An actress, who stepped into a leading role at the eleventh hour, has shared a top award with her Almeida co-star.

Patsy Ferran took over the role of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire a week before previews after Lydia Wilson withdrew for health reasons.

She starred in the Tennessee Williams classic opposite Paul Mescal as Stanley Kowalski, with Anjana Vasan playing her sister Stella.

Ham & High: Sir Elton John won an award for his contribution to musical theatreSir Elton John won an award for his contribution to musical theatre (Image: Dave Bennett)

The production at the Islington theatre in February won five star reviews and transferred to the West End, with Mescal, Vasan, and director Rebecca Frecknall all winning Olivier Awards earlier this year.

Now, Ferran and Vasan have shared the best actress going at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, where winners also included Andrew Scott for Vanya, Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard, and Ruth Wilson for The Second Woman.Ham & High: The award were hosted by Sir Ian McKellen and included a gong for Nicole Scherzinger who plays Norma Desmond in Sunset BoulevardThe award were hosted by Sir Ian McKellen and included a gong for Nicole Scherzinger who plays Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (Image: Dave Bennett)

The glittering award ceremony was hosted by Sir Ian McKellen and attended by stars including Tom Hiddleston, David Tennant, Paloma Faith and Layton Williams. Also honoured on the night were Sam Mendes and Sir Elton John for their contributions to theatre and musical theatre respectively.

A spokeswoman for The Almeida theatre said: "We are delighted that both Anjana Vasan and Patsy Ferran have been recognised for their outstanding performances in A Streetcar Named Desire."