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Post by Talissa on Jul 9, 2007 15:59:33 GMT 11
The nominees have been announced. www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=nominees&year=2007&cid=3For musical theatre: Best Musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch Keating! Miss Saigon Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical Best Direction of a Musical Craig llott - Hedwig and the Angry Inch Laurence Connor - Miss Saigon Neil Armfield - Keating! Simon Phillips - Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical Best Choreography in a Musical Geoffrey Garratt and Bob Avian - Miss Saigon Kelley Abbey and Kenny Ortega - The Boy From Oz Ross Coleman - Pippin Ross Coleman - Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical Best Male Actor in a Musical David Harris - Miss Saigon Hugh Jackman - The Boy From Oz iOTA - Hedwig and the Angry Inch Tony Sheldon - Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical Best Female Actor in a Musical Chrissy Amphlett - The Boy From Oz Laurie Cadevida - Miss Saigon Sharon Millerchip - Pippin Silvie Paladino - Sideshow Alley Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Juan Jackson - Miss Saigon Michael Caton - Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical R J Rosales - Miss Saigon Terry Serio - Keating! Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Colleen Hewett - The Boy From Oz Genevieve Lemon - Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical Robyn Arthur - Sideshow Alley Trisha Noble - Pippin Nice to see not too much doubling up of the one person in a category, and boy it's a scattered lot this time. A lot of them could go any direction, I think. |
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Post by Yonkers on Jul 9, 2007 16:12:51 GMT 11
Interesting to see that the universally slammed PIPPIN managed a 3 nominations. The Production Company not one nomination and in the "straight" theatre the MTC could only muster 3 nominations (one of which was for the import I AM MY OWN WIFE), whereas the STC did very well. On a national basis the Helpmann's don't work. There needs to be a set of awards for Melbourne, one for Sydney, one for Adelaide and so forth with maybe a handful of national awards to tie the whole thing together. As it stands what's in it for theatre in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane?
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Post by nadine on Jul 9, 2007 18:12:23 GMT 11
Well out of all the nominees these are my absolute favourites:
Best Choreography in a Musical - Kelley Abbey and Kenny Ortega - The Boy From Oz (Kenny is a damn fine man)
Best Play - The Season at Sarsaparilla (Sydney Theatre Company)
Best Male Actor in a Play - Peter Carroll (The Season at Sarsaparilla, Sydney Theatre Company)
Best Female Actor in a Play - Pamela Rabe (Mother Courage and Her Children, Sydney Theatre Company)
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Play - Hayley McElhinney (Mother Courage and Her Children, Sydney Theatre Company)
The performances in Mother Courage were some of the best ever while Season at Sarsaparilla would have to be the best local production for the STC since Hedda Gabler. So happy the above were singled out.
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Post by Hannah on Jul 9, 2007 21:04:36 GMT 11
Go iOTA! Amazing performer.
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benz
Backyard Balladeer
Posts: 14
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Post by benz on Jul 28, 2007 12:38:15 GMT 11
My picks for the Helpmanns....
Best Musical - Keating!
Best Director - Craig Ilott for Hedwig
Best Choreography - Ross Coleman for Priscilla
Best Actor in Musical - iOTA for Hedwig
Best Actress in Musical - Laura Cadevida for Saigon
Best supporting actor - Terry Serio for Keating
Best supporting Actress - Genevieve Lemon for Priscilla
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benz
Backyard Balladeer
Posts: 14
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Post by benz on Aug 7, 2007 15:08:51 GMT 11
Well, I enjoyed the Helpmann Awards last night and thought Jonathan Biggins did a great job although I have noted a few negative opinions on another site. God, some people delight in tearing people/performances down. I'm sure it must make them feel better but I can't imagine why. I thought there was a lot to be proud of last night.
I was going to write a more elaborate review about some of my highlights but i get the feeling that I would only be talking to myself. Does anyone post here any more? I only just joined and I seemed to have scared everyone else away.
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Post by accentuate on Aug 7, 2007 16:06:24 GMT 11
Hi Benz. I am glad you enjoyed the Helpmanns. There was lots to be proud of. Some lovely performances especially from the Billy Elliot kids.
I must say I didn't enjoy Jonathan Biggins but not because I delight in tearing people down, but because it seemed that he did.
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benz
Backyard Balladeer
Posts: 14
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Post by benz on Aug 7, 2007 17:20:07 GMT 11
Point taken. I wouldn't for a minute expect everyone to feel warm and fuzzy about every performance they see - we've all seen some crap over the years. I guess it's the nasty tone that surprises me sometimes.
Yeah, the Billies were pretty special. My favourite performance of the night.
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Post by Yonkers on Aug 8, 2007 0:03:08 GMT 11
I don't quite understand what the Helpmann Awards are all about. In one category, straight play, the "Best Production" nominees were three presentations of the STC and one from South Australia (or Queensland ?). So they are saying that nothing that was presented by the MTC or any of the other state companies was worthy? Would it not make sense for each State Theatre Company to have a nomination? Was KEATING! really the Best Musical? I'm all for promoting new Australian work but in terms of set, costume, choreography, direction and overall performances (it is called 'Best' after all) I would have thought all of the other nominees had it over that show. I think the awards should be localised, in other words Helpmanns for Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and so forth. On a national basis they don't work. Remember, the Tony Awards are for New York theatre and the Oliviers for London Theatre, as it is the Helpmanns seem only to promote Sydney theatre. Did KEATING or HEDWIG play Adelaide or Perth? MISS SAIGON and PRISCILLA aren't going there so why would those cities be remotely interested in the awards. Let each State have their own Helpmann Awards so their local industry can share in some of the glory.
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Post by Hannah on Aug 8, 2007 12:06:33 GMT 11
I don't think each state has enough professional theatre to have their own awards night. It'd end up being one show against one other, and that's not really competition. (Plus, each state award would end up not holding a lot of clout.)
Keating, from all reports, has been a mind-blowingly amazing show. EVERYONE who has seen it that I've spoken to has said it's something you cannot miss. It has had sold-out return seasons upon return seasons. In comparison, Priscilla is a lot of fun (but the script needs a great prune, and it's a jukebox musical), and Miss Saigon is a copy (again) of overseas big budget productions. The only competition would have been from Hedwig (amazing show, but very niche) - perhaps Keating just won out.
I don't really think the awards are about whether people will be interested in them. The awards are to recognise industry achievement. After all, unless you went on the night or have Foxtel, you couldn't have seen them anyway.
Whether the awards are biased towards Sydney is another question.
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Post by Yonkers on Aug 8, 2007 16:01:24 GMT 11
Yes KEATING has been a success, but mind blowing, no. Those that I know that have seen it are 50/50 in their appreciation or not (and some of those are big Labour supporters). The very title "Best Musical" is supposed to encompass performance, set, costumes, direction, choreography etc something that is (for the most part) lacking in the physical production of KEATING! . I would have considered KEATING! a niche show - only Labour supporters would attend. I don't think it has to be an original score to be nominated either. Unless you are a member of the AEIA your show can't even be considered for nomination, so I would imagine that some very good shows slip under the radar for that reason, and what of the STC play versus STC play versus the STC play reasoning? Why bother voting, why not just mail them the award? I still have an issue that cities like Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane don't really get a look in. These centres do have professional resident theatre companies and some commercial ventures, surely they deserve some appropriate recognition? Until that happens these can't be considered "National Awards".
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Post by Hannah on Aug 8, 2007 19:22:23 GMT 11
Well, I guess that you'll have to ask that question of the board that selects the nominees. Are they the same people as listed on the website (who vote on the winners)? If so, perhaps you need to look at the locality of these people - are they generally based in the bigger cities (Sydney and Melbourne)? Do they have to see everything that is nominated?
I can't personally comment on KEATING! as I have not seen it yet. I guess it depends upon the crowd who sees it, as I've heard nothing but rave reviews. Perhaps my friends aren't Liberal Party voters though... Honestly I do not know if the show can't be seen and appreciated by a Liberal Party voter (haven't seen it), nor do I know about the design. I do know, however, that a show doesn't have to be flashy to be good. Priscilla is flashy, and a lot of fun, but if it had won best musical I think I would have cried at the state of Australian theatre.
Not sure about the STC vs. MTC thing. Perhaps (dare I suggest it...) MTC didn't produce anything to rival what STC produced this year? Perhaps MTC got nominated in the areas it deserved? After all, the STC nominations were pretty much only for The Lost Echo and The Season At Sarsaparilla. Again, I can't comment on this as I've not seen any MTC shows this year. I don't think it would serve to nominate one show from each state, as this would create state rivalry where it shouldn't exist (these awards should celebrate Australian excellence - they shouldn't be a state competition), and it wouldn't be fair if a state produced a number of exemplary works while another produced a year of crap.
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Post by jackjackjack on Aug 9, 2007 0:04:36 GMT 11
Personally, I think that having state based awards is completely unsupportable, and having state quotas for nominees is a bit much. You could ensure that each state has a proportionate number of voters, who can hopefully afford to go interstate to see a show occasionally. I think the sudden disappearance of TPC nominations the moment there's a Sydney alternative is deeply suspicious, and does put a question mark over the credibility.
As for the best musical category, surely the main focus would have to be book and score, followed by direction. The rest can't hold much weight if you're serious about awarding art instead of money.
We definitely have to take them out of Sydney though. I propose Canberra, or even better, Tassie.
James
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Post by Yonkers on Aug 9, 2007 0:13:51 GMT 11
The point I was trying to make, about the STC (it was STC v STC not, STC V MTC), was why pit three plays from the same theatre company against each other? When it all boils down I just don't think that the Helpmann Awards are effective as national industry awards, and never could be unless there was some radical overhaul.
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Post by Hannah on Aug 9, 2007 16:25:55 GMT 11
I see it more as play vs. play, not STC vs. STC or STC vs. MTC. Personally, I'd rather see a good show, no matter who it was done by. Surely the Helpmann Awards are supposed to recognise good shows, no matter who they're done by?
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