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Critics hail Tennant for part-time Hamlet
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent27.01.09
David Tennant was honoured today for the best Shakespearean performance of the year despite his limited London run.
The Doctor Who star had already won plaudits for his Hamlet in Stratford-upon-Avon before a back injury forced the cancellation of most of his scheduled appearances in the West End.
He shares the prize - presented by theatre critics - with Derek Jacobi for his turn as Malvolio in the Donmar Warehouse's Twelfth Night.
Mark Shenton, chairman of the Critics' Circle Drama section, said: "In a year of particularly notable Shakespearean performances, a dead heat was produced for David Tennant's Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Derek Jacobi's Malvolio. We are delighted to be able to acknowledge them both."
Tennant, who could not attend the ceremony because he was filming in Wales, said: "I am utterly gobsmacked to be winning this, particularly as I get to share it with Derek Jacobi."
In a statement he told how, as a student, he had waited at the stage door of Glasgow Theatre Royal to get Jacobi's autograph after his "breathtaking" Richard II. "I was utterly inspired - so to be sharing a prize with such an amazing actor means more than I can say."
The Donmar continued its winning streak with a string of victories. Kenneth Branagh was named best actor for his performance in the title role of Ivanov, by Anton Chekhov.
And at 77, Margaret Tyzack took the best actress award for her role as an imperious matriarch in The Chalk Garden, by Enid Bagnold. Michael Grandage, who runs the Donmar, won the best director's award for both productions. Grandage and Tyzack had already been honoured for the shows at last year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Today's awards were announced at a lunchtime ceremony at the Prince of Wales theatre.
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, the American drama at the National Theatre, was named best new play.
Best musical went to La Cage Aux Folles. Alexi Kaye Campbell was named most promising playwright for The Pride at the Royal Court, and Ella Smith most promising newcomer for playing the overweight heroine of Fat Pig, the Neil LaBute comedy.
Neil Murray won best designer for transforming a West End cinema back to being a theatre for Brief Encounter. Both Smith and Murray were also Evening Standard winners.
Reader views (3)
Theatre does not revolve around London, so despite David Tennant missing part of his London run, he performed an entire run in Stratford so I would suggest you reconsider your headline about him being a 'Part Time Hamlet'. This award is a celebration of actors and good theatre so your need to bring a negative point to a wonderful performance seems a bit petty.
- -, -
How fantastically well deserved is this
award for Tennant, and I can't wait to see Jacobi in Twelfth Night before the run closes.
I do think however that despite bearing in mind that the Standard is a regional newspaper focusing on London, the heading "Critics hail Tennant for part-time Hamlet" utterly disregards the fact that Tennant played the role of Hamlet for months as aprt of the RSC's season in Stratford. The article later acknowledges the fact that Tennant started playing the role while based in teh Midlands - so why the derogatory (and, it could be argued, lazy) headline?
- Vicky, London
"Part time Hamlet"? This is a national award, and he did a run of around 60 shows in Stratford Upon Avon, why fixate on the fact that he missed a few weeks in London due to an injury beyond his control? This was a well deserved award, as was Jacobi's I'm sure.
- Nicola Fennell, Mansfield, UK
