Women have dominated the gender-neutral performing categories at this year’s WhatsOnStage awards, the only major theatre awards decided by the public.
At a ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on Sunday night, Jodie Comer received the award for best performer in a play for her solo tour de force in Prima Facie, while Courtney Bowman and Lauren Drew won best performer in a musical and best supporting performer in a musical respectively for Legally Blonde.
Best supporting performer in a play went to Gwyneth Keyworth for her performance of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird and Lucie Jones won best takeover for her turn as Elphaba in Wicked. Meanwhile, for his performance in The Trials at Donmar Warehouse, Joe Locke received the award for best professional debut.
The big winner of the night was My Neighbour Totoro with five awards from nine nominations, including best direction for Phelim McDermott, best set design for Tom Pye and Basil Twist, best lighting design for Jessica Hung Han Yun, best musical direction or supervision for Bruce O’Neil and Matt Smith and best sound design for Tony Gayle. A Guardian review praised the play’s “astonishing puppetry, magical music and huge emotional impact”.
The best new musical award went to Bonnie & Clyde the Musical, while Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, which previews in the West End from this week, won best musical revival for its sell-out run at the Young Vic, while also winning best video design for Joshua Thorson.
In the straight play categories, Prima Facie, which opens on Broadway in the spring, won the prized best new play award. The one-woman drama by Suzie Miller, about a lawyer who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault until she is assaulted herself, was a hit with critics last year.
The award for best play revival went to the West End premiere of Cock at the Ambassadors Theatre. The musical Six triumphed in the best West End show category, picking up the prize for the third time; Curve Leicester’s production of Billy Elliot the Musical won best regional production; and But I’m a Cheerleader: The Musical at Turbine Theatre won best off-West End production. The producer and theatre owner Nica Burns was honoured with the services to theatre award.
The WhatsOnStage awards were the first theatre awards to establish gender-neutral performance categories this year. Such categories became a point of contention after the Brits faced criticism for not nominating any women in its gender-neutral artist of the year category this year.
WhatsOnStage’s Sarah Coleman and Alex Wood said 2023 had been “another vibrant year of productions across the UK”.
“We are proud to be the first theatre awards to introduce gender-neutral performance categories to honour our world-leading onstage talent, and it is heartening to see the ongoing prevalence of new work in our theatres,” they added.
