Many of the West End's great and good were present at the elegant Saloon at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, this afternoon to celebrate the winners of this year's Critics Circle Awards, presented by Theatregoer magazine.

As well as editor Ruth Leon (the editor-in-chief being Madeleine Lloyd Webber), who gave a customarily pithy and well-observed speech, numerous West End theatre critics were on hand to announce the winners in the various categories. The recipients made brief acceptance speeches as the wine flowed and canapés were passed round, and for a moment it seemed more like a Summer party than the depths of winter - even the afternoon's thunderstorm waited until just after the last award had been presented.

And the winners were:

Best New Play:
Charlotte Jones, for Humble Boy

Best Musical:
Kiss Me Kate

Best Actor:
Ian McDiarmid in Faith Healer

Best Actress:
Lindsay Duncan, for Mouth to Mouth and Private Lives

John and Wendy Trewin Award for Best Shakespeare Performance:
Samuel West for Hamlet. This award was presented by last year's inaugural winner, Simon Russell Beale, who also won the award for his performance in Hamlet.

Best Director:
Robert Lepage for The Far Side of the Moon

Best Designer:
Paul Brown for Platanov

Most Promising Playwright:
Gregory Burke for Gagarin Way

Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer:
Lyndsey Marshal for performances in Redundant and The Boston Marriage.

—by Paul Webb Theatrenow