Britain’s Rachel Weisz has been named best actress at this year’s Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards for appearing in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Mark Rylance was named best actor for Jerusalem, while Jude Law accepted the best Shakespearean performance prize for playing the title role in Hamlet.
Musical Spring Awakening, which ran for a short time in the West End last year, picked up the best musical accolade.
This year’s awards were handed out at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.
The event coincided with the final South Bank Show Awards, where Weisz and Rylance were also honoured.

‘Most discerning’
Oscar-winner Weisz received her prize for playing fading beauty Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse.
The Critics’ Circle previously named her most promising newcomer in 1994 for her work in Noel Coward’s Design for Living, staged at the same central London theatre.

“The London critics are the toughest and most discerning critics in the world,” said Weisz, adding that Streetcar had been “a thrilling, exhilarating experience”.

“It really means a huge amount to me that they’re giving me this award – I’m very grateful and proud.”

Law, who appeared with Weisz in the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates, was equally gratified to be recognised for Hamlet, a Donmar production that played at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre before transferring to Broadway.

“This came as a huge surprise and means an incredible amount to me,” said the 37-year-old.

Rylance, though, was more circumspect as he collected his best award for Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, which also bagged the prize for best new play.

Instead of delivering a traditional acceptance speech, the 50-year-old amused the gathering with a parable about a man who catches a large fish.