Best of Baltimore Theatre 2007: Regional/Resident Theatre

In 2007, the regional/resident theatres in Baltimore played host to dozens of major productions. Those theatres reviewed by Baltimore were: Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, CENTERSTAGE, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Everyman Theatre, Rep Stage, Single Carrot Theatre, Theatre on the Hill, Timonium Dinner Theatre, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore, and Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia. We hope to add even more in 2008!  

The plays under consideration were, alphabetically: Ah, Wilderness!, All's Well That Ends Well, And a Nightingale Sang, Antigone, Arsenic and Old Lace, As You Like It, Bach at Liepzig, The Baltimore Waltz, Betrayal, Desdemona, A Play About a Handkerchief, The Foreigner, The Front Page, Going to St. Ives, Hearts, Help Wanted, Henry V, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, La Muneca, Macbeth, Mrs. Farnsworth, Much Ado About Nothing, Red Light Winter, A Shayna Maidel, Sight Unseen, Things of Dry Hours, The Tragedy of MacBeth, Trouble in Mind, and Two By Pinter: The Collection & The Lover.  The musicals under consideration were, alphabetically: Dreamgirls, Fiddler on the Roof, The Full Monty, George M!, Grease, Holiday Hot Nostalgia, Little Shop of Horrors, Oliver!, The Sound of Music, and Titanic: The Musical.   Plays and musicals were considered separately in all categories.  There is no award for Sound Design of a Musical this year.

 So, how did I get my picks? Throughout the year, as I reviewed each show, I divided the outstanding elements of each show into the appropriate categories, and "graded" them from 0 to 100. I kept nothing that received a score of less than 80. The top scores in each category, except Outstanding Production, were chosen as my "Best of 2007". Outstanding Production was based on the top averages of each show (scores in all other categories were added up and divided by the number of entries per show). The "winners" are arranged alphabetically, not necessarily from top best to lowest best. I selected between 1 and 5 Winners/Honorable Mentions per category, depending on the scores, and numbers of possible winners. For example, there were more possible winners for Outstanding Supporting Actors, so I picked five, while there were many fewer lighting design possibilities, so I picked fewer.  Also, you'll note that there were several "ties".  That only speaks to the quality of this year's productions. 

Again, these are my personal picks for the best of the past year.

2007 Regional/Resident Theatre Production Awards

Winners are in BOLD; the rest are Honorable Mention.  Congratulations to everyone involved on an excellent year of theatre.

Outstanding Production of a Play

• And a Nightingale Sang, Everyman Theatre
• A Shayna Maidel, RepStage
• Antigone, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival
• Red Light Winter, Single Carrot Theatre

Outstanding Production of a Musical

• Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• The Full Monty, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore

Outstanding Solo Performance

• Josh Lefkowitz, Help Wanted, CENTERSTAGE

 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play 

• Jordan Charney (Donald), Hearts, CENTERSTAGE
• Brendan Ragan (Matt), Red Light Winter, Single Carrot Theatre
• Jim Jack (Benedick), Much Ado About Nothing, Everyman Theatre
• Javon Johnson (Harold Loomis), Joe Turner's Come and Gone, CENTERSTAGE

 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical 

• David Bosley-Reynolds (Tevye), Fiddler on the Roof, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore
• David James (Seymour), Little Shop of Horrors, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Lawrence B. Munsey (J. Bruce Ismay), Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia

 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play 

• Beth Hylton (Helen), And a Nightingale Sang, Everyman Theatre
• Giti Lynn (Christina), Red Light Winter, Single Carrot Theatre
• Lee Mikeska Gardner (Lucia), A Shayna Maidel, RepStage

 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical 

• Jessica Ball (Maria), The Sound of Music, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Heather Marie Beck, Little Shop of Horrors, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia

 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play 

• Colby Codding (Dauphin), Henry V, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
• Alexander Strain (Lenck), Bach at Liepzig, RepStage
• Vince Eisenson (LeBeau/Amiens), As You Like It, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
• Garrett Neergaard (Eddie Fenton), Trouble in Mind, CENTERSTAGE
• Michael Sullivan (Pistol), Henry V, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical 

• Daniel McDonald (Dave Bukatinsky), The Full Monty, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore
• Robert Beiderman (Isidor Strauss), Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Adam Grabau (Murdoch), Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Matthew Moore (Roger), Grease, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore

 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play 

• Lindsay Kitt Wiebe (Chorus), Henry V, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
• Rosemary Knower (Mam), And a Nightingale Sang, Everyman Theatre
• Rebecca Ellis (Celia), As You Like It, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
• Ashly Ruth Fishell (Phebe), As You Like It, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical 

• Janine Gulisano-Sunday (Alice Beane), Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Jessica Ball (Kate McGowan), Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Lynn Sharp-Spears (Mother Abbess), The Sound of Music, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Tina DeSimone (Tzeitel), Fiddler on the Roof, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore

 

Outstanding Ensemble Acting in a Play 

• Hearts Company, Hearts, CENTERSTAGE
• Henry V Ensemble, Henry V, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
• Bach at Leipzig Company, Bach at Liepzig, RepStage

 

Outstanding Ensemble Acting in a Musical 

• The Titanic Company, Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• The Von Trapp Children, The Sound of Music, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia

 

Outstanding Direction of a Play 

• Vincent Lancisi, And a Nightingale Sang, Everyman Theatre
• Peg Denithorne, A Shayna Maidel, RepStage
• J. Buck Jabaily, Red Light Winter, Single Carrot Theatre

 

Outstanding Direction of a Musical 

• Larry Munsey, Toby Orenstein, Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Larry Munsey, Toby Orenstein, The Full Monty, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore

 

Outstanding Choreography 

• Ray Hatch and Tina Marie DeSimone, Dreamgirls, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore
• Germaine Salsberg, George M!, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia

 

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play 

• Kimberley Lynne, Antigone, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival
• Daniel Ettinger, Sight Unseen, Everyman Theatre
• Milagros Ponce de Leon, Bach at Liepzig, RepStage

 

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical 

• Dave Eske, Little Shop of Horrors, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Richard Montgomery, Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia

 

Outstanding Costume Design of a Play 

• Kristina Lambdin, As You Like It, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
• Kathleen Geldard, Bach at Liepzig, RepStage
• Clint Ramos, Ah, Wilderness!, CENTERSTAGE

 

Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical 

• Lawrence B. Munsey, George M!, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Lawrence B. Munsey, Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia

 

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play 

• Matthew Frey, Hearts, CENTERSTAGE
• Jason Arnold, A Shayna Maidel, RepStage
• Jay Herzog, Sight Unseen, Everyman Theatre
• Thom Weaver, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, CENTERSTAGE

 

Outstanding Lighting of a Musical 

• Lynn Joslin, Titanic: The Musical, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia
• Lynn Joslin, Dreamgirls, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore

 

Outstanding Sound Design

• John Gromada, Hearts, CENTERSTAGE
• Brian Daniloski, The Tragedy of MacBeth, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival
• Chas Marsh, A Shayna Maidel, RepStage

PHOTOS: Best Play: And a Nightingale Sang, A Shayna Maidel; Best Musical Titanic: The Musical; Best Solo Performance, Help Wanted; Best Actor and Best Actress: Jordan Charney in Hearts and Giti Lynn(center) and Brendan Ragan (right) in Red Light Winter; Best Actor: David Bosley-Reynolds in Fiddler on the Roof; Best Actress: Beth Hylton in And a Nightingale Sang and Lee Mikeska Gardner (right) in A Shayna Maidel; Best Actress: Jessica Ball in The Sound of Music; Best Supporting Actor: Colby Codding and Alexander Strain (seated) in Bach at Liepzig; Best Supporting Actor: Daniel McDonald (right) in The Full Monty; Best Supporting Actress: Rosemary Knower in And A Nightingale Sang; Best Supporting Actress: Janine-Gulisano-Sunday (right) in Titanic: The Musical; The Cast of Hearts; The Cast of Titanic: The Musical; Best Choreography: Dreamgirls; Best Scenic Design: Little Shop of Horrors; Best Costume Design: As You Like It; Best Lighting: Hearts and Titanic: The Musical.  Photos from Everyman Theatre and Rep Stage by Stan Baroh; photos from Toby's Dinner Theatres by Kirstine Chistiansen; Photos from Single Carrot Theatre by J. Buck Jabaily; Photos from CENTERSTAGE by Richard Anderson; Photos from Chesapeake Shakespeare Company courtesy of CSC; photo of Colby Codding courtesy of Mr. Codding.

 

Comments? Email me at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com .

 

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