London Critics' Circle Awards Honor Rock 'N' Roll and Caroline, or Change

Tom Stoppard's Rock 'N' Roll and Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's Caroline, or Change were named Best Play and Best Musical in London's 2006 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards. Among the other winners were Best Actor Rufus Sewell for Rock 'N' Roll Best Actress Kathleen Turner for Who's Afraid of Virginal Woolf? and joint Most Promising Newcomers Andrew Garfield and reality TV star Connie Fisher, who is known as "the people's Maria" for her popularity as the lead in The Sound of Music.

Two of the awards went to London productions of shows that previously played on Broadway. Virginia Woolf star Turner earned her Best Actress Award for recreating the role of Martha, while another Broadway import, Caroline, or Change scooped Best Musical for its incarnation at the National. Fisher's accolade came courtesy of her starring role as Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, which she famously landed via a nationally televised star search. Fisher shared the Most Promising Newcomer laurels with National Theatre actor Garfield, who was not present to collect his award as he is currently filming a new Robert Redford project in Los Angeles.

In a speech read by the National's Executive Director Nick Starr on behalf of Caroline, or Change co-writer Kushner, Kushner jokingly suggested, "Next time either of us anticipates opening a musical or a play or even a can of soup in New York, we will try to institute beforehand a transatlantic cultural exchange program by means of which you lot come over and fill in for the New York drama critics. Or at least some of them—we get to pick which. The New York drama critics we've selected will be sent...somewhere else. Florida, perhaps. While you're all in New York, London will, for a brief time, be devoid of drama critics. But during the necessary temporary cessation of all British theatrical production, maybe one or two American plays will make it to Broadway!" He added on a more serious note, "Nick Hytner and Nick Starr and all the astounding people at the National moved mountains, endured and surmounted endless overseas complaining and confusion. [They] made the translation of this American musical not only possible and successful in London but...a great source of joy for us and for George C. Wolfe, our genius director, collaborator and friend. And of course, the National helped George assemble our passionate, dedicated, and truly brilliant cast. So, in other words, this has been a wonderful experience, and today you provide a perfect capper, and a great honor for us. It's hugely helpful, and hugely encouraging, and again, and forever, we're grateful."

The awards were presented at a lunchtime ceremony on January 30 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Theatre.com's Matt Wolf presented Sewell's award. A full list of winners follows:

Best New Play
Rock ‘N' Roll by Tom Stoppard

The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical New or Revival
Caroline, or Change

Best Actor
Rufus Sewell in Rock ‘N' Roll

Best Actress
Kathleen Turner in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

The John and Wendy Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance
Tamsin Greig in Much Ado About Nothing

Best Director
John Tiffany for Black Watch

Best Designer
The Punchdrunk Faust Company

Most Promising Playwright
Nina Raine for Rabbit

The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer other than a playwright
Awarded jointly to Andrew Garfield in Beautiful Thing, Burn/Chatroom/Citizenship and The Overwhelming and Connie Fisher in The Sound of Music