Best Comedy
Winner: La Bete by David Hirson at the Lyric Hammersmith
Nominees:
- An Evening With Gary Lineker by Arthur Smith and Chris England at the Duchess
- La Bete by David Hirson at the Lyric Hammersmith
- It’s Ralph by Hugh Whitemore at the Comedy
Best Entertainment
Winner: Talking Heads by Alan Bennett at the Comedy
Nominees:
- A Tribute To The Blues Brothers at the Whitehall
- Kit And The Widow ‘Lavishly Mounted’ by Kit Hesketh-Harvey and Richard Sisson at the Ambassadors
- Talking Heads by Alan Bennett at the Comedy
- Tango Argentino by Claudio Segovia and Hector Orezzoli at the Aldwych
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Frances de la Tour for When She Danced at the Globe
Nominees:
- Frances de la Tour for When She Danced at the Globe
- Clare Higgins for Napoli Milionaria at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Lesley Sharp for Uncle Vanya at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Eileen Atkins for The Night Of The Iguana at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Best Director of a Play
Winner: Deborah Warner for Hedda Gabler at the Playhouse
Nominees:
- Declan Donnellan for Angels In America at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Ian Judge for The Comedy Of Errors, RSC at the Barbican
- Sean Mathias for Uncle Vanya at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Deborah Warner for Hedda Gabler at the Playhouse
Best Director of a Musical
Winner: Simon Callow for Carmen Jones at the Old Vic
Nominees:
- Simon Callow for Carmen Jones at the Old Vic
- Judi Dench for The Boys From Syracuse at the Regent’s Park Open Air
- Ken Hill for Phantom Of The Opera at the Shaftesbury
- Steven Pimlott for Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Oleg Menshikov for When She Danced at the Globe
Nominees:
- Henry Goodman for Angels In America at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Oleg Menshikov for When She Danced at the Globe
- Simon Russell Beale for Troilus And Cressida, RSC at the Pit
- Ken Stott for The Recruiting Officer, at the National Theatre Olivier
Best Set Designer
Winner: Mark Thompson for The Comedy Of Errors, RSC at the Barbican and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium
Nominees:
- Bob Crowley for When She Danced at the Globe, Murmuring Judges at the National Theatre Olivier and The Night Of The Iguana at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Ashley Martin-Davis for The Miser and The Recruiting Officer at the National Theatre Olivier
- Philip Prowse for A Woman Of No Importance, RSC at the Barbican and The White Devil at the National Theatre Olivier
- Mark Thompson for The Comedy Of Errors, RSC at the Barbican and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, at the London Palladium
Best Lighting Designer
Winner: Mark Henderson for Murmuring Judges at the National Theatre Olivier and Long Day’s Journey Into Night at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Nominees:
- Wayne Dowdeswell for Edward II, RSC at the Pit
- Mark Henderson for Murmuring Judges at the National Theatre Olivier and Long Day’s Journey Into Night at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Jean Kalman for The Night Of The Iguana at the National Theatre Lyttelton and Hedda Gabler at the Playhouse
- Sumio Yoshii for Tango At The End Of Winter at the Piccadilly
Actor of the Year
Winner: Nigel Hawthorne for The Madness Of George III at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Nominees:
- Marcus D’Amico for Angels In America at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Nigel Hawthorne for The Madness Of George III at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Robert Lindsay for Becket at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
- Ian McKellen for Uncle Vanya at the National Theatre Cottesloe
Best Costume Designer
Winner: Mark Thompson for The Comedy Of Errors, RSC at the Barbican
Nominees:
- Ashley Martin-Davis for The Miser at the National Theatre Olivier
- James Merifield for The Boys From Syracuse at the Regent’s Park Open Air
- Philip Prowse for A Woman Of No Importance, RSC at the Barbican
- Mark Thompson for The Comedy Of Errors, RSC at the Barbican
Best Theatre Choreographer
Winner: Rafael Aguilar for Matador at the Queen’s
Nominees:
- Rafael Aguilar for Matador at the Queen’s
- Steven Berkoff for The Trial at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- The dancers for Tango Argentino at the Aldwych
- Anthony van Laast for Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium
Actress of the Year
Winner: Juliet Stevenson for Death And The Maiden at the Royal Court and the Duke of York’s
Nominees:
- Janet McTeer for Uncle Vanya at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Patricia Routledge for Talking Heads at the Comedy
- Fiona Shaw for Hedda Gabler at the Playhouse
- Juliet Stevenson for Death And The Maiden at the Royal Court and the Duke of York’s
Best Comedy Performance
Winner: Desmond Barrit for The Comedy Of Errors, RSC at the Barbican
Nominees:
- Robin Bailey for Black Snow at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Desmond Barrit for The Comedy Of Errors, RSC at the Barbican
- Alan Cumming for La Bete at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith
- Lia Williams for The Revengers’ Comedies at the Strand
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Winner: The Royal Opera’s Mitridate, Re di Ponto at the Royal Opera House
Nominees:
- Harrison Birtwistle for The Royal Opera’s Gawain at the Royal Opera House
- The Royal Opera’s Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House
- English National Opera’s Figaro’s Wedding at the London Coliseum
- English National Opera’s Peter Grimes at the London Coliseum
- The Royal Opera’s Mitridate, Re di Ponto at the Royal Opera House
- The Garden Venture Stage II’s Out Of Season and The Dancer Hotoke at the Riverside Studios
Best Actor in a Musical
Winner: Alan Bennett for Talking Heads at the Comedy
Nominees:
- Alan Bennett for Talking Heads at the Comedy
- Philip Bird for Good Rockin’ Tonite at the Strand
- Jason Donovan for Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium
- Damon Evans for Carmen Jones at the Old Vic
Best Actress in a Musical
Winner: Wilhelmenia Fernandez for Carmen Jones at the Old Vic
Nominees:
- Sharon Benson for Carmen Jones at the Old Vic
- Wilhelmenia Fernandez for Carmen Jones at the Old Vic
- Linzi Hateley for Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium
- Miriam Margolyes for Dickens’ Women at the Duke of York’s
Best Supporting Performance in a Musical
Winner: Jenny Galloway for The Boys From Syracuse at the Open Air
Nominees:
- Gregg Baker for Carmen Jones at the Old Vic
- Jenny Galloway for The Boys from Syracuse at the Regent’s Park Open Air
- Karen Parks for Carmen Jones at the Old Vic
- Martin Smith for A Swell Party at the Vaudeville
Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Dance
Winner: In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated for William Forsythe’s choreography and performance by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
Nominees:
- Adventures In Motion Pictures at the Royal Court, most promising small dance company to present a West End season
- Stephen Jefferies for his outstanding performance in the Royal Ballet’s Cyrano at the Royal Opera House
- Driftings for Phillipe Genty’s imaginative visual presentation at Sadler’s Wells
- Graham Lustig and Henk Schut for choreography and design of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Inscape at the Royal Opera House
- In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated for William Forsythe’s choreography and performance by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
- Northern Ballet Theatre for Christopher Gable’s vital and imaginative Romeo And Juliet at the Royalty
Best Revival of a Play or Comedy
Winner: Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen at the Playhouse
Nominees:
- Faith Healer by Brian Friel at the Royal Court
- Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen at the Playhouse
- The Comedy Of Errors by William Shakespeare, RSC at the Barbican
- Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov at the National Theatre Cottesloe
The American Express Award for Best New Musical
Winner: Carmen Jones by Oscar Hammerstein II based on Meilhac and Halevy’s adaptation of Prosper Merimee’s Carmen, with original music by Bizet, at the Old Vic
Nominees:
- Carmen Jones by Oscar Hammerstein II based on Meilhac and Halevy’s adaptation of Prosper Merimee’s Carmen, with original music by Bizet, at the Old Vic
- Phantom Of The Opera by Ken Hill at the Shaftesbury
Best Musical Revival
Winner: The Boys From Syracuse, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, George Abbott, at the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre
Nominees:
- Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice at the London Palladium
- The Boys From Syracuse, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, George Abbott, at the Regent’s Park Open Air
BBC Award for the Play of the Year
Winner: Death And The Maiden by Ariel Dorfman at the Royal Court and the Duke of York’s
Nominees:
- Angels In America by Tony Kushner at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Death And The Maiden by Ariel Dorfman at the Royal Court and the Duke of York’s
- The Madness of George III by Alan Bennett at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Three Birds Alighting On A Field by Timberlake Wertenbaker at the Royal Court
The Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement
Winner: Gate Theatre, Notting Hill, for a season of classics from the Spanish Golden Age, including Tirso de Molina’s Damed for Despair and Lope De Vega’s The Great Pretenders
Nominees:
- Steven Berkoff for Kvetch at the Garrick
- Danny Boyle for his production of The Last Days Of Don Juan (an adaptation by Nick Dear of Tirso de Molina’s El Burlador De Sevilla), RSC at the Barbican Pit
- Gate Theatre, Notting Hill, for a season of classics from the Spanish Golden Age, including Tirso de Molina’s Damed for Despair and Lope De Vega’s The Great Pretenders
- Maly Theatre, St Petersburg, for its production of Gaudeamus during the London International Festival of Theatre
- Vanessa Redgrave for When She Danced at the Globe
- Bando Tamasaburo V, the Kabuki star whose grace and poetry delighted audiences during the Japan Festival at the National Theatre, including his world-famous representation of a maiden transformed into a dying heron in a snowstorm
The Society’s Special Award
Dame Ninette de Valois