Winners of Critics' Circle Theatre Awards announced
© Left: Helen Maybanks, centre: Helen Murray, right: Marc Brenner
The winners for this year's Critics' Circle Theatre Awards have been announced.
The hit revival of Cabaret picked up the most awards for any production, with Jessie Buckley (Best Actress), Rebecca Frecknall (Best Director) and Tom Scutt (Best Design) all winning the day.
Notably however, the Best Musical award (either a new show or a revival) was won by Rupert Goold's revival of Spring Awakening, which ran at the Almeida Theatre this winter.
The Best New Play category was won by James Graham for his hit production of Best of Enemies, which had its world premiere at the Young Vic. The Young Vic also clinched a second award, for Cush Jumbo's turn as Hamlet (Best Shakespearean Performance). Ben Daniels won the Best Actor award for The Normal Heart, which ran at the National Theatre last autumn.
Two winners were recognised in both the Most Promising Newcomer and Most Promising Playwright categories. The newcomers recognised were Stuart Thompson (Spring Awakening) and Samuel Creasey (The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage).
Novellist turned playwright Zadie Smith (The Wife of Willesden) and Old Bridge scribe and Papatango winner Igor Memic both received the Most Promising Playwright nod.
Five special awards were given for "exceptional theatre-making during lockdown", with the winners being Jermyn Street Theatre, Nica Burns, the National Theatre (especially for its NT Live work and its filmed production of Romeo and Juliet), the Old Vic for its "In Camera" series and the Original Theatre Company.
