WhatsOnStage Awards: Claire Foy and Andrew Scott among winners

The Crown star Claire Foy and Fleabag’s Andrew Scott were among the big winners at the WhatsOnStage Awards on Sunday.

Foy won best actress in a play for her performance in Lungs, while Scott took home best actor for Present Laughter.

A new musical – & Juliet – which features the songs of Britney Spears, Pink, Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry, took home the most prizes, winning six of the 13 awards it was nominated for.

The winners are decided by members of the public as opposed to critics.

Prizes for & Juliet included best actress in a musical for its lead, Miriam-Teak Lee, as well as technical categories such as sound, lighting, costume and set design.

The show features music by the prolific songwriter Max Martin including hits by Kesha, Jessie J and the Backstreet Boys and imagines what would have happened if Romeo had died but Juliet had lived.

Media captionMiriam-Teak Lee: “We kind of see Juliet in a stronger way”

There were wins in major categories for Come From Away – the musical that tells the true story of how a small Canadian community reacted to 9/11.

When the terror attack took place on New York’s Twin Towers, 38 planes were diverted to an airport in Newfoundland, Canada, where locals offered food and shelter to the incoming passengers.

The show won five awards in total, including best new musical and best supporting actress for Rachel Tucker, who played one of the plane’s pilots.

Best new play was won by Life of Pi – a new adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker-winning novel – which has previously been turned into a successful film.

Dear Evan Hansen, which explores “grief tourism” after a teen suicide, won two major prizes – best actor for Sam Tutty and best supporting actor for Jack Loxton.

Scott’s win for Present Laughter follows a hugely successful year for the actor, during which he starred in Fleabag, Black Mirror and the Oscar-winning film 1917.

His co-star Sophie Thompson was named best supporting actress.

Best musical revival was won by Mary Poppins, which opened in the West End last year after a successful Hollywood film reboot starring Emily Blunt.

For the first time, the event was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 hosted by Elaine Paige and Paddy O’Connell.


Full list of winners

Doug Colling and Sam Tutty in Dear Evan Hansen
Image captionDear Evan Hansen transferred from Broadway to the West End in November

Best actor in a play – Andrew Scott, Present Laughter

Best actress in a play – Claire Foy, Lungs

Best actor in a musical – Sam Tutty, Dear Evan Hansen

Best actress in a musical – Miriam-Teak Lee, & Juliet

Best supporting actor in a play – Hammed Animashaun, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Best supporting actress in a play – Sophie Thompson, Present Laughter

Best supporting actor in a musical – Jack Loxton, Dear Evan Hansen

Best supporting actress in a musical – Rachel Tucker, Come From Away

Best new play – Life of Pi

Best new musical – Come From Away

Best play revival – Betrayal

Best musical revival – Mary Poppins

Best direction – Jamie Lloyd, Evita

Best musical direction – Ian Eisendrath, Alan Berry and team, Come From Away

Audience award – Six

Mary Poppins
Image captionMary Poppins was named best musical revival

Best choreography – Kelly Devine, Come From Away

Best costume design – Paloma Young, & Juliet

Best graphic direction – Dewynters, & Juliet

Best set design – Soutra Gilmour, & Juliet

Best lighting design – Howard Hudson, & Juliet

Best sound design – Gareth Owen, Come From Away

Best video design – Andrzej Goulding, & Juliet

Best off-West End production – Falsettos

Best regional production – The Color Purple

Equity award for services to theatre – ERA 50:50

BBC

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