The 2026 WhatsOnStage Awards took place last night at the London Palladium, with Paddington the Musical sweeping the board.
The musical about the bear from Peru, which opened in November, was nominated for a record-breaking 14 awards and won a total of nine. The show was named the Best New Musical and also took home technical awards and Best Professional Debut for Timi Akinyosade.
Other big winners included Evita, with Rachel Zegler taking home the award for Best Performer in a Musical. The show also won Best Musical Revival, Best Choreography, Best Video Design and Best Lighting Design. Jonathan Bailey won the award for Best Performer in a Play for his turn as Richard II, with the show also winning Best Play Revival.
Check out the full list of winners below.
WhatsOnStage Awards Winners 2026
Best performer in a play: Jonathan Bailey, Richard II
Best performer in a musical: Rachel Zegler, Evita
Best supporting performer in a play: Stephen Fry, The Importance of Being Earnest
Best supporting performer in a musical: Amber Davies, The Great Gatsby
Best professional debut: Timi Akinyosade, Paddington The Musical
Best takeover of an existing role: Emma Kingston, Wicked
Best child performance: Platon Filatov, Darcy Tosun, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt and Anton Vehring, The Land of the Living
Best new play: The Comedy About Spies
Best new musical: Paddington The Musical
Best play revival: Richard II
Best musical revival: Evita
Best West End show: Les Misérables
Best regional production: 13 Going on 30 The Musical
Best concert event: Rachel Zegler: Live at The London Palladium
Best studio production: Young Frankenstein, Hope Mill Theatre
Best direction: Luke Sheppard, Paddington The Musical, Savoy Theatre
Best choreography: Fabian Aloise, Evita, The London Palladium
Best set design: Tom Pye, Paddington The Musical, Savoy Theatre
Best costume design: Gabrielle Slade and Tahra Zafar, Paddington The Musical, Savoy Theatre
Best lighting design: Jon Clark, Evita, The London Palladium
Best sound design: Gareth Owen, Paddington The Musical, Savoy Theatre
Best video design: Jamie Lloyd, Nick Ward, David Anderson, Evita, The London Palladium
Wigs, hair and make-up design: Campbell Young Associates, Paddington The Musical, Savoy Theatre
Best music direction or supervision: Matt Brind, Paddington The Musical, Savoy Theatre
Best casting direction: Natalie Gallacher CDG for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting, Nick Hockaday, Annabelle Davis – Paddington The Musical, Savoy Theatre
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