The public voted theatre awards announced the winners in a ceremony that took place on Sunday evening. Here’s a few of our takeaways from the occasion.
Joy for Paddington the Musical:
London is really looking after Paddington Bear, as the new musical picked up nine awards on the evening – deservedly so for its warm and infectious nature that has been wonderfully brought to life by all of the creative team. But particular credit should (in my opinion) go to Tom Fletcher for writing such heartfelt songs that went well with the story and Jessica Swale for the glorious book that felt faithful to Michael Bond’s characters. The performance of ‘The Explorer and the Bear’ was a definite highlight performance.
Wins for Jamie Lloyd’s Evita not unexpected!
Given just how much hype this show generated last summer, it wasn’t surprising to see this production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical pick up several awards including Best Musical Revival, Best Choreography for Fabian Aloise, Best Lighting for Jon Clark, Best Video Design for Jamie Lloyd, Nick Ward and David Anderson, and Rachel Zegler winning Best Performer in a Musical. Now what musical will Jamie Lloyd pick next to tackle?
It was lovely to see the inaugural Best Child Performance being awarded:
Hopefully with this new award being introduced and seeing young performers being honoured, it will help even in a small way to encourage the next generation of performers and help put them in the spotlight.
Hooray for Mischief Theatre with their latest award win forThe Comedy About Spies:
Once again, the theatre company shows the power of comedy and laughter with their latest show which ran last summer (and was one of our favourites of 2025). It won the award for Best New Play. It was also a great opportunity to announce that it will be heading back to the West End stage, playing at the Adelphi Theatre from this August. Missed it before? Don’t miss it on this occasion!
Could there be a category for opera and dance included for next year?
Given the recent drama about the value of ballet and opera as part of the arts, it would be lovely if a category could be added in the future celebrating the work in these art forms. I’m certainly sure that there are plenty of dance and opera fans who would be willing to cast their vote – plus it would be a great way to encourage new audiences to take a chance…
James Graham was rightfully acknowledged for his work:
James Graham is one of our most insightful playwrights, with his plays such as ‘Punch’, ‘Quiz’ and ‘This House’ capturing different sides to society and powerfully opening all of our eyes. Honouring him with the AudienceView Services to UK Theatre Award was certainly well deserved. Hopefully more honours will follow!
Overall, it was a really enjoyable WhatsOnStage Awards ceremony which was reassuring that theatre is still flourishing in many ways despite a funding crisis.