Best Supporting Actor in a Play
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.
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.
7-10
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
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.
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.
7-10
Labels: Alastair Brookshaw, Ben Kavanagh, Charles Edwards, Cyril Nri, Damian Humbley, fosterIANs, Michael Xavier, Oliver Boot, Olly Alexander, Paul Chahidi, Robin Soans, Rory Kinnear, Stuart Matthew Price