We once again salute all the #StageFaves performers and show shortlisted in this year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards, but it was Dreamgirls star Amber Riley and the world premiere of Jim Steinman's BAT OUT OF HELL that took home the musical gongs at tonight's star-studded performance at the West End's Theatre Royal Drury Lane...
Despite three nods in the shortlists published last month, the National Theatre's revival of Sondheim's Follies went home empty-handed from the 63rd annual London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, at the ceremony help at Theatre Royal Druy Lane. The production was in the running for Best Musical, Best Director for Dominic Cooke and Best Musical Performance for Janie Dee.
Instead, Amber Riley – who performed at last year’s ceremony – won the award for Best Musical Performance for her role in Dreamgirls, whilst the Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical was presented to Bat Out of Hell – The Musical, which transfers to the West End in the new year.
The Director prize went to Sam Mendes for The Ferryman, which also won awards for Best Play and Emerging Talent for Tom Glynn-Carney. Elsewhere, Andrew Garfield won Best Actor for Angels in America, Glenda Jackson won Best Actress for King Lear at the Old Vic and The Octoroon‘s Branden Jacobs-Jenkins won Most Promising Playwright.
The annual awards, marking their 63rd year, were co-hosted by the newspaper’s owner, Evgeny Lebedev, American Vogue editor-in-chief, Dame Anna Wintour, star of stage and screen Cate Blanchett and Hamilton creator and original star Lin-Manuel Miranda (who retweeted one of our @StageFaves tweets!). The on-stage host for the evening was Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Among guests for the evening were Dame Anna Wintour, Evgeny Lebedev, Cate Blanchett, Linn Manuel Miranda, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Glenda Jackson, Andrew Garfield, Jez Butterworth, Amber Riley, Sam Mendes, Tom Glynn-Carney, Dame Shirey Bassey, Keira Knightly, Poppy Delevingne, John Hamm, Laura Carmichael and Dominic West.
2017 Award winners - musicals
Best Musical Performance
- Janie Dee - Follies (National Theatre)
- Robert Fairchild - An American in Paris (Dominion)
- Amber Riley - Dreamgirls (Savoy)
Audience Award for Best Musical (voted by the public)
- An American in Paris - Dominion
- Bat out of Hell - The Musical - Coliseum
- Dreamgirls - Savoy
- Follies - National Theatre
- School of Rock - New London Theatre
- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ The Musical - Menier Chocolate Factory
- She Loves Me - Menier Chocolate Factory
*The winner of the Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Awards for Best Musical is decided by public vote; voting ran 15-29 October 2017.
