Best Supporting Actor in a Play & in a Musical

Best Supporting Actor in a Play



Robin Soans, Palace of the End


One of the beauties of this year of relentless theatre-going has been the occasional absolute diamond that has emerged. And in a play that simply blew me away most unexpectedly, in this case Palace of the End at the Arcola, Robin Soans as weapons inspector David Kelly delivered one of the most searingly intense monologues I have ever witnessed. Brutal in its unflinching honesty, captivating with his unwavering gaze, this was simply breathtaking acting: at times difficult to watch but impossible to ignore. I don’t know what Soans’ plans for 2011 are, but rest assured I’ll be trying my best to see him no matter where.


Honourable Mention
Nigel Lindsay, Broken Glass
This was such a tight category for me to decide, all of these actors really did impress me but sneaking into second place (after a little time at the top) is Nigel Lindsay in Broken Glass. His turn as the extremely charming and most excellently booted GP who struggled to maintain his professional detachment from the strangely alluring Sylvia provided a magnificent contrast to Antony Sher’s tightly coiled husband and it is a crying shame that the production wasn’t able to transfer to a larger theatre to become more widely seen as it surely deserved. It was also notable as the last chance to see Lindsay flex his thespian muscles more clearly as he will be submitting to daily green makeovers as he takes on the lead role in Shrek the Musical from May.


Adrian Scarborough, After the Dance
Eddie Redmayne, Red
Stephen Campbell Moore, All My Sons
William Gaunt, Henry IV Part I + II


7-10
Leo Bill, Posh/The Glass Menagerie; Dominic Tighe, Richard III; Henry Lloyd Hughes, Rope/Posh; Angus Wright, Design for Living


Best Supporting Actor in a Musical


Michael Xavier, Into the Woods


Anyone who can sing ‘Hello little girl’ with charm and allure and not come across like too much of a paedophile should be commended, and in Into The Woods, Michael Xavier managed just that as the Wolf and doubling up as Cinderella’s Prince, added a restless swashbuckling charm (and a much-welcomed sexy swagger) to the chilly night at the Open Air Theatre. Xavier can currently be seen in the utterly gorgeous Love Story at the Duchess, definitely a recommended visit.


Honourable Mention
Matthew James Willis, Iolanthe
Picking out one member of the Iolanthe cast initially felt a little churlish as I really did enjoy it all across the board, but as one half of a dusty old couple of dons discovering their love for each other, Willis was a delightful discovery. His Earl Tolloller was wonderfully sung as well as well acted and I really hope that he transfers with the production when it moves to Wilton’s Music Hall for a run there in the New Year.


Tom Parsons, Avenue Q
Michael Howe, The Drowsy Chaperone
Liam Tamne, Departure Lounge
Earl Carpenter, Les Misérables


7-10
Peter Polycarpou, Love Story; Samuel J Holmes, Pirates of Penzance; Jon Robyns, Les Misérables; Spencer O’Brien, Salad Days

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