THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE! Winners of the St. Louis theater scene 2006
by Jim Campbell
12-22-2006

With a staggering number of active theater companies staging innovative and entertaining productions, St. Louis is quickly becoming a theatrical powerhouse. Not only do we have a thriving theater scene, we even have our very own awards ceremony with the very successful kickoff of the Kevin Kline Awards. While I am no Kevin Kline, I must say that my performances as A-Rab in “West Side Story” and the tile role in “The Fall of Solomon Slime” garnered me critical acclaim while I attended Riverview Gardens Senior High.

Keeping that in mind, I wanted to stage my own virtual “awards ceremony” by honoring those performances I witnessed while covering the local theater scene in 2006. Please know that there were no submission forms, no panel of judges and no way to bribe the judge (me). The “winners” of the first annual Jimmie awards are those performers/theater companies that impressed me — and me alone — with their outstanding work.

Best Female Actor in a Leading Role

• Winner(s): Jayne Paterson as Sally Bowles (“Cabaret”) - TIE
  Zoe Vonder Haar as Penelope Pennywise (“Urinetown”) – TIE
• Runner-up: Meghan Maguire as Cassie (“Bold Girls”)
• Honorable Mention: Anita Jackson as Caroline Thibodeaux (“Caroline, Or Change”)

This category was particularly hard to judge — there were so many outstanding performances to choose from. Paterson and Vonder Haar both gave very impressive performances, making it impossible for me to choose between these two talented actors.

Best Male Actor in a Leading Role

• Winner: Ben Nordstrom as Bobby Strong (“Urinetown”)
• Runner-up: Todd Schaefer as Edgar (“Bat Boy”),
  Steve Isom as Officer Lockstock (“Urinetown”)
• Honorable Mention: B. Weller (“Polish Joke”)

Todd Schaefer and Steve Isom both turned in outstanding roles in their respective productions, but Ben Nordstrom walks away with the win. Nordstrom has a fresh face and loads of talent making him the “it” actor of the local theater scene.

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• Winner: Denise Thimes as Dotty Moffett (“Caroline, Or Change”)
• Runner-up: Lavonne Byers (“Polish Joke”),
  Amy Goldberger as Little Becky Two Shoes (“Urinetown”)
• Honorable Mention: Kari Ely as Fraulein Kost (“Cabaret”)

The Black Rep’s production of “Caroline, Or Change” was sensational thanks in part to Thimes nailing down her supporting role. Thimes is one of those rare actresses who can give her role a healthy dose of charm, attitude and talent all at the same time. Byers and Goldberger both turned in stellar performances, but Thimes always manages to give her performance just a tad bit more sizzle.

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role

While St. Louis has many talented actors, there were no supporting roles that I felt stood out enough to be in this category.

Best Director

• Gary F. Bell: Stray Dog Theatre
• Runner-up: Michael Hamilton, Stages St. Louis
• Honorable Mention: Ron Himes, The Black Rep

Bell consistently impresses me with his choice of productions. His ability to pick plays that are neither too obscure nor too mainstream made me award him in this category. No matter if Bell stages a heavy drama (“The Elephant Man”) or a political comedy (“Tartuffe”), he manages to create compelling theater. Hamilton gave Bell a run for his money with top notch productions of “Cabaret” and “Meet Me In St. Louis.”

Himes rounds out the group of talented directors earning an honorable mention due to his ability to stage enjoyable musicals and introspective dramas.

Best Overall Production

• Winner: “Urinetown” – The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Runner-up: “Cabaret” – Stages St. Louis
• Honorable Mentions: “Polish Joke” – Hot City Theatre
  “Sordid Lives” – Del Shores National Tour

Firing on all cylinders, “Urinetown” earned the top spot in this category. Chock full of top notch performances and wonderful dance numbers, this musical was one not to be missed. Coming in a very close second was Stages St. Louis’ production of “Cabaret.” Both shows had several of the same elements: impressive vocal performances, sharp dance sequences and a high level of professionalism.

“Polish Joke” was my surprise of the season showcasing several local actors’ ability to seamlessly shift from one character into another.

Best Celebrity Performance

• Winner: Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy (“Sordid Lives”)
• Runner-up: Jim J. Bullock as Wilbur Turnblad (“Hairspray”)
• Honorable Mention: Valerie Harper as Golda Meir (“Golda’s Balcony”)

St. Louis was very blessed to have several bona fide celebrities blow through our fine city. Jordan has always been on of my favorite character actors and he didn’t disappoint in reprising his role as Brother Boy in Del Shores’ “Sordid Lives.”

Bullock was charming in his role as Wilbur Turnblad in “Hairspray” as was Harper in her demanding role as Golda Meir. All three thespians should be commended, but Jordan impressed me the most by giving a flawless performance.

Most Fabulous Show at The Fabulous Fox

• Winner: “Spamalot”
• Runner-up: “Les Miserables”
• Honorable Mention: “Hairspray”

By bringing in nationally touring shows, the theater gives St. Louis a taste of Broadway. “Spamalot” was everything I expected it to be and more. “Les Miserables” is always a joy to watch, but hearing Randal Keith belt out “Bring Him Home” was almost too much. With the current political climate, Keith’s emotional vocal performance touched so many people in the crowd it was hard for me to find a dry eye in the house.

Theater with Most Comfortable Seating

• Winner: Stages St. Louis
• Runner-up: The Repertory Theatre, Mainstage
• Honorable Mention: Fox Theatre

A silly award I know, but Stages St. Louis’ seats are truly the most comfortable. As a reviewer, my posterior is truly appreciative of any theater that realizes how crucial comfortable seating can be. The Rep’s seats are also plush and comfy as are those found in Fox’s auditorium. Thanks to all of you.

Kudos Awards

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis: Special kudos goes to The Rep for paying attention to the small details. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the fact that they post the running times of each act in the hallways leading to the theater.

The Orange Girls: The Orange Girls gets a special thank you for not being afraid. As a newer theater company, it would be easy for them to take the easy way out and put on standard crowd pleasing productions. But these girls took a risk by staging intense dramas which paid off in droves as the accolades and crowds keep coming. This is one theater company to watch out for

The Muny: Special thanks go to The Muny for just being The Muny. A St. Louis institution, The Muny has consistently pleased summertime crowds with their highly professional productions.

Congratulations to the winners and bravo to the plethora of other performers/theater companies that made me laugh, cry and enjoy local theater.

In case you’re craving more theater awards, tune your dials to 90.7 FM on Jan. 19. On “Cityscape” — which airs on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Steve Isom will announce the official nominees for the 2nd Annual Kevin Kline Awards.

You can e-mail Jim Campbell at Jcampbell@thevitalvoice.com.

LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES