Best Comedy
Winner: Hysteria by Terry Johnson at the Royal Court
Nominees:
- April In Paris by John Godber at the Ambassadors
- Hysteria by Terry Johnson at the Royal Court
- The Life Of Stuff by Simon Donald at the Donmar Warehouse
- Time Of My Life by Alan Ayckbourn at the Vaudeville
Best Entertainment
Winner: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens adapted and staged by Patrick Stewart at the Old Vic
Nominees:
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens adapted and staged by Patrick Stewart at the Old Vic
- Jamais Vu, written and performed by Ken Campbell at the Vaudeville
- Kit And The Widow’s January Sale by Kit And The Widow at the Vaudeville
- Stomp, created and directed by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas at Sadler’s Wells
Best Actress
Winner: Fiona Shaw for Machinal at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Nominees:
- Kathryn Hunter for The Skriker at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Diana Rigg for Medea at the Wyndham’s
- Fiona Shaw for Machinal at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Penelope Wilton for The Deep Blue Sea at the Apollo
Best Actor
Winner: Mark Rylance for Much Ado About Nothing at the Queen’s
Nominees:
- Henry Goodman for Hysteria at the Royal Court
- Mark Rylance for Much Ado About Nothing at the Queen’s
- Patrick Stewart for A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic
- David Suchet for Oleanna at the Royal Court
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Helen Burns for The Last Yankee at the Duke of York’s
Nominees:
- Helen Burns for The Last Yankee, at the Duke of York’s
- Rosemary Leach for Separate Tables at the Albery
- Sandy McDade for The Life Of Stuff at the Donmar Warehouse
- Sophie Thompson for Wildest Dreams, RSC at the Barbican Pit
Best Director of a Play
Winner: Stephen Daldry for Machinal at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Nominees:
- Stephen Daldry for Machinal at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Phyllida Lloyd for Hysteria at the Royal Court
- Adrian Noble for The Winter’s Tale, RSC at the Barbican
- Trevor Nunn for Arcadia at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Joseph Mydell for Perestroika at the National Theatre Cottesloe
Nominees:
- Mark Lambert for Juno And The Paycock at the Albery
- Richard McCabe for The Winter’s Tale, RSC at the Barbican
- Joseph Mydell for Perestroika at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Rufus Sewell for Arcadia at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Best Director of a Musical
Winner: Declan Donnellan for Sweeney Todd, at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Lyttelton
Nominees:
- Michael Blakemore for City Of Angels at the Prince of Wales
- John Caird for The Beggar’s Opera, RSC at the Barbican
- Declan Donnellan for Sweeney Todd, at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Lyttelton
- Sam Mendes for Cabaret at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Set Designer
Winner: Mark Thompson for Hysteria at the Royal Court
Nominees:
- Peter J Davison for Medea at the Wyndham’s
- Ian MacNeil for Machinal at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Mark Thompson for Hysteria at the Royal Court
- Anthony Ward for The Winter’s Tale, RSC at the Barbican
Best Lighting Designer
Winner: Rick Fisher for Hysteria at the Royal Court, Machinal at the National Theatre Lyttelton and Moonlight at the Comedy
Nominees:
- Rick Fisher for Hysteria at the Royal Court, Machinal at the National Theatre Lyttelton and Moonlight at the Comedy
- Terry Hands with Wayne Dowdeswell for Tamburlaine The Great, RSC at the Barbican
- Wayne Dowdeswell for Medea at the Wyndham’s
- Brian Harris for The School Of Night, RSC at the Barbican Pit
Best Costume Designer
Winner: Gerald Scarfe for An Absolute Turkey at the Globe
Nominees:
- Sue Blane for Antony And Cleopatra, RSC at the Barbican
- Johan Engels for Tamburlaine The Great, RSC at the Barbican
- Gerald Scarfe for An Absolute Turkey at the Globe
- Anthony Ward for The Winter’s Tale, RSC at the Barbican
Best Theatre Choreographer
Winner: Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas for Stomp at Sadler’s Wells
Nominees:
- Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas for Stomp at Sadler’s Wells
- Welcome Msomi for Tamburlaine The Great, RSC at the Barbican
- Arlene Philips for Grease at the Dominion
- Anthony van Laast for The Beggar’s Opera, RSC at the Barbican and Hair at the Old Vic
Best Comedy Performance
Winner: Griff Rhys Jones for An Absolute Turkey at the Globe
Nominees:
- Ken Campbell for Jamais Vu at the Vaudeville
- Nicholas Le Prevost for An Absolute Turkey at the Globe
- Griff Rhys Jones for An Absolute Turkey at the Globe
- Maggie Smith for The Importance Of Being Earnest at the Aldwych
Best New Opera Production
Winner: The Royal Opera’s La Damnation De Faust at the Royal Opera House
Nominees:
- English National Opera’s Ariodante at the London Coliseum
- Opera North’s Gloriana at the Royal Opera House
- The Royal Opera’s La Damnation De Faust at the Royal Opera House
- The Royal Opera’s Die Meistersinger von Nurenberg at the Royal Opera House
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Winner: The orchestra of English National Opera for Lohengrin and Inquest Of Love at the London Coliseum
Nominees:
- Paul Daniel and the chorus and orchestra of Opera North for Gloriana at the Royal Opera House
- The orchestra of English National Opera for Lohengrin and Inquest Of Love at the London Coliseum
- Charles Mackerras for conducting Welsh National Opera’s Tristan Und Isolde at the Royal Opera House
- Ann Murray for her performance in English National Opera’s Ariodante at the London Coliseum
Best New Dance Production
Winner: Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Choreartium at the Royal Opera House
Nominees:
- Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Choreartium at the Royal Opera House
- The Royal Ballet’s Herman Schmerman at the Royal Opera House
- Adventures In Motion Pictures’s The Nutcracker at Sadler’s Wells
- Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Romeo And Juliet at the Royal Opera House
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Winner: The dancers of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre for their season at Sadler’s Wells
Nominees:
- Darcey Bussell for her performances in The Royal Ballet’s Ballet Imperial and La Ronde, at the Royal Opera House
- Sylvie Guillem for her performance in The Royal Ballet’s Herman Schmerman at the Royal Opera House
- The dancers of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre for their season at Sadler’s Wells
- Marion Tait for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Romeo And Juliet at the Royal Opera House
Best Actor in a Musical
Winner: Alun Armstrong for Sweeney Todd at the National Theatre Cottesloe
Nominees:
- Roger Allam for City Of Angels at the Prince of Wales
- Alun Armstrong for Sweeney Todd at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- David Burt for The Beggar’s Opera, RSC at the Barbican
- Alan Cumming for Cabaret at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Actress in a Musical
Winner: Julia McKenzie for Sweeney Todd at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Lyttelton
Nominees:
- Haydn Gwynne for City Of Angels at the Prince of Wales
- Patti Lu Pone for Sunset Boulevard at the Adelphi
- Julia McKenzie for Sweeney Todd at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Lyttelton
- Elaine Paige for Piaf at the Piccadilly
Best Supporting Performance in a Musical
Winner: Sara Kestelman for Cabaret at the Donmar Warehouse
Nominees:
- Henry Goodman for City Of Angels at the Prince of Wales
- Barry James for Sweeney Todd at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- Sara Kestelman for Cabaret at the Donmar Warehouse
- Adrian Lester for Sweeney Todd at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Lyttelton
Best Revival of a Play or Comedy
Winner: Machinal by Sophie Treadwell at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Nominees:
- Machinal by Sophie Treadwell at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Medea by Euripides in a new translation by Alistair Elliot at the Wyndham’s
- The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan at the Apollo
- The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, RSC at the Barbican
The American Express Award for Best New Musical
Winner: City Of Angels, book by Larry Gelbart, lyrics by David Zippel, music by Cy Coleman, at the Prince of Wales
Nominees:
- City Of Angels, book by Larry Gelbart, lyrics by David Zippel, music by Cy Coleman, at the Prince of Wales
- Sunset Boulevard, book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the Billy Wilder film, at the Adelphi
Best Musical Revival
Winner: Sweeney Todd, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler from an adaptation by Christopher Bond, at the National Theatre Cottesloe
Nominees:
- Cabaret, book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, based on the play by Johnuan Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, at the Donmar Warehouse
- Grease, book music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, with additional songs by Barry Bill, John Ferrar, Louis St Louis and Scott Simer, at the Dominion
- Sweeney Todd, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler from an adaptation by Christopher Bond, at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay, text and music specially adapted for this production by John Caird and Ilona Sekacz from John Gay’s original 1727 text and the traditional airs, RSC at the Barbican
BBC Award for the Play of the Year
Winner: Arcadia by Tom Stoppard at the National Theatre Lyttelton
Nominees:
- Arcadia by Tom Stoppard at the National Theatre Lyttelton
- Oleanna by David Mamet at the Royal Court and the Duke of York’s
- Perestroika by Tony Kushner at the National Theatre Cottesloe
- The Last Yankee by Arthur Miller at the Duke of York’s
The Society’s Special Award
Sam Wanamaker