Politics comes into play

Peter Mandelson is the latest guest presenter for this year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

The former Cabinet minister will attend the ceremony at the Savoy to present the award for the best play.

Last week, the former trade and Northern Ireland secretary was at Cherie Blair's Downing Street party to promote British theatre with Stephen Poliakoff, Stephen Daldry and Fiona Shaw.

He also met his doppelganger, Paul Rhys, who portrayed the Hartlepool MP in the Channel 4 drama The Deal. Rhys is also due to attend our awards.

Mr Mandelson is attending because he is a passionate supporter of theatre. He told the Standard: "London is a world leader in theatre. We need to keep it that way."

The nominees for Best Play are After Mrs Rochester by Polly Teale, Democracy by Michael Frayn and Fallout by Roy Williams.

Star guests include Bill Nighy and Diana Quick, Sinead Cusack and Jeremy Irons, Jerry Hall, veteran stage actor Paul Scofield, Nigel Havers and Felicity Kendal.

Cold Feet and Friends actress Helen Baxendale will present the award for Best Actor.

After taking six months off to be with her young family, Baxendale, 34, is making her West End stage debut at the Donmar Warehouse in After Miss Julie. Patrick Marber's new version of the Strindberg classic is set in a country house at the time of Labour's 1945 election win.

Directed by Michael Grandage, the play is previewing now and runs until 7 February.

The nominees for Best Actor are Kenneth Branagh, whom judges commended for his "impressive" Edmond in David Mamet's immorality play of the same name; Warren Mitchell, for his "wonderful vaudeville Jewish act" in Arthur Miller's The Price; and Michael Sheen, for the "bravura quality" of his "volatile" Caligula in Albert Camus' existentialist play about the Roman emperor.