Aurora Theatre’s staging of the epic musical “Les Miserables” was the big winner at Monday night’s ninth annual Suzi Bass Awards. The ceremony recognized outstanding achievements among 21 participating metro Atlanta theater companies during the 2012-13 season.
In addition to taking top honors as the best production of a musical, “Les Miserables” also nabbed trophies for director Justin Anderson, featured actress Leslie Bellair, scenic designer Phillip Male and music director Ann-Carol Pence.
Faring best in the nonmusical categories was Horizon Theatre’s “Time Stands Still,” about a battle-scarred war photographer. The drama earned three Suzis: best production of a play, best lead actress for Carolyn Cook and best scenic design for sisters Isabel A. and Moriah Curley-Clay.
Other acting winners in a play were Allen Edwards (lead actor for Serenbe Playhouse’s “A Walk in the Woods”), Bernardine Mitchell (featured actress for Horizon’s “Every Tongue Confess”) and J.C. Long (featured actor for Atlanta Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”). The cast of Theatrical Outfit’s “Fly” won for best ensemble.
Of course, as with any award show, some favorites among avid theatergoers in attendance may have gone home empty-handed.
If, for example, you prefer plays to musicals, you might have wondered why the ceremony was so decidedly skewed in the other direction. There were video presentations featuring clips or photo montages from all of the shows nominated for best musical production — and highlights of songs performed by the lead actor and actress nominees — while no such attention was given to the nominated plays or nonsinging performances.
In the spirit of celebrating Atlanta theater and the artists who create it, it’s all good. You don’t necessarily need to have even seen Aurora’s “Les Miserables” to be genuinely happy for its winners. But is it too much to ask why the show was eligible at all as a 2012-13 production, when in fact it opened Aurora’s 2013-14 season?
It’s because the Suzi eligibility deadline extends through the end of July and Aurora opened the show before then and ahead of schedule (the new season traditionally starts in August). Still, common sense might have persuaded the Suzi judges to make an exception to their bylaws and consider the show for next year’s awards instead.
Chalk it up to growing pains. The Suzis are young. It’s too soon to know what lasting impact there is on the careers of the winners, or whether the awards really mean anything at all — besides, that is, a good excuse for the local theater community to give itself a well-deserved pat on the back.
Among the musical performances cited: Catherine Porter (lead actress for the Alliance Theatre’s “Next to Normal”), Craig Waldrip and Bryant Smith (lead and featured actor for Actor’s Express’ “Kiss of the Spider Woman”) and Adrienne Reynolds (who tied with Bellair as featured actress for True Colors Theatre’s “Shakin’ the Rafters”). The ensemble award went to the cast of the Center for Puppetry Arts’ “The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast.”
Both “Fly” and “The Ghastly Dreadfuls” won second awards. Patdro Harris was named best director of a play for the former, while Liz Lee won for her lighting design of the latter musical. Lee also took home the prize for lighting design of a play for the Alliance’s “The Whipping Man.”
Winners in other technical categories included Amanda McGee (costume design of a musical for Legacy Theatre’s “Tarzan”), Jamie Bullins and Linda Patterson (who tied for costume design of a play for “Tales of Edgar Allan Poe” at the Center for Puppetry Arts and for Georgia Ensemble’s “Swell Party,” respectively), sound designers Bobby Johnston (for the Serenbe Playhouse musical “Hair”) and Laura Cole (for the Shakespeare Tavern play “The Tempest”), and choreographer Rafael Amargo (for the Alliance’s “Zorro”).
Actor’s Express’ “Wolves” (by former Atlantan Steve Yockey) was tapped as best world-premiere production and the Gene-Gabriel Moore Award for best local playwright went to Topher Payne (for 7 Stages’ “Angry Fags”).
Recently retired 7 Stages co-founders Del Hamilton and Faye Allen, whose careers in Atlanta span four decades, received a special Lifetime Achievement Award. Betty Mitchell won the 2013 Volunteer Award for her work with Synchronicity Theatre.
A new category this year honoring youth productions singled out “Unnecessary Monsters” at Aurora. The Lawrenceville company also grabbed the buy-your-own-Suzi award — aka the Audience Choice Award, which allows patrons to pay $1 per vote (the proceeds of which are divided between the Suzi organization and the winning theater).
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