he cream of British acting talent will gather in central London on Sunday to celebrate a year of stage success at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, who plays the Queen in The Crown, is among the stars presenting awards on the night. Joining her are fellow Oscar-winner Glenda Jackson, His Dark Materials actress Ruth Wilson, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, currently on screens in Farming.
Director Sir Trevor Nunn is also among those handing out awards, with other names including Charlie’s Angels star Naomi Scott, Kingsman actor Taron Egerton and Lashana Lynch, who is starring in the forthcoming Bond film.
The Good Fight star Cush Jumbo will present the event, held at the London Coliseum. She will join Evening Standard proprietor Evgeny Lebedev and his regular co-host, American Vogue editor-in-chief Dame Anna Wintour. Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory are also co-hosting, as well as handing out individual awards.
Among the stars hoping to be recognised is The Avengers actor Tom Hiddleston, who is in the running to be named best actor five years after first winning the prize. The actor, who triumphed in 2014 for Coriolanus, is shortlisted for his performance in the revival of Pinter’s love triangle drama Betrayal at the Harold Pinter Theatre.
Suits star Wendell Pierce is also on the shortlist for best actor, given in partnership with the Ambassador Theatre Group, for his performance as Willy Loman in Death Of A Salesman, along with Andrew Scott, for Noel Coward comedy Present Laughter.
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2019: The shortlist
The shortlist for the Natasha Richardson award for best actress, given in partnership with Christian Louboutin, includes Hayley Atwell, for her performance in Ibsen’s political drama Rosmersholm at the Duke Of York’s Theatre, and Dame Maggie Smith, for one-woman show A German Life at the Bridge Theatre.
Other honours handed out at the event, held in association with Michael Kors, include the Charles Wintour award for most promising playwright, named after Dame Anna’s late father, who edited the Standard in the Sixties and Seventies.
The award for best director is named after the Standard’s former theatre critic Milton Shulman. The National Theatre triumphed last year, with Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo taking the top acting prizes for their roles in Antony And Cleopatra. Other past winners include Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gillian Anderson.
The 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards, in association with Michael Kors, take place on November 24 standard.co.uk/theatreawards #ESTheatreAwards
Listen to today's episode of The Leader, featuring The Evening Standard’s digital arts editor Jessie Thompson, here:
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