Are What’s On Stage Winners Really ‘The Best’?
Published on Wednesday 17th February, 11.26am, Written by Carrie Dunn
Before I go any further, I want to state here and now that I think audience popularity is a crucial part of any performer’s career longevity, and that audience voting, by and large, is a very good idea.
Audience voting gave us Jodie Prenger (pictured) as Nancy in Oliver (even when Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh were subliminally flashing up “VOTE FOR JESSIE” captions); audience voting gave us Will Young as Pop Idol; audience voting demonstrated that generally nobody was very bothered at all about John OR Edward on last year’s X Factor no matter how much the show tried to make us believe we were.
And I’m very happy that the Olivier Awards have introduced a category to this year’s awards to allow audiences to have their say in an open vote; for too long there has been a strong undercurrent of snobbery in theatre criticism that derides what the population at large loves, and theatregoers having their say at the pinnacle of awards season goes some way to remedying that.
So with those caveats firmly in place, I move on to look at the What’s On Stage results. And I cannot help but think that rather than prefacing their categories with “Best” (as in Best Actor In A Play, Best Actress In A Musical), they should really consider using “Favourite” or “Most Popular”.
And popularity is a good thing. It ought to be recognised, encouraged and celebrated. It’s popularity that keeps audiences coming back again and again. It’s popularity that keeps a show open.
However, as important as audience opinions are, without a proper judging process that ensures that all voters have seen all the performances in all the categories, the awards really should stake no claim to the word “best”, simply because there’s no genuine critical appraisal there.
Seen only one of the performances nominated for Best Actress, but you really liked it? Say no more, just click here!
Not managed to get along to any of the shows nominated for Best Musical? Then which one do you think you’d like best? Cast your vote now!
We saw with Jersey Boys London last year that dedicated and/or obsessive fans can swing a marginal category, and marketing teams are desperate to get their paws on accolades like “Best Musical”. And we saw this year that the shows that continue to pack the crowds in will always triumph over the shorter-running ensemble pieces.
Much as I think Patina Miller is fabulous, baby, in Sister Act the musical, I feel sad that Hannah Waddingham’s Desiree in A Little Night Music and Samantha Spiro’s Dolly in Regent’s Park never stood a chance for Best Actress In A Musical.
So honest, heartfelt congratulations to the What’s On Stage winners – you all deserve that lovely glowy feeling that comes from knowing that you are adored by your faithful public. But I think I’ll stick with the Oliviers – for all their flaws – as a more accurate indicator of the best shows and performances on offer.
I agree, cant belive Rowan Atkinson won. I didn’t feel his performance was that special, and certainly not the year’s best.
I think Hannah Waddingham not winning for her category was the biggest injustice of the night. Not that Patina Miller didn’t deserve to win something (because she is great), but I would have preferred Patina to win Best Newcomer rather than Diana Vickers, and then for the Best Actress to have gone to Hannah Waddingham.
Her performance of Send in the Clowns (which, in my opinion, was representative of her performance in the whole show – I actually did make the effort to see it) made everyone in that theatre pay attention, and it seems extraordinarily unjust that such a performance shouldn’t be recognised.
Thankfully she seemed to have a steady stream of people approach her in the bar afterwards to tell her how fantastic they thought she was.