The West End production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical about the US founding father Alexander Hamilton was named the best new musical, as well as being honoured for the best achievement in music, choreography, lighting and sound design. Its stars Giles Terera and Michael Jibson were named best actor and best supporting actor in a musical respectively.
Another cast member, Jamael Westman, said Hamilton was being honoured for breaking down barriers and changing the way we see theatre.
Jez Butterworth’s Northern Ireland Troubles-set The Ferryman won three of theatre’s most prestigious awards; best new play, best director for Sam Mendes and best actress in a play, for Laura Donnelly. With the story based on the experiences of her own family, Donnelly said she had felt the weight of responsibility to do it justice that she had never felt before. Her co-star Paddy Considine missed out on the best actor prize to Bryan Cranston, for Network.
The female musical awards both went to the Bob Dylan-inspired Girl from the North Country, with Shirley Henderson and Sheila Atim being named best actress and best supporting actress respectively.
The best actor in a supporting role in a play was Bertie Carvel, for Ink. Denise Gough won the prize for the best supporting actress in a play for Angels in America, which was also named the best revival. Stephen Sondheim’s Follies was the best musical revival; it also won the prize for best costume design.
As with many of the recent film awards ceremonies, a number of stars turned up wearing Time’s Up badges on their outfits and several actresses took feminist activists as their guests.