrison - Mame

Nick Lidster - Evita

Gareth Owen - & Juliet

Gareth Owen - Come From Away

Mick Potter - The Light in the Piazza

BEST VIDEO DESIGN SPONSORED BY PRG

Jon Driscoll - Small Island

Will Duke - Grief is the Thing With Feathers

Andrzej Goulding - & Juliet

P J McEvoy - Falsettos

Ewan Jones Morris - A Very Expensive Poison