What happens when a bunch of actors get together for an afternoon of general merriment and of course some super shiny awards?
Well, it’s a fabulous occasion of course!
The first Wilma Awards took place on 7th November in Freedom Bar, Soho (where else?) and welcomed a host of stars, including Bonnie Langford, Gina Beck, Stephen Ashfield, Harriet Thorpe, Kate Monster, Lizzy Connolly and Hugh Maynard, representing the best of the West End.
West End Wilma and her team had been planning the awards for months – don’t we all look amazing?
Those shortlisted were all desperate to get their hands on one of these oh-so-shiny awards:
And the lady herself wasn’t breathing a word, but boy was she excited and, may I add, looking very glamorous!
We were all on the edge of our seats as we waited for our delightful host Tim McArthur to announce the awards, helped by some special guests and his glamorous assistant Michaela – oh wait, that’s me!
More than 2,000 people had voted for the winners and although there were some obvious results (Did anyone think Urinetown wouldn’t win Best Fringe Production?), I was secretly pleased that Wicked didn’t win Best West End Show!
*Drum roll*
And the winners are:
Best West End Show – sponsored by Momentum Artists Talent Agency
Miss Saigon
Most Underrated West End Show
The 39 Steps
Best Fringe Production
Urinetown – St James Theatre
Best Touring Production – sponsored by Churchill Theatre Bromley
Avenue Q
Best Supporting Cast Member
Alexia Khadime – Book of Mormon
Best Take Over In A Role
David Hunter – Once
Best Theatre Blog – sponsored by eStage
West End Frame
Rising Star Award – sponsored by Planet Hollywood
Cynthia Erivo
Most Welcoming Venue – sponsored by www.Theatre-Charter.co.uk
The Union Theatre
Lifetime Achievement In Theatre – sponsored by HotTicketOffers.com
Imelda Staunton
Once the awards had all been handed out, the charismatic Kieran Brown ended the evening with a rousing version of Diva’s Lament and we all drank lots of gin (hurrah).
It was a truly fabulous event and couldn’t have been more stagey if it had tried!
Plus I met the wonderful Bonnie Langford and the hilarious Kate Monster which was pretty exciting!
Thanks to Ollie Boito for the super photographs!
See the full shortlist for the Wilma Awards.
My Stage is the World 
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