Once again the WOS awards are upon us, and this year they seem to have released the list of winners to the World before the awards have even taken place. Not the best thing to see when some of us had an evening of watching the live tweets planned…!!

I went along last year and had a fun evening, but this year felt that the £49.50 price tag was a little too high given the usual production values of the show. Whilst I very VERY much appreciate how incredibly hard everyone works behind the scenes on these awards (and with little/no sponsorship for them), certain elements last year were a little higgledypigeldy and needed a little bit of tightening I thought.

The WOS Awards are voted for entirely by the public (which is a great thing, but this slightly skews things and the eventual result in my opinion), and I am also looking forward to the Olivier awards in March to see what the industry professionals have rated as their favourites.

Therefore, below I have posted a list of the award winners and in some cases have highlighted (in blue) who I think the actual deserved winner was. That Tracie Bennet for End Of The Rainbow did not get the best actress award made me emit a scream of frustration from my bedroom in Vauxhall that may well have been heard at the Prince of Wales theatre!! 😛

Source.

THE FULL LIST OF 2010/11 WINNERS (winners denoted in bold)

The SPOTLIGHT Best Actress in a Play

Helen McCrory – The Late Middle Classes at the Donmar Warehouse

Jenny Jules – Ruined at the Almeida

Kim Cattrall – Private Lives at the Vaudeville

Nancy Carroll – After the Dance at the National, Lyttelton

Tracie Bennett – End of the Rainbow at Trafalgar Studios

Zoë Wanamaker – All My Sons at the Apollo

The SPOTLIGHT Best Actor in a Play

Benedict Cumberbatch – After the Dance at the National, Lyttelton

David Suchet – All My Sons at the Apollo

Matthew Macfadyen – Private Lives at the Vaudeville

Rory Kinnear – Hamlet at the National, Olivier & Measure for Measure at the Almeida

Simon Russell Beale – Deathtrap at the Noel Coward & London Assurance at the National, Olivier

Toby Stephens – The Real Thing at the Old Vic

Best Supporting Actress in a Play

Clare Higgins – Hamlet at the National, Olivier

Emma Cunniffe – The Crucible at the Open Air Theatre

Fiona Shaw – London Assurance at the National, Olivier

Harriet Walter – Women Beware Women at the National, Olivier

Jemima Rooper – All My Sons at the Apollo

Tamsin Greig – The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick

Best Supporting Actor in a Play

Adam James – Blood & Gifts at the National, Lyttelton

Adrian Scarborough – After the Dance at the National, Lyttelton

Eddie Redmayne – Red at the Donmar Warehouse

Lee Ross – Birdsong at the Comedy

Nigel Lindsay – Broken Glass at the Tricycle

Stephen Campbell Moore – All My Sons at the Apollo

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 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 NURSING STANDARD Best Supporting Actress in a Musical

Hannah Waddingham – Into the Woods at the Open Air

Jill Halfpenny – Legally Blonde at the Savoy

Josefina Gabrielle – Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Haymarket

Rosalie Craig – Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Scarlett Strallen – Passion at the Donmar Warehouse

Summer Strallen – Love Never Dies at the Adelphi

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

Chris Ellis-Stanton – Legally Blonde at the Savoy

Dave Willetts – Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Joseph Millson – Love Never Dies at the Adelphi (agreed)

Michael Xavier – Into the Woods at the Open Air

Paul J Medford – Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Haymarket

Tim Newman – All the Fun of the Fair at the Garrick

Best Ensemble Performance

Hair – at the Gielgud

Les Misérables 25th anniversary concert – the company of companies – at The O2 (I found this category hardest to vote in – my vote would have gone to Les Mis in a heartbeat as the cast from the entire West End was absolutely stunning, but HAIR weren’t nominated in many categories, plus HAIR did their stuff for several months whereas this was just two performances and was more of a ‘one off event’)

Men Should Weep – at the National, Lyttelton

Posh – at the Royal Court Downstairs

When We Are Married – at the Garrick

Women, Power & Politics – at the Tricycle

The CAPITAL BREAKS Best Solo Performance

Bob Golding – Morecambe at the Duchess

Caroline O’Connor – The Showgirl Within at the Garrick

Hugh Hughes – The Wonderful World of Hugh Hughes at the Barbican Pit

Meera Syal – Shirley Valentine at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Trafalgar Studios 1 (agreed)

Michael Gambon – Krapp’s Last Tape at the Duchess

Simon Callow – Shakespeare – The Man from Stratford, Dr Marigold & Mr Chops at Riverside Studios

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 OBERON BOOKS Best New Play

Anne Boleyn by Howard Brenton – at Shakespeare’s Globe

Blood & Gifts by JT Rogers – at the National, Lyttelton

Posh by Laura Wade – at the Royal Court Downstairs

Red by John Logan – at the Donmar Warehouse

Ruined by Lynn Nottage – at the Almeida

Tribes by Nina Raine – at the Royal Court Downstairs

Best New Comedy

Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris – at the Royal Court Downstairs

Midsummer by David Greig – at Soho

Morecambe by Tim Whitnall – at the Duchess

Really Old, Like Forty-Five by Tamsin Oglesby – at the National, Cottesloe

The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane – at the Garrick

Yes, Prime Minister by Antony Jay & Jonathan Lynn – at the Gielgud

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 (yes, the story is grim, but the music is exquisite!)

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

The AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP Best Musical Revival

Bells Are Ringing – at the Union

Hair – at the Gielgud

Into the Woods – at the Open Air

Les Misérables 25th anniversary production – at the Barbican (definitely agreed – best thing I’ve ever seen on a stage!!)

Passion – at the Donmar Warehouse

Sweet Charity – at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Theatre Royal HaymarketThe SHAKESPEARE 4 KIDZ Best Shakespearean Production

As You Like It – at the Old Vic

Hamlet – at the National, Olivier

Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 – at Shakespeare’s Globe

Macbeth – at Shakespeare’s Globe

Measure for Measure – at the Almeida

The Comedy of Errors – at the Open Air

The LAST SECOND TICKETS Best Director

Howard Davies – All My Sons at the Apollo, The White Guard & Blood & Gifts at the National, Lyttelton

Nicholas Hytner – Hamlet & London Assurance at the National, Olivier

Roger Michell – Rope at the Almeida & Tribes at the Royal Court Downstairs

Rupert Goold – Earthquakes in London at the National, Cottesloe

Thea Sharrock – After the Dance at the National, Lyttelton

Timothy Sheader – Into the Woods & The Crucible at the Open Air

Best Set Designer

Bunny Christie – Men Should Weep at the National, Lyttelton

Joanna Scotcher – The Railway Children at Waterloo Station (agreed)

Miriam Buether – Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Downstairs & Earthquakes in London at the National, Cottesloe

Morgan Large – Flashdance at the Shaftesbury

Soutra Gilmour – Into the Woods at the Open Air

Stephen Brimson-Lewis – An Ideal Husband at the Vaudeville

The WHITE LIGHT Best Lighting Designer

James Farncombe – Ghost Stories at the Lyric Hammersmith & Duke of York’s

Neil Austin – The Prince of Homburg at the Donmar Warehouse & Women Beware Women at the National, Olivier

Paul Keogan – Novecento, Donmar at Trafalgar Studios 2

Paule Constable – Blasted at the Lyric Hammersmith, Posh at the Royal Court Downstairs & Love Never Dies at the Adelphi

Peter Mumford – Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Downstairs

Rick Fisher – Tribes at the Royal Court Downstairs

Best Choreographer

Arlene Phillips – Flashdance at the Shaftesbury

Bill T Jones – Fela! at the National, Olivier

Jason Gilkison – Burn the Floor at the Shaftesbury

Jerry Mitchell – Legally Blonde at the Savoy

Karole Armitage – Hair at the Gielgud

Stephen Mear – Shoes at Sadler’s Wells & Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Theatre Royal Haymarket

The DEWYNTERS London Newcomer of the Year

Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna – Burn the Floor at the Shaftesbury

Anya Reiss (playwright) – Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court Upstairs

Daniel Kaluuya – Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Downstairs

Jacob Casselden – Tribes at the Royal Court Downstairs

Jonathan Groff – Deathtrap at the Noel Coward (agreed!)

Robyn Addison – The Rivals at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

The LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE Best Off-West End Production

A Number – at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Bells Are Ringing – at the Union

La Bohème – at the Cock Tavern, Kilburn & Soho

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – at the Young Vic

The Drowsy Chaperone – at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

The Wages of Thin – at the Old Red Lion

Best Regional Production

Hamlet – at Sheffield Crucible

Chess – on tour

Antony & Cleopatra – at the Liverpool Playhouse

42nd Street – at the Chichester Festival Theatre

Lend Me a Tenor – at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth

A Raisin in the Sun – at the Royal Exchange, Manchester

The EQUITY Best West End Show

Jersey Boys – at the Prince Edward

Les Misérables – at the Queen’s

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – at the Palace

The Phantom of the Opera – at Her Majesty’s

War Horse – at the New London

Wicked – at the Apollo Victoria (based on ticket sales, and what this does for the West End, agreed!)

The AKA Theatre Event of the Year

Jellyfish, the UK’s first recycled theatre, built on a playground in Southwark

Judi Dench returning to the role of Titania after 40 years for Sir Peter Hall in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Rose, Kingston deserved a nod!!

Les Misérables’ 25th anniversary concert at The 02 & screened to cinemas worldwide (DEFINITELY AGREE!)

The Donmar Warehouse’s “Sondheim at 80” concerts

The relaunch of the King’s Head as London’s first new opera house in 40 years

The transformation of the Eurostar terminal at Waterloo for The Railway Children

Special mentions

The launch of the Young Vic’s 40th anniversary season

You Me Bum Bum Train at the Barbican