A production of Medea starring Fiona Shaw, the London staging of the U.S. hit Kiss Me, Kate and The Far Side of the Moon by Robert Lepage were among the winners at the 2001 Evening Standard Awards ceremony in London. The event took place at the Savoy and was hosted by Rory Bremner.
Medea won for its star, Fiona Shaw, and its director, Deborah Warner. The Far Side of the Moon won the Best Play prize, while Feelgood by Alistair Beaton won for Best Comedy. Kate won the Best Musical honor over another favorite, Trevor Nunn's revival of My Fair Lady.
The Patricia Rothermere Award was given to Prunella Scales for lifetime contribution to London's theatre. She, in turn, gave it to Oxford-based drama student Cassandre Joseph. The latter will use it to pay for her drama school tuition fees.
The judges for the Evening Standard Theatre Awards were its chief theatre critic Nicholas de Jongh; Georgina Brown of The Mail On Sunday; Benedict Nightingale of The Times; Susannah Clapp of The Observer, Paul Taylor of The Independent; and Jane Edwardes of Time Out magazine. The chairman was Max Hastings.
The winners are as follows (in boldface): Best Actor:
William Houston: Henry IV and Henry V
Alex Jennings: The Winter's Tale and The Relapse
Alan Rickman: Private Lives
Best Actress:
Lindsay Duncan: Mouth to Mouth and Private Lives
Fiona Shaw: Medea
Penelope Wilton: The Little Foxes
Best Play:
The Far Side of the Moon by Robert Lepage
Mouth to Mouth by Kevin Elyot
The Shape of Things by Neil LaBute
Best Comedy:
Caught in the Net by Ray Cooney
Feelgood by Alistair Beaton
Life X 3 by Yasmina Reza
Sydney Edwards Award for Best Director:
Michael Boyd: Henry IV parts 1-3 and Richard III
Howard Davies: Private Lives
Jonathan Kent: The Tempest
Deborah Warner: Medea
Best Stage Designer:
Paul Brown: Platanov and The Tempest
Ian MacNeil: Afore Night Come
Carlton Television Best Musical:
Kiss Me, Kate
Merrily We Roll Along
My Fair Lady
Outstanding Newcomer:
The Almeida at King's Cross
Lyndsey Marshal: Boston Marriage and Redundant
Rufus Norris: Afore Night Come
The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright:
Roy Williams for Clubland
The Patricia Rothermere Award:
Prunella Scales/Cassandre Joseph
