The Producers, Alan Bennett and Judi Dench Among Evening Standard Award Winners

A TRUSTED THEATRE RESOURCE SINCE 1884

Featured Shows

News The Producers, Alan Bennett and Judi Dench Among Evening Standard Award Winners The ceremony may have been held at the National’s Olivier Theatre, but anyone who took that as a sign that Edward Hall’s staging of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum— which played that venue — would scoop top prize at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards was wrong. The Best Musical prize, in fact, went to The Producers. The latter was also the only new (for London) musical in that category’s nominees (the third was Sweeney Todd).

By James Inverne

December 13, 2004

The London newspaper’s prestigious theatre awards celebrated their 50th anniversary at the Olivier on Dec. 13. The judges marked the birthday by awarding three special prizes: to the National Theatre, Harold Pinter and Judi Dench. Other winners included:
Best Actor – Richard Griffiths, for The History Boys at the NT
Best Actress – Victoria Hamilton, for Suddenly Last Summer at the Albery
Best Play – Alan Bennett’s The History Boys
Best Director – Rufus Norris, for Festen at the Almeida
Best Designer – Ian MacNeil (sets), Jean Kalman (lighting) and Paul Arditti (sound) for Festen
Outstanding Newcomer – Eddie Redmayne, for The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? at the Almeida
Best New Playwright – Owen McCafferty for Scenes from the Big Picture at the National’s Cottesloe Theatre

Dench accepted her award with the observation that “I’ve only been given this award for 47 years of doing a job that I absolutely adore.”

PLAYBILL SITES

CONTACT PLAYBILL

FOLLOW PLAYBILL NOW