The 22nd Annual Ticketholder Awards, 2012

Perhaps two of the best productions I have ever enjoyed in my sixty-plus-plus years living with and for my obsession with live theatre, whether working onstage myself or sitting in the audience with my poison pen poised and at the ready, took up their celebrated residence in El Lay during 2012: Red, John Logan’s mesmerizing and brutally honest fictionalized play about one of my earliest artistic idols, Mark Rothko, and the most haunting and phenomenally theatrical achievement of the decade, the how-could-they-do-that stage adaptation of War Horse. Thank you, thank you, thank you Center Theatre Group and Michael Ritchie for all you do to heighten the cultural wonder of our reclaimed desert oasis.

Right along with those two New York transplants and the hilarious Book of Mormon, this was also truly an unbelievable year for fantastic, daring, mind-bogglingly adventurous theatre created right here in ol’ Lost Angeles and I’m thrilled to have still been hanging around like some enormous unprocessed sea sponge ready to soak it all up. And, hey—there was lots more magic I did not get to experience. So get your asses off the couch, pull yourselves away from Honey Boo Boo for an evening, and check out the incredible joy and privilege of living in one of the most prolific towns for great theatre on the planet. New York City, no matter what you may think, let me tell you that you guys have nothing on us.

THE TOP 10 PLAY PRODUCTIONS OF 2012

1. War Horse, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre 

2. Red, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum 

3. Waiting for Godot, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

4.  Children, Boston Court Performing Arts Center

5. The Government Inspector, Boston Court and the Furious Theatre Company

6. Year of the Rabbit, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA

7. The Pianist of Willesden Lane, Geffen Playhouse 

8. Blame It On Beckett, Colony Theatre Company 

9. Cyrano, Fountain Theatre/Deaf West

10. The Girl Most Likely To, Playwrights’ Arena at LATC 

RUNNERS-UP: The Blue Iris, Fountain Theatre; A Bright New Boise, Rogue Machine; Brilliant Traces, Lounge 2; Creation, Boston Court; D is for Dog, Hudson; Death of a Salesgirl, Bootleg; The Grönholm Method, Falcon Theatre; The Illusion, A Noise Within; The Irish Curse, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble; KONG: A Goddamn Thirty-Foot Gorilla, SkyPilot Theatre; Krapp’s Last Tape, CTG, Kirk Douglas Theatre; November, CTG, Mark Taper Forum; Other Desert Cities, CTG, Mark Taper Forum; That Good Night, Road Theatre Company; Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; To Quiet the Quiet, Elephant Stages; You Can’t Take It With You, Antaeus Theatre Company

                            

THE TOP 10 MUSICAL PRODUCTIONS OF 2012

1. The Book of Mormon, Pantages Theatre

2. Billy Elliot, Pantages Theatre

3. Follies, Ahmanson Theatre

4. Bad Apples, Circle X, Atwater Village Theatre

5. Justin Love, Celebration Theatre

6. SILENCE! The Musical, Hayworth Theatre

7. Assassins, Coeurage Theatre Company

8. Memphis, Pantages Theatre

9. Anything Goes, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre 

10. The Full Monty, Third Street Theatre

 

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY

Alfred Molina, Red, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

RUNNERS-UP: Ed Begley Jr., November, Taper; Jonathan Cake, The Grönholm Method, Falcon; Brett Colbeth, Rise, Elephant Stages; Robert Foxworth, Other Desert Cities, Taper; Christopher Frontiero, Incident at the Border, Edgemar Center; Morlan Higgins, The Blue Iris, Fountain; Troy Kotsur, Cyrano, Fountain Theatre/Deaf West; Graham Hamilton, The Illusion, A Noise Within; Justin Mortelliti, Expecting to Fly, Elephant; Hank Ostendorf, Incident at the Border, Edgemar Center; Joseph Ruskin, You Can’t Take It With You, Antaeus; Stephen Spinella, The Grönholm Method, Falcon; French Stewart, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Andy Wagner, Brilliant Traces, Lounge 2

 

BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Mariette Hartley, The Morini Strad, Colony Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Karen Austin, Beautified, Katselas at the Skylight; Anne Gee Byrd, Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; Julianne Chidi Hill, The Blue Iris, Fountain; Abby Craden, The Illusion, A Noise Within; Tessa Ferrer, Brilliant Traces, Lounge 2; Gowrie Hayden, Rise, Elephant Stages; Felicity Huffman, November, Taper; Wendy Johnson, Concealing Judy Holliday, Pacific Resident Theatre; Nancy Linehan Charles, Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; Lisa Richards, To Quiet the Quiet, Elephant Stages; Patricia Scanlon, Death of a Salesgirl, Bootleg; Robin Weigert, Other Desert Cities, Taper; Jacqueline Wright, The Children, Boston Court

 

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Jeremy Lelliott, Assassins, Coeurage Theatre Company

RUNNERS-UP: Erich Bergen, Anything Goes, Ahmanson; James Black, Bad Apples, Circle X; Danny Burstein, Follies, Ahmanson; Will Collyer, The Full Monty, Third Street Theatre; Ryan O’Connor, The Full Monty, Third Street Theatre; Jeffrey Scott Parsons, Dames at Sea, Colony; Douglas Sills, The Addams Family, Pantages

 

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Jan Maxwell, Follies, Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Kate Morgan Chadwick, Bad Apples, Circle X; Victoria Clark, Follies, Ahmanson; Leah Hocking, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Carrie St. Louis; Justin Love, Celebration; Alet Taylor, Justin Love, Celebration; Rachel York, Anything Goes, Ahmanson

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Jonathan Groff, Red, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

RUNNERS-UP: Michael Scott Allen, D is for Dog, Hudson; Daniel Blinkoff, The Children, Boston Court; Alan Blumenfeld, The Illusion, A Noise Within; Michael Caldwell, Mutually Assured Destruction, Odyssey; Joe Fria, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Harry Groener, The Exorcist, Geffen; Austin Hebert, The Irish Curse, Odyssey; Shelly Kurtz, Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; Scott Leggett, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Stephen Mendillo, To Quiet the Quiet, Elephant Stages; Michael McCartney, It Is Done, Pig ‘N Whistle Restaurant; Shaun O’Hagan, The Irish Curse, Odyssey; Trevor Peterson, A Bright New Boise, Rogue Machine; Guy Picot, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Paul Raci, Cyrano, Fountain/Deaf West; Pat Towne, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Sonny Valicenti, The Children, Boston Court; Todd Weeks, November, Taper

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Elizabeth Herron, Deathtrap, LA Gay & Lesbian Center

RUNNERS-UP: Kat Bailess, Boomerang Effect, Odyssey; Taylor Coffman, D is for Dog, Hudson; Shannon Holt, You Can’t Take It With You, Antaeus; Adriana Sevahn Nichols, The Children, Boston Court; Angela Paton, Coney Island Christmas, Geffen; Liz Ross, Doesn’t Anyone Know What a Pancreas Is?, EST/LA; Kira Sternbach, Coney Island Christmas, Geffen; Janellen Steininger, You Can’t Take It With You, Antaeus; Paige Lindsey White, The Children, Boston Court

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Blake Hammond, The Addams Family, Pantages Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Jesse Bradley, Assassins, Coeurage Theatre Co; Rich Hebert, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Grant Jordan, Justin Love, Celebration; Dink O’Neal, Dames at Sea, Colony; Will Mann, Memphis, Pantages; William Parry, Memphis, Pantages; Ryan Wagner, Assassins, Coeurage Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Jayne Houdyshell, Follies, Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Gaelen Gilliland, The Addams Family, Julie Johnson, Pantages; Memphis, Pantages; Maegan McConnell, A Little Night Music, East West Players; Nicole Monet, Assassins, Coeurage Theatre; Carol Neblett, Follies, Ahmanson; Jan Sheldrick, The Full Monty, Third Street Theatre; Shannon Warne, The Full Monty, Third Street Theatre; Susan Watson, Follies, Ahmanson; Terri White, Follies, Ahmanson

 

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A PLAY

Hugo Armstrong, LJ Benet, James Cromwell, Alan Mandell, Barry McGovern, Waiting for Godot, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

RUNNERS-UP:

Blythe Auffarth, Peggy Goss, Brian Ibsen, Louis Lotorto, Blame It On Beckett, Colony Theatre Company

Jonathan McClain, Deborah Puette, Ethan Rains, Adam Silver, Creation, Boston Court

Rachel Appelbaum, Vonzell Carter, Jenny Greer, Jeffrey Johnson, Liam Springthorpe, Eternal Thou; Atwater Village Theatre

John Cragen, Keelia Flynn, Chet Grissom, Melissa Kite, Lyn Mahler, Leon Russom, Elizabeth Sampson, Judith Scarpone, Bernie Zilinskas, That Good Night, Road Theatre Company

Mandela Bellamy, Fran de Leon, Ramon de Ocampo, Nicholas Downs, TeJay McGrath, Tobit Raphael, Eric Schulman, Matthew Thompson, The Girl Most Likely To, Playwrights’ Arena

John Billingsley, Alan Brooks, Joe Fria, Megan Goodchild, Sara Hennessy, Shannon Holt, Adam Hunter, Dana Kelly, Jacob Sidney, Eileen T’Kaye, The Government Inspector, Boston Court and the Furious Theatre Company

Jon Collin Barclay, Daniel Escobar, Ruben Gomes, Nasser Khan, Peter Lewis, Jeff Lorch, Matt Marquez, Nicole Stuart, Modigliani, Open Fist

Michael Stewart Allen, Danny Beiruti, Brooks Brantly, Laurabeth Breya, Brian Robert Burns, Jason Alan Carvell, Todd Cerveris, Michael Wyatt Cox, Grayson DeJesus, Catherine Gowl, Aaron Haskell, Mike Heslin, Jon Hoche, Mat Hostetler, Chad Jennings, Brian Keane, Nathan Koci, Jessica Krueger, Nick LaMedica, Rob Laqui, Megan Loomis, Jason Loughlin, Christopher Mai, Gregory Manley, Andrew May, John Milosich, Alex Morf, Patrick Osteen, Angela Reed, Jon Riddleberger, Lavita Shaurice, Derek Stratton, Andrew Veenstra, Danny Yoerges, War Horse, CTG, Ahmanson Theatre

Ashanti Brown, Elyse Dinh, Peter MacKenzie, Will McFadden, Meshach Taylor, Keliher Walsh, Year of the Rabbit, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA

 

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MUSICAL

Stephen Bienskie, Kathy Deitch, Davis Gaines, Jeff Hiller, John Kassir, Christine Lakin, LaToya London, Melissa Sandvig, Jeff Skowron, Karl Warden, SILENCE! The Musical, Hayworth Theatre 

Jon Bass, Jacob ben Widmar, Colin Bradbury, Josh Breckenridge, JR Bruno, Michael Buchanan, Gavin Creel, Jonathan Cullen, Bobby Daye, Talitha Farrow, Jared Gertner, Phyre Hawkins, Grey Henson, Carole Denise Jones, Mykal Kilgore, Daniel LeClaire, Antyon Le Monte, Douglas Lyons, Kevin Mambo, Kimberly Marable, Mike McGowan, Laiona Michelle, Kevin Michael Murphy, Michael Schwitter, Jeffrey David Sears, Marisha Wallace, Samantha Marie Ware, Bud Weber, Christian Dante White, Jamaal Wilson, Derrick Williams; The Book of Mormon, Pantages

 

NEW DISCOVERY 2012

Ty Forhan, Billy Elliot, Pantages Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Cameron Clifford, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Owen Teague, The Full Monty, Third Street Theatre

 

BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE

John Hurt, Krapp’s Last Tape, Center Theatre Group, Kirk Douglas Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Judy Jean Berns, The Year of Magical Thinking, Elephant Stage; John DiFusco, The Long Way Home, USVAA and Rogue Machine; Mona Golabek, The Pianist of Willesden Lane, Geffen; Deven Simonson, Live Theatre Blog: Milk From Stone, Coeurage Theatre

 

BEST CABARET PERFORMANCE

Sandra Bernhard, Sandrology, REDCAT

BEST PLAYWRIGHT

Michael Elyanow, The Children, Boston Court Performing Arts Center

RUNNERS-UP: Jon Robin Baitz, Other Desert Cities, Taper; Patricia Cotter and David Elzer, Justin Love, Celebration; Eric Czuleger, Live Theatre Blog: Milk from Stone, Coeurage Theatre; Andrew Dolan, That Good Night, Road; Jordi Galceran Ferrer, The Grönholm Method, Falcon; Athol Fugard, The Blue Iris, Fountain; Alex Goldberg, It Is Done, Pig ‘N Whistle Restaurant; Christy Hall, To Quiet the Quiet, Elephant Stages; Samuel D. Hunter, A Bright New Boise, Rogue Machine; Wendy Johnson, Concealing Judy Holliday, PRT; John Logan, Red, Taper; David Mamet, November, Taper; Colin Mitchell, Mission to Mate, Hollywood Fringe; Joe Morogiello, Blame It On Beckett, Colony; Henry Murray, Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon, Pantages; Michael Premsrirat, The Girl Most Likely To, Playwrights’ Arena; Kathryn Walat, Creation, Boston Court; Keliher Walsh, Year of the Rabbit, EST/LA

 

BEST ADAPTATION OR TRANSLATION

Oded Gross, The Government Inspector, Boston Court / Furious Theatre Company

RUNNERS-UP: Hunter Bell, SILENCE! The Musical, Hayworth; Hershey Felder, The Pianist of Willesden Lane, Geffen; Anne Garcia-Romero and Mark St. Germain, The Grönholm Method, Falcon; Lee Hall, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Tony Kushner, The Illusion, A Noise Within; Stephen Sachs, Cyrano, Fountain Theatre/Deaf West; Nick Stafford, War Horse, Ahmanson

 

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY

Michael Arabian, Waiting for Godot, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

RUNNERS-UP: Gigi Birmingham, You Can’t Take It With You, Antaeus; Barbara Bain, To Quiet the Quiet, Elephant Stages; Andrew Barnicle, Blame It On Beckett, Colony; Andrew Barnicle, The Irish Curse, Odyssey; Michael Colgan, Krapp’s Last Tape, Douglas; Bart DeLorenzo, Coney Island Christmas, Geffen; John Doyle, The Exorcist, Geffen; James Eckhouse, Year of the Rabbit, EST/LA; Marianne Elliott, Tom Morris, and Bijan Sheibani in association with Toby Sedgwick, Adrian Kohler, and Basil Jones for Handspring Puppet Company, War Horse, Ahmanson; Hershey Felder, The Pianist of Willesden Lane, Geffen; John Perrin Flynn, Brett Aune and Hollace Starr, Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; Michael Grandage, Red, Taper; John Hindman, Brilliant Traces, Lounge 2; Bjorn Johnson, Modigliani, Open Fist; Jessica Kubzansky, The Children, Boston Court/Furious; Simon Levy, Cyrano, Fountain/Deaf West; BT McNicholl, The Grönholm Method, Falcon; Michael Michetti, Creation, Boston Court; Stefan Novinski, The Government Inspector, Boston Court/Furious Theatre; Jon Lawrence Rivera, The Girl Most Likely To, Playwrights’ Arena; Jamie Robledo, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Scott Alan Smith, That Good Night, Road; Casey Stangl, The Illusion, A Noise Within; Scott Zigler, November, Taper

 

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, Pantages Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Christopher Ashley, Memphis, Pantages; Julianne Donelle, Assassins, Coeurage Theatre Co; Christopher Gattelli, SILENCE! The Musical, Hayworth; John Langs, Bad Apples, Circle X; Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes, Ahmanson; Michael Matthews, Justin Love, Celebration; Casey Nickolaw, The Book of Mormon, Pantages

 

BEST MUSICAL SCORE

Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon, Pantages Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: David Bryan and Joe diPetro, Memphis, Pantages; Berna Ceppas, OVO, Cirque du Soleil; Elton John, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan, SILENCE! The Musical, Hayworth; Bruno Louchourn, Creation, Boston Court; Cole Porter, Anything Goes, Ahmanson; Lori Scarlett and David Manning, Justin Love, Celebration; Stephen Sondheim, Follies, Ahmanson; Adrian Sutton, War Horse, Ahmanson; Beth Thornley and Rob Cairns, Bad Apples, Circle X

 

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

Gregory Nabours, Assassins, Coeurage Theatre Company

RUNNERS-UP: Berna Ceppas, OVO, Cirque du Soleil; Susan Draus, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Alvin Hough Jr., Memphis, Pantages; Cian McCarthy, The Book of Mormon, Pantages; James Moore, Follies, Ahmanson; Gregory Nabours, Justin Love, Celebration; Nate Patten, SILENCE! The Musical, Hayworth; Beth Thornley and Rob Cairns, Bad Apples, Circle X

 

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, Pantages

RUNNERS-UP: Cassandra Daurden, Beth Thornley and Rob Cairns, Bad Apples, Circle X; Christopher Gattelli, SILENCE! The Musical, Hayworth; Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes, Ahmanson; Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon, Pantages; Janet Roston, Justin Love, Celebration; Sergio Trujillo, Memphis, Pantages

BEST SET DESIGN

Donna Marquet, The Government Inspector, Boston Court and the Furious Theatre Company

RUNNERS UP: Tom Buderwitz, You Can’t Take It With You, Antaeus; Gringo Cardia, OVO, Cirque du Soleil; Francois-Pierre Couture, The Children, Boston Court; Francois-Pierre Couture, Creation, Boston Court; Joel Daavid, Deathtrap, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; David Gallo, Memphis, Pantages; Stephen Gifford, Blame It On Beckett, Colony; Stephen Gifford, That Good Night, Road; Takeshi Kata, November, Taper; Takeshi Kata, Other Desert Cities, Taper; Mimi Lien, Elephant Room, Douglas; Jeff McLaughlin, The Blue Iris, Fountain; Ian McNeil, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Keith Mitchell, The Illusion, A Noise Within; Christopher Oram, Red, Taper; Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon, Pantages; Scott Pask, The Exorcist, Geffen; Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; Rae Smith, War Horse, Ahmanson; Thomas A. Walsh, The Irish Curse, Odyssey; Brian Webb, The Grönholm Method, Falcon

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Liz Vandal, OVO, Cirque du Soleil, Santa Monica Pier

RUNNERS-UP: Naila Aladdin Sanders, The Blue Iris, Fountain; Gregg Barnes, Follies, Ahmanson; Kate Bergh, Blame It On Beckett, Colony; Ann Closs-Farley, The Grönholm Method, Falcon; Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Tina Haatainen-Jones, The Government Inspector, Boston Court/Furious; Allison Leach, Beautified, Katselas at the Skylight; Jessica Olson, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Mary Jane Miller, That Good Night, Road; Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes, Ahmanson; Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon, Pantages; Naila Aladdin Sanders, Justin Love, Celebration; A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, You Can’t Take It With You, Antaeus; Rae Smith, War Horse, Ahmanson; Paul Tazewell, Memphis, Pantages; Christal Weatherly, Elephant Room, Douglas

 

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Neil Austin, Red, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

RUNNERS-UP: Leigh Allen, Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; Howell Binkley, Memphis, Pantages; Paule Constable and Karen Spahn, War Horse, Ahmanson; Jane Cox, The Exorcist, Geffen Playhouse; Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Brian Gale, Waiting for Godot, Taper; Andrew J. Hungerford, Creation, Boston Court; Natasha Katz, Follies, Ahmanson; Christopher Kuhl, Elephant Room, Douglas; Brian McDevitt, The Book of Mormon, Pantages; Luke Moyer, Deathtrap, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Jeremy Pivnik, That Good Night, Road; Matt Richter, Expecting to Fly, Elephant; Jaymi Lee Smith, The Children, Boston Court; Dan Weingarten, A Little Night Music, East West Players; Steven Young, The Government Inspector, Boston Court/Furious

 

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Dan Moses Schreier, The Exorcist, Geffen Playhouse

RUNNERS-UP: Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, Pantages; Peter Bayne, The Blue Iris, Fountain; Martin Carrillo, Beautified, Katselas at the Skylight; Eric Carstensen, The Pianist of Willesden Lane, Geffen; Adam Cork, Red, Taper; Drew Dalzell, Blame It On Beckett, Colony; Drew Dalzell, Dames at Sea, Colony; Kai Harada, Follies, Ahmanson; Nick Kourtides, Elephant Room, Douglas; David B. Marling, That Good Night, Road; Christopher Moscatiello, Three Views of the Same Object, Rogue Machine; Cricket S. Myer, Modigliani, Open Fist; Adam Phalen, Other Desert Cities, Taper; Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon, Pantages; Ken Sawyer, Deathtrap, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; Christopher Shutt and John Owens, War Horse, Ahmanson; Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski, Year of the Rabbit, EST/LA;  Ken Travis, Memphis, Pantages

BEST STUNT / FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY

Andrew Amani, Stoneface, Sacred Fools Theatre Company

 

BEST CGI / VIDEO DESIGN

59 Productions, War Horse, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Adam Flemming, Creation, Boston Court; Adam Flemming, Eternal Thou, Atwater Village Theatre; Ben Rock and Anthony Backman, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Jeffrey Elias Teeter, Cyrano, Fountain/Deaf West; Jason H. Thompson, Justin Love, Celebration

 

SPECIAL EVENTS and PERFORMANCES

Derek DelGaudio and Helder Guimaraes, Nothing to Hide, Geffen Playhouse

Four Clowns, That Beautiful Laugh, Hollywood Fringe Festival at the Open Fist Theatre

OVO, Cirque du Soleil, Santa Monica Pier

 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS

David Brian Brown, Hair and Wig Design, Follies, Ahmanson; Misty Carlisle, Prop Design, The Blue Iris, Fountain; Susan Gratch, Puppet Design, The Children, Boston Court; Heather Ho, Prop Design, Stoneface, Sacred Fools; Heather Ho, Prop Design, You Can’t Take It With You, Antaeus; Geneva Lewis, Violinist, The Morini Strad, Colony; Michael Milton, Best Ass, Anything Goes, Ahmanson

TRAVIS’ ANNUAL QUOTE OF THE YEAR

Okay, granted, our housekeeper John was on his knees cleaning the bathroom when this conversation happened, but still, ya’ gotta love it. He tells me I look tired, to which I respond I’ve been working a lot of hours. “Working?” he says. “I didn’t know you were working.” Yes, I remind him, “Don’t you remember? You know I’ve been teaching since January of 2011, don’t you?” In all seriousness, he says: “Oh, teaching... I thought you said you were working.”

It continued: “So, you don’t think teaching is work?” I ask. He thinks about it a minute. “I guess so. It’s, like, kinda mental stress, huh?”