2011 in Review: JK's Theatrescene Awards, Part II: The Performance Awards

To see the Non-Performance Winners: 2011 JK's TheatreScene Awards, Part 1, click  HERE.

The other day, I named 39 winners in 37 categories covering non-performance achievement on Broadway. Today,  I will do the same (44 winners in 41 categories) in performance related achievement on Broadway. This year's awards cover all the productions I saw in 2011.

If you can think of a snazzier name for these awards or some interesting categories to consider for next year, send them in!

THE 2011 JK'S THEATRESCENE AWARDS: THE PERFORMANCE AWARDS

Best Chemistry: Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes in Bonnie and Clyde (BELOW)
Best Cast Chemistry: The Normal Heart (BELOW)

Best Rise-Above-It Moment: Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano singing from Spider-Man at the Tony Awards BEFORE it even opened.
The Grin-and-Bear-It Award (Cast): Wonderland
The Grin-and-Bear-It Award (Individual): Frank Wildhorn composer of  Wonderland and Bonnie and Clyde


Best Dancing by a Non-dancer in a Musical: Norbert Leo Butz in Catch Me If You Can (BELOW)

Best New Song Written for a Broadway Musical: TIE "How 'Bout a Dance" from Bonnie and Clyde, and "Sal Tlay Ka Siti " from The Book of Mormon and "Good Bye" from Catch Me If You Can
Best Complete Score of Songs NOT Written for a Broadway Musical: Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Best Underscoring: Anything the orchestra plays during an action sequence in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark


Best Understudy: Julia Mattison in Godspell. "Turn Back, O Man" was never funnier, sexier or dazzling.

Best Debut - Play: Ellen Barkin in The Normal Heart (ABOVE)
Best Debut - Musical: Rosalind Elias in Follies
Most Under-appreciated Actor: Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  He's done drama with full nudity.  He sings and dances like he was born to do it.  Why can't Broadway recognize the Entertainer of the Year like the rest of the world? (ABOVE)
Most Under-appreciated Actress: Rose Hemingway in How to Succeed in Business.  I suppose it is easy to get lost in the media frenzy when you are Harry Potter's leading lady. (ABOVE)
Most Under-appreciated Cast: The Cast of Chinglish.  Don't miss this cast, people!  Really!

Best Kiss - Straight: Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (BELOW)
Best Kiss - Gay: Teddy Toye and Ato Blankson-Wood in Lysistrata Jones (will Batman and Robin ever be the same again?)
Best Kiss - Period: Joey and Seth Numrich in War Horse Is there anything more touching than the bond between a boy and his puppet horse?

Best Strip Tease - Play: Jay Armstrong Johnson in Wild Animals You Should Know (BELOW)
Best Strip Tease - Musical: Josh Segarra in Lysistrata Jones 
Best Underwear in a Play (Male): Jay Armstrong Johnson in Wild Animals You Should Know
Best Underwear in a Play (Female): Nina Arianda in Venus in Fur (BELOW)
Best Underwear in a Musical (Male): Alexander Aguilar in Lysistrata Jones (BELOW)
Best Underwear in a Musical (Female): Liz Mikel in Lysistrata Jones

Best Blocking in a Musical: The Ghosts in Follies
Worst Blocking in a Musical: Baby, It's You! (The whole show)
Best Cameo in a Musical: Darth Vader and friends in "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" in The Book of Mormon (BELOW)
Worst Cameo in a Musical: Lewis Carroll in Wonderland The most lame scene in the lamest musical in years...

The "Say a Little Prayer" Award (for too much of a good thing):  Use of confetti cannons.  Make it stop.  Please.
The Alice Ripley Award (for acting intensity):  Ellen Barkin in The Normal Heart.  A living dynamo.
The Scottsboro Boys Award (for a too short run): Bonnie and Clyde
The Shirelles Award (for back up singer excellence): The 4 Cowboys in Lucky Guy (as Indians, BELOW)

The Get-the-Show-on-the-Road Award - Best Touring Cast: The Non-Equity Company of Spring Awakening (ABOVE)
The Get-the-Show-on-the-Road Award - Best Actor: Joshua Kobak as St. Jimmy in American Idiot
The Get-the-Show-on-the-Road Award - Best Actress: Courtney Markowitz as Ilse in Spring Awakening

Best Surprise Show: Lysistrata Jones.
Best "Hit" Show: War Horse
Best "Flop" Show: Catch Me If You Can
Best Challenging Show: Queen of the Mist
Best Broadway-related Web Series: Submissions Only 



Rate this blog below and leave your comments there, or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
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Two Broadway Babies: 1 Brit, 1 Aussie

I love it when Broadway stars make really good headlines.  And if their profile is higher because they also happen to be movie stars, so be it.  Both of these guys, when they are on Broadway, are role models.  They don't just show up to be adored by fans.  They work their asses off.  Both are racking up pretty impressive theatre credits, and both have amazing work ethics - neither has missed a single performance of whatever show they are in.

Daniel Radcliffe, Entertainer of the Year 

He dances like magic, too!

So it probably shouldn't be that much of a surprise that Entertainment Weekly has named Daniel Radcliffe as Entertainer of the Year.  With one of the top-grossing films of the year, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II, which marked the end of the 8 film, multi-billion dollar franchise, Radcliffe is also one of the wealthiest actors in the world.  A lot of people might quit right there, but not this guy!  He looks to the stage to sharpen his skills and add to them.  A few season's ago, he defied expectation taking on the challenging role of mentally unstable boy in Equus.  And this past year, he added singing and dancing to his resume of skills, taking the lead in the smash hit revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  Radcliffe will be leaving the show December 31st.  And he isn't going quietly.

Just as he did when starring in Equus, when he literally sold the pants he was wearing for charity, he led the cast of How to Succeed in a major fundraising effort this season for Broadway Cares.  His show raised an amazing $325,935 for this year's Gypsy of the Year contest.

There's nothing like a Broadway star, and here are 3!
Jackman and Radcliffe join legend Bernadette Peters at
The Gypsy of the Year 1011

Hugh Jackman: Fundraiser of the Year

Currently appearing in
Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway

But that was nothing compared to the one-man charity machine, Hugh Jackman.  By literally selling the shirt off his back and offering a wide range of collectibles (signed posters, Playbills and the like) at his show, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, he was able to collect a whopping $857,740 for Broadway Cares.  His total was so impressive the judges of the event gave him a special award, and named How to Succeed Gypsy of the Year/Fundraising.  Billy Elliot won the Gypsy of the Year/Presentation.

Jackman has a track record of giving back to the community that really embraces him every time he shows up.  He set records for BC/EFA events when he starred in The Boy From Oz as well as two seasons ago when he co-starred (with Daniel Craig) in A Steady Rain.

The best news of all?  The Gypsy of the Year competition raised a record $4,895,253!

Needless to say, I hope both of these great guys come back to Broadway SOON!

Jeff
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OUT Magazine's Out 100: The Broadway Connection 2

A while back, I blogged about some of the folks that made this year's Out 100 list in OUT Magazine.  To see and read about the Broadway-related celebs I already talked about, click HERE.

Before I introduce the remaining six theatre honorees, here are two pictures of folks I already talked about.  These and all the other photos are by the completely genius Gavin Bond.

Here is comedienne/actress/activist Sandra Bernhard.

And here is legendary activist and playwright Larry Kramer.

Now, the full list is out, and the theatre community has six more names on that who's who roster, for a total of 14!  Not bad!  Congratulations to all 100 of you, and thank you for making a difference!

Kathy Griffin
Entertainer of the Year

Kathy Griffin, Entertainer of the Year

• Known For: Being a stand-up comic and TV personality, formerly of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
• Theatre Connection: Over the summer, she made her Broadway debut at the Belasco Theatre in Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony
• Activism: Through her humor and very public relationship with her friends, "the gays," Griffin makes gay-straight alliance an every day thing.  And she is a tireless supporter of equal rights for the LGBT community.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Artist of the Year

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Artist of the Year

• Known For: Playing Mitchell on TV's Emmy-winning Best Comedy, Modern Family
• Theatre Connection: Though TV has him pretty busy these days, he is still a regular on Broadway's red carpets and other events.  On Broadway, he has starred in On the Town and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
• Activism:  He is a role model on TV as a happily partnered parent, and in real-life he is a role model for young gay men everywhere by living by example.

Mx. Justin Vivian Bond

Justin Vivian Bond, Actor/Performer

• Known For: His gender-bending act, Kiki and Herb.
• Theatre Connection: With his partner, Kenny Mellman, he wrote, created and starred in the Tony-nominated Kiki and Herb: Alive on Broadway (2006 Special Theatrical Event).
• Activism: He walks the walk and talks the talk.  He prefers to be called "Mx" instead of "Mr", and continues to be a strong and entertaining voice in the gay community.

Charles Busch

Charles Busch, Playwright and Actor

• Known For: Decades of theatre that embraces every kind of love, all with a campy, light and wry sense of humor.
• Theatre Connection: Most recently, Olive and the Bitter Herbs and Divine Sister.  Over the years, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, one of off-Broadway's longest-running shows of all time, Psycho Beach Party and the Broadway smash hit comedy, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife.
• Activism: He has helped to bring drag performing into the mainstream, proving that it can be more art than camp, and camp with a little art.

Stephen Karam (top left)
and Charles Perez

Stephen Karam, Playwright

• Known For: Being a young up and coming writer of both plays and operas.
• Theatre Connection: Currently, his new play about two gay brothers, Sons of the Prophet is a nice big hit at Roundabout Theater's Laura Pels Theatre.
• Activism: His words are carrying on the tradition of his mentors and idols, Larry Kramer and Terrence McNally.

George C. Wolfe

George C. Wolfe, Playwright and Director

• Known For: His leadership in the theatre and gay communities.  He was once the head of The Public Theater.
• Theatre Connection: Writer and Director: Jelly's Last Jam, The Wild Party, Director: Angels in America (Parts I and II), Topdog/Underdog, Noise/Funk; Producer: Take Me Out.  Most recently: A Free Man of Color and the Tony-winning smash hit The Normal Heart.
• Activism: In part because of his vision, the world has Angels in America, Take Me Out and a revitalized The Normal Heart.  One could say Mr. Wolfe is, indeed, doing his part.

For more information and the complete list, go to http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/out100/2011/11/17/17th-annual-out100#slide-1


Rate this blog below and leave your comments here, or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
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OUT Magazine's OUT100: The Broadway Connection

UPDATED!  SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE MOST RECENT ADDITION.

OUT Magazine has come out (no pun intended) with its annual list of the 100 most influential LGBT (as well as a few "straight" individuals) members of the community who have contributed significantly to society in the past year.  I suppose it isn't too surprising that the New York theatre scene is well represented on the list.

As of this writing, the magazine is offering only a preview of the list, with photos by Gavin Bond, which are based on other famous photos.  Even within the short preview, there are 7 theatre people featured.

Not pictured (so far) but mentioned in the associated article are Larry Kramer and Sandra Bernhard. 

Kramer, an author, playwright and activist, was selected for his enduring voice in the fight for rights for people afflicted with AIDS, as well as gay marriage.  This year, a stunning revival of his masterwork The Normal Heart marked his Broadway debut, winning the Tony for Best Revival of a Play.  His continued relevance is inspirational.

Bernhard, actress, comedienne and activist was selected for her continued campaign for equality and for bringing her message to the mainstream.  A New York fixture, Bernhard's stand up act is a perpetual sell out  and she has appeared in several off-Broadway shows, including one-woman shows and Love, Loss and What I Wore.

Dustin Lance Black
(Photo by Gavin Bond)

Dustin Lance Black - Screenwriter, Playwright, Activist

• Known For: Oscar-winning script for Milk and the upcoming film, J. Edgar
• Theatre Connection: He wrote the play 8, which recently had an all-star staged reading on Broadway.
• Activism: Black has been an outspoken leader in the fight against Proposition 8 in Claifornia and the campaign to legalize gay marriage in New York.

Colman Domingo
Photo by Gavin Bond

Colman Domingo - Actor

• Known For: Wide-ranging roles on the New York stage
• Theatre Connection: In just this past year, he starred in The Scottsboro Boys and earned a Tony nomination for his role as minstrel showman and bigotted sheriff.  And he played Billy Flynn in Chicago.
• Activism: Vocal in the fight for marriage rights, Domingo officiated some of the first gay weddings in New York onstage at the St. James Theatre following a performance of Hair.

Rory O'Malley and Matt Doyle
Photo by Gavin Bond

Matt Doyle - Singer, Actor (right in photo)

• Known For: Roles in plays and musicals
• Theatre Connection: He currently appears in the Tony-winning Best Play, War Horse.  His other credits include Spring Awakening and Bye Bye Birdie.
• Activism: Doyle is active in Broadway Impact and events for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Rory O'Malley - Actor, Activist (left in photo)

• Known For: Co-founding Broadway Impact with Gavin Creel and a Broadway career on the rise
• Theatre Connection: This year, he was Tony-nominated for his role in the Tony-winning Best Musical, The Book of Mormon.  Previously, he appeared on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
• Activism: O'Malley co-founded Broadway Impact, an organization that represents the New York theatre community in the continued national fight for marriage equality rights.  He and his co-founders have taken a highly visible part in the recent approval of gay marriage rights in the state of New York.

Dan Savage
Photo by Gavin Bond

Dan Savage - Writer and Activist

• Known For: His outspoken columns including Savage Love
• Theatre Connection: A hit off-Broadway musical, The Kid, was based on his book which chronicled the troubles he had adopting a child with his partner.
• Activism: He co-founded, with his partner Terry Miller, the It Gets Better campaign, aimed at letting teens who are struggling with their sexuality that, despite current bullying and shunning by their peers, life improves significantly for adults in the LGBT community.

Influential Gay Writers: Jeff Whitty is second from the right

Jeff Whitty - Playwright/Musical Librettist

• Known For: The Tony-winning Best Book of Avenue Q
• Theatre Connection: This year, he has written the book for the probably Broadway-bound and highly successful Tales of the City, and the just-opened touring musical (and possibly Broadway-bound) Bring It On: The Musical.
• Activism: Well, he is a voice for modern gay men and women.  All of his projects deal directly with the gay American experience in the 20th and 21st century.  Not bad.

As the OUT100 list is revealed, look for more of this blog, and possibly follow-up blogs.  To see more go to: www.out.com/out100.

LYSISTRATA JONES TICKET CONTEST QUESTION #4

In Promises, Promises, Chuck Baxter finds out that Fran Kubelik loves basketball (just like Lysistrata Jones and her Athens U friends!).  All of the following actresses have played Fran Kubelik in New York or London, EXCEPT:

A.  Jill O'Hara
B.  Betty Buckley
C.  Kristin Chenoweth
D.  Katie Finneran




For full rules and question 1, click HERE.  Question 2 is at the end of Tuesday's blog, question 3 is at the end of Wednesday's blog.

Rate this blog below and leave your comments here, or by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
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Emmy Loves Broadway

All you have to do is look at the names of this year's Primetime Emmy nominees, and you can see the impact New York stage actors have on television's best programs and individual performances.  If you only look at the Best Lead and Supporting acting categories for comedy and drama, no less than 25 of the 48 nominees have major credits on and off Broadway.  And another 22 nominees in the rest of the acting categories can boast the same.

Among the Emmy nominees are several Tony nominees, including Laura Linney, Edie Falco and Martha Plimpton, who are up against each other for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.  Tony nominee Alec Baldwin is up against recent Broadway newcomers Johnny Galecki (The Little Dog Laughed) and Jim Parsons (The Normal Heart) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Four of the six nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy series have Broadway credits, including the 3 men from ABC's Modern Family: Ed O'Neill, Ty Burrell, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.  Another of the nominees, Chris Colfer of Glee, has no Broadway credits to date, but he has made a career thus far covering many a Broadway show tune.

Martha Plimpton in TV's Raising Hope

and Broadway's Pal Joey

And every nominee in both the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie has New York credits, including almost Mary Jane Watson, Evan Rachel Wood, Melissa Leo, Alfre Woodard, Mary McDonnell and Loretta Devine.

Members of the recent New York Philharmonic concert of Company also fared well, including: Martha Plimpton, Jon Cryer and Christina Hendricks.

Christina Hendricks in TV's Mad Men

and Broadway's Company

Several Tony Award-winners have been nominated, including Nathan Lane, Jane Krakowski, Christine Baranski, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Brian F. O'Byrne, Maggie Smith, and Robert Morse.

Broadway AND TV's

Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking

Broadway is also certainly represented in the show categories as well.  Both The Kennedy Center Honors, Sondheim: The Birthday Concert and The 64th Annual Tony Awards were nominated.  And actual Broadway productions have been nominated as well, including: Thurgood, Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking, The Pee Wee Herman Show on Broadway, and Colin Quinn: Long Story Short.

It has been a great year for Broadway... and TV has been just that much better this year with Broadway so well-represented!  Congratulations to all of this year's Emmy nominees, all of them!

Rate this blog below, and leave a comment here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
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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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