January 29th, 2009 by Warren Moore

The Awards which took place at the Prince of Wales Theatre on the 27th January saw the most prestigious award of Best Play go to the critically acclaimed August: Osage County by Tracy Letts. Margaret Tyzack took the Best Actress nod for her role in The Chalk Garden, while Kenneth Branagh picked up the Best Actor award for the Grandage-directed Ivanov.

Meanwhile Best Musical went to the revival of La Cage Aux Folles, a production that started life at the Menier Chocolate Factory before moving to the West End’s Playhouse Theatre.

Perhaps the most interesting result was in the Best Shakespearean Performance category. The critics were clearly split on this one and in the end the prize was shared between David Tennant for his RSC Hamlet  and Derek Jacobi for his performance as Malvolio in the Donmar’s West End staging of Twelfth Night

The awards in full breakdown as follows:

BEST NEW PLAY
August: Osage County, by Tracy Letts (National Theatre staging of the Steppenwolf production)

BEST MUSICAL
La Cage Aux Folles (Menier Chocolate Factory, transferring to the Playhouse Theatre)

BEST ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh – Ivanov (Donmar Warehouse at Wyndham’s Theatre)

BEST ACTRESS
Margaret Tyzack – The Chalk Garden (Donmar Warehouse)

BEST SHAKESPEAREAN PERFORMANCE
Derek Jacobi Twelfth Night (Donmar Warehouse at Wyndham’s Theatre) and David Tennant in Hamlet (RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, transferring to the Novello Theatre)

BEST DIRECTOR
Michael Grandage – Ivanov & The Chalk Garden (Donmar Warehouse at Wyndham’s & Donmar)

BEST DESIGNER
Neil Murray – Brief Encounter (Kneehigh Theatre at Cinema Haymarket)

MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT
Alexi Kaye Campbell for The Pride (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs)

JACK TINKER AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Ella Smith – Fat Pig (Trafalgar Studios, transferring to Comedy Theatre)

Many West End Theatre Tickets remain available for 2009  from as little as £12.

27 Jan – 24 Oct    Blood Brothers (£22.50)
27 Jan – 26 Sep   Oliver (£15)
27 Jan – 28 Feb   The Sound of Music (£12)
27 Jan – 27 Mar    Mamma Mia (£19.50)
27 Jan – 24 Oct    Jersey Boys (£20)
15 Feb – 17 May   Blue Man Group (£67.50)
27 Jan – 09 Jan    We will Rock You (£28)
27 Jan – 02 May   Enjoy (£13.50)
27 Jan – 18 Dec    Billy Elliot the Musical (£17.50)