Best Actress in a Play
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, The Amen Corner
As Jean-Baptiste took her bow at the end of The Amen Corner, I found myself in that wonderful state of involuntarily rising to my feet – it doesn’t happen very often at all but it is a mark of the kind of acting that strikes deep into my soul. As she blazed across the stage in all her unshakeable fervour and blinkered righteousness, this marked a much-welcomed return to the theatre for this most excellent of actresses and I sincerely hope we get to see her back on the boards sooner rather than later.
Honourable mention: Michelle Terry, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Globe)
We always knew Terry would make an excellent Titania but the real surprise came with the huge impact she managed to make as Hippolyta, making the character register in every scene in which she appeared and anchoring the production with a clear sense of just how much the path of true love never runs smooth no matter one’s status.
Lucy Ellinson, Grounded
Stella Gonet/Fenella Woolgar, Handbagged
Lesley Manville, Ghosts (Almeida)
Shuna Snow, Iron
7-10
Hayley Atwell, The Pride; Jessica Barden, Armstrong’s War; Doña Croll, All My Sons; Dervla Kirwan, The Weir
Best Actress in a Musical
Rosalie Craig, The Light Princess
One of those performances that has to be seen to be believed, Craig demonstrated core strength like no other performer on the London stage as the princess Althea, unwavering in a show of immense physicality supported by a team of human puppeteers to help her to float. Add to that a flawless vocal and a pitch-perfect portrayal of a young woman struggling to come to terms with her place in the world and you have the kind of memorable amazingness that will linger long in the mind.
Honourable mention: Cynthia Erivo, The Color Purple
If nothing else, Erivo deserves plaudits for a literally show-stopping performance, having to deal with the practicalities of the mid-song ovations that often greeted her. Whereas they may not have been welcome in these quarters, Erivo’s ascendance to leading lady status certainly was.
Zrinka Cvitešić, Once the musical
Anita Dobson, Carnival of the Animals
Scarlett Strallen, A Chorus Line
Charlotte Wakefield, The Sound of Music
7-10
Julie Atherton, The Hired Man; Sarah Galbraith, Chess; Joanna Riding, The Pajama Game; Scarlett Strallen, Candide