Jerry Springer - the Opera triumphs at Evening Standard Awards
The Stage 27/11/2003

Jerry Springer - the Opera has received the Carlton Television award for best musical just weeks after its West End transfer to the Cambridge Theatre, during the 49th Evening Standard Theatre Awards ceremony at the Savoy Hotel in London. Beginning life at BAC as a oneact spoof, it was well received at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002 and went on to become a fully staged production, attracting sell-out audiences at the National Theatre.
Co-writers Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee accepted the prize, which was presented by Zoe Wanamaker, in front of some of Britain's leading actors, writers and directors during the ceremony on Tuesday.
Thomas said: "This has been the culmination of more than two years' work but we never expected that the result would be this good. Initially we thought the show would have a short run in a theatre off the West End but now we are planning to take it to Broadway and Sydney. This award should be for all the members of the cast, without whom there would be no show. Now we are simply working towards maintaining the production in the West End for as long as possible."

The full list of awards is as follows:
Best Actor: Michael Sheen - Caligula.
Best Actress: Sandy McDade - Iron.
Best Play: Democracy by Michael Frayn.
Carlton Television Best Musical: Jerry Springer - the Opera - Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee.
The Sydney Edwards Award for Best Director: Polly Teale - After Mrs Rochester.
Best Stage Designer: Christopher Oram - Caligula.
The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright: Kwame Kwei-Armah - Elmina's Kitchen.
Outstanding Newcomer: Tom Hardy - Blood and In Arabia We'd All Be Kings.
Special Award: Max Stafford Clark.
Patricia Rothermere Award: Lord Attenborough.
Patricia Rothemere Scholarship: Elif Yesil.