The Basic Theatre Awards 2017-The Results

Hey readers!

After 6 weeks of waiting, I am thrilled to finally be announcing the winners of this years Basic Theatre Awards! It has been amazing to see the support for the awards this year and I am pleased to say we had a 36% increase in votes! I thank all of those who voted for their favourite productions, actors and actresses and I am sure they are all extremely grateful! Here we go...

Winning with 36% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play goes to...

Esther Smith in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as Delphi Diggory in the West End!

This was the closest category, with this outcome only being decided in the last week, however in the end it was Esther Smith who took the crown. In what is already a cast full of stunners, Esther is one of the major stand-outs. What I was most impressed with was the subtlety of her performance. Delphi is involved with a major plot twist and it is because of Esther's remarkable acting that you would not have seen it coming.

The other nominees were

• Olivia Greene-The 39 Steps
• Barbar Marten-People, Places and Things
• Pascale Armand-Eclipsed
• Saycon Senbloh-Eclipsed

Winning with 38% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play goes to...

Paul Thornley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as Ron Weasley in the West End!

Paul was an early favourite to win this race, however starting from week two he faced some fierce opposition. In the end, the Potterheads joined together to help Paul win. Having seen the films of Harry Potter (and having read a few of the books), Paul's portrayal of Ron is exactly how I would have imagined an adult Ron. He does everything right to be the best possible Ron. He's goofy, he's got a good comic timing and is great during the more serious moments of the show.

The other nominees were

• Bryan Dick-Hobson's Choice
• Christopher Simpson-Brideshead Revisited
• Kunal Nayyar-The Spoils
• Malcolm Sinclair-This House 

Winning with 50% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play goes to...

Denise Gough in People, Places and Things as Emma in the West End!

Denise won this award with ease, and not surprisingly. Denise gives an absolute masterpiece of a performance. I had a look at my review of People, Places and Things and in it I wrote that Denise Gough gave "the performance of a lifetime in a role she was born to play". I ,100% stand by that comment. People, Places and Things will be going on a UK Tour later this year, which Denise will not be appearing in, due to her starring in the shows transfer to America. It won't be the same without her!

The other nominees were

• Sarah Snook-The Master Builder
• Lupita Nyong'o-Eclipsed
• Kelley Curran-Sense and Sensibility 
• Kate Hamill-Sense and Sensibility

Winning with 40% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Production of a Play goes to...

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End!

This was a three horse race which towards the beginning of the awards looked like it could go any way. However, in week three Harry Potter and the Cursed Child began to take the lead and won with a plurality of the votes. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is pure magic, there's something so special about it. The two parts combined are over 5 hours; at the end of these 5 hours I truly felt like I had been on a wonderful journey with these characters and really related to them.

The other nominees were

• The Father-UK Tour
• People, Places and Things-West End
• Your Ever Loving-Fringe
• The Spoils-West End

Winning with 42% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Understudy goes to...

Arun Blair-Mangat in Kinky Boots as Lola in the West End!

As I'm sure many of you know, I am a huge understudy supporter. I feel they are massively under appreciated. Many feel the same way and it is so nice to see how much support this category gets. Arun Blair-Mangat's performance is stunning. He has a stage presence like no other. Whenever he entered the stage all the focus would be on him. He is also a triple threat: amazing actor, amazing singer and amazing dancer. I can't give enough praise to this performance!

The other nominees were

• Adam Grupper-Fiddler on the Roof
• Jonathan Stewart-Guys and Dolls
• Nathan Madden-An American in Paris
• Sam O'Rourke-Half a Sixpence

Winning with 36% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical goes to...

Cynthia Erivo in The Color Purple as Celie on Broadway!

This was yet another close one, where the verdict wasn't decided towards the very end, however it's very hard to beat a Tony Winner such as Cynthia Erivo. I first saw Cynthia back in 2014; she starred in "I Can't Sing-The X Factor Musical". It would be an understatement to say that she has progressed. It's amazing to see the level she has climbed to. Her solo of "I'm Here" melts my heart. I am absolutely praying that Cynthia's next piece of work will be Hamilton (Eliza or Angelica, I'm not picky!).

The other nominees were

• Sheridan Smith-Funny Girl
• Jessie Mueller-Waitress
• Rebel Wilson-Guys and Dolls
• Anita Louise Combe-Ragtime

Winning with 60% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical goes to...

Michael Esper in Lazarus as Valentine Off West End!

Out of all of the categories, Michael Esper has won his award with the largest percentage. Congrats Michael! Lazarus is one of my favourite shows of all time. One of the reasons for this being the stunning performances. Michael's character is a psychotic killer, and Michael plays this out really well. He plays the character really calmly and builds up anger, which works very well. Adding to this, he has a stunning voice!

The other nominees were

• Tom McGowan-She Loves Me
• Christopher Fitzgerald-Waitress
• Isaiah Johnson-The Color Purple
• Jonathan Stewart-Ragtime

Winning with 38% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play goes to... 

Ian McKellen in No Man's Land as Spooner in the West End!

This was another three horse race, with the result changing many times but in the end Ian McKellen won with a much larger amount of votes than his opponents. In my opinion, this was the best category and I always knew this would be extremely competitive. Ian McKellen is one of the United Kingdom's best actors. To see him live onstage was an amazing experience. He shined in this role and I was so lucky to have seen it. I booked the tickets 6 and a half months before seeing the show, so it was a long wait, but it was definitely worth it.

The other nominees were

• Stefan McCusker-Your Ever Loving
• Jesse Eisenberg-The Spoils
• Patrick Stewart-No Man's Land
• Anthony Boyle-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Winning with 46% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical goes to...

Sophia Anne Caurso in Lazarus as Girl Off West End!

On day one, this award looked liked it could go any way. However, after a few hours, Sophia tweeted about Lazarus's nominations and all Bowie fans joined together. I really appreciate Sophia spreading the word about the awards, so thank you Sophia! Sophia's performance as the Girl is mesmerising. There is a lot of mystery to the character, which is perfectly portrayed. Sophia's voice is one of the best I have ever heard, she is amazing!

The other nominees were

• Emma Williams-Mrs. Henderson Presents
• Jane Krakowski-She Loves Me
• Keala Settle-Waitress
• Danielle Brooks-The Color Purple

Winning with 52% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical goes to...

Michael C. Hall in Lazarus as Thomas Jerome Newton Off West End

Michael C. Hall's performance is the best theatrical performance I have seen in a long time. When I saw Lazarus in December 2015, I didn't realise how genius his performance was. Having seen it a second time, I am in amazement. His character is very damaged and is most likely at the point of mental insanity. A role like this takes a high amount of skill. Whenever I looked at him onstage, he was always in character. Even when he was just in the background. He also has a phenomenal voice. I love the way he performs "Where Are We Now?".

The other nominees were

• Robert Creighton-Cagney
• Andy Karl-Groundhog Day
• Gary Tushaw-Ragtime
• Ako Mitchell-Ragtime

Winning with 40% of the vote, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Production of a Musical goes to...

Lazarus-Off West End

I saw the show in December 2015 in New York. I was puzzled by a lot of it, but really liked it. I felt there was a deeper meaning of the show that I had missed. I went back on New Years Day 2017 in London and I certainly found all those deeper meanings! I was really touched by the show; I was even close to tears towards the end. It is a show that is both heartbreaking and haunting. I did not want it to end. This is a show that I just want to watch over and over again. I am praying that there will be a DVD release of the show. Fingers crossed!

The other nominees were

• Fiddler on the Roof-Broadway
• Waitress-Broadway
• Kinky Boots-West End
• Groundhog Day-West End

And that brings us to the conclusion of the 2017 Basic Theatre Awards. Once again, a huge thanks to all of those that voted and to all the actors that spread the word. Congratulations to all the winners!

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer