Donmar dominates the London stage at ES Theatre Awards

IT IS one of the smallest venues in the West End. But today the Donmar Warehouse, led by the charismatic Michael Grandage, stormed the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

Grandage and his stars won four honours in a triumphant end to a year which saw the Covent Garden venue add a theatre in the West End.

All main acting honours at the Royal Opera House ceremony went to Donmar productions while Grandage himself was named best director in the awards for the third time.

The success was applauded by a guest list that included David Tennant, Jude Law, Josh Hartnett, Anna Chancellor, Charles Dance and Ray Davies.

Margaret Tyzack, 77, and Penelope Wilton, 62, were named best actress jointly, after judges were bowled over by their performances in the revival of Enid Bagnold's The Chalk Garden at the Donmar.

Tyzack said there had been a lot of opposition to Grandage staging the play. But people were won over when they saw it.

"I loved it from the word go. Everything about it was a joy," she said.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 34, was hailed best actor for his Othello despite competition from a career-defining Lear by David Calder and a searing return to the West End from Kenneth Branagh.

It is only eight years since Ejiofor was named the Evening Standard's most promising newcomer.

Grandage directed both productions as well as the Ivanov. Branagh and Ejiofor heaped praise upon him and the Donmar team for their efforts.

Accepting his award by video from Vancouver, where he is filming the disaster movie 2012 with John Cusack, Ejiofor said: "Everybody who works there is just so tireless and enthused and excited and supportive."

He paid particular tribute to Grandage for his "superb direction" and to the rest of the cast, which included Ewan McGregor.

Branagh said it had been wonderful seeing people queue around the block to get seats for Ivanov.

He said: "I am really thrilled about the excitement of Michael's access for all programme. The determination to continue to provide good work for people and entertainment for people is as important as ever, perhaps more so in a time of relative hardship and adversity." On receiving his award Grandage said: "It's a fantastic feeling to get this award. I am enormously pleased to get to the end of the year and get the recognition for these three plays."

He was presented the award by Jude Law who will be Hamlet in Grandage's version next year at the Donmar. Law said: "I feel like I am in the right hands. Michael is a fantastic director."

Today's ceremony hailed new talent, honoured established theatre figures and gave a special award to the Hollywood star Kevin Spacey for bringing new life to the Old Vic.

After a faltering start, where critics queried his judgment and commitment, Spacey has won widespread praise for reviving the theatre's fortunes.

Dame Judi Dench said: "His energy is paramount He's a totally committed man of the theatre, I think."

Sir Peter Hall added: "It's wonderful that he's here - great actor, great director and, I think, now a great theatre-runner." Spacey accepted his award by video from a film set where he said he was working "to pay for my theatre habit".

He shared the award with his team at the theatre including its owner Sally Greene and said: "I'm prouder than ever to call London my home."

Winners in the 54th year of the awards were decided by a panel of theatre critics: Nicholas de Jongh (Evening Standard), Georgina Brown (Mail on Sunday), Susannah Clapp (The Observer), Benedict Nightingale (The Times) and Charles Spencer (Daily Telegraph).

Mr de Jongh, who made his own debut as a playwright this year, said it had been a year of "absolutely superlative, exceptional variety in the London theatre".

"In my 17 years on the judges' panel, I cannot recall many occasions when there was a more exciting and diverse collection of candidates in most of the categories," he said.

Veronica Wadley, the Standard's editor, who chairs the panel, made a special editor's award to the Royal Shakespeare Company for the cycle of history plays at the Roundhouse which had proved an indisputable event of 2008.

The company, which had already performed the plays in Stratford-upon-Avon, brought the entire sequence to London.

Tennant, who presented the award, said: "I'm here because Michael Boyd has done such amazing things with the Royal Shakespeare Company. It's a company I feel very strongly about and I have great links to so I am delighted to be able to present this."

The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall, inspired by the true story of Thirties miners who tried their hand at art, was named best play.

The victory topped a triumphant month for Hall who has already seen his show Billy Elliot earn standing ovations on Broadway. He said: "It's been quite a ride and it is very odd having these two Geordie plays all about where I come from. That's a thrill really."

The National Theatre co-production beat Christopher Shinn's Now Or Later from the Royal Court and Gregory Burke's Black Watch despite fervent praise for the latter. Big musicals were shunned in favour of smaller shows in the best musical award which saw Street Scene, presented at the Young Vic and Watford Palace Theatre, win.

In a second triumph for the Young Vic, the American Tarell Alvin McCraney, 28, was named most promising playwright for two plays, In The Red And Brown Water and The Brothers Size. This was a rare honour in the category for a non-British playwright. The prize comes with £10,000 while the two runners-up, Bola Agbaje and Anupama Chandrasekhar, were awarded £2,500 each. Both produced new plays seen at the Royal Court.

Ella Smith was named outstanding newcomer for her touching performance as the outsize love interest in Neil LaBute's Fat Pig at the Trafalgar Studios. In a year of highly inventive theatre transformations in London, Neil Murray won best design for the Kneehigh production of Brief Encounter. The Cinema Haymarket, which was originally a theatre, was turned back to its original usage for the show.

Hollywood star Hartnett said he had loved his time in the West End where he has been performing in Rain Man.

"The best part of being in theatre here is I feel a sense of community with other actors. Everyone seems to want to lend a welcoming hand and I appreciate that."

He said he would be back.

ES THEATRE AWARDS - THE WINNERS

BEST ACTRESS (joint winners)
Margaret Tyzack and Penelope Wilton in The Chalk Garden (Donmar Warehouse)

BEST ACTOR
Chiwetel Ejiofor in Othello
(Donmar Warehouse)

BEST PLAY
The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall (Inspired by a book by William Feaver; Live Theatre and National Theatre co-production)

THE NED SHERRIN AWARD FOR BEST MUSICAL
StreetScene (The Opera Group, Young Vic and the Watford Palace Theatre)

THE CHARLES WINTOUR AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT
Tarell Alvin McCraney
In the Red and Brown Water/The Brothers Size (Young Vic)

BEST DESIGN
Neil Murray for Brief Encounter (Kneehigh at Cinema Haymarket Theatre)

THE SYDNEY EDWARDS AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Michael Grandage
Ivanov/The Chalk Garden/Othello (Donmar Warehouse and Donmar West End at Wyndham's)

THE MILTON SHULMAN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING NEWCOMER
Ella Smith Fat Pig (Trafalgar Studios and Comedy Theatre)

THE EDITOR'S AWARD
Michael Boyd for the History Cycle
(RSC at Roundhouse)

SPECIAL AWARD Kevin Spacey for bringing new life to The Old Vic