Wednesday, November 19, 1997
Ovation awards praise best shows in theater
HONOR:
L.A. ceremony lauds alumni; ‘Ragtime’ sweeps up eight titlesBy
Cheryl Klein
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The stage was void of lavish backdrops and belting chorus lines
Monday night at the Shubert Theatre. Two silhouetted staircases and
a clock replicating the one at Ellis Island were the only reminders
of the musical that’s been the proud and syncopated heartbeat of
Los Angeles theater since June.
But "Ragtime’s" grand aura still echoed through the aisles, no
doubt aided by a whopping eight Ovation awards, including best
musical (larger theater). With something of a home court advantage,
"Ragtime," boasting 16 nominations, was clearly the darling of the
fourth annual Theatre Los Angeles Ovation Awards.
But Livent Inc.’s epic musical refused to upstage anyone.
Rather, the thespians, fans and critics who filled the Shubert with
uninhibited applause and laughter created an intimately supportive
vibe not known to the more highly publicized Oscar and Tony
ceremonies.
UCLA brought the 250-venue Los Angeles theater scene even closer
to home, with several Bruin nominees and a James A. Doolittle Award
for Leadership in Los Angeles Theatre presented to School of
Theater, Film and Television head Gil Cates.
With parallel large and small theater divisions in nearly every
category, "Ragtime’s" counterpart seemed to be the Actors’ Gang’s
"Euphoria." Founded in the 1980s by Tim Robbins and fellow UCLA
classmates, the Gang not only went home with awards for best
musical (smaller theater) and best sound design (smaller theater),
but seemed to have the largest cheering section in the house.
The Ovations undoubtedly bestowed equal euphoria upon the
Ahmanson’s "The Heiress" and the Stella Adler Theatre’s "A
Midsummer Night’s Dream," the two champions for best play. While
"Ragtime’s" Marcia Mitzman Gaven and UCLA alumnus Judy Kaye were
deemed best lead actress and best featured actress in a musical,
respectively, the best actor winners reminded theatergoers of the
other full scale period musical of the season. Ned Beatty and
Michel Bell were both honored for their rich revivals of classic
characters in the national tour of "Show Boat."
Touring is a harsh reality of life upon the wicked stage and if
anything dampened the spirit of the evening, it was the rampant
occurrence of awards being received in absentia. The conspicuous
number of winners who had just left for New York or other
theatrical meccas prompted musical theater legend Stephen Sondheim
to say, "I’m here to accept this award on behalf of Stephen
Sondheim" as he accepted a lifetime achievement award after four
singers staged a medley of love songs from "Into the Woods,"
"Company" and "A Little Night Music," among others.
"It’s spooky to get a lifetime achievement award when you’re
still around and still writing, which I am," Sondheim said, evoking
thunderous applause.
The prestigious gaggle of lively and relaxed presenters stepped
in and filled any void absentee recipients may have left. Veteran
theater actors John Rubinstein (another UCLA alumnus) and Joanna
Gleason hosted the event, supported by the likes of Debbie Allen,
Danny Glover, Rita Moreno and Garry Marshall. Jerry Stiller and
Anne Meara provided dowdy and universal humor, while other
presenters contributed to the insider-feel of the evening by
alluding to current productions.
"Rent" cast members Julia Santana and Mark Leroy Jackson joked
about cross-dressing, while presenter Fred Savage got laughs when
he suggested launching his own version of the Bohemian musical. "If
Doogie Howser can do it, why can’t I?" quipped the former child
actor.
Certainly, the Ovation creative team found innovative ways to
conquer potentially dull portions of the evening. The cast of the
Canon Theater’s "Forever Plaid" (which garnered an Ovation for best
ensemble performance) sang the rules and judging criteria in
traditional barbershop quartet style. Most recipients kept their
acceptance speeches short and sweet, leaving the performing to the
scheduled acts, though Bruce Vilanch did make the point of taking
out a full page ad in the program reading, "Gil  Try and keep
it under 30 seconds."
Cates didn’t quite make it, but he did have plenty to say about
the lack of government arts funding and intolerant or impatient
media members who don’t see the big picture surrounding theater.
Yet he insisted that "tonight we’re a family," a theme that many
speakers seemed to reiterate through out the ceremony.
Sondheim also commended Los Angeles on its sense of community.
"I wish we had it in New York," he said.
So while the Tonys may get the TV coverage and East Coast glitz,
the bare stage that housed the Ovation awards reminded Los Angeles
why it is indeed a theater town.