Corden nominated for theatre award

James Corden is nominated for best actor in a play for One Man, Two Guvnors

Published: 7:14pm, 2nd December 2011
Updated: 2:05am, 3rd December 2011

James Corden will battle it out with Kevin Spacey and the voice of Darth Vader for a top stage award.

They are nominated for the best actor in a play category at the Whatsonstage.com Awards, which sees hit musicals Matilda and Ghost topping the nominations with nine apiece.

Among the performance nominees are veteran stars Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones - up for best actress and best actor in a play - for the transfer of their Broadway hit show Driving Miss Daisy.

The West End production of Much Ado About Nothing, which reunited Doctor Who's David Tennant and Catherine Tate, is up for theatre event of the year.

Corden is nominated for his role in One Man, Two Guvnors, one of the West End's hottest tickets. He competes with Earl Jones - who voiced Vader in the Star Wars films - together with Spacey (Richard III), Jude Law (Anna Christie), Benedict Cumberbatch (Frankenstein) and David Tennant (Much Ado).

Redgrave goes up against Eve Best (Much Ado), Kristin Scott Thomas (Betrayal), Ruth Wilson (Anna Christie), Samantha Spiro (Chicken Soup with Barley) and Tamsin Greig (Jumpy) for best actress in a play.

Sheridan Smith, who was rewarded at last year's awards for her stint in Legally Blonde, is shortlisted for a straight role for Flare Path in the best supporting actress category, up against names such as Tate (Season's Greetings).

Matthew Warchus, who is behind both the most nominated shows Ghost and Matilda, is up for best director. He competes against Danny Boyle (Frankenstein), Josie Rourke (Much Ado), Michael Grandage (King Lear and Luise Miller), Nicholas Hytner (One Man, Two Guvnors) and Trevor Nunn (Flare Path and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead).

The 12th Whatsonstage.com awards take place on February 19 next year.