Coliseum nominated for a dozen awards

THE Coliseum's production of musical Chicago has brought nominations for Marianne Benedict (rear, centre right) and Shirley Darroch (group centre), and for the show itself

OLDHAM Coliseum is in the running for 12 awards in this year’s prestigious Manchester Theatre Awards.

The nominees will be honoured at a glittering ceremony hosted at the city’s Royal Exchange theatre on March 7 by comedian and actor Justin Moorhouse and other well-known names.

The Coliseum is recognised in Best Actor nominations for Paul Webster and Jack Wilkinson for their roles in “Sugar Daddies” and “David Copperfield” respectively.

They battle with the likes of acting superstar and fellow nominee Kenneth Branagh.

Among the nominees for Best Actress is Marianne Benedict, who dazzled in the Coliseum’s ground-breaking production of “Chicago” and will fight for the prize against the likes of Alex Kingston and Maxine Peake.

Robin Simpson is nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, also for his work on the Coliseum’s much-admired production of “David Copperfield”.

Two Coliseum performances will compete for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role prize. Shirley Darroch - Mama Norton in “Chicago” - lines up alongside Heather Phoenix, who was a strong presence in “Sugar Daddies”.

The production of “Chicago” is also nominated for Best Musical, alongside heavyweight city productions such as “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Sweeney Todd”.

“Chicago” and “David Copperfield” get a nod in the Best Ensemble category, which honours productions in which every member of the cast plays a vital role.

Shows that have visited the theatre haven’t missed out either. Tim Treloar, who played the leading role in World War One drama “Birdsong”, is nominated as Best Actor in a Visiting Production, alongside big-name fellow nominees such as Julian Glover and US star Paul Michael Glaser.

“Birdsong” is also nominated in the Best Visiting Production category.

Bringing up the rear — like every year — is the Coliseum’s famous panto, in this case “Jack and the Beanstalk”, which again gets a nomination for Best Special Entertainment, which the panto has won in previous years.

Coliseum boss Kevin Shaw said: “I am hugely proud for the Coliseum to feature in 12 of the nominations for shows produced here, visiting productions and actors individual performances on our stage.”

Exciting
The nominees are chosen by an independent panel of theatre experts who see hundreds of local shows every year to pick the cream of the crop.