1st Annual AWARDS THAT TONY FORGOT AWARDS: The Winners!

Well, I still haven't figured out a better name for these awards, but that didn't stop over 300 of you from voting!  Thanks so much to all of you!  You voted in 19 categories, and I named 2 special awards.  Instead of a name for the collection of awards, I named each one.  An explanation follows each of the results.  And now, without further delay...

THE 1ST ANNUAL AWARDS THAT TONY FORGOT AWARDS

THE ACTING AWARDS

The "Do You Hear the People Sing" Award for Ensemble Acting

• Best Ensemble in a Play: The Cast of The Normal Heart
• Best Ensemble in a Musical: The Cast of The Scottsboro Boys

This award is named, of course, after the ensemble of Les Miserables, one of Broadway's most hard-working and cohesive.  I think they represent the very best in ensemble acting.

The Roxie Hart Award for a Replacement Actor

• Best Replacement Actor in a Play or Musical: Kyle Dean Massey as Gabe in next to normal
• Best Replacement Actress in a Play or Musical: Marin Mazzie as Diana in next to normal
• Best Replacement Cast: The Final Company of next to normal

These awards were so named in honor of Liza Minnelli's selfless (she was never advertised or in the Playbill) step-in for an ailing Gwen Verdon during the original run of Chicago.  Of course, given the roster of stars who have taken on the same role through the years, it could just as easily be in honor for the current revival, too.

The Mame Dennis Theatrical Debutante Award

• Best Broadway Debut by an Actor in a Play or Musical: Tony Sheldon in Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Best Broadway Debut by an Actress in a Play or Musical: Nina Arianda in Born Yesterday

Named for the title character in Mame, it is so called because this fabulous lady made perhaps Broadway's most famous entrance as a debutante.  And she proved that a stylish debut can be made by the young and the young at heart!

The Eagan-Michaels Award for Acting by a Child in a Broadway Show

• Best Performance by a Child Actor in a Play or Musical: Luke Mannikus in Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Best Performance by a Child Actress in a Play or Musical: Madeleine Rose Yen in War Horse

The awards are named for the youngest actors to ever win a Tony Award, Daisy Eagan and Frankie Michaels.  She won in 1991 for her role as Mary Lennox in the musical The Secret Garden, and he won in 1966 for his role as Young Patrick in Mame.

THE MUSICAL AWARDS

The Lehman Engel Award for Musical Direction

• Best Musical Direction of a Play: War Horse, musical direction by Greg Pliska
• Best Musical Direction of a Musical: The Book of Mormon, musical direction by Stephen Oremus

This award is named for the most nominated and most Tony honored musical director, Lehman Engel, who won one of his Tonys in 1953 for conducting 5 shows that season.  The last time a musical director was given a Tony award was in 1964.

The Gower Champion Award for Broadway "Showstopper" Excellence

• Best Original Song Written for a Broadway Musical: “Hasa Diga Ebowai” from The Book of Mormon
• Best Production Number from a Broadway Musical: “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” from The Book of Mormon

This award is named for one of Broadway's greatest stagers of musical showcase numbers, including such showstoppers as "42nd Street" from 42nd Street and "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello, Dolly!

THE TECHNICAL/PROMOTIONAL AWARDS

The Tharon Musser-Oliver Smith Award for Technical Theatre Advancement

• Best Use and Execution of Projections in a Play: War Horse
• Best Use and Execution of Projections in a Musical: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Are projections lighting or scenery?  I bet it won't be an official Tony category until someone makes a decision on that.  Until then, the honor will be named on this blog after legendary lighting designer Tharon Musser and legendary scenic designer Oliver Smith.

The FRAVER/McMullan Award

• Best Show Logo of a Play: War Horse
• Best show Logo of a Musical: TIE: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Broadway) and The Book of Mormon

Named for both of Broadway's premiere logoists, FRAVER and James McMullan, who are collectively responsible for some of theatre's most recognizable show logos.  They include several Lincoln Center productions including South Pacific, and such iconic images as those for The Lion King and Sweeney Todd.

The Broadway Connected Award for Advertising Excellence on the Internet

• The Best Broadway Media Campaign, Play or Musical: The Book of Mormon
• The Best Broadway Website, Play or Musical: The Book of Mormon

SPECIAL AWARDS BESTOWED BY JK'S THEATRESCENE

2011 JULIE ANDREWS AWARD FOR THE EGREGIOUSLY OVERLOOKED

Nick Adams, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Named for Julie Andrews' famous tirade against the Tony Awards in 1996, when she declined her nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for Victor/Victoria after the show's cast was completely looked over in other categories. In her curtain speech at the Marquis Theatre the night after the nominations came out, she referred to her company as the "egregiously overlooked." This award is given to the performer that I think was most robbed by not being Tony nominated.

2011 FOSSE-LANSBURY AWARD FOR THEATRICAL EXCELLENCE

The Handspring Puppet Company: War Horse

This award is named after two of my theatre heroes, Bob Fosse and Angela Lansbury, both of whom made careers out of consistently excellent work that always advanced the art of musical theatre.  This award is given to the performer or technician whose work represents excellence and advancement in the art of live theatre.

So there you have it!  The 1st Annual Awards That Tony Forgot Awards is history.  Thanks to all of you who voted, and to all of you who make writing this blog every day such a pleasure!  Here's to an even better season in 2011 - 2012! (And here's hoping I find a better name for the awards by this time next year...)

Jeff

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