Nicole Scherzinger and Andrew Scott were among the winners at this year’s Evening Standard Theatre Awards held at Claridge’s.
Scott won the Best Actor Award for a second time for his solo performance of Vanya, while Scherzinger took home the Best Musical Performance for her show-stopping turn in Sunset Boulevard.
A Streetcar Named Desire co-stars Patsy Ferran and Anjana Vasan shared the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress in association with Mithridate for their performance in the Tennessee Williams classic.
Scott was unable to appear in person at the awards on Sunday evening so Jenna Coleman, who announced him as winner, picked up the award on his behalf. David Tennant handed out the Best Actress award.
Jack Thorne’s The Motive and the Cue, set behind the scenes of the 1964 Broadway production of Hamlet which starred Richard Burton and was directed by Sir John Gielgud, was named Best Play and its director Sam Mendes also took the Lebedev Award for his dedication to theatre.
Mendes, best known for his Oscar winning film career, ran the Donmar Warehouse for many years and his stage hits include The Ferryman, Company and Gypsy.
The critically-acclaimed production of Guys and Dolls at The Bridge Theatre was named Best Musical.
Sunset Boulevard scooped two awards with the dark remake earning Jamie Lloyd the Best Director award alongside Pussycat Doll Scherzinger’s win.
Two special Editor’s Awards were presented – the first to Ruth Wilson in acknowledgment of her marathon 24-hour show The Second Woman which saw her share the same scene with hundreds of co-stars in a major theatrical event.
The second was presented to Elton John in recognition of his collaborative approach to musical theatre which has seen him work on shows as diverse as The Lion King, Billy Elliot and the recent hit Tammy Faye.
One of his collaborators on that show, Scissor Sisters star Jake Shears led the audience in a tribute – complete with a pop-up band - to the musicians who work on so many shows without the recognition they deserve.
Other winners recognised on the night were Georgia Lowe who won Best Design for her work on The Good Person of Szechwan at the Lyric Hammersmith, and Tatenda Shamiso who won for Emerging Talent for NO I.D. at the Royal Court for his role in telling the story of being a black transgender immigrant in the UK.
Playwright Isley Lynn won the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright for The Swell at the Orange Tree Theatre which told a multigenerational tale of queer love and deception.
The awards, which were hosted by the Evening Standard’s Proprietor, Lord Lebedev, and Ian McKellen, with Susan Wokoma presenting the ceremony, also included a performance of a musical number from the production of Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) by Sam Tutty and Dujonna Gift.
Lord Lebedev said: “The people in the room here tonight are a testament to the resilience of the West End, and the resurrection of the London stage after several challenging years.”
Previous winners at the awards, which were first presented in 1955, include Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Laurence Olivier, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Comer, Nicole Kidman and Glenn Close.
