On a livestream from the Off West End’s The Other Palace, Labour of Love playwright James Graham and Get Up, Stand Up! performer Gabrielle Brooks announced the nominees for the 22nd annual WhatsOnStage Awards. The West End transfer of Frozen earned the most nods (13), matching a record set by the musical & Juliet in 2019, while the Almeida production of The Tragedy of Macbeth scored the most nominations for a play (5). London theatregoers can vote now through January 21, and the winners will be revealed on February 27 during the awards ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre, co-produced by Paul Taylor-Mills and Sita McIntosh.
The 13 nominations for Frozen include musical, direction (Michael Grandage), choreography (Rob Ashford), female (Samantha Barks), female (Stephanie McKeon), supporting male (Oliver Ormson), supporting male (Obioma Ugoala), sets (Christopher Oram), costumes (Christopher Oram), lights (Neil Austin), music direction (Stephen Oremus), video (Finn Ross), and graphic design (Bob King Creative).
The Bob Marley jukebox musical Get Up, Stand Up! earned 10 nods for musical, direction (Clint Dyer), choreography (Shelley Maxwell), male (Arinzé Kene), supporting female (Gabrielle Brooks), costumes (Lisa Duncan), lights (Charles Balfour), musical direction (Sean Green), video (Tal Yarden), and graphic design (Michael Nash Associates). The musical adaptation of Back to the Future received nine nominations, including musical, male (Roger Bart), male (Olly Dobson), supporting male (Hugh Coles), supporting male (Cedric Neal), sets (Tim Hatley), lights (Tim Lutkin), sound (Gareth Owen), and video (Finn Ross).
Seven nods went to Cinderella, including musical, male (Ivano Turco), female (Carrie Hope Fletcher), supporting female (Victoria Hamilton-Barritt), supporting female (Rebecca Trehearn), costumes (Gabriela Tylesova), and lights (Bruno Poet). And seven nods went to Moulin Rouge!, including musical, choreography (Sonya Tayeh), sets (Derek McLane), costumes (Catherine Zuber), lights (Justin Townsend), musical direction (Justin Levine), and sound (Peter Hylenski).
The final best musical nominee is Pretty Woman, which also earned a nomination for leading female Aimie Atkinson.
Leading the revivals was Cabaret, which was nominated for revival, direction (Rebecca Frecknall), male (Eddie Redmayne), female (Jessie Buckley), sets (Tom Scutt), costumes (Tom Scutt), and lights (Isabella Byrd). Next is Chichester Festival’s South Pacific, nominated for revival, regional production, choreography (Ann Yee), male (Julian Ovenden), supporting female (Joanna Ampil), and sound (Paul Groothuis).
Hope Mill Theatre’s Rent earned nods for revival, regional production, supporting female (Millie O’Connell), music direction (Katy Richardson), and graphic design (Feast Creative). Anything Goes at the Barbican Centre was nominated for revival, choreography (Kathleen Marshall), supporting male (Robert Lindsay, and supporting female (Carly Mercedes Dyer).
The Regent’s Park Carousel saw nods for revival, choreography (Drew McOnie), and musical direction (Tom Deering), while West Side Story at Curve, Leicester, earned nominations for revival and regional production.
Other regional shows on the list include the UK tour of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, noted for regional production, sets (Jamie Harrison), and costumes (Gabriella Slade), and Birmingham Rep’s What’s New Pussycat?, earning nods for regional production and video (Akhila Krishnan). The final regional nod went to Bloody Elle, seen at Manchester Royal Exchange.
The musicals vying for Off-West End production include Charing Cross Theatre’s Pippin and Southwark Playhouse’s The Last Five Years, which also earned nods for musical direction (Leo Munby) and sound (Adam Fisher).
Musicals earning their single nomination for best West End show include Come from Away, Hamilton, Les Misérables, Six, and Wicked. Other shows with one nominee include The Drifters Girl for female (Beverley Knight), Be More Chill for supporting male (Blake Patrick Anderson), and Hope Mill’s Manchester revival of The Wiz for graphic design (Christopher D Clegg).