London’s Critics’ Circle Awards Celebrate a Season of Surprises, Stars, and Standout Storytelling – front mezz junkies, Theater News

Frontmezzjunkies reports: The 2026 Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards winners are in, and the night belonged to Brendan Gleeson, Rosamund Pike, and more than a few delightful surprises

By Ross

Every awards season brings its share of surprises, but the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards have a way of cutting through the noise with a critic’s eye for what mattered most. Last night at the National Theatre, the winners of the 2026 awards were revealed, and if the nominations had us dreaming of a season to envy, the results delivered a night to remember, one that celebrated the unexpected, the intimate, and the undeniably brilliant.

At the centre of it all was Brendan Gleeson, who took home Best Actor for his West End debut in The Weir. Conor McPherson’s quietly haunting pub drama slipped entirely past this year’s Olivier Awards nominations, making this recognition feel all the more pointed. Gleeson’s performance, subtle and deeply felt, stood out in a category that included Bryan Cranston and Paapa Essiedu, proving that the quietest work can sometimes leave the strongest impression.

Rosamund Pike was awarded Best Actress for her commanding turn in Inter Alia, a performance that cut through a competitive field with clarity and precision. Meanwhile, Hayley Atwell claimed Best Shakespearean Performance for her Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, edging out her co-star Tom Hiddleston in a result that felt both surprising and entirely earned.

Among the evening’s strongest showings were two productions I’ve had the chance to see firsthand over the December holidays. All My Sons, directed by Ivo van Hove, secured both Best Revival and Best Director, continuing its remarkable critical run. At the Bridge Theatre, Into the Woods also claimed two awards, with Tom Scutt recognized for design and the company honoured with the inaugural Best Ensemble award.

Elsewhere, new work found its moment. Punch earned the Michael Billington Award for Best New Play, further cementing James Graham’s place as one of the most compelling voices writing today. And in one of the night’s most joyful outcomes, Paddington The Musical charmed its way to Best New Musical, a win that feels as warm and well-earned as the show itself.

What made this year’s awards especially exciting was the sheer range of work being recognized. From the intimacy of The Weir to the theatrical sweep of Paddington, from Shakespeare to new writing, the Critics’ Circle highlighted a season that resisted easy categorization. It was not defined by a single trend, but by a willingness to embrace variety, risk, and scale.

For those of us watching from across the Atlantic, the awards offer something more than a list of winners. They provide a snapshot of a theatre landscape that continues to evolve, challenge, and expand its reach. London theatre is not settling into a pattern; it is pushing forward, shaped by artists who are finding new ways to tell stories that feel urgent and alive. And if this ceremony is any indication, the temptation to experience it all firsthand is becoming harder to resist.

Here’s the full list, with winners in bold:

Best New Play
David Adjmi, Stereophonic
Alice Birch, Romans A Novel
Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian, Kenrex
WINNER James Graham, Punch (from a book by Jacob Dunne)
David Ireland, The Fifth Step
Suzie Miller, Inter Alia
Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, Kyoto

Best Revival of a Play or Musical
WINNER All My Sons
Brigadoon
Evita
Intimate Apparel
Into the Woods
Indian Ink
The Weir

Best New Musical
Cable Street
Here We Are
WINNER Paddington The Musical
Shucked
Sing Street
Titaníque

Best Director
Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic
Jordan Fein, Into the Woods
Lynette Linton, Intimate Apparel
Jamie Lloyd, Evita and Much Ado About Nothing
Luke Sheppard, Paddington The Musical
WINNER Ivo van Hove, All My Sons

Best Ensemble or Cast
1536
Here We Are
WINNER Into the Woods
Stereophonic
The Weir
When We Are Married

Most Promising Playwright
Jamie Armitage, A Ghost in Your Ear and An Interrogation
Sophia Chetin-Leuner, Porn Play
Hannah Doran, The Meat Kings! (Inc) of Brooklyn Heights
Sophia Griffin, After Sunday
Katherine Moar, Ragdoll
WINNER Ava Pickett, 1536
Shaan Sahota, The Estate

Best Actor
Adeel Akhtar, The Estate
Bryan Cranston, All My Sons
Paapa Essiedu, All My Sons
WINNER Brendan Gleeson, The Weir
Sean Hayes, Goodnight, Oscar
James Hameed and Arti Shah, Paddington The Musical
David Shields, Punch

Best Actress
Kate Fleetwood, Into the Woods
Julie Hesmondhalgh, Punch 
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, All My Sons
WINNER Rosamund Pike, Inter Alia
Nicola Walker, The Unbelievers
Samira Wiley, Intimate Apparel
Rachel Zegler, Evita

Best Designer
Miriam Buether, Kyoto and The Land of the Living
Lizzie Clachan, The Lady From The Sea
Soutra Gilmour, Much Ado About Nothing and Evita 
Tom Pye, Paddington The Musical
WINNER Tom Scutt, Into the Woods
David Zinn, Stereophonic and Here We Are

Best Shakespearean Performance
WINNER Hayley Atwell, Much Ado About Nothing
Jonathan Bailey, Richard II
David Harewood, Othello
Tom Hiddleston, Much Ado About Nothing
Francesca Mills, Hamlet
Samuel West, Twelfth Night

Most Promising Newcomer
Isobel Akuwudike, The Lady From the Sea
WINNER Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis, Indian Ink
Asa Butterfield, Second Best
Kate Phillips, The Weir
Diego Andres Rodriguez, Evita
Jasper Talbot, Inter Alia
Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, The Land of the Living