Nicole Kidman and James McAvoy win at Evening Standard Theatre Awards

Nicole Kidman and James McAvoy have won the best acting honours at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, the BBC reports.

Kidman was named best actress for her role as pioneering British scientist Rosalind Franklin in the play Photograph 51.

The award for best actor went to McAvoy for his performance in The Ruling Class.

The awards, hosted by Rob Brydon, took place at London's Old Vic theatre on Sunday night.

Picking up her award, Kidman said it was "extraordinary" to win.

The Oscar-winning star had returned to the London stage for the first time in 17 years to play Franklin, the only woman involved in the discovery of DNA's double helix in 1953.

The actress said she had taken on the role in memory of her scientist father who died in 2014.

"Every night before I would go on stage I would kneel in front of his photograph and look into his eyes and he would give me the strength to go and do it every night," she said.

Imelda Staunton won the best musical performance prize for Gypsy. She scooped the same category at last month's UK Theatre Awards.

Written in the 1950s with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Gypsy opened in Chichester in 2014 before it transferred to London's West End.

Sondheim, who turned 85 this year, was honoured with a special award presented by co-hosts Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen at the end of the ceremony.

The prize for best play went to The Mother with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis - the only award won by the National Theatre from its seven nominations.

Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, the cast included Desperate Housewives star Ricardo Chavira as Jackie, a recovering addict just out of jail who returns to live with his girlfriend but notices another man's hat in their apartment.

The public-voted Radio 2 audience award for best musical went to Kinky Boots, which features songs by Cyndi Lauper.

Robert Icke was named best director for Oresteia, part of the Almeida Greek season that recently completed its transfer at Trafalgar Studios.

Gemma Arterton was named best newcomer in a musical for her musical theatre debut in Made in Dagenham.

Stage veteran Vanessa Redgrave received the editor's award from daughter Joely Richardson and shortlisted actor Ralph Fiennes.

The ceremony included musical performances from Imelda Staunton, performing Everything's Coming Up Roses from Gypsy, and Pixie Lott singing Moon River from the production of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which opens in the West End next year.