The WhatsOnStage Award for Best Performer in a Male Identifying Role in a Musical is an annual award presented by WhatsOnStage.com as part of the annual WhatsOnStage Awards. Founded in 2001 as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, the WhatsOnStage Awards are based on a popular vote recognising performers and productions in London's West End theatre.
This award is given to a person who has performed a leading male identifying role in a musical during the eligibility year. Introduced in 2001 as the award for Best Actor in a Musical, the category was renamed in 2022 in an effort to be more inclusive. The category was discontinued following the 2022 ceremony and was replaced with the gender-neutral WhatsOnstage Award for Best Performer in a Musical.
First presented to Daniel Evans at the inaugural ceremony, Michael Ball is the only performer to win the award twice. Julian Ovenden holds the record for most nominations without a win in this category, with four.
Winners and nominees 2000s Year Performer Musical Male Identifying Character 2001 Daniel Evans Merrily We Roll Along Charley Kringas 2002 Craig Purnell Songs for a New World Man 1 Brent Barrett Kiss Me, Kate Fred Graham Cameron Blakely Where's Charley? Charley Wykeham Paul Keating Closer to Heaven Straight Dave Philip Quast The Secret Garden Dr. Neville Craven Jonathan Pryce My Fair Lady Professor Henry Higgins 2003 Tony Vincent We Will Rock You Galileo Figaro Michael Ball Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Caractacus Pott Jarrod Emick The Full Monty Jerry Lukowski Michael Jibson Our House Joe Casey Philip Quast South Pacific Emile de Becque Euan Morton Taboo Boy George 2004 John Barrowman Anything Goes Billy Crocker David Bedella Jerry Springer: The Opera Jonathan Weiruss/Satan Graham Bickley Ragtime Tateh Michael Brandon Jerry Springer: The Opera Jerry Springer Adam Cooper On Your Toes Junior Dolan Tim Howar Tonight's the Night Stuart Clutterbuck 2005 Nathan Lane The Producers Max Bialystock Desmond Barrit A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Pseudolus Martin Crewes The Woman in White Walter Hartright Lee Evans The Producers Leo Bloom Deven May Bat Boy: The Musical Bat Boy Julian Ovenden Grand Hotel Baron Felix Von Gaigern 2006 Ewan McGregor Guys & Dolls Sky Masterson Daniel Evans Sunday in the Park with George Georges Seurat Neil Patrick Harris Tick, Tick... Boom! Jon Douglas Hodge Guys & Dolls Nathan Detroit Gavin Lee Mary Poppins Bert James Lomas George Maguire Liam Mower Billy Elliot the Musical Billy Elliot 2007 Tim Curry Spamalot King Arthur James Dreyfus Cabaret The Emcee Daniel Evans Sunday in the Park with George Georges Seurat Alexander Hanson The Sound of Music Georg von Trapp Philip Quast Evita Juan Perón Clarke Peters Porgy and Bess Porgy 2008 Michael Ball Hairspray Edna Turnblad Bertie Carvel Parade Leo Frank Henry Goodman Fiddler on the Roof Tevye Paul Keating Little Shop of Horrors Seymour Krelborn James Loye Lord of the Rings Frodo Baggins Lee Mead Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Joseph 2009 Ryan Molloy Jersey Boys Frankie Valli Rolan Bell The Harder They Come Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin Darius Danesh Gone with the Wind Rhett Butler Douglas Hodge La Cage aux Folles Albin Julian Ovenden Marguerite Armand Matt Rawle Zorro Zorro
2010s Year Performer Musical Male Identifying Character 2010 Rowan Atkinson Oliver! Fagin Aneurin Barnard Spring Awakening Melchior Gabor Jason Donovan Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Anthony "Tick" Belrose Alexander Hanson A Little Night Music Fredrik Egerman Julian Ovenden Annie Get Your Gun Frank Butler Tony Sheldon Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Bernadette Bassenger 2011 Ramin Karimloo Love Never Dies The Phantom Michael Arden Aspects of Love Alex Dillingham Alex Gaumond Legally Blonde Emmett Forrest Sahr Ngaujah Fela! Fela Kuti John Owen-Jones Les Misérables Jean Valjean Mark Umbers Sweet Charity Charlie, Vittorio and Oscar 2012 Richard Fleeshman Ghost Sam Wheat Bertie Carvel Matilda the Musical Miss Trunchbull Nigel Lindsay Shrek The Musical Shrek Sean Palmer Crazy for You Bobby Child Reece Shearsmith Betty Blue Eyes Gilbert Chilvers Oliver Tompsett Rock of Ages Drew Boley 2013 Michael Ball Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Sweeney Todd Alex Bourne Kiss Me, Kate Fred Graham Tom Chambers Top Hat Jerry Travers Adam Cooper Singin' in the Rain Don Lockwood Lloyd Owen The Bodyguard Frank Farmer Mark Umbers Merrily We Roll Along Franklin Shepard 2014 Gavin Creel The Book of Mormon Elder Price Declan Bennett Once Guy Killian Donnelly The Commitments Deco Douglas Hodge Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Willy Wonka Robert Lonsdale From Here to Eternity Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt 2015 Jon Jon Briones Miss Saigon The Engineer Alistair Brammer Miss Saigon Chris Killian Donnelly Memphis Huey Calhoun Robert Lindsay Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Lawrence Jameson Marti Pellow Evita Che 2016 Matt Henry Kinky Boots Lola Michael Ball Mack and Mabel Mack Sennett Killian Donnelly Kinky Boots Charlie Price Ben Forster Elf Buddy Sam Mackay In the Heights Usnavi De La Vega 2017 Charlie Stemp Half a Sixpence Arthur Kipps Michael C. Hall Lazarus Thomas Jerome Newton Ramin Karimloo Murder Ballad Tom Andy Karl Groundhog Day Phil Connors Michael Xavier Sunset Boulevard Joe Gillis 2018 John McCrea Everybody's Talking About Jamie Jamie New Hadley Fraser Young Frankenstein Frederick Frankenstein Tom Lister 42nd Street Julian Marsh Danny Mac Sunset Boulevard Joe Gillis Andrew Polec Bat Out of Hell: The Musical Strat 2019 Jamael Westman Hamilton Alexander Hamilton Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Tina Ike Turner Rob Houchen Eugenius! Eugene Jamie Muscato Heathers: The Musical Jason "J.D." Dean Giles Terera Hamilton Aaron Burr
2020s Year Performer Musical Male Identifying Character 2020 Sam Tutty Dear Evan Hansen Evan Hansen David Hunter Waitress Dr. Jim Pomatter Charlie Stemp Mary Poppins Bert Oliver Tompsett & Juliet William Shakespeare Jac Yarrow Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Joseph 2021 Not presented due to impact on theatres of COVID-19 pandemic 2022 Eddie Redmayne Cabaret Emcee Roger Bart Back to the Future: The Musical Emmett "Doc" Brown Olly Dobson Marty McFly Arinzé Kene Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical Bob Marley Julian Ovenden South Pacific Emile de Becque Ivano Turco Cinderella Prince Sebastian
Multiple wins and nominations Wins 2 wins Michael Ball
Nominations 4 nominations Michael Ball Julian Ovenden
3 nominations Killian Donnelly Daniel Evans Douglas Hodge Philip Quast
2 nominations
References
External links Official website