Corden And Smith Reunite To Host Whatsonstage.com Winners Concert 2/15

Gavin & Stacey's James Corden and Sheridan Smith, star of Grownups and Two Pints of Lager, will reunite to once again co-host the Winners' Concert for the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards, which takes place this year on Sunday 15 February at the West End's 1,100-seat Prince of Wales theatre, home of Mamma Mia!.

A record 32,000+ theatregoers have voted in the 2009 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards

AMONG THE CONFIRMED GUESTS AND POTENTIAL AWARD WINNERS ATTENDING ARE:

Elena Roger ("Piaf"); Summer Strallen ("The Sound of Music"); Steven Berkoff ("On the Waterfront"); George Sampson (Britain's Got Talent Winner - "Into The Hoods"); Connie Fisher ("They're Playing our Song"); Suzanne Shaw ("Chicago"); Douglas Hodge ("La Cage Aux Folles"); Michael Grandage ; SopHie Thompson ("The Female of the Species"); Tracie Bennett ("Hairspray"); Greg Doran (director of RSC "Hamlet"); Matthew Bourne (director of "The Picture of Dorian Gray"); Stephen Ashfield ("Jersey Boys"); Neil La Bute ("Fat Pig"); Nica Burns; Kevin Spacey.

Though the awards themselves are now in their ninth year, this is only the second time that Whatsonstage.com has held a public event to celebrate the announcement of the results. Corden and Smith co-hosted last year's inaugural concert, a sell-out at Shaftesbury Avenue's 950-seat Lyric Theatre, to hilarious effect. Unmissable highlights included a steamy on-stage kiss between Corden and Daniel Radcliffe, 2008 stage Newcomer of the Year for Equus, which made headlines around the world.

Corden was one of Alan Bennett's original Award-winning History Boys, while Smith was Whatsonstage.com Award nominated for the 2007 revival of Little Shop of Horrors.

Three days after the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, Corden - along with his Gavin & Stacey co-star Mathew Horne and Kylie Minogue - will host the 2009 Brit Awards at Earl's Court.

Corden and Smith said today: "We had such a good time at the Whatsonstage.com Awards last year that we couldn't resist hosting them again. The Whatsonstage.com Awards have grown massively to become one of the most prestigious awards in Theatreland, and they're definitely the most fun. We're both really proud to be associated with them and can't wait to see who's won what!"

Amongst the other names newly confirmed to perform at the Awards Concert are Niki Evans, the former X Factor finalist now starring as Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, American diva Kim Criswell, Siobhan McCarthy, the original Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia!, and the 10h anniversary company of the Abba musical that's now an internationAl Blockbuster hit on both stage and screen.

They join, as previously announced: Award nominees Elena Roger (Piaf), Leila Benn Harris (Imagine This), Ryan Molloy and Stephen Ashfield (Jersey Boys); the stars of the UK premiere of Spring Awakening; I'd Do Anything competitors Samantha Barks and Sarah Lark; as well as Suranne Jones, Julie Atherton, Glenn Carter, Ray Shell, Jimmy Johnston and Jackie Marks.

The Awards Concert incorporates live trophy presentations to selected winners in the only major theatre prize-giving decided by members of the public. Beyond the Awards link, the aim is to offer a review of 2008 as well as a preview of what's coming up in 2009, featuring the best of both the West End and Broadway seasons.

The concert is directed and devised by Russell Labey, with musical supervision by Iain Vince Gatt, lighting by Mike Robertson, sound by Ben Harrison and staging by Andrew Wright. It's produced by Stuart Piper and Jason Haigh-Ellery on behalf of Whatsonstage.com and held in aid of our 2009 adopted charity TheatreMAD (Theatre: Make a Difference), which supports those living with HIV, AIDS and other long-term conditions.

 

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