JAGGLED LITTLE PILL, MOULIN ROUGE And More Winners Announced For the 23rd Annual IRNE Awards; Danny Burstein, Lauren Patten and More!
By: Alan Henry Apr. 09, 2019
Global Creatures' Broadway-bound Moulin Rouge and the Huntington Theatre Company's production of Man in the Ring were the big winners at the 23rd Annual IRNE Awards, as the two productions garnered a dozen awards between them. Moulin Rouge took home seven awards, including Best Musical, New Musical and Director in the Large Stage category, and Man in the Ring was honored with five, including the Best Play, Director, and Actor awards. Moonbox Productions' Cabaret earned a half-dozen awards, including Best Musical, and Best Director and Choreography awards for its director, Rachel Bertone. Lauren Patten of JAGGED LITTLE PILL took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for a Large Company.
The Huntington Theatre led all companies with 10 awards, including Best Actor (Man in the Ring, John Douglas Thompson), Best Actress (Lisa Banes, The Niceties), and Best Solo Performance, (Haneefah Wood, Bad Dates). Moulin Rouge took home seven awards, including the lion's share of the creative awards (Set, Sound, and Costume Design), and Ogunquit Playhouse' An American in Paris made a strong showing with Best Director and Choreography awards for its director, Jeffry Denman, and Best Actress - Musical for Julie Eicher.
Speakeasy Stage led all Small Stage companies with nine awards, including five for Between Riverside and Crazy, including Best Director for Tiffany Nichole Greene, Best Actor for Tyrees Allen, and Best Supporting Actress for Celeste Oliva. The Best Actress award went to Jennifer Ellis for Shakespeare In Love, also a Speakeasy Production. Gloucester Stage Company earned a single win, but it was a significant one, as they took home the award for Dancing at Lughnasa. Eddy Cavazos won for Best Actor - Musical for Lyric Stage's production of Kiss of the Spider Woman.
The evening was a bittersweet one for Artistic Director David Miller of Zeitgeist Stage, which will be ceasing operations at the end of this season. The company earned Best Play and Best Director (Miller) awards for Love! Valour! Compassion! in the Fringe category, and Dave Anderson won Best Actor for his work in the production. Christine Power was awarded the Best Actress honor for her work in Flat Earth's Delicate Particle Logic.
The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards was founded by Beverly Creasey of the Journal Newspapers and Larry Stark of TheaterMirror in 1995. Each year the IRNE Awards recognize the extraordinary wealth of talent in the Boston theatre community - from fringe companies to large scale visiting productions. IRNE Awards are presented to actors, directors, choreographers, design disciplines, and theater companies in 54 categories across the full spectrum of large, mid-size and small/fringe theater companies that comprise Boston's theater scene.
IRNE Reviewers include Sheila Barth (Independent Newspaper Group, Jewish Journal, Jules Becker (Jewish Advocate, Bay Windows, Boston Theater Wings), Michael Cox (Independent), Jack Craib (South Shore Critic), Beverly Creasey (Boston Arts Review), Rich Fahey (On Boston Stages), Guy Giampapa (Preview), Nancy Grossman (Broadway World, Talkin' Broadway), Mike Hoban (Theater Mirror), Robert Israel (The Arts Fuse), Michele Markarian Theater Mirror, Susan Mulford, Boston & Beyond. Charles Munitz (Boston Arts Diary) R. Scott Reedy (MetroWest Daily News) and Larry Stark (Theater Mirror).
2019 IRNE WINNERS
Best New Play (small)
Ripe Frenzy
Jennifer Barclay
New Repertory Theatre/ Boston Center for American Performance
New Play (large)
The Niceties
New Musical (large)
Moulin Rouge!
Emerson Colonial Theatre
Best Young Performer (small)
Marissa Simeqi
Fun Home
SpeakEasy Stage
Best Young Performer (large)
Jake Ryan Flynn
Peter Pan
North Shore Music Theatre
Visiting Production (large)
Hamilton
Broadway in Boston
Visiting Actor (large)
Hamnet
ArtsEmerson
Visiting Actress (larhe)
Hamilton
Broadway in Boston
Best Sound Design (small)
Frankenstein
The Nora Theatre & Underground Railway Theater
Sound Design (large)
Moulin Rouge!
Global Creatures, Emerson Colonial Theatre
Best Set Design (small)
Eric D. Diaz
Between Riverside and Crazy
SpeakEasy Stage
Set Design (large)
Derek McLane
Moulin Rouge!
Global Creatures, Emerson Colonial Theatre
Best Supporting Actress (play - fringe)
Kerline Desir
For Colored Girls
Praxis Stage
Supporting Actress (play - midsize)
Celeste Oliva
Between Riverside and Crazy
SpeakEasy Stage
Supporting Actress (play - large)
Skeleton Crew
Best Supporting Actress (musical - small)
Yewande Odetoyinbo
Breath & Imagination
Lyric Stage/Front Porch Arts Collective
Supporting Actress (musical - large)
Jagged Little Pill
American Repertory Theatre
Best Supporting Actor (play- fringe)
Bob Mussett
The Nether
Flat Earth Theatre
Best Supporting Actor (play - small)
Alejandro Simoes
Between Riverside and Crazy
SpeakEasy Stage
Supporting Actor (play - large)
Man in the Ring
Best Supporting Actor (musical - small)
Nick Dussault
Wig Out
Company One & A.R.T.
Supporting Actor-Musical (large)
Moulin Rouge!
Global Creatures, Emerson Colonial Theatre
Best Lighting Design (small)
Jeff Adelberg
Frankenstein
Nora Theatre & Underground Railway Theater
Lighting Design (large)
Man In The Ring
Best Projection Design (small)
Johnathan Carr
Kiss of the Spiderwoman
Projection Design (large)
Man In The Ring
Best Solo Performance (small)
Every Brilliant Thing
SpeakEasy Stage
Solo Performance (large)
Bad Dates
Ensemble (small)
Fun Home
Speakeasy Stage
Ensemble (large)
Born for This
ArtsEmerson
Choreography
Cabaret
Moonbox Productions
Choreography (large)
An American in Paris
Ogunquit Playhouse
Best Actor (play - fringe)
Love! Valour! Compassion!
Zeitgeist Stage
Best Actor (play - midsize)
Between Riverside and Crazy
SpeakEasy Stage
Actor (play - large)
Man In the Ring
Best Actor (musical - small)
Eddie Cavazos
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Actor (musical - large)
Davóne Tines
The Black Clown
American Repertory Theatre
Best Actress (plau - fringe)
Christine Power
Delicate Particle Logic
Flat Earth
Best Actress (play - midsize)
Shakespeare In Love
SpeakEasy Stage
Actress (play - large)
The Niceties
Best Actress (musical - small)
Cabaret
Moonbox Productions
Actress (musical - large)
An American In Paris
Ogunquit Playhouse
Best Costume Design (small)
Marian Bertone
Cabaret
Moonbox Productions
Costume Design (large)
Moulin Rouge!
Global Creatures, Emerson Colonial Theatre
Music Director (small)
Cabaret
Moonbox Productions
Music Director (large)
Moulin Rouge!
Global Creatures, Emerson Colonial Theatre
Best Director (play - fringe)
Love! Valour! Compassion!
Zeitgeist Stage
Best Director (play - midsize)
Between Riverside and Crazy
Speakeasy Stage
Director (play - large)
Man In the Ring
Huntington Theatre Company
Best Director (musical - small)
Cabaret
Moonbox Productions
Director (musical - large)
An American In Paris
Ogunquit Playhouse
Play (fringe)
Love! Valour! Compassion!
Zeitgeist Stage
Play (midsize)
Dancing at Lughnasa
Gloucester Stage
Play (large)
Man In the Ring
Best Musical (small)
Cabaret
Moonbox Productions
Musical (large)
Moulin Rouge!
Global Creatures, Emerson Colonial Theatre
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