2024 Best Lead Performance in a Musical

Winners

Georgina Onuorah, Little Shop of Horrors
Colin Ryan, Little Shop of Horrors
It may have been one of the last shows of the year for me but one of the reasons Sheffield’s reimagining of one of my favourite musicals worked so well was because of Onuorah and Ryan’s performances. Stripped of caricature and played in natural accents, their darker and more tragic notes resonated so powerfully.

Honourable mentions

David Seadon-Young, My Fair Lady
Imelda Staunton, Hello, Dolly!
Two classic roles in two classic musicals reinvented with such style. Seadon-Young’s Henry Higgins skewed younger and Staunton’s Dolly Levi a touch older than we might previously have been used to but both put us in touch anew with the emotions of each.

Other nominees

Marc Antolin, I Wish You Well
Zoë Athena, Babies
Chumisa Dornford-May, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Clare Foster, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Jo Foster, Why Am I So Single?
Grace Hodgett Young, Hadestown
Leesa Tulley, Why Am I So Single?
Diana Vickers, I Wish You Well

After some reflection and looking at how other theatre awards have addressed the issue of gendered awards, I’ve come up with my own solution. I’ve merged categories but doubled the number of awards, so that I’m still recognising the same number of performances rather than halving them, as so many others seem to have done. Each to their own, but I’d always want to celebrate more than less of the performances I’ve loved throughout the year.