Legally Blonde takes home four gongs at the Whatsonstage Awards 2011

Legally Blonde has dominated the Whatsonstage Awards 2011, picking up four gongs including Best New Musical.
For awards were scooped by Legally Blonde including the award for Best Actress in a Musical for Sheridan Smith's performance as Elle Woods

For awards were scooped by Legally Blonde including the award for Best Actress in a Musical for Sheridan Smith's performance as Elle Woods Photo: Ellie Kurttz

The haul for the show, which is running at London’s Savoy Theatre, also included the awards for Best Actress in a Musical for Sheridan Smith, who played Elle Woods until last month, and Best Choreographer for director Jerry Mitchell. Accepting her award, Smith said she was “just a small cog in the wheel”.

Jill Halfpenny picked up the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Award for her portrayal of Paulette in the show.

Les Miserables was recognised for its 25th anniversary productions at the awards, which are voted for by the public. Its 25th anniversary concert at London’s O2 arena won Theatre Event of the Year and Best Ensemble Performance while the anniversary production at the Barbican won Best Musical Revival.

David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker both took home acting gongs for their performances in Howard Davies’ production of All My Sons, while Ramin Karimloo picked up the award for Best Actor in a Musical and Joseph Millson won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for their performances in Love Never Dies.

Millson said: “I am not very political but, with March coming up, I would like to say, wherever you live, support your local theatre.”

Meanwhile, Howard Brenton’s play Anne Boleyn, which will return to Shakespeare’s Globe later this year, won the Best New Play Award and Wicked took home the award for Best West End Show for the second year in a row.

Brenton commented: “The Globe is a fabulous theatre. It’s not this heritage theatre at all but a wildly experimental place because it certainly puts the fear of God into a writer working for it. You sometimes think somewhere up in the upper gallery, you can glimpse a small man with a strange beard looking down on your efforts.”

The 26 awards were presented this evening at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End. According to Whatsonstage, 45,000 people voted.

The Whatsonstage Awards 2011 in full are:

The Spotlight Best Actress in a Play: Zoe Wanamaker for All My Sons (Apollo)

The Spotlight Best Actor in a Play: David Suchet for All My Sons (Apollo)

Best Supporting Actress in a Play: Tamsin Greig for The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick)

Best Supporting Actor in a Play: Nigel Lindsay for Broken Glass (Tricycle)

The Baby Grand Best Actress in a Musical: Sheridan Smith for Legally Blonde (Savoy)

The EMG Best Actor in a Musical: Ramin Karimloo for Love Never Dies (Adelphi)

The Nursing Standard Best Supporting Actress in a Musical: Jill Halfpenny for Legally Blonde (Savoy)

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical: Joseph Millson for Love Never Dies (Adelphi)

Best Ensemble Performance: Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert - the company of companies (O2)

The Capital Breaks Best Solo Performance: Meera Syal for Shirley Valentine (Menier Chocolate Factory and Trafalgar Studios 1)

The Take One Media Best Takeover in a Role: Rachel Tucker for Wicked (Apollo Victoria)

The Oberon Books Best New Play: Anne Boleyn by Howard Brenton (Shakespeare’s Globe)

Best New Comedy: Yes, Prime Minister by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn (Gielgud)

The See Tickets Best New Musical: Legally Blonde by Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe and Heather Hach (Savoy)

The Radisson Edwardian Best Play Revival: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Novello)

The Ambassador Theatre Group Best Musical Revival: Les Miserables 25th Anniversary production (Barbican)

The Shakespeare 4 Kids Best Shakespearean Production: Hamlet (National)

The Last Second Tickets Best Director: Timothy Sheader for Into the Woods and The Crucible (Open Air)

Best Set Designer: Joanna Scotcher for The Railway Children (Waterloo Station)

The White Light Best Lighting Designer: James Farncombe for Ghost Stories (Lyric Hammersmith and Duke of York’s)

Best Choreographer: Jerry Mitchell for Legally Blonde (Savoy)

The Dewynters London Newcomer of the Year: Jonathan Groff for Deathtrap (Noel Coward)

The Leicester Square Theatre Best Off-West End Production: La Boheme (Cock Tavern and Soho)

Best Regional Production: Chess (touring)

The Equity Best West End Show: Wicked (Apollo Victoria)

The AKA Theatre Event of the Year: Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert (O2)