6 and a half weeks after the nominees were first announced, I am finally able to announce who will be crowned the Basic Theatre Award winners of 2018! I am thrilled to see that, for the third year running, the number of people that voted and took part in the awards once again reach triple digits. I am extremely grateful to everyone that took the time to vote and spread the word about the award; it truly meant a lot to me. Now, let's get to it...
Winning with 33% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Understudy goes to...
Sam O'Rourke in Half a Sixpence as Arthur Kipps in the West End!
The race for Best Understudy was an extremely competitive two horse race, with first place going back and forth between Sam and a fellow nominee throughout the month of voting. However, in the final few days, Sam became victorious, winning with one vote over his competitor (every single vote counts!). I had the joy of seeing Sam's performance twice throughout the show's run: the first time was February 2017, when we he was performing the role for one of his very first performances, with the second time being August 2017, the final performance that he ever gave in the role of Arthur Kipps. It was wonderful to see how he had progressed in the role and how well he had mastered it. He is an outstanding actor, an exceptional singer and a talented dancer; he is one of the uber-talented performers!
The other nominees were:
Marisha Wallace - Dreamgirls
Judith Street - The Girls
Joseph Morales - Hamilton
Aubin Wise - Chicago
Winning with 33% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play goes to...
Anne-Marie Duff in Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle as Georgie Burns in the West End!
The competition for Best Leading Actress in a Play was always close, but Anne-Marie Duff constantly remained in the lead. Towards the end of the month, one of the actresses in the running picked up a large number of votes putting the fate of this award in uncertainty, but Duff stayed triumphant! Anne-Marie Duff was beyond incredible in the role of Georgie. Georgie is what I imagine to be a challenging role to play, but Duff pulls off the role flawlessly. The character of Georgie has such a complex mind, with so many different thoughts, feelings and emotions, and Duff does an excellent job in helping the audience to understand every aspect of Gerogie. She is mesmerising!
The other nominees were:
Nadia Clifford - Jane Eyre
Karina Jones - Wait Until Dark
Siân Phillips - Driving Miss Daisy
Tamsin Greig - Labour of Love
Winning with 28% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Production of a Play goes to...
Oslo on Broadway!
The Basic Theatre Award for Best Production of a Play was a fierce four horse race that, similar to the award for Best Understudy, was only decided by one vote. On the final day of voting, it seemed as if Oslo would not be the winner, however thanks to a few last minute votes, Oslo has now been crowned with the Basic Theatre Award for the Best Production of a Play! I personally found Oslo utterly fascinating, due to the historic teachings that it brought. Prior to seeing Oslo, I had a lack of knowledge regarding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, so I am very grateful that Oslo has educated me on the matter in such an entertaining way. The play is a total of three hours, but I was kept transfixed and on the edge of my seat throughout. The time flew by!
The other nominees were:
The Kite Runner - West End
Driving Miss Daisy - UK Tour
How the Other Half Loves - UK Tour
Ink - West End
Winning with 44% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical goes to...
Christy Altomare in Anastasia as Anya on Broadway!
With 44% of the votes that were cast, Christy Altomare won this award with ease. As Anya, Christy gives a performance like no other. There are many people who say that she was born to play this role, something that I would have to agree with. She suits the role so perfectly; I honestly could not imagine anyone else portraying this role to the effect that Christy does. It is rumoured that Anastasia may be transferring to the West End in the near future, and if it is, I am hopeful that Christy will reprise her role, as the show simply wouldn't be the same without her.
The other nominees were:
Bette Midler - Hello, Dolly!
Annaleigh Ashford - Sunday in the Park with George
Glenn Close - Sunset Boulevard
Patti LuPone - War Paint
Winning with 38% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play goes to...
Lara Rossi in Misalliance as Lina Szczepanowska in Fringe Theatre!
The competition for Best Supporting Actress in a Play was originally fairly close, however Misalliance co-star Rhys Isaac-Jones kindly tweeted about the awards, and Rossi's number of votes almost doubled! Rossi's portrayal of Lina was utterly captivating to watch. The character of Lina is powerful, strong and isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in; all of this was perfectly captured in Lara's performance. She has a great command of the stage, displaying the power that Lina has. She is more than worthy of this award!
The other nominees were:
Kate O'Flynn - The Glass Menagerie
Cobie Smulders - Present Laughter
Jayne Houdyshell - A Doll's House, Part 2
Olivia Wilde - 1984
Winning with 44% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play goes to...
David Tennant in Don Juan in Soho as DJ in the West End!
It was clear that David Tennant was going to win this award from quite an early point; the voters of the Basic Theatre Awards have crowned Tennant as the Best Leading Actor in a Play by quite a wide margin. To say that David Tennant was phenomenal would be an understatement; David gives a masterclass of a performance as Don Juan. He excelled at every aspect of the character. He was hilarious at the more comedic parts of the play, he was wonderful at the more serious parts of the play, there was nothing he couldn't do in the role. His performance was worth the ticket price alone!
The other nominees were:
Ben Turner - The Kite Runner
Jefferson Mays - Oslo
Robert Daws - How the Other Half Loves
Richard Coyle - Ink
Winning with 28% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical goes to...
Jason Pennycooke in Hamilton as Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson in the West End!
The race for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical was an extremely close three horse race. Jason had always retained a lead in the votes from an early point, but there were two nominees who came very close to the amount of votes that Jason has accumulated. Despite this, he still kept his lead and has now been crowned with the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. The decision to choose him for these roles in Hamilton was inspired casting! I have seen Hamilton a total of four times, and from what I have noticed, the dual role of Lafayette and Jefferson is an extremely difficult role to master. Prior to Pennycooke, the only actor that I had seen truly master both roles was Daveed Diggs, the original Broadway cast member. I am pleased to say that Pennycooke is a worthy successor to Diggs, having excelled in both roles. His portrayal of Thomas Jefferson is utterly hilarious; his performance is a joy to watch. Jason's performance was one of the overall highlights of Hamilton and I am so glad that he was cast in this production.
The other nominees were:
Gavin Creel - Hello, Dolly!
Taram Killam - Hamilton
Lucas Steele - Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Obioma Ugoala - Hamilton
Winning with 57% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical goes to...
Rachel John in Hamilton as Angelica Schuyler in the West End!
Rachel John is the only winner in any of the categories to have gained a majority of the votes, as opposed to a plurality. This in itself demonstrates how special her performance is. Winning a majority of votes in a public vote can be difficult, so clearly Rachel's performance is truly something else. I first saw Rachel John perform in The Bodyguard in August 2016, and after the show when I met her at stage door I said to her "You would be a great Angelica in Hamilton!". Perhaps I should be a casting director? I have seen four different performances of Angelica, with Rachel giving the best interpretation of Angelica that I have seen to date. She's full of confidence, sassiness and pride; everything needed for the perfect Angelica Schuyler. Her rendition of 'Satisfied' was one of the ultimate 'wow moments' in Hamilton and ended up being a highlight of the entire show.
The other nominees were:
Kate Baldwin - Hello, Dolly!
Mary Gordon Murray - Cabaret
Lesley Joseph - Young Frankenstein
Tracie Bennett - Follies
Winning with 48% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play goes to...
Rhys Isaac-Jones in Misalliance as Bentley Summerhays in Fringe Theatre!
The contest for Best Supporting Actor in a Play began as an extremely close race with no clear winner in sight. However, Rhys then put out a tweet regarding the Basic Theatre Awards, with the hope that he would reach at least 1% of the votes cast. This tweet cased a surge in votes for Rhys, greatly surpassing his original goal. Whilst all the cast of Misalliance were phenomenal, it was Rhys that stole the show. He has fairly limited stage time, and yet he leaves an extraordinarily large impression His delivery of lines is perfect and his comic timing is impeccable. He is more than worthy of this award!
The other nominees were:
Michael Aronov - Oslo
Reed Birney - 1984
Bertie Carvel - Ink
Dean Harris - The Tailor-Made Man
Winning with 37% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical goes to...
Jamael Westman in Hamilton as Alexander Hamilton in the West End!
The competition for Best Leading Actor in a Musical was fairly close between Jamael and one other nominee, but Jamael was able to sustain this lead throughout the month of voting, leaving him victorious! Jamael gives the best interpretation of Alexander Hamilton that I have seen since Lin-Manuel Miranda. Jamael has mastered the part so well; he's truly made his mark on the role. His acting is flawless, and he portrays Hamilton just as I imagine he would have been in real life. I particularly liked the humour that he added to the role, something which I had not seen in any previous performances of Alexander Hamilton. Jamael also has an utterly beautiful voice, and just to top it all off, he's also an excellent rapper. There is nothing that he cannot do!
The other nominees were:
Andy Karl - Groundhog Day
Daniel Breaker - Hamilton
Scott Stangland - Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
John McCrea - Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Winning with 50% of the votes, the Basic Theatre Award for Best Production of a Musical goes to...
Hamilton in the West End!
The West End production of Hamilton won the Best Production of a Musical by quite a large margin, almost winning with a majority of the votes. Ever since I first saw Hamilton on Broadway in December 2015, I have been in love with the show. Hamilton is my favourite show of all time, and it is unlikely that I'll ever see anything as good for a long time. I had been waiting for Hamilton to transfer to the West End for quite a long time, so I'm sure that you can all imagine how excited I was to finally see it in London. The West End production of Hamilton is very special and I am thrilled that London audiences have now been given the chance to see the masterpiece, that is, Hamilton. What I love about this production of Hamilton more than anything else is how almost every aspect is done to perfection. The score is lovely, the book is excellent, the choreography is spectacular, the lighting is splendid, the costumes are exceptional, and if this wasn't enough, even the sound design is terrific!
The other nominees were:
Hello, Dolly! - Broadway
Groundhog Day - Broadway
Hamilton - Chicago
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Broadway
And that brings us to a close! I would like to congratulate all of those that have won the Basic Theatre Awards this year; you are all very deserving. I would also like to, once again, thank all of those that shared out the awards on Twitter and helped me to publicise the blog during the past month; it means a lot.
Until next time...
Thanks for reading!
-The Reviewer
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