CLEVELAND CRITICS CIRCLE 2016 THEATER AWARDS

The Cleveland Critics Circle each year honors local theaters, performances, performers and technicians of plays staged by Cleveland area professional theaters during the January 1-December 31 year.

Awards Committee: Bob Abelman, Roy Berko, Kerry Clawson, Mark Horning, Christine Howey, David Ritchey and Andrea Simakis.  Participation in these awards does not preclude individual critics from preparing their own recognitions.

Those recognized for Superior Achievement are listed alphabetically, not by order of achievement.

Best Musical Production: My Fair Lady, Great Lakes Theater

Superior Achievement:

            Billy Elliot, Beck Center

            Blues in the Night, Karamu

            Footloose, Porthouse

            Ruthless!, Beck Center

            The Fantasticks, Great Lakes Theater

            The Little Mermaid, Beck Center

Best Non-Musical Production: An Octoroon, Dobama Theatre

Superior Achievement:

            All the Way, Cleveland Play House

            Annapurna, none-too-fragile

            Landford Wilson’s Take Five, Cesear’s Forum

            Lines in the Dust, Cleveland Public Theatre

            Love’s Labours Lost, Great Lakes Theater

            Mr. Wolff, Cleveland Play House

            Sans Merci, none-too-fragile

            The Beauty Queen of Leenane, none-too-fragile

            The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Ensemble Theatre

Best Actor – Musical:  Ellis C. Dawson III, In the Heights, Beck Center

Superior Achievement:

Alan O’Reilly, Billy Elliot, Beck Center

            Ari Butler, Little Shop of Horrors, Cleveland Play House

            Colton Ryan, My Fair Lady, Great Lakes Theater

            Devon Turchan, Cabaret, Blank Canvas

            Marcus Martin, Aida, Rubber City Shakespeare

            Matthew Wright, Ruthless!, Beck Center

            Reggie Kelly, Blues in the Night, Karamu

            Tom Ford, My Fair Lady, Great Lakes Theater

Best Actor – Non-Musical: Jeff Grover, Annapurna, none-too-fragile

Superior Achievement:

            Benjamin Gregorio, Pure Shock Value, none-too-fragile

            Geoff Knox, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Ensemble Theatre

            Michael Mauldin, Margin of Error, Ensemble Theatre

            Sean Hudock, Sex with Strangers, Cleveland Play House

            Steve Vinovich, All the Way, Cleveland Play House

Best Actress – Musical:  Katherine DeBoer, Billy Elliot, Beck Center

Superior Achievement:

            Colleen Longshaw, Sister Act, Porthouse Theatre

            Jillian Kates, My Fair Lady, Great Lakes Theater

            Lauren Molina, Little Shop of Horrors, Cleveland Play House

            Miah Bickley, Aida, Rubber City Shakespeare

            Natalie Green, The Toxic Avenger, Cain Park

            Susan Hughes, Blues in the Night, Karamu

            Tricia Bestic Cabaret, Blank Canvas

Best Actress – Non-Musical:  Dorothy Silver, The Revisionist, Dobama

Superior Achievement:

            Anjanette Hall, An Octoroon, Dobama Theatre

            Cassandra West, Sans Merci, none-too-fragile

            Derdriu Ring, Annapurna, none-too-fragile

            Derdriu Ring, Beauty Queen of Leenane, none-too-fragile

Heather Anderson Boll, The Mystery of Love and Sex, Cleveland Play

            House

            Holly Holsinger, Frankenstein’s Wake, Cleveland Public Theatre

            Kimberly Sias, Lines in the Dust, Cleveland Public Theatre

            Lara Mielcarek, Marie Antoinette, Dobama Theatre

           

Rising Star Award

            Male:  J. R. Heckman, The Little Mermaid, Beck Center

            Female:  Calista Zajac, Ruthless!, Beck Center

Best Director – Musical: Victoria Bussert, My Fair Lady, Great Lakes Theater

Superior Achievement:

            Terri Kent, Footloose, Porthouse Theatre

            Pierre-Jacques Brault, Finian’s Rainbow, Mercury Theater Company

            Amanda Dehnert, Little Shop of Horrors, Cleveland Play House

            Scott Spence, Billy Elliot, Beck Center

Best Director – Non-Musical: Nathan Motta, An Octoroon, Dobama

Superior Achievement:

            Beth Woods, Lines in the Dust, Cleveland Public Theater

            Celeste Cosentino, The Night That Thoreau Spent in Jail, Ensemble

            Charles Fee, And Then There Were None, Great Lakes Theater

            Dan Kilbane and Caitlin Lewins, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, Cleveland

                        Public Theatre

            Nathan Motta, Marie Antoinette, Dobama

            Sean Derry and Brian Kenneth Armour, Sans Merci, none-too-fragile

            Sean Derry, Annapurna, none-too-fragile

            Tyne Rafaeli, Love’s Labours Lost, Great Lakes Theater

Best Choreographer: Martín Céspedes, Billy Elliott, Beck Center

Superior Achievement:

            Greg Daniels, My Fair Lady, Great Lakes Theater

            Greg Daniels, In The Heights, Beck Center

            Holly Handman, Mr. Burns, Cleveland Public Theatre

            Martin Céspedes, The Little Mermaid, Beck Center

            Mary Ann Black, Footloose, Porthouse Theatre

Best Musical Direction:   Larry Goodpaster, The Little Mermaid, Beck Center

Superior Achievement:

            Ian Huettel, Wild Party, Blank Canvas

            Joel Mercier, My Fair Lady, Great Lake Theater

            Amanda Dehnert, Little Shop of Horrors, Cleveland Play House

            Jonathan Swoboda, Footloose, Porthouse Theatre

            Larry Goodpaster, Billy Elliot, Beck Center

            Nathan Motta, Love’s Labours Lost, Great Lakes Theater

            Caitlin Lewins, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, Cleveland Public Theatre

           

Best Scenic Design:   Russell Metheny,  And Then There Were None, Great Lakes

                        Theater

Superior Achievement:

            Douglas Puskas, Lines in the Dust, Cleveland Public Theatre

            Michael Schweikardt, Luna Gale, Cleveland Play House

            Perry Catalano and Fred Sellers, Talley’s Folly, Actors Summit      

            Philip Whitcomb, Little Shop of Horrors, Cleveland Play House

Philip Whitcomb, The Good Peaches, Cleveland Play House/Cleveland

            Orchestra

            Richard H. Morris, Jr., Blues in the Night, Karamu

            Russell Metheny, Twelfth Night, Great Lakes Theater

            Trad A Burns, Into the Woods, Lakeland Civic Theatre

            Wes Calkin, Mr. Burns, Cleveland Play House

           

Best Lighting Design: Kevin Ozan, The Whipping Man, none-too-fragile

Superior Achievement:

            Gina Scherr, Mr. Wolf, Cleveland Play House

            Jeff Herman, The Little Mermaid, Beck Center

            Mary Jo Dondlinger and Cynthia Stillings, A Christmas Carol, Great Lakes Theater

            Richard H. Horris, Jr., Rasheeda Speaking, Karamu

            Rick Martin, And Then There Were None, Great Lakes Theater

            Sean Derry, Annapurna, none-too-fragile

            Wes Calkin, Mr. Burns, Cleveland Public Theatre

Best Projection Design: Adam Zeek, The Little Mermaid, Beck Center

Superior Achievement:

            Adam Zeek, Billy Elliot, Beck Center

            Dan Scully, The Mountaintop, Cleveland Play House

            Dan Scully, All The Way, Cleveland Play House

            Patrick Ciamacco, Silence! The Musical, Blank Canvas

            Steven Vasse-Hansell, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Ensemble

            Val Kozlenko, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, Cleveland Public Theatre

Best Costume Design:   Inda Blatch-Geib, Blues in the Night, Karamu

Superior Achievement:

Andrea Hood, Love’s Labours Lost, Great Lakes Theater

Charlotte M. Yetman, My Fair Lady, Great Lakes Theater

Jen Caprio, Steel Magnolias, Cleveland Play House

Kim Krumm Sorenson, Twelfth Night, Great Lakes Theater

Marty LaConte, The Tempest, Ohio Shakespeare Festival

Suzy Q. Campbell, Lady’s Windermere’s Fan, Mamai Theatre Company

Tesia Dugan Benson, Marie Antoinette, Dobama Theatre

Best Sound Design:   James C. Swonger, The Good Peaches, Cleveland Play

 House/Cleveland Orchestra

Superior Achievement:

            David Gotwald, My Fair Lady, Great Lakes Theater

            Joe Court, And Then There Were None, Great Lakes Theater

            Josh Horvath Little Shop of Horrors, Cleveland Play House

            Nathan Rosemerin, Ring of Fire, Porthouse Theatre

            Richard Ingraham, Marie Antoinette, Dobama Theatre

           

Best Touring Production:   Fun Home, Playhouse Square

Superior Achievement:

            Beautiful, Playhouse Square

            Finding Neverland, Playhouse Square

            Phantom of the Opera, Playhouse Square

            Wrestling Jerusalem, Cleveland Public Theatre           

Special Mention:

David Frazier, the brilliant and beloved stage performer who appeard in more than 150 Cleveland productions—including the iconic Jacques Brel—who died at age 76

Actors Summit, which closed in Akron in August, 2016, after 17 years of producing locally and hiring Northeast Ohio actors

Playwrights Local for producing the year’s “Most Socially Significant Local Play,” Objectively Reasonable, and creating a venue for local playwrights to develop their works

convergence-continuum for its fifth year of hosting the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts (NEOFMA) Playwright Festival

Raymond Bobgan for 10 years of creative leadership at Cleveland Public Theatre

           

Victoria Bussert on her 30^th anniversary with Great Lakes Theater

Near West Theatre for its commitment to empowering children, teens and adults through transformational arts

New World Performance Laboratory for The Devil’s Milk Trilogy, an exploration of Akron’s rubber industry history.

Baldwin Wallace University for their innovative productions of West Side Story and Perestroika

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL @ PLAYHOUSE SQUARE

Through December 11, 2016

(216) 241-6000

Or www.playhousesquare.org

Mark Horning

For those looking for a little variety in their holiday fare this year Grinch is a sure hit that will engage the entire family. The songs, costuming and comedic acting is pure holiday entertainment that will delight the entire family while sneaking in a nice moral tale to boot. See this show before it leaves town. 

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.

Christine Howey

All in all, this is a show that will help your heart grow at least two sizes, maybe even more.

To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's blog Rave and Pan
To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's review at  Cleveland Scene

CLYBOURNE PARK by CWRU/CPH MFA ACTING PROGRAM

The Helen Cleveland Play House complex
December 7-17, 2016

216-241-6000 or www.clevelandplayhouse.com

"In order to bring attention to high quality productions at theatre’s that are not on the Cleveland Critics Circle’s approved list, when a member of the Circle sees a community or educational theater production that s/he thinks is of high quality, they have the option of listing that specific production on CCC’s blogsite.  This is a review that falls into that category."

Roy Berko

Clybourne Park is a special evening of theater.  The Pulitzer Prize play is well written and relevant.  The production is well-conceived and acted.  This is an absolute must see production.

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

SISTER ACT @ KARAMU THEATRE

Through December 30, 2016

(216) 795-7070  

Or www.karamuhouse.org

Mark Horning

Any production that can nearly fill the theater in mid-run on a snowy Sunday in Cleveland definitely has something good going for it. Put this show on your Christmas list and get your tickets before they are gone. This is a high energy, high spirited and very entertaining classic.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.

Christine Howey

Director Sheffia Randall Dooley handles the traffic well in this complex production with a large cast. Once the performers settle in and keep the pacing tight, a lot of the jokes will land with more snap. And if the start of the show finds a way to get a charge of adrenaline it will be, well, a godsend.

To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's blog Rave and Pan
To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's review at  Cleveland Scene

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER @ DOBAMA THEATRE

Through December 30, 2016

(216) 932-3396

Or dobama.org

Mark Horning

If the holidays have you at wits end and you need a break from it all, this show is the perfect tonic. It is a show that everyone in the family will love no matter what their age or degree of sophistication. Only a little over a week of performances are left so get your tickets now.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.

Christine Howey

While inventive stagecraft firmly in place, thanks to director Melissa Therese Crum (who steps in for Nathan Motta, who directed last year), the story is still stubbornly obtuse. 

To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's blog Rave and Pan
To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's review at  Cleveland Scene

Andrea Simakis

If you missed "Peter and the Starcatcher" the first time around, hitch a ride on its comet's til this winter."

To see a full review of this show, read Andrea Simakis' blog or visit Cleveland.com here.