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Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: Sophie Okonedo says she 'loves Ralph Fiennes to death every night'

Ralph Fiennes praised his “extraordinary” co-star Sophie Okonedo as they both triumphed at last night’s Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

The pair, who play Antony and Cleopatra in the National Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s play, were crowned best actor and best actress on a glamorous night at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Accepting his award, Fiennes, 55, said: “There is no Antony without Cleopatra. I am blessed beyond measure to share the stage every night with an artist of such extraordinary imagination, vitality, good humour and I would be nowhere without Sophie Okonedo. I love you with all my heart.”

He beat Ian McKellen and Bryan Cranston among others to seize the title. Okonedo, 50, who saw off competition from stars including Carey Mulligan and Laura Linney, said her highlight was being able to “quite literally love Ralph Fiennes to death every night”.

Last night she admitted she had not read the play before taking the part — and she said she could not have played it until now. Okonedo said: “I hadn’t had enough life, you need a lot of life to play Cleopatra.”

Last night’s ceremony kicked off with compere Phoebe Waller-Bridge walking through the audience playing a guitar before launching into a risqué opening monologue poking fun at some of famous faces in attendance.

Marianne Elliott, who won best director for her work on the hit West End musical Company, praised its writer Stephen Sondheim and thanked the show’s “glorious cast” including Rosalie Craig, who won best musical performance for her part of Bobbie.

The 38-year-old, whose character was originally written by Sondheim as a single man looking for love, praised Elliott for her “hunch” audiences would “enjoy hearing these insecurities inside a woman’s mind”.

Hamilton star Jamael Westman won the emerging talent award and thanked the local theatres where he learned his trade, including Ovalhouse in south London.

The 26-year-old, who plays the title character in the hit show, said: “A lot of youth clubs are being cut down. And it takes those kinds of places where young people can go and have a confidence instilled in them to come and reach heights that they could never have dreamed of. This award is for them.”

Vanessa Redgrave, 81, gave the best play award to Matthew Lopez, 40, for his six-and-a-half hour drama about young gay New Yorkers, The Inheritance, in which she also appeared.

The Charles Wintour Award for most promising playwright went to Natasha Gordon, who last year became the first black British female playwright to have a production staged in the West End. Gordon, 42, admitted she thought about giving up on staging Nine Night. “The day [National Theatre artistic director] Rufus Norris called me in and said he liked my play and wanted to put it on ... My outlook changed,” she said.

Fashion designer Stella McCartney presented the award for best design to Miriam Buether for her work on The Jungle, set in the refugee camps around Calais. Another fashion icon, John Galliano, led a celebration of unsung heroes of the stage — the dressers.

Producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh, whose hits include Cats and Les Misérables, was given the Lebedev award for his contribution to musical theatre.

Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The winners in full

Best Actor, in partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group

Ralph Fiennes Antony and Cleopatra (National Theatre)

Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress, in partnership with Christian Louboutin

Sophie Okonedo Antony and Cleopatra (National Theatre)

Best Play, in partnership with Chanel

The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez (Young Vic & Noël Coward Theatre)

Milton Shulman Award for Best Director

Marianne Elliott Company (Gielgud Theatre)

Best Musical

Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre)

Best Musical Performance

Rosalie Craig Company (Gielgud Theatre)

Best Design

Miriam Buether The Jungle (Young Vic & Playhouse Theatre)

Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright

Natasha Gordon Nine Night (National Theatre)

Emerging Talent Award, in partnership with Access Entertainment

Jamael Westman Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre)

Lebedev Award

Sir Cameron Mackintosh For his contribution to musical theatre