The standouts of the year 

My Neighbour Totoro leads this year's WhatsOnStage Awards, with an incredible 9 nominations, which includes Mei Mac for Best Performer in a Play and Best New Play! Good follows in the plays category with 5 nominations, including 3 acting nominations for David Tennant, Sharon Small and Elliot Levey. 

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! leads the musicals with 8 nominations, including Best Director for Daniel Fish and Best Musical Revival.

Other top nominees in the musical categories were both Almeida Theatre productions, directed by the company’s Artistic Director Rupert Goold – Spring Awakening with 6 nominations, and Tammy Faye, the most nominated new musical, with 5 nominations.

Full nominations list

Best Performer in a Musical

Courtney Bowman, Legally Blonde, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Katie Brayben, Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre

Divina De Campo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester

Jordan Luke Gage, Bonnie & Clyde the Musical, Arts Theatre

Frances Mayli McCann, Bonnie & Clyde the Musical, Arts Theatre

Charlie Stemp, Crazy for You, Chichester Festival Theatre

Best Supporting Performer in a Musical (sponsored by Newman Displays)

Jocasta Almgill, Grease, Dominion Theatre

Lauren Drew, Legally Blonde, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Paul French, Grease, Dominion Theatre

Natalie McQueen, Bonnie & Clyde the Musical, Arts Theatre

John Owen-Jones, The Great British Bake Off Musical, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Marisha Wallace, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Young Vic

Best Performer in a Play (sponsored by Sine Digital)

Jonathan Bailey, Cock, Ambassadors Theatre

Jodie Comer, Prima Facie, Harold Pinter Theatre

Carrie Hope Fletcher, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Rose Theatre Kingston

Mei Mac, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Rafe Spall, To Kill a Mockingbird, Gielgud Theatre

David Tennant, Good, Harold Pinter Theatre

Best Supporting Performer in a Play (sponsored by Edwardian Hotels London)

Jade Anouka, Cock, Ambassadors Theatre

Gwyneth Keyworth, To Kill a Mockingbird, Gielgud Theatre

Elliot Levey, Good, Harold Pinter Theatre

Natasha Magigi, The Clothes They Stood Up In, Nottingham Playhouse

Sharon Small, Good, Harold Pinter Theatre

Greg Tannahill, Good Luck, Studio, Mercury Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

Best Takeover Performance (sponsored by Tandem Marketing)

Lauren Byrne, Matilda The Musical, Cambridge Theatre

Erin Caldwell, Heathers: The Musical, The Other Palace

Joel Harper-Jackson, Cock, Ambassadors Theatre

Lucie Jones, Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre

Reuben Joseph, Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre

Ben Joyce, Back to the Future: The Musical, Adelphi Theatre

Best Professional Debut Performance (sponsored by AKA) 

Tomisin Ajani, The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre

Joe Locke, The Trials, Donmar Warehouse

Oliver Nicholas, Back to the Future: The Musical, Adelphi Theatre

Aharon Rayner, The Great British Bake Off Musical, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Nadine Shah, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare North Playhouse

Djavan van de Fliert, Frozen, Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Best New Musical (sponsored by Travelzoo)

Bonnie & Clyde the Musical, Arts Theatre

The Great British Bake Off Musical, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 

Identical, Nottingham Playhouse and The Lowry Salford

Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre

The Band's Visit, Donmar Warehouse

The Osmonds: A New Musical, UK tour

Best Musical Revival (sponsored by Concord Theatricals)

Billy Elliot, Curve, Leicester

Grease, Dominion Theatre

Legally Blonde, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

My Fair Lady, London Coliseum and tour

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Young Vic

Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre

Best New Play (sponsored by Ticketmaster)

A Different Stage, Duke of York's Theatre and tour

Best of Enemies, Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre

Eureka Day, The Old Vic

My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Prima Facie, Harold Pinter Theatre

To Kill a Mockingbird, Gielgud Theatre

Best Play Revival sponsored (by Audienceview)

Blues for an Alabama Sky, National Theatre

Cock, Ambassadors Theatre

Good, Harold Pinter Theatre

The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Rose Theatre, Kingston

The Crucible, National Theatre

The Seagull, Harold Pinter Theatre

Best West End Show (sponsored by Dewynters) 

Back to the Future: The Musical, Adelphi Theatre

Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre

Les Misérables, Sondheim Theatre

SIX, Vaudeville Theatre

The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty's Theatre

Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre

Best Regional Production sponsored by (Music Theatre International)

Billy Elliot, Curve, Leicester

Crazy for You, Chichester Festival Theatre

The Great British Bake Off Musical, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, Hope Mill Theatre

The Book Thief, Octagon Theatre, Bolton

The Osmonds: A New Musical, UK tour

Best Off-West End Production

Anyone Can Whistle, Southwark Playhouse

But I'm A Cheerleader: The Musical, The Turbine Theatre

DIVA: Live from Hell!, The Turbine Theatre

Millennials, The Other Palace Studio

RIDE – A New Musical, Charing Cross Theatre

Ruckus, Southwark Playhouse

Best Concert Event

Chess, Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Jeremy Jordan, Theatre Royal Drury Lane

SIX in Concert, Hampton Court Palace

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Sondheim Theatre

The Witches of Eastwick, Sondheim Theatre

Treason, Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Best Direction (sponsored by Lovetheatre)

Dominic Cooke, Good, Harold Pinter Theatre

Daniel Fish, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Young Vic

Nikolai Foster, Billy Elliot, Curve Leicester

Rupert Goold, Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre

Phelim McDermott, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Indhu Rubasingham, The Father and the Assassin, National Theatre

Best Musical Direction/Supervision

Daniel Kluger, Nathan Koci and Tom Brady, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Young Vic

Nigel Lilley and Tarek Merchant, The Band's Visit, Donmar Warehouse

Stuart Morley, Georgie Francis and Elliot Mackenzie, Whistle Down the Wind, Watermill Theatre

Bruce O’Neil and Matt Smith, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Ted Sperling and Gareth Valentine, My Fair Lady, London Coliseum and tour

Sarah Travis, Steve Sidwell and the company, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, UK tour

Best Casting Direction

Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher, Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre

Stuart Burt, The Seagull, Harold Pinter Theatre

Anji Carroll, Marvellous, New Vic Theatre, @sohoplace

Natalie Gallacher for Poppa Ailion Casting, Legally Blonde, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Jacob Sparrow, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Young Vic

Anne Vosser and Jo Hawes, Identical, Nottingham Playhouse and The Lowry, Salford

Best Choreography

Fabian Aloise, Bring It On: The Musical, Southbank Centre

Maxine Doyle, The Burnt City, Woolwich Works

Ellen Kane, A Chorus Line, Curve Leicester

Lynne Page, Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre

Susan Stroman, Crazy for You, Chichester Festival Theatre

Arlene Phillips, Grease, Dominion Theatre

Best Costume Design

Evie Gurney and Richard Mawbey, The 47th, The Old Vic

William Ivey Long, Crazy for You, Chichester Festival Theatre

Katrina Lindsay, Tammy Faye,Almeida Theatre

Melissa Simon-Hartman, Much Ado About Nothing, Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Gabriella Slade, The Cher Show, UK tour

Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady, London Coliseum and UK tour

Best Lighting Design (sponsored by White Light)

Neil Austin, Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre

Nic Farman, The Book Thief, Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Jessica Hung Han Yun, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Jack Knowles, Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre

Tim Lutkin, The Crucible, National Theatre

Scott Zielinski, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Young Vic

Best Set Design (sponsored by Preevue)

Jon Bausor, Into the Woods, Theatre Royal Bath

Es Devlin, The Crucible, National Theatre

Robert Jones, Murder on the Orient Express, Chichester Festival Theatre

Morgan Large, Sister Act, Eventim Apollo Hammersmith and tour

Tom Pye and Basil Twist, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Ben Stones, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester

Best Sound Design (sponsored by Stage Sound Services)

Lee Affen, Blood Harmony, The Lowry, Salford, The Dukes, Lancaster, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield and Traverse Theatre

Annie May Fletcher, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester

Tony Gayle, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Paul Groothuis, Into the Woods, Theatre Royal Bath

Paul Groothuis, The Band's Visit, Donmar Warehouse

Drew Levy, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Young Vic

Best Video Design

Luke Halls and Zakk Hein, The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, Bridge Theatre

Douglas O'Connell, Identical, Nottingham Playhouse and The Lowry, Salford

Finn Ross, Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre

Andrea Scott, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Joshua Thorson, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Young Vic

Max Spielbichler, Best of Enemies, Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre

Best Graphic Design (sponsored by Hexagon Print)

AKA, Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre

Bob King Creative, My Fair Lady, London Coliseum and tour

Felicity McCabe, The Crucible, National Theatre

Muse Creative Communications, The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, Bridge Theatre

Studio Doug, Prima Facie, Harold Pinter Theatre

Toshio Suzuki and Dewynters, My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Vote for your winner 

Whether you want to see My Neighbour Totoro take the crown or show some love for a different show, you have until Tuesday 10 January 2023 to choose your winner of the 23rd annual WhatsOnStage Awards with the Prince of Wales Theatre.

• News
• Productions
• Awards
• Features