UK.'s 55th Annual Evening Standard Award Shortlist Nominees Announced: ENRON & AUGUST Are Shows To Beat

The 55th Annual Evening Standard Theatre Awards, honoring outstanding achievements in London theatre, today has released their shortlist of 2009 nominees.  The award ceremony, which will take place on November 23 at the Royal Opera House, is sponsored by the Evening Standard, with nominees selected by a panel of London theatre critics.  The long list of nominees was announced last week. 

Tracy Letts' August Osage County and Lucy Prebble's Enron are undoubtedly the shows to beat, with both competing for top honors in the Best Play and Best Director categories, among others.  Struck from the long list are heavyweights Kevin Spacey for his performance in Inherit the Wind, Ian McKellen for Waiting for Godot, and Sam Mendes for best director, A Winter's Tale. 

The awards have also renamed their Best Actress award to honour the late Natasha Richardson, with the category now titled The Natasha Richardson Best Actress Award.  Deanna Dunagan August: Osage County (Steppenwolf/ National); Penny Downie Helen (Shakespeare's Globe); Juliet Stevenson Duet For One (Almeida/Vaudeville); and Rachel Weisz A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar Warehouse) compete in the category.

The complete shortlist of nominees to be honored at The Royal Opera House on November 23 include: 

Best Play

August: Osage County Tracy Letts (Steppenwolf/National)
Enron Lucy Prebble (Chichester/Royal Court)
Jerusalem Jez Butterworth (Royal Court)
Punk Rock Simon Stephens (Lyric Hammersmith)

Best Actor

Simon Russell Beale The Winter's Tale (Bridge Project/Old Vic)
Mark Rylance Jerusalem (Royal Court)
Ken Stott A View From The Bridge (Duke of York's)
Samuel West Enron (Royal Court)

The Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress

Deanna Dunagan August: Osage County (Steppenwolf/ National)
Penny Downie Helen (Shakespeare's Globe)
Juliet Stevenson Duet For One (Almeida/Vaudeville)
Rachel Weisz A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar Warehouse)

Best Director

Rupert Goold Enron (Royal Court)
Jeremy Herrin Tusk Tusk (Royal Court)
Ian Rickson Jerusalem (Royal Court)
Anna D Shapiro August: Osage County (Steppenwolf/National)

The NEd Sherrin Award for Best Musical

A Little Night Music (Menier Chocolate Factory/Garrick)
Been So Long (ETT/Young Vic)
Hello, Dolly! (Open Air, Regent's Park)
Spring Awakening (Lyric Hammersmith/Novello)

Best Design

Jon Bausor Kursk (Sound&Fury, Fuel/Young Vic)
Miriam Buether Judgement Day (Almeida)
Mamoru Iriguchi Mincemeat (Cardboard Citizens/Cordy House, Shoreditch)
Ultz Jerusalem (Royal Court)

The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright

Alia Bano Shades (Royal Court)
Katori Hall Mountaintop (Theatre 503 & Trafalgar Studios)
Alexi Kaye Campbell The Pride (Royal Court & Apologia/Bush)

The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer

Naana Agyei-Ampadu Been So Long
(Young Vic)
Lenny Henry Othello (Northern Broadsides at Trafalgar Studios)
Bel Powley Tusk Tusk (Royal Court)
Tom Sturridge Punk Rock (Lyric Hammersmith)

This year's judges are Henry Hitchings of the Standard, Susannah Clapp of The Observer, Matt Wolf of the International Herald Tribune, Georgina Brown of The Mail on Sunday and Charles Spencer from the Daily Telegraph. Standard deputy editor Sarah Sands chairs the panel and Mr Lebedev will present his own special award.