Yes Prime Minister and comedy actors win WhatsOnStage awards

Monday 21st February 2011, 1:45pm by Ian Wolf

Yes, Prime Minister (the stage version). Image shows from L to R: Henry Goodman, David Haig

My Family star Zoë Wanamaker, and Love Soup's Tamsin Greig and Sheridan Smith, all picked up gongs at the public-voted WhatsOnStage Awards last night, whilst Yes, Prime Minister took the main comedy prize.

Wanamaker won the "Best Actress in a Play" award for her role in an adaptation of the Arthur Miller play All My Sons. Her on-stage male partner David Suchet was awarded "Best Actor".

Tamsin Greig picked up "Best Supporting Actress" for her part in the satirical Hollywood play The Little Dog Laughed, whilst her Love Soup co-star Sheridan Smith won "The Baby Grand Best Actress in a Musical" for her lead performance in the musical version of Legally Blonde; the show which won the most awards on the night, including "Best New Musical".

Both Greig and Smith have also nominated for the prestigious Olivier Awards, which take place next month. Smith is nominated for "Best Actress in a Musical" while Greig is nominated for "Best Actress", an award she won previously in 2007 for her performance as Beatrice in the Shakespearean comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

The WhatsOnStage Award for "Best New Comedy" went to the live version of the classic political sitcom Yes, Prime Minister, which stars The Thin Blue Line's David Haig as Jim Hacker, with Henry Goodman as smooth and devious civil servant Sir Humphrey (pictured).

Yes, Prime Minister, written by Antony Jay & Jonathan Lynn, beat Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris; Midsummer by David Greig; Morecambe by Tim Whitnall; Really Old, Like Forty-Five by Tamsin Oglesby; and The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane to claim the comedy prize.

The WhatsOnStage Awards are decided by public vote on the website whatsonstage.com. According to the website 45,000 people voted to help determine this year's winners.

Below is a clip from Yes, Prime Minister...

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