Greetings again, gentle reader, to the glamorous showbiz highlight of the year, the announcement of the annual Chrisparkle Awards for 2024. This year was a record-breaker for me in that I saw 254 productions throughout the year – three more than last year; and that’s an awful lot of shows! Eligibility for the awards means a) they were performed in the UK and b) I have to have seen the shows and reviewed them in the period 10^th January 2024 to 4^th January 2025. Are you all sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin!

The first award is for Best Dance Production (Contemporary and Classical)

This includes dance seen at the Edinburgh Fringe, however none of the top three comes from that prestigious festival! These are the top three:

In 3^rd place, the informal collection of dances by stars of the future in Birmingham Royal Ballet BRB2, Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection, at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in May.

In 2^nd place, the powerful Romeo and Juliet performed by Northern Ballet in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in September.

In 1^st place, the irrepressible Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, performed by New Adventures at Sadlers Wells, London, in December.

Classical Music Concert of the Year.

We saw three classical concerts this year, all by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal and Derngate in Northampton. The award for the best goes to their Film Music Gala in November.

Best Entertainment Show of the Year.

This means anything that doesn’t fall into any other categories – for example pantos, circuses, revues and anything else hard to classify. Here are the top three:

In 3rd place, our local pantomime, Cinderella at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in December.

In 2^nd place, the extraordinary spectacular extravaganza that is Robin Hood at the London Palladium in December.

In 1^st place, the outstanding and uniquely successful Snow White at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, in December.

Best Star Standup of the Year.

Last year this award was combined with the Comedy Crate/Screaming Blue Murder award, but this year the committee decided to return to its previous practice of splitting them in two. So here are the top five performances by Star Standups in 2024:

In 5^th place, the effortlessly compelling humour of Sarah Keyworth in her My Eyes Are Up Here Tour, at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in September.

In 4^th place, the daring and groundbreaking comedy of Omid Djalili as part of the Mixed Bill Megashow at the Royal and Derngate in April.

In 3^rd place, the return of the OG PC comedian par excellence, Ben Elton in his Authentic Stupidity Tour at the Royal and Derngate in November.

In 2^nd place, the utterly hysterical and always reliable Sarah Millican in her Late Bloomer Tour at the Royal and Derngate in January.

In 1^st place, a comedian with a unique place in the nation’s heart, Guz Khan in his Live Tour at the Milton Keynes Theatre in January.

Best Comedy Crate/Screaming Blue Murder Standup of the Year

In 5th place, the experienced and consummate comedian Richard Morton (Screaming Blue Murder – March)

In 4^th place, the fabulous Maisie Adam (Comedy Crate Edinburgh Preview Weekender – July)

In 3^rd place, the total superstar that is Jen Brister (Comedy Crate – March)

In 2^nd place, the evergreen and always deeply creative, Paul Sinha (Comedy Crate – September)

In 1^st place, for the second year running, the comedy powerhouse that is Tom Stade (Comedy Crate Edinburgh Preview – July)

Best Musical.

I saw fourteen musicals this year, by far the majority were revivals, which just goes to show how difficult it can be to find a new musical! Seven made the shortlist and here’s the top five:

In 5th place, a show that’s just going to grow and grow over the years, Titanique at the Criterion Theatre, London, in December.

In 4^th place, a superbly enjoyable production of a favourite show, Hello Dolly at the London Palladium, in July.

In 3^rd place, a show that has become synonymous with the kindness of the human spirit, the touring production of Come From Away at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, in March.

In 2^nd place, the amazingly successfully revitalised Oliver! at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in September.

In 1^st place, despite a couple of criticisms of its updating, there is no finer musical than A Chorus Line, at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, in July.

I must make an honourable mention of the wonderful Our Little Hour that ran for three nights at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in October. It’s impossible to compare it with the other huge productions here, but it fully deserved its five stars from me!

Best New Play.

Just to clarify, this is my definition of a new play, which is something that’s new to me and to most of its audience – so it might have been around before but on its first UK tour, or a new adaptation of a work originally in another format. Just like last year, we saw eighteen new plays this year, but I only awarded five stars to two of them; I’m definitely getting stricter in my old age!

In 5^th place, Apphia Campbell’s incredible one woman play inspired by the life of Nina Simone, Black is the Color of my Voice at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in February.

In 4^th place, Mike Poulton’s riveting adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s novel about Mary Boleyn, The Other Boleyn Girl, at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in May.

In 3^rd place, the thrillingly unusual and highly entertaining account of the Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull and the young Nigel Havers, Charlotte Jones’ Redlands, at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in October.

In 2^nd place, a terrifying look at modern day democracy, David Edgar’s The New Real for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in October.

In 1^st place, Emma Rice’s stunning, heartwarming and endlessly fascinating adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in April.

Best Revival of a Play.

I saw twenty-two revivals, leading to a shortlist of eight, and here’s the very closely fought top five:

In 5^th place, the RSC’s laugh-a-second production of Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in June.

In 4^th place, the immaculate acting and characterisations in Pinter’s still immensely powerful The Caretaker, at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in June.

In 3^rd place, the joyful inventiveness of the RSC’s sensational Twelfth Night, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December.

In 2^nd place, the RSC’s literally magical production of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in February.

In 1^st place, the captivatingly hilarious and outrageous production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, for the National Theatre at the Lyttelton Theatre, London, in December.

As always, in the post-Christmas season, it’s time to consider the turkey of the year – and whilst it very nearly went to the ambitious but falling-short-of-the-mark Spymonkey’s The Frogs at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, the most disappointing production I saw all year was the RSC’s Othello at Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Now we come on to our four categories specifically for the Edinburgh Fringe. The first is:

Best play or musical – Edinburgh

I would normally have included musicals in with the “Best of the Rest” category, but I feel it is more appropriate to include them in the “Best Play” category. We saw 90 productions of plays and musicals in Edinburgh this year, 13 of them got 5* from me, and here are the top 5:

In 5th place, Sarah Cameron-West’s self-performed hilarious and memorable journey through heartbreak and beyond, KAREN (Underbelly Cowgate)

In 4th place, another extraordinary one-woman play, about how a celebrant can become triggered by their work, Catafalque, written by Amy Conway and produced by Scissor Kick (Summerhall)

In 3rd place, a hilarious play that made you look at a familiar story from a completely different direction, Galahad Takes a Bath, written by Jojo Jones and produced by Juggler’s Mistake (Zoo Southside)

In 2nd place, a moving and superbly structured musical based on a true story, Our Little Secret: The 23andMe Musical, written by Noam Tomaschoff and Ryan Peters and produced by Russell Citron (Gilded Balloon Patter House)

In 1st place, the brilliantly created, extremely funny and superbly performed look at living with Climate Change, Weather Girl, written by Brian Watkins (Summerhall)

Best Individual Performance in a Play or Musical – Edinburgh

As always, an impossible choice, and it’s as close as close can be. Nevertheless, here are the top five:

In 5^th place, Lucas English for The Shadow Boxer (TheSpace @ Niddry Street)

In 4^th place, Forest Malley for Galahad Takes a Bath (Zoo Southside)

In 3^rd place, Jennifer Vuletic for MILF and the Mistress (TheSpace @ Niddry Street)

In 2^nd place, Julia McDermott for Weather Girl (Summerhall)

In 1^st place, Noam Tomaschoff for Our Little Secret: The 23andMe Musical (Gilded Balloon Patter House)

Best Comedy Performance – Edinburgh

A change from previous years, where this category was entitled Best Stand-up Comedy Show; this now includes sketch shows and otherwise undefinable comedy performances! We saw fifty-five comedy shows this year, but only six received 5* from me, and here are my top five:

In 5^th place, boldly going where angels fear to tread, Garry Starr with his Classic Penguins show (Pleasance Courtyard)

In 4^th place, the clever combination of brilliant comedy with a touch of sadness, Tom Greaves with his Fudgey show (Assembly Roxy)

In 3^rd place, the irresistibly engaging Josh Jones with his Put a Sock in It show (Monkey Barrel at the Tron)

In 2^nd place, the innately funny Robin Grainger with his beautifully structured Refurb show (The Stand Comedy Club 2)

In 1^st place, the incredibly inventive and outrageously funny Emma Sidi with her Emma Sidi is Sue Gray show (Pleasance Courtyard)

Best of the rest – Edinburgh

From a shortlist of eight, here are my top five:

In 5th place, the amazing magic and entertainment of Pete Heat: Bogus (Pleasance Dome)

In 4th place, the terrific cabaret combination of Frances Ruffelle and Norman Bowman in The Scot and the Showgirl  (Pleasance Dome)

In 3rd place, a true tour de force by Sarah Louise Young in I Am Your Tribute (Voodoo Rooms)

In 2nd place, fantastic music delivered with a message for the world, Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret (Pleasance Dome)

In 1st place, and I still don’t know why she hasn’t been given her own chat show, the incredibly entertaining Mhairi Black: Politics isn’t For Me (Gilded Balloon at the Museum)

Unlike last year, I didn’t award any Edinburgh shows the dreaded One Star review. However, there are still several contenders for this year’s Edinburgh turkey, of which I feel I must draw to your attention two; FUFC (TheSpace on the Mile) had a powerful message about prostate cancer but was poorly written and acted, and almost the opposite, Nerine Skinner’s The Exorcism of Liz Truss (Just the Tonic at the Caves) boasts a brilliant impersonation of Liz Truss but dull material that goes nowhere.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical.

Time to get personal. Here’s the top five:

In 5^th place, Jenna Russell as Irene in Hello Dolly at the London Palladium in July.

In 4^th place, Georgina Onuorah as both Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, in December, and as Lois in Kiss Me Kate at the Barbican Theatre, London, in July.

In 3^rd place, Kat Ronney as Rose in Titanique at the Criterion Theatre, London, in December.

In 2^nd place, Molly Lynch as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, in December.

In 1^st place, Imelda Staunton as Dolly in Hello Dolly at the London Palladium in July.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical.

Here’s the top five:

In 5^th place, David Seadon-Young as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, in December.

In 4^th place, Marley Fenton as Danny in Grease at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in May.

In 3^rd place, Jordan Luke Gage as Cal in Titanique at the Criterion Theatre, London, in December.

In 2^nd place, Layton Williams as Seaman/Iceberg in Titanique at the Criterion Theatre, London, in December.

In 1^st place, Simon Lipkin as Fagin in Oliver! at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in September.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Play.

Seventeen in the longlist, and six in the shortlist, and here’s the top five:

In 5^th place, Apphia Campbell as Nina Simone in Black is the Color of my Voice, Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in February.

In 4^th place, Martina Laird as Rachel Moss in The New Real, The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in October.

In 3^rd place, Freema Ageyman as Olivia in Twelfth Night, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December.

In 2^nd place, Jodie Whittaker as The Duchess in The Duchess, at the Trafalgar Theatre, London,in November.

In 1^st place, Sharon D Clarke as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, at the National Theatre Lyttelton, in December.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Play.

Twenty-one in the longlist and ten in the shortlist, each of whom could easily deserve the award, However, here is the top five:

In 5th place, Luke Thompson as Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in April.

In 4^th place, Hugh Skinner as Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, at the National Theatre Lyttelton, in December.

In 3^rd place, Ncuti Gatwa as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, at the National Theatre Lyttelton, in December.

In 2^nd place, Ian McDiarmid as Davies in The Caretaker, at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in June.

In 1^st place, Mathew Baynton as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in February.

Congratulations to the winners, commiserations to the losers and thanks for your company again throughout the year, gentle reader. Here’s to another year full of artistic excellence!