[ Click here to check out the Part 1 ]
Theatre in El Lay was one of the only inspirations for me this past otherwise forgettable year, but the best part of 2008 will always be the election of Barack Obama, which I pray—well, no, I don’t do much of that anymore in these, my cynical and disappointed twilight years—I hope will bring about all the changes this world needs. If Europe can now see us as anything but a country of one-toothed Springer-spoutin’ rednecks with a flag in one hand, a beer in the other, and a handgun strapped to our belts, at least something good will have been accomplished.
And so here’s Part Two of my 18th annual TicketHolder Awards honorees, inspirational folks one and all:
Hershey Felder, Beethoven, As I Knew Him, Geffen Playhouse
Jill Marie Burke, Gregory Franklin, Matthew Solari, Jacques Brel: A Life in Song, M-Bar
Jonathan Tolins, Secrets of the Trade, Black Dahlia Theatre
RUNNERS-UP: Keith Bunin, The Busy World is Hushed, Meta Theatre; Alexander Dinelaris, Red Dog Howls, El Portal; Joshua Fardon, This Contract Limits Our Liability—Read It!, Theatre of NOTE; Stephen Fife, Savage World, Met; Tony Foster, Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Athol Fugard, Victory, Fountain; Tom Jacobson, The Friendly Hour, Road; Daniel MacVicor, In On It, Production Co.; Donald Margulies, Shipwrecked!, South Coast Rep/Geffen; Itamar Moses, The Four of Us, Elephant Lab; Nick Salamone, Hillary Agonistes, Playwrights Arena; Nick Salamone, Sea Change, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Paul Whelan, School of Night, Taper; Craig Wright, Lady, Road; Jacqueline Wright, Spider Bites, Theatre of NOTE
Nick Salamone, Gulls, Theatre @ Boston Court
RUNNERS-UP: Michael Franco and Pat Towne, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Peter Mellencamp, Jacques Brel: A Life in Song, M-Bar; Richard Nelson, James Joyce’s The Dead, Open Fist; Don Oliverios, Kingdom Come, Unknown Theatre; Patricia Resnick, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Steven Sater, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Scott Schwartz, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Ron West, deLEARious, Open Fist
Bart DeLorenzo, Shipwrecked!, SCR / Geffen Playhouse
RUNNERS-UP: Michael Arabian, Some Kind of Love Story, Hayworth; Allen Barton, Rabbit Hole, Camelot Artists; Dan Bonnell, Spider Bites, Theatre of NOTE; Jamil Chokachi, Marat/Sade, Knightsbridge; David Fofi, Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Kappy Kilburn, Safe, Circus Theatricals; Michael Matthews. Stupid Kids, Celebration; Michael Murray, The Night of the Iguana, A Noise Within; Tom Ormeny, The World’s Largest Rodent, Victory; Jon Lawrence Rivera, Sea Change, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Stephen Sachs, Victory, Fountain; Scott Schwartz, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Tony Sepulveda, Beverly Winwood Presents…, Groundlings; Matt Shakman, Secrets of the Trade, Black Dahlia; Michael Van Duzer, In On It, Production Co.; Heather Dara Williams, End of the Tour, Road; Lisa Wolpe, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC
Jessica Kubzansky, Gulls, Theatre @ Boston Court
RUNNERS-UP: Bob Avian, A Chorus Line, Ahmanson; John Doyle, Sweeney Todd, Ahmanson; Charles Otte, James Joyce’s The Dead, Open Fist; Joe Mantello, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Ken Sawyer, Lovelace: A Rock Opera, Hayworth; Pat Towne, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Ron West, deLEARious, Open Fist
Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre
RUNNERS-UP: Steven Cahill, Shipwrecked!, South Coast Rep/Geffen; Charlotte Caffey and Anna Waronker, Lovelace: A Rock Opera, Hayworth; Ara Dabandjian, Red Dog Howls, El Portal; Lanfair Field (Bobby McElver and Matt Richter), Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Missy Gibson and Mike Flanagan, The Next Big Thing, art/works; Maury McIntyre and Nick Salamone, Gulls, Boston Court; Dolly Parton, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Stephen Schwartz, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Phil Swann and Ron West, deLEARious, Open Fist; Michele Weiss, Prove It On Me, Adler
Ross Wright, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist Theatre
RUNNERS-UP: Gregg Chun, Gulls, Theatre @ Boston Court; Lloyd Cooper, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; David Loud, Sweeney Todd, Ahmanson; Gary Mattison, Jacques Brel: A Life in Song, M-Bar; John O’Neill, A Chorus Line, Ahmanson; Stephen Oremus, 9 to 5, Ahmanson; Dan Redfield, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Jared Stein, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Phil Swann, deLEARious, Open Fist
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5, CTG, Ahmanson Theatre
RUNNERS-UP: Christina Howard, Marat/Sade, Knightsbridge; Bill T. Jones, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Denise Leitner, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Jennifer Lettelleir, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Marvin Tunney, Stupid Kids, Celebration
Edgar Landa, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LA Women’s Shakespeare Company
RUNNER-UP: J. David Brimmer, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson
Chris Covics, Kingdom Come, Unknown Theatre
RUNNERS UP: Tom Buderwitz, Red Dog Howls, El Portal; Joel Daavid, Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Ian Garrett, American Dead, Theatre/Theater; Susan Gratch, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC; Simon Higlett, School of Night, Taper; Christine Jones, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; David Korins, The House of Blue Leaves, Taper; Travis Gale Lewis, Victory, Fountain; Keith Mitchell, Shipwrecked!, South Coast Rep/Geffen; Desma Murphy, The Friendly Hour, Road; Teresa Shea, Spider Bites, Theatre of NOTE
Robert Perdziola, The School of Night, CTG, Mark Taper Forum
RUNNERS-UP: Gabriel Berry, House of Blue Leaves, Taper; Elizabeth Brooks, Secrets of the Trade, Black Dahlia; Melissa Bruning, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Lisa Burke, Friendly Hour, Road; Candace Cain, Shipwrecked!, South Coast Rep/Geffen; Elizabeth Huffman, Sea Change, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Alex Jaeger, Gulls, Theatre @ Boston Court; Soojin Lee, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC; Sharell Martin, Prove It On Me, Adler; Erin Tanaka, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Classical Theatre Lab; Christina Wright, James Joyce’s The Dead, Open Fist
Rand Ryan, Shipwrecked!, SCR / Geffen Playhouse
RUNNERS-UP: Kevin Adams, Spring Awakening, Ahmanson; Leigh Allen, American Dead, Theatre/Theater; Russell H. Champa,School of Night, Taper; Chris Covics, Kingdom Come, Unknown Theatre; Joel Daavid, Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Michael Gilliam, Red Dog Howls, El Portal; Tim Guion, Sea Change, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Donald Holder, House of Blue Leaves, Taper; J. Kent Inasy, Rabbit Hole, Camelot Artists; Derrick McDaniel, Friendly Hour, Road; Frank McKown, Some Kind of Love Story, Hayworth; Cricket Sloat, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Jaymi Lee Smith, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC; Steven Young, My Antonia, Rubicon/PRT; Rick Zimmerman, In On It, Production Co.
Steven Cahill, Shipwrecked!, SCR / Geffen Playhouse
RUNNERS-UP: Acme Sound Partners, A Chorus Line, Ahmanson; Phillip C. Allen, House of Blue Leaves, Taper; Jon Gottlieb, Red Dog Howls, El Portal; James Johnson/EXP3D, Tommy, Ricardo Montalban; Tim Labor, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Cricket S. Myers, School of Night, Taper; Christopher Moscatiello, Friendly Hour, Road; Matt Richter, Asleep on a Bicycle, Lillian; Ken Sawyer, End of the Tour, Road; Kari Rae Seekins, Othello, Theatre @ Boston Court / LAWSC
Peter Nigrini, Peggy Eisenhauer, Jules Fisher, 9 to 5, CTG, Ahmanson Theatre
David Bridel, Commedia direction, School of Night, Taper; Bette Midler, The Showgirl Must Go On, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas; Jersey Boys, Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas; Jon Monastero, Harlequin in Commedia, School of Night, Taper; Marian Seldes, Steps Must Be Gentle, Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, New Orleans; Stephanie Zimbalist, This Property is Condemned, Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, New Orleans
Ian Dahlberg, Daniel Kaminski, Scott Nagatani, Ken Rosser, Kevin Tiernan, Chris Wabich, Ross Wright, Band, Joe’s Garage, Open Fist; Tony Sepulveda, Conception, Beverly Winwood Presents the 2nd Annual Actors Showcase, Groundlings; Wendy Gough Soroka, Masks, A Company of Wayward Saints, Write Act Rep
Playing poor ol’ doomed Shelly “The Machine” Levene in Glengarry Glen Ross for Delta Highway at the Egyptian Arena in 2007 took my breath away for a spell. Living with Shelly’s gnawing desperation in Glengarry for a few months—while concurrently appearing off-nights as the female Witch of Capri in Tennessee Williams’ The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore at the Fountain—truly did me in, both psychologically and physically. When both shows closed the same night, I basically went home and pulled up the covers for several weeks. I went to my GP, Robert Waxler at the Bob Hope Health Center (only in LA, right?), the following month to recheck an unrelated annoying health issue and told him I thought Shelly had wiped me out emotionally. He reminded that me when I played Cheswick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at the Rubicon in Ventura the year before, I woke up in my hotel with Bell’s Palsy the morning after we closed. “I have a prescription for you,” Dr. Waxler said, scribbling on his pad and tearing it off to hand to me. It read: “Do Comedy.”
Recent Comments