Evening Standard Awards shortlist announced

The shortlist for this year's London Evening Standard Awards have been announced. The shortlist this year sees the National Theatre lead the nominations with eleven across the categories including Best Actor for O-T Fagbenle and Dominic Cooke for Best Director both for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom , while JK Rowling's latest in her Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is nominated for three awards.

The Royal Court is up for shows and performances in five categories, including Best Actress for Noma Dumezweni after she stepped in to replace Kim Cattrall in Linda.

The Old Vic also has four nominations – one for Ralph Fiennes for Best Actor for The Master Builder – as well as his turn in the Almeida's Richard II – one for Andy Karl for Best Musical Performance in Groundhog Day, one for Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical for Groundhog Day and one for Rob Howell for Best Design for both The Master Builder and Groundhog Day.

The Evening Standard Awards will be announced in a ceremony at the Old Vic Theatre on November 13. Elton John will host the evening with Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev.

Read the full shortlist below

Best Actor

Kenneth Branagh – The Entertainer (Garrick)

O-T Fagbenle – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (National Theatre’s, Lyttelton)

Ralph Fiennes – The Master Builder (Old Vic)/Richard III (Almeida)

James McArdle – Platonov (Chichester Festival Theatre/National Theatre, Olivier)

Ian McKellan – No Man’s Land (Wyndham’s Theatre)

Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress

Noma Dumezweni- Linda (Royal Court, Jerwood Downstairs)

Helen McCrory – The Deep Blue Sea (National Theatre, Lyttelton)

Sophie Melville – Iphigenia in Splott (Sherman Cymru/National Theatre/Temporary Theatre)

Billie Piper – Yerma (Young Vic)

Best Musical Performance

Glenn Close – Sunset Boulevard (Coliseum)

Andy Karl – Groundhog Day (The Old Vic)

Sheridan Smith – Funny Girl (Savoy)

Best Play in partnership with Hiscox

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1,2 & 3)
, by Suzan-Lori Parks (Royal Court, Jerwood Downstairs)

The Flick, by Annie Baker (National Theatre, Dorfman)

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne, J K Rowling & John Tiffany (Palace Theatre)

Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical*

Funny Girl – Menier Chocolate Factory/Savoy

Groundhog Day – Old Vic

Guys and Dolls – Savoy/Phoenix

Jesus Christ Superstar – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour – National Theatre, Dorfman

Sunset Boulevard – Coliseum

Milton Shulman Award for Best Director

Dominic Cooke – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (National Theatre, Lyttelton)

John Malkovich – Good Canary (Rose Kingston)

John Tiffany – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace)

Best Revival

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – National Theatre, Lyttelton (dir Dominic Cooke)

No Man's Land – Wyndham’s (dir Sean Mathias)

Young Chekhov: Platonov,Ivanov & The Seagull – Chichester Festival Theatre/National Theatre, Olivier

Les Blancs – National Theatre, Olivier (dir Yael Farber)

Best Design

Jon Bausor – You For Me For You (Royal Court, Jerwood Upstairs)

Gareth Fry with Peter Malkin (sound design) – The Encounter (Edinburgh International Festival/Barbican)

Rob Howell – The Master Builder (Old Vic)/Groundhog Day (Old Vic)

Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright

Charlene James – Cuttin’ It (Young Vic/Royal Court/Yard)

Jon Brittain – Rotterdam (Theatre503/Trafalgar Studios)

David Ireland – Cyprus Avenue (Royal Court, Jerwood Upstairs)

Emerging Talent Award in partnership with Burberry

Jaygann Ayeh – The Flick (National Theatre, Dorfman)

Anthony Boyle – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace)

Aoife Duffin – A Girl is a Half-formed Thing (Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin & Young Vic)/ The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare’s Globe)

Tyrone Huntley – Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre)