Best Supporting Actor in a Play + in a Musical


Best Supporting Actor in a Play 

Paul Chahidi, Twelfth Night
All the pre-show buzz about the Globe's Twelfth Night was around Mark Rylance's Olivia and Stephen Fry's Malvolio, perhaps unfairly so given its ensemble nature. But the breakout star was undoubtedly Paul Chahidi as Maria, a deliciously wry and finely-tuned comic performance that still ranks as one of the funniest things I saw all year.

Honourable mention: Charles Edwards, This House
If anyone can make you feel sympathy for a Tory politician, it was bound to be Charles Edwards. Bringing a gentlemanly honour that one can't really imagine existing in today's political classes, his performance stood out in a genuinely strong ensemble and the temptation to go and see it again once the show transfers to the Olivier is strong.

Robin Soans, Someone To What Over Me 
Rory Kinnear, The Last of the Haussmans
Cyril Nri, Julius Caesar
Olly Alexander, Mercury Fur

7-10
Kieran Bew, King Lear; Paul Ritter, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; Jonathan Coy, The Magistrate; Tom Goodman-Hill, The Effect

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

Michael Xavier, Hello, Dolly!
Another performer who had an excellent year, Xavier is becoming one of those actors who for me is a must-see in whatever he's in - this year I went to Milton Keynes and Leicester for him (Soho was less of a trek...) and as the endearingly goofy Cornelius in this, probably my most favourite of musicals, he made sure it was more than worth the effort.

Honourable mention: Damian Humbley, Merrily We Roll Along
In one of the most strongly cast musicals anywhere in recent years, the whole character ensemble of Merrily... were of exceptional quality and in perhaps one of the less showy roles in the show, Humbley more than made his mark with a sterling rendition of Franklin Shepherd Inc.

Alistair Brookshaw, A Winter's Tale
Stuart Matthew Price, Sweet Smell of Success
Ben Kavanagh, Boy Meets Boy
Oliver Boot, Finding Neverland

7-10
Stewart Wright, Swallows and Amazons; Anthony Calf, My Fair Lady; John Marquez, Ragtime; Adam Garcia, Kiss Me Kate

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,