It was a night of doubles at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards on Sunday as Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller jointly won the Best Actor prize for their shared roles in Frankenstein at the National Theatre.
The duo, who alternated in the roles of Frankenstein and his creature in Danny Boyle’s production, had been nominated alongside each other in a category that also included Bertie Carvel (Matilda The Musical) and Charles Edwards (Much Ado About Nothing).
It was a double for playwright Richard Bean, too, who won Best Play for both The Heretic and One Man Two Guvnors, seeing off competition from Nina Raine’s Tribes and Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw.
Among the other winners last night were Sheridan Smith, who took home the Best Actress prize, and Mike Leigh, who was named Best Director for his play Grief at the National Theatre.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical, which is currently previewing at the Cambridge theatre after a run in Stratford, was named Best Musical.
In the Outstanding Newcomer category, Kyle Soller beat his wife, Phoebe Fox, to win the prize. Meanwhile Penelope Skinner was named Most Promising Playwright for The Village Bike at the Royal Court.
This year’s Evening Standard Theatre Awards included several special awards. Though she missed out to Smith in the Best Actress category, Kristin Scott Thomas was recognised for her outstanding contribution to theatre. Outgoing Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director
Michael Grandage was given the Editor’s Award for “making the Donmar Warehouse a star”. Reflecting the Standard’s ownership by Russian media mogul Alexander Lebedev, playwright Tom Stoppard received The Moscow Art Theatre’s Golden Seagull award for his contribution to Russian theatre.
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2011
Best Actor
(Joint) Benedict Cumberbatch for Frankenstein (National’s Olivier Theatre)
Jonny Lee Miller for Frankenstein (National’s Olivier Theatre)
The Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress
Sheridan Smith for Flare Path (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Best Play
(Joint) The Heretic by Richard Bean (Royal Court)
One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean (National’s Lyttelton Theatre)
The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
Matilda The Musical (RSC Stratford and Cambridge Theatre)
Best Director
Mike Leigh for Grief (National’s Cottesloe Theatre)
Best Design
Adam Cork for his sound design of Anna Christie and King Lear (Donmar Warehouse)
The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
Penelope Skinner for The Village Bike (Royal Court)
The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer
Kyle Soller for his performances in The Glass Menagerie (Young Vic), The Government Inspector (Young Vic) and The Faith Machine (Royal Court)
Editor’s Award
Michael Grandage for making the Donmar Warehouse a star
Beyond Theatre award
Pet Shop Boys and Javier de Frutos for The Most Incredible Thing (Sadler’s Wells)
The Lebedev Special Award
Kristin Scott Thomas for her contribution to theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre’s Golden Seagull
Tom Stoppard for his contribution to Russian theatre and the international stage