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  • The Light in the Piazza and Becky Shaw were this year's big winners at the Barrymore Awards, honoring the best in Philadelphia-area theater. The awards were presented last night at a ceremony at the Walnut Street Theatre.

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    The cast of Becky Shaw accepts the award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Play:
    Brooke Bloom, Jeremy Bobb, Janis Dardaris, Danielle Skraastad

    Piazza, Philadelphia Theatre Company's vivid and thoughtful reinterpretation of the Broadway hit, won seven awards, including Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical, Outstanding Direction of a Musical (for Joe Calarco), and acting awards for Sherri L. Edelen as a possessive Southern mother, Whitney Bashor as her troubled daughter, and Matthew Scott as the young Italian man who comes between them.

    The Wilma Theater's production of Becky Shaw, Gina Gionfriddo's acerbic and perceptive comedy about a blind date gone wrong, won five awards, including Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, Outstanding Direction of a Play (Anne Kaufmann), and acting awards for Outstanding Ensemble in a Play, for Brooke Bloom in the title role, and for Jeremy Bobb as the bitter and sarcastic Max. "It's a lot of fun not to stretch much," Bobb joked as he accepted his award.

    Much of the buzz at the post-ceremony reception was about the Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical Award, which was given to the two-man cast of Act II Playhouse's The Story of My Life, beating out shows with much larger ensembles, including Piazza and Fiddler on the Roof. Story co-star Tony Braithwaite accepted the award on behalf of his co-star Jim Stanek, and joked that Stanek's absence from the ceremony gave Braithwaite "squatter's rights."

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    Mark Jacoby, winner of Outstanding Actor in a Musical, with his
    Fiddler on the Roof co-stars (and fellow nomineeds) Rita Markova and Nick Dalton

    Mark Jacoby, due to return to Broadway soon in Elf, won the Outstanding Leading Actor in a Musical Award for his portrayal of Tevye in the Walnut's Fiddler on the Roof. (Fiddler, which received 13 nominations, also won for Colleen Grady's costumes.) And Peter DeLaurier took home Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play for his work as Kent in King Lear at People's Light & Theatre Company.

    Bruce Graham, who won last year's Barrymore for Outstanding New Play (for his drama Something Intangible), won again this year for his biting comedy Any Given Monday. "Want to hear a good one?" said Graham as he reached the podium. "I just lost twenty bucks. I bet on someone else."

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    Playwright Bruce Graham accepting the award for Outstanding New Play for Any Given Monday

    This year's ceremony introduced the Brown Martin Philadelphia Award, for a production that illustrates "out ability to live together graciously," went to InterAct Theatre Company for Black Pearl Sings! (The award comes with a $25,000 prize.) The F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist (which comes with a $10,000 prize) went to actress, director and choreographer Sarah Sanford. And the Lifetime Achievement Award went to longtime theater benefactors Ted and Stevie Wolf, who received a standing ovation from the crowd.

    Host Fran Prisco, a nominee for his role in the Walnut's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, kept the evening flowing smoothly, and ended the evening by singing a song parody about Philadelphia theater set to the tune of Cole Porter's "I Love Paris."

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    Emcee Fran Prisco

    BM2010_RickWilliams.JPGAction News anchor Rick Williams presenting an award. Williams announced he'll soon be playing Nathan Detroit in a South Jersey community theater production of Guys and Dolls

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    Whitney Bashor, named Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for The Light in the Piazza

    BM2010_Stevens_Eisenhower.JPGNominees Marcus Stevens and Jennie Eisenhower, soon to be seen as co-stars in
    The Last Five Years at The Media Theater

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    Nominee Scott Greer (opening this week in The Threepenny Opera at the Arden Theatre)
    with wife Jennifer Childs (opening this week in 1812 Productions' Why I'm Scared of Dance)

    BM2010_Parker.JPGPresenter Christie Parker, soon to be seen in Theatre Exile's That Pretty Pretty: or, The Rape Play

    Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre

    2010 Award Recipients by Category

    Outstanding Overall Production of a Play

    Becky Shaw - The Wilma Theater

    Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical

    The Light in the Piazza - Philadelphia Theatre Company

    Outstanding Direction of a Play

    Anne Kauffman - Becky Shaw - The Wilma Theater

    Outstanding Direction of a Musical

    Joe Calarco - The Light in the Piazza - Philadelphia Theatre Company

    Outstanding Music Direction

    Eric Ebbenga - The Light in the Piazza - Philadelphia Theatre Company

    Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play

    Jeremy Bobb as Max Garrett - Becky Shaw - The Wilma Theater

    The Charlotte Cushman Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play

    Cheryl Williams as Frances - The Breath of Life - Lantern Theater Company

    Garfield Refining Company Award for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Musical

    Mark Jacoby as Tevye - Fiddler on the Roof - Walnut Street Theatre

    Garfield Refining Company Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical

    Sherri L. Edelen as Margaret Johnson- The Light in the Piazza - Philadelphia Theatre Company

    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play

    Peter DeLaurier as Kent - King Lear - The People's Light & Theatre Company

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play

    Brooke Bloom as Becky Shaw - Becky Shaw - The Wilma Theater

    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical

    Matthew Scott as Fabrizio Naccarelli - The Light in the Piazza - Philadelphia Theatre Company

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical

    Whitney Bashor as Clara Johnson - The Light in the Piazza - Philadelphia Theatre Company

    Outstanding Set Design

    David P. Gordon - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Arden Theatre Company

    PECO Award for Outstanding Lighting Design

    R. Lee Kennedy - The Light in the Piazza - Philadelphia Theatre Company

    Earl Girls Award for Outstanding Costume Design

    Colleen Grady - Fiddler on the Roof - Walnut Street Theatre

    Clear Sound Award for Outstanding Sound Design

    Christopher Colucci - The Long Christmas Ride Home - Azuka Theatre

    Outstanding Original Music

    Christopher Colucci - The Breath of Life - Lantern Theater Company

    Outstanding Choreography/Movement

    John Bellomo & Tony "Hitman" Stetson- The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity - InterAct Theatre Company

    Independence Foundation Award for Outstanding New Play

    Any Given Monday - By Bruce Graham - Act II Playhouse & Theatre Exile

    Outstanding Ensemble in a Play

    Becky Shaw - The Wilma Theater

    Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical

    The Story of My Life - Act II Playhouse

    The Brown Martin Philadelphia Award

    Black Pearl Sings! - InterAct Theatre Company

    The Ted and Stevie Wolf Award for New Approaches to Collaborations

    InterAct Theatre Company & Mural Arts Program - City of Numbers

    Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service Award

    B. Someday Productions - Of Mythic Proportions

    F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist

    Sarah Sanford

    Special Recognition Award

    Pete Pryor

    Lifetime Achievement Award

    Ted & Stevie Wolf

     

    2010 Award Recipients by Production

    7 Awards:

    The Light in the Piazza - Philadelphia Theatre Company

    5 Awards:

    Becky Shaw - The Wilma Theater

    2 Awards:

    The Breath of Life - Lantern Theater Company

    Fiddler on the Roof - Walnut Street Theatre

    1 Award:

    Any Given Monday - Act II Playhouse & Theatre Exile

    Black Pearl Sings! - InterAct Theatre Company

    City of Numbers - InterAct Theatre Company & Mural Arts Program

    If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Arden Theatre Company

    King Lear - The People's Light & Theatre Company

    The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity - InterAct Theatre Company

    The Long Christmas Ride Home - Azuka Theatre

    The Story of My Life - Act II Playhouse



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