NewsCaroline, Night Music, Fugard's Exits and Entrances Top Winners at L.A. Drama Critics Circle AwardsWest Coast stagings of Caroline, or Change, A Little Night Music, and Athol Fugard's Exits and Entrances were the big winners at the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle for excellence in L.A. and Orange County theatre for the year 2004.
By
Ernio Hernandez
March 22, 2005
Tonya Pinkins in Caroline, or ChangePhoto by Michal Daniel
Tony Award nominee Harry Groener (Oklahoma!, Crazy for You) and theatre critic Wenzel Jones hosted the 36th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony March 21 at West Hollywood's Coronet Theatre.
The three aforementioned shows shared the award for Production and won in other categories to make them the evening's big multiple winners. Among the stars to take home honors included Caroline co-stars Tonya Pinkins and Anika Noni Rose, Intimate Apparel actors Viola Davis and Corey Stoll as well as Take Me Out featured player Jeremy Sisto.
Playwright Tony Kushner did not beat out Athol Fugard or Trey L. Wilson (Stage Directions) for the Writing award, but did share a win with composer Jeanine Tesori for their Musical Score to Caroline. Kushner, though not in attendance, provided a special letter which was read during the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Center Theatre Group founding artistic director Gordon Davidson.
Another highlight came from Direction nominee Scott Ellis, whose Los Angeles Opera production of A Little Night Music received three LADCC Awards, when he took to the stage to accept its fourth honor — for Best Production. Moved by the evening's fellowship, Ellis spoke of his first professional experience in regional theater being hired to direct a project for $5,000. "I thought it was more money than I would ever make in my life," said Ellis according to a release. "Thank God that wasn't true." He then offered to personally donate $5,000 to the Polly Warfield Award winner (for an excellent season/year in a small-to-mid-sized theatre) Matt Shakman and his 30-seat Black Dahlia Theatre. "When you're big and successful," he quipped to Shakman, "you can pass it on to someone else."
The 2004 nominees (with winners in *bold) of Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards are: (there are multiples winners in some categories) PRODUCTION
*A Little Night Music - New York City Opera production presented by Los Angeles Opera, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
*Caroline, or Change - Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre, in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays
Cyrano De Bergerac - South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage
*Exits and Entrances - Simon Levy, the Fountain Theatre
Hot Mikado - Musical Theatre West, Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Theater District - The Black Dahlia Theatre TOM MCCULLOH AWARD (REVIVAL)
A Flea in Her Ear - A Noise Within, A Noise Within
Awake and Sing - Shashin Desai, International City Theatre
*Rocket to the Moon - Pacific Resident Theatre and West Coast Jewish TheatreDIRECTION
Elina De Santos, Rocket to the Moon
Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez Elliott, A Flea In Her Ear
Scott Ellis, A Little Night Music
Jessica Kubzansky, Light - The Theatre @ Boston Court
*Stuart Rogers, Book of Days - Theatre Tribe
*Stephen Sachs, Exits and Entrances
*Matt Shakman Theater DistrictMUSICAL DIRECTION
Lloyd Cooper, Hot Mikado
*John DeMain, A Little Night Music
*Kimberly Grigsby, Caroline, or Change
Gerald Sternbach, Company - Reprise! Broadway's Best
Jim Vukovich, Hairspray - Pantages Theatre WRITING
*Athol Fugard, Exits and Entrances
Tom Jacobson, Ouroboros - The Other Side of the Hill Productions, Inc., the Road Theatre
Richard Kramer, Theater District
Tony Kushner, Caroline, or Change
Jean-Claude van Itallie Light
*Trey L. Wilson, Stage Directions - Ensemble Studio TheatreADAPTATION
Matthew Barber, Enchanted April - Pasadena Playhouse
Bart DeLorenzo, Hard Times - The Evidence Room
*Nicholas Saunders and Fran Dwyer Chekhov X 4 - The Antaeus CompanyMUSICAL SCORE
Bark! David Troy Francis (music) and Gavin Geoffrey Dillard & Robert Schrock (lyrics), with additional lyrics by Mark Winkler, Jonathan Heath, and Danny Lukic - Bark Productions, The Coast Playhouse
Hairspray Marc Shaiman (music) and Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman (lyrics)
*Caroline, or Change Jeanine Tesori (music) and Tony Kushner (lyrics)LEAD PERFORMANCE
*Viola Davis, Intimate Apparel - Roundabout Theatre Company production presented by Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum
Mark Harelik, Cyrano de Bergerac
*Morlan Higgins, Exits and Entrances
*Wade McCollum, Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Derek Charles Livingston, Celebration Theatre
Dakin Matthews, The Prince of L.A. - Andak Stage Company, NewPlace Theatre Center
*Tonya Pinkins, Caroline, or Change
Lenny Von Dohlen, LightFEATURED PERFORMANCE
Julian Acosta, Lovers and Executioners - South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Stage
Harry Groener, Chekov X 4
Arye Gross, Brooklyn Boy South Coast Repertory in association with Manhattan Theatre Club, Segerstrom Stage
*William Dennis Hurley, Exits and Entrances
*Anika Noni Rose, Caroline, or Change
*Jeremy Sisto, Take Me Out - Geffen Playhouse at the Brentwood Theatre
The cast of A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant, Powerhouse Theatre Company and Les Freres Corbusier
The cast of Book of Days
*The cast of Chekhov x 4SCENIC DESIGN
Michael Anania, A Little Night Music
*D Martyn Bookwalter, Talley's Folly - Pasadena Playhouse and Arizona Theatre Company
Craig Siebels, Dorian - Open at the Top Productions and Denver Center Attractions LIGHTING DESIGN
*Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauser, Caroline, or Change
Michael Gilliam, 110 in the Shade - Pasadena Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse
Jeremy Pivnick, LightCOSTUME DESIGN
*Lindsay W. Davis, A Little Night Music
Scott Lane, Dorian
Catherine Zuber, Intimate ApparelSOUND DESIGN
David B. Marling, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
*Jon Weston, A Little Night Music
John Zalewski, M. Butterfly - East West Players, David Henry Hwang Theatre CHOREOGRAPHY
Kay Cole, Bark!
Sean McNight, Hot Mikado
*Jerry Mitchell, HairsprayHAIR, WIGS AND MAKEUP DESIGN
*Paul Huntley (wig and hair design) Hairspray A tally of show with multiple wins follows: Caroline, or Change - 6 Exits and Entrances - 5 A Little Night Music - 4 Chekhov x 4 - 2 Hairspray - 2 Intimate Apparel - 2 Book of Days - 1 Hedwig and the Angry Inch - 1 Rocket to the Moon - 1 Stage Directions -1 Talley's Folly - 1 Take Me Out - 1 Theater District -
Special awards were be bestowed as follows: The Margaret Harford Award (for sustained excellence in theatre) will go to Dakin Matthews. The Ted Schmitt Award (for world premiere of an outstanding new play) will also be presented to Dakin Matthews for The Prince of L.A. The Bob Z Award (for lifetime achievement in set design) will honor Tom Buderwitz. The Angstrom Award (for lifetime achievement in lighting design) goes to Steven Young. The Natalie Schafer Award (for an emerging comic actress) will be awarded to Kirsten Vangsness. The Polly Warfield Award (for an excellent season/year in a small-to-mid-sized theatre) will be bestowed upon The Black Dahlia Theatre. And the Lifetime Achievement Award will honor Center Theatre Group artistic director Gordon Davidson.
The LADCC, founded in 1969, is dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism, and to the encouragement and improvement of theatre in Greater Los Angeles. 17 critics reviewed theatre for different websites, radio stations, and newspapers and magazines for the year 2004. For more information, visit www.ladramacriticscircle.com.
