The 1999 Theatre World Awards, which honor performers making their New York debuts, have been announced. They are: Jillian Armenante of The Cider House Rules, James Black of Not About Nightingales, Brendan Coyle of The Weir, Anna Friel of Closer, Lynda Gravatt of The Old Settler, Rupert Graves of Closer, Ciaran Hinds of Closer, Nicole Kidman of The Blue Room, Ute Lemper of Chicago, Sandra Oh of Stop Kiss, Clarke Peters of The Iceman Cometh and Toby Stephens of Ring Round the Moon.
The awards will be presented on May 20 at an invitation-only event. A special award be given to Jerry Herman for Broadway debut in An Evening with Jerry Herman and for lifetime achievement.
--By Robert Simonson