The Stage

Barrowman takes the top spot in The Stage 100 readers’ choice

Published Thursday 4 February 2010 at 13:05 by Alistair Smith

Torchwood and La Cage aux Folles star John Barrowman has topped our online survey asking readers who they believe should have topped The Stage 100 this year.

Each year, The Stage publishes a list of who we believe are the 100 most influential people in UK theatre. Following the release of The Stage 100 at the end of last year, we asked readers to vote online at www.thestage.co.uk to tell us who they would have placed at number one. We received more than 1,800 votes. Multiple submissions from the same person were discounted and the clear winner - with more than twice as many votes as second place - was Barrowman.

The Stage’s number one - Ambassador Theatre Group joint chief executives Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire - narrowly missed out on the reader top 20, reaching number 22 in the voting. Only six of the reader top 20 features in The Stage’s own top 20.

Popular suggestions for industry figures who readers believe we should have included in the full 100 included actors Simon Burke and Kerry Ellis, as well as writer Mark Ravenhill, directors Jamie Lloyd and Gregory Doran, lighting designer Paule Constable and New Wolsey Ipswich chief executive Sarah Holmes.

READERS’ TOP 20:

1. John Barrowman, entertainer

2. Matthew Bourne, choreographer/director

3. Arlene Phillips, choreographer/director

4. Michael Ball, actor

5. Ian McKellen, actor

6. Tania Harrison, Latitude festival

7. Rachel Tackley, English Touring Theatre

8= Alan Bennett, writer

8= Daniel Kramer, director

10= Antonio Pappano and Monica Mason, Royal Opera/Royal Ballet

10= Alistair Spalding, Sadler’s Wells

12. Carlos Acosta, dancer

13. Kerry Michael, Theatre Royal Stratford East

14= Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer/producer/theatre owner

14= Jude Law, actor

16= Alan Ayckbourn, writer

16= Nicholas Hytner, National Theatre

16= Cameron Mackintosh, producer/theatre owner

19. Michael Grandage, Donmar Warehouse

20= Sonia Friedman, producer

20= Rachel Weisz, actor

THE STAGE’S TOP 20

1. Howard Panter/Rosemary Squire, Ambassador Theatre Group

2. Cameron Mackintosh

3. Andrew Lloyd Webber

4. Michael Grandage

5. Nicholas Hytner

6. Nica Burns/Max Weitzenhoffer, Nimax Theatres

7. Dominic Cooke, Royal Court Theatre

8. Bill Kenwright, producer

9. Michael Boyd, Royal Shakespeare Company

10. Kevin Spacey/Sally Greene, Old Vic Theatre

11. Nick Thomas/Jon Conway, Qdos Entertainment

12= Sonia Friedman

12= David Pugh/Dafydd Rogers, producers

14. David Babani, producer

15. Jonathan Church, Chichester Festival Theatre

16. Bill Taylor, Stage Entertainment

17. Rupert Goold, director

18. Alex Poots, Manchester International Festival

19. John Barrowman

20. Mark Rylance, actor