Frankly, I was surprised last night as the 2011 Helen Hayes Awards nominations were read. While I was surprised be some of the choices, on the whole, this year’s group of Helen Hayes judges have done the best job of any I have seen in years.
I was expecting Arena Stage’s productions of Oklahoma!, Sophisticated Ladies, and The Light in the Piazza to clean up – with at least 10 nominations each, and although they did pretty well, combined they received 21 nominations, leaving room for other companies.
I was not prepared for the few nominations that Signature Theatre’s Chess and Sunset Boulevard received. Both shows packed them in and critics raved, but neither received nominations for Outstanding Resident Musical. Chess only received nods for Jill Paice’s performance as Florence, for Eric Schaeffer’s direction, and for Jeremy Kushnier’s performance as Freddie Trumper.
And Ed Dixon as Max and Musical Director Jon Kalbfleisch received the only nominations for Sunset Boulevard. There was no nomination for Florence Lacy as Norma Desmond, who received raves from some local critics. And how strange that Signature’s production of Sweeney Todd is an Outstanding Resident Musical nominee although it received no other nominations. The same thing happened with the nomination of Ford’s Theatre’s Little Shop of Horrors.
I was ecstatic that Signature Theatre did receive 5 nominations for Ricky Ian Gordon’s emotionally charged musical Sycamore Trees: for Marc Kudisch’s emotional performance as the anger-filled patriarch, for Outstanding Musical Direction, for Ricky Ian Gordon (music and lyrics) and Nina Mankin (book) both nominated for The Charles MacArthur Award, and for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical. I am a big fan of Ricky Ian Gordon’s work, and you have to admit that it’s courageous and at the same time insane to put your family’s hardships on the stage for the whole world to see. And his score for Sycamore Trees was so beautiful. Marc Kudisch also received a nomination for his haughty performance in The Golden Age at The Kennedy Center.
But it was Hairspray at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia – the musical that DC Theatre Scene readers voted their Favorite Musical in our 2010 Audience Choice Awards – that brought many cheers at last night’s announcements when it received 5 nominations, including Outstanding Director, Resident Musical for Toby Orenstein’s energy-filled direction, Outstanding Supporting Actress nods to MaryLee Adams for her hysterical gum-snapping dizzy Penny Pingleton and Jesaira Glover, who blew the roof off with her stirring rendition of “I Know Where I’ve Been” and a nod to the all-dancing, all-singing, all-schvitzing ensemble.
I was so happy that this year Adventure Theatre received the recognition it so richly deserves – and I flipped with joy when its production of If You Give a Pig a Pancake received two nods for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical and Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences, and when The Red Balloon received a nomination for Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences.
And how about Hollis Resnik receiving nods for her performances as Margaret Johnson in Arena Stage’s The Light in the Piazza and for her scene stealing work as the Old Lady in Candide at Shakespeare Theatre Company? Her rendition of “I Am Easily Assimilated” was one of the highlights of the year in musical theatre for me. Hollis has many Jefferson Awards for her fine work in Chicago theatres, and her performances in these two productions showed you why she is one of the finest actresses and singers in the business.
There were some head-turners last night too. June Schreiner, who received kudos from audience members, the media and critics from DC to NYC – failed to receive a nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actress Resident Musical for her role as Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, but did receive a nod for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical with her fellow cast members.
And now for some ‘You gotta be kidding” moments: Cody Williams (Will Parker), E. Faye Butler (Aunt Eller), Bobby Smith (Rooster), and Carrie A. Johnson (Grace) – who were clearly in supporting roles in Oklahoma! and Olney Theatre’s rollicking production of Annie – were nominated in the Lead Actor and Lead Actress, Resident Musical categories. I mean Bobby didn’t even make an entrance until the end of the First Act when he came in to sing in the trio of “Easy Street”, and then reappeared briefly in Act Two to claim Annie as his own.
Jenna Sokolowski, who played Bobby’s cohort in crime –Lily St. Regis – was correctly nominated in the Supporting Actress, Resident Musical category. I am so glad that Cody, Bobby and Carrie were nominated, but this is a little ‘off-the-wall’.
OK – enough with the nitpicking.
I am really thrilled that this year’s nominations included so many mid-sized and small theatres. And I am happy that David Pittsinger received a nomination for his powerful singing and acting for playing Emile de Becque in South Pacific. Rarely have local theatre goers heard such beautiful renditions of “This Nearly Was Mine” and “Some Enchanted Evening”, sung beautifully and powerfully and lovingly with co-star Carmen Cusack, who also was nominated for her performance as Nellie Forbush. And a special congrats to The Kennedy Center for bringing in such excellent national tours of musicals, including South Pacific, Hair, which received 5 performance nominations, and Mary Poppins which received 4 nominations, for Outstanding Non-Resident Production and for its performers Gavin Lee (Bert), Caroline Sheen (Mary Poppins) and for Ellen Harvey, whose hysterical performance as the evil Nanny from hell – Miss Andrews – stole the show.
And to Shakespeare Theatre Company who took a risk and brought in Avenue Q – congrats on your nominations for Outstanding Non-Resident Production, and for Jacqueline Grabois and Brent Michael DiRoma’s performances in the show. Speaking of another risk that really paid off, I loved Candide, the co-production between Shakespeare Theatre Company and Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, which received 12 nominations.
When Theater J’s name was announced 6 times last night, I was so happy for them because they had an exceptional season this year. I adored their moving production of New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza and particularly the performances of Alexander Strain and Michael Toleydo.
And to Kasi Campbell – congrats on your nomination for directing Travels With My Aunt at Rep Stage. Kasi is another Columbia, MD gem, and Rep Stage continues to produce fine work. I heard such great things about Kasi’s direction of The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? at Rep Stage, so was surprised it didn’t end up at the top of the judges’ list. Believe me, it’s well worth your time to take a drive to Columbia to see this company’s work.
Being a fan of the Tsikurishvilis and Synetic Theatre, it was no surprise when they won another 14 nominations this year for their productions of Othello, The Master and Margarita, and the splashingly fun King Arthur. And hearty congrats to Alex Mills and Philip Fletcher for their nods for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play.
I am so glad that Lauren ‘Coco’ Cohn was recognized for her hysterical performances as Ursula Gillow and the Maid to the Vanderlyn household in Glimpses of the Moon at MetroStage. She came in at the last minute, switched roles with the great Natascia Diaz and together they saved the show. Here’s a reminder of what they went through to make it to Opening Night.
Congrats to Joshua Morgan, Brian Sutow, Anne Kohn from No Rules Theatre and Rick Hammerly and members of the Factory 449 collective for co-receiving the John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company. I respect their work and send them a hearty Mazel Tov on receiving this prestigious honor.
Finally, congrats to Woolly Mammoth and Folger Theatre for their many nods, and to Bill Largess for his nomination in The Foreigner at Bay Theatre Company in Annapolis. When Bill’s name was announced, he received the loudest applause of the evening.
What a fantastic year we had in 2010! Now, all you nominees – take a well-deserved bow! We’ll be writing a pre-Awards feature about you. Look for our invitation, coming soon.
The 2011 Helen Hayes Awards will be presented April 25, 2011 at the Warner Theatre, Washington, DC.
Related:
The complete list of 2011 Helen Hayes Awards nominees
I for one do not feel that Ms. McQuay’s comment was unfair. I feel that she hit the nail right on the head. [Editor’s note: The remainder of this comment has been deleted. Reason: we do not allow personal attacks against anyone on this site. The writer has been informed.]
Thank you Joel for the congratulations and let me extend my congratulations to all of the other nominees in all of the other Helen Hayes Award categories. I am truly blessed and honored to be counted among such an awesome group of sublimely talented artist.
I’ll jump on the Bill Largess bandwagon too. I went back to see The Foreigner a second time because I enjoyed his performance so much.
I would like to second Mary Johnson’s comments congratulating Bill Largess. The Bay Theater has does an excellent job bringing quality theater to the Annapolis area over the last few years and this was no exception. Having seen several productions of “Harvey”, I was extremely impressed with his work. In addition to his “Little Red Riding Hood” story, his rendition of the climax of the play scaring the bejeezus out of the Klu Klux Klan members was astounding and his HH nod is well earned.
I agree with Glen. I also agree with Joel that the supporting roles that were put in ‘lead’ roles categories did not belong there. I was taken aback by Ms. McQuay’s unfair comment. The author was just listing the names of the performers that were nominated in the ‘lead’ categories whose performances really belonged in the supporting category. He was not singling anyone out. He was just telling the facts. Everyone who saw these performances know that they were not lead roles. I read Nelson Pressley’s report on the nominations in the Post on Monday night and he said the exact same thing. It wasn’t Joel who put them in an awkward position. It was the theatres who knew they were supporting roles and still listed then as leads, thus giving these actors little chance of winning in the ‘wrong’ category.
Love your article, Joel, and the spirited dialogue that it and the nominations themselves inspire.
Whatever differences of opinion any of us may have, we all share an abiding love for theater in Greater Washington. So, please plan to join us on April 25 at the Warner Theatre to celebrate ALL the HHA nominees — and all those not nominated — who together make this such a great theatre town and region. Then party on at “Washington’s Largest Cast Party” at the JW Marriott, following the Awards.
To update my post above, please note that the numbers represent only resident productions and does not include touring shows. Again, just wondering what people think and not throwing stones.
Thank you Joel, but just getting to do this show is the most amazing award i could ever get and that’s all I will ever want 🙂 I am absolutely thrilled with, and so proud of, everything Oklahoma was recognized for and I can’t wait to see what happens!!
I keep seeing the same thing said about the nominations each year and their purpose. To celebrate the theatre community. In this particular article, it is mentioned that it was a good year for mid-sized and small theatre companies. I am not sure that if someone looked at this mathmatically, that theory really pans out. Luckily, someone did. Here is an excerpt of his findings. Please note that this is not meant to take away anything from the nominees above and their work is to be commended and congrats to them all. This is simply a conversation starter:
“On Monday night, a total of 138 Nominations were handed out last night over 22 Resident Categories. In those categories, 20 Companies received a Nomination with 44 Productions receiving nods.
Of the Productions eligible, Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Candide led the way with 12 nominations. They were quickly followed by Folger Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, Arena Stage’s Oklahoma!, & Synetic Theatre’s Othello, each with 10. Rounding out the Top 5 is Woolly Mammoth’s Clybourne Park with 8. A Honorable Mention goes out to Arena Stage’s Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies for bringing in 7.
As far as Companies go, Arena Stage led the pack with 23 nominations. Folger Shakespeare nabbed 20. Shakespeare Theatre Company took home 18, Synetic Theatre with 16, and “Regional Tony Award Winner” Signature Theatre had 10.
The Top 5 Productions named above took a total of 50 nominations. That comes out to 36.2% of all the nominations announced. If you add in Sophisticated Ladies the numbers rise to 57 Nominations representing 41.3% of the field. More than a third of the nominations came from only 5 Productions and once you throw in the sixth, we rise above 40%. Amazing that a mere 13.6% of the honored productions were able to secure 41.3% of the Nominations. What’s more incredible is if you look at it on a grander scale: Those 6 Productions represent 3% of the eligible productions created in the DC area in 2010.
The Top 5 Nominated Companies brought home a staggering total of 87 Nominations. This represents 63% of the field. Nearly two-thirds of the nominations went to one of 5 companies. The names of those 5 companies figured in nearly two out of every three announcements made and they represent a mere 6.3% of the eligible companies in the DC area.”
Hi Joel,
Thank you for all the positive remarks of this article. I’ve always thought the best aspect of HH Awards was the great, free, publicity it gives to the theatre community at large. However, I feel compelled to say, although I know you have a huge heart for the theatre, and I know you would never intentionally compromise a performer or open them to the possibility of ridicule or criticism, it’s my considered opinion that by singling E. Faye, Bobby, and CJ Greer out in this article, that is exactly what you have done. I do appreciate your stating the fault lies with the theatres, and how they categorize the actors for the HH Awards, and this is true, however, by mentioning these actors by name, you have put them in an akward position. You and I have personally had many discussions regarding my wishes to not be distinguished from the members of the companies with which I work, but the HH awards does just that, and I feel very strongly that as members of a wonderful theatre community we must all overlook our personal preferences, and support our brother and sister artists in the interest of why we’re all here- Art. There’s no one I know who loves the theatre more than you, Joel. I just think this is a slippery slope, and could have been better adressed without names, or by a well written note to the board of HH, etc… My grandmother used to say, “praise in public, criticize in private.”, good words to live by.
Lilia: I disagree with you. This category is filled with stellar performances by talented actresses who deserved their nominations. I don’t know what the vote count was but I’m sure June was in the running. June is nominated along with the rest of the Oklahoma! ensemble for an award – and has a great chance of winning. No one in the cast received the media attention that June received and that in itself is a cause for celebration.
Dear Joel,
I am mad! I am really mad! June did desirve to be nominated! This kid took this production to a different level! I am mad! I am happy,too! Synetic won 14 nominations! Bravo! Well deserved!Paata,Irina,Irakly,Alex,Philip are incredible artists!Too much politicts in this buisnes somethimes takes away from the artists!
Very good article Joel…..unfortunately not everyone can be nominated – but someone missed the ball on not nominating Flo Lacey who played Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd at Signature Theatre recently. In my mind she’s already a winner for her performance as Norma…..and the entire cast was excellent…..I think they deserved an ensemble nom….but that’s just my opinion. I was happy with many of the other nominations however and am pleased that I had the opportunity to see many of the nominated performers.
As a freelance arts writer who covers theater for Arundel and sometimes Howard counties for the Baltimore Sun, I have to cheer HH nomination of Bill Largess in Bay’s Foreigner where he scaled new actng heights telling his Red Riding Hood tale in a tour de force monologue that still makes me laugh. Also thrilled to learn of Toby’s Hairspray nomination, which ranked with Broadway’s in its authentic representation of 1960s Baltimore, and as you know, Joel, I’m qualified to judge this one because you met my friend Zvi Shoubin who directed the original Buddy Deane show on which John Waters based his show. If Toby wins, I suggest she have a reunion for the original dancers of the Buddy Deane show who still meet and dance.
RScott:
I understand that it’s the theatres who make that determination-but somewhere in the system The HHA system should be allowed to say, “Sorry, but this was clearly a supporting role.”
Michael Hayden’s two performances were superb. No issue there. But it’s a stretch to say the awards lose all legitimacy because he wasn’t nominated. No one gets everything right. And the nominations unquestionably identify a great many outstanding performances and designs, which after all is their purpose.
There are always things to dispute, but I do think it’s a pretty good slate this year. For my part I’m glad James Konicek was nominated for Annie but am surprised he wasn’t for Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime which was a completely delightful performance.
Thank you, Joel, for saying that you enjoyed Candide. It was a fantastic production that other reviewers, with much less taste, simply panned because it was at STC. And yes, Hollis Resnick was fantastic in this production. I’m sure she’ll take home the award in this category.
10 nominations for Outstanding Actor and not ONE of them was for Michael Hayden? In my opinion, the awards lose ALL legitimacy with that decision. There is no way that anyone who has even a rudimentary understanding of theatre could believe that there were 10 performances better than either of Hayden’s last year.
Thrilled that the brilliant character actor Coco Cohn got a nomination for her show stopping scene stealing performances. Lots of great ensembles this year but I would certainly add the cast of Glimpses that in addition to Coco, included the phenomenal Natascia, along with stunning Gia, charming Sam, exquisitely heartbreaking Stephen, and wildly engaging Matt, and of course that crazy threesome from Broadway Christmas Carol
Whoever wins, the Helen Hayes is a great opportunity to celebrate the abundance and quality of live theater in the Washington DC area.
Joel,
I agree wholeheartedly with your surprise regarding the placement of certain supporting performances in the lead catagories. I’m sure you know, but perhaps some of your readers do not, that those classifications are NOT made by the Helen Hayes judges, but are instead made by the theatres themselves. So when E. Faye Butler and Bobby Smith landed nominations in the lead catagories (for performances which were clearly supporting), they were placed there by Arena and Olney, not by anyone at the HH organization.