Shortlist for 2004 Evening Standard Awards Announced

The shortlist for London's Evening Standard Awards has been announced. The Producers, which just opened to rave reviews in the West End, is up for Best Musical, although leads Nathan Lane and Lee Evans did not receive Best Actor nods. The National Theatre is the star of the list: its productions of The History Boys, The Pillowman, The History Boys, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, His Dark Materials, Iphigenia at Aulis and False Servant were all mentioned.

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards will be presented during a ceremony on December 13 at The National Theatre.

Here is the complete short-list:

BEST ACTOR
Richard Griffiths for The History Boys, The Lyttelton, NT
Douglas Hodge for Dumb Show, The Royal Court
Stanley Townsend for Shining City, The Royal Court

BEST ACTRESS
Pam Ferris for Notes on Falling Leaves, The Royal Court
Victoria Hamilton for Suddenly Last Summer, The Albery Theatre
Kelly Reilly for After Miss Julie, The Donmar Warehouse

BEST PLAY
The Goat or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee, The Apollo Theatre
The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, The Cottesloe, NT
The History Boys by Alan Bennett, The Lyttelton, NT

BEST MUSICAL
The Producers,The Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Sweeney Todd, The Trafalgar Studios and New Ambassadors Theatre
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Olivier, NT

BEST DIRECTOR
Luc Bondy for Cruel and Tender, The Young Vic
Simon McBurney for Measure for Measure, The Olivier, NT
Rufus Norris for Festen,The Almeida Theatre and Lyric Theatre

BEST STAGE DESIGNER
Ian MacNeil, Jean Kalman and Paul Arditti for Festen, The Almeida Theatre and Lyric Theatre
Hildegard Bechtler for Iphigenia at Aulis, The Lyttelton, NT
Paul Brown for False Servant, The Cottesloe, NT

MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT
David Eldridge
Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Owen McCafferty

OUTSTANDING NEWCOMER
Dominic Cooper for His Dark Materials, The Olivier, NT and The History Boys, The Lyttelton NT
Romola Garai for Calico,The Duke of York's Theatre
Eddie Redmayne for The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, The Apollo Theatre
Ben Wishaw for Hamlet, The Old Vic