The 2013-2014 theater season was chock full of wonderful productions and performances. Choosing the most outstanding from among a magnificent selection was not an easy task. Selecting the Top Five in each category, the people and productions that would earn nominations for the Helen and Morris Zoren Award for World Theater, was arduously daunting. To this minute, with nominees decided, I remain eager to tweak and look at different combinations.
Some nominations are obvious and cry out for the recognition they confer on an actor, director, or staging. Others may be more personal or idiosyncratic.
Either way, the nominees were culled from 191 individual productions seen between New York and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in 2013-2014. The range often includes productions seen in Canada or across the pond. More theater travel is planned for 2014-2015.
The nominees lead to a recipient of the Helen and Morris Zoren Awards for World Theater. A Best Production, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Director, will be announced next Wednesday, July 2.
Please remember I give two awards every year, The Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Award that deals solely with theater in the Philadelphia area, from New Brunswick to Rehoboth Beach, and is announced in January, and the Helen and Morris Zoren Award for World Theater, which is based on rankings of anything I see anywhere, and is announced in early July.
Here are the 2013-2014 nominees for the Helen and Morris Zoren Award, listed alphabetically within the six categories. In addition to the recipient, the Top25 is each category will be listed next week.
BEST PRODUCTION
THE GLASS MENAGERIE — Broadway, NYC
JULIUS CAESAR — Donmar Warehouse production at St. Ann’s Warehouse, Brooklyn, N.Y.
KING LEAR — Chichester Festival production at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, N.Y.
PRESENT LAUGHTER — Two River Theatre, Red Bank, N.J.
RICHARD III — Globe Theatre production on Broadway, NYC
BEST ACTOR
MICHAEL CUMPSTY — Present Laughter, Two River Theatre
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS — Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Broadway, NYC
FRANK LANGELLA — King Lear, Brooklyn Academy of Music
JEFFERSON MAYS — A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Broadway, NYC
MARK RYLANCE, Richard III and Twelfe Night, Broadway, NYC
BEST ACTRESS
ANN CRUMB — Sunset Boulevard, Media Theatre, Media, Pa.
CHERRY JONES — The Glass Menagerie, Broadway, NYC
AUDRA McDONALD — Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Broadway, NYC
FREDERICA von STADE — A Coffin in Egypt, Opera Philadelphia
HARRIET WALTER — Julius Caesar, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Brooklyn, N.Y.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
SAMUEL BARNETT — Richard III and Twelfe Night, Broadway, NYC
NICK CORDERO — Bullets Over Broadway, Broadway, NYC
STEPHEN FRY — Twelfe Night, Broadway, NYC
DEREK SMITH — The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
JOSEPH TIMMS — Richard III, Broadway, NYC
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
TRICE BALDWIN — Dancing at Lughnasa, Curio Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa.
ZAINAB JAH — The Convert, WilmaTheatre, Philadelphia, Pa.
CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER, The Glass Menagerie, Broadway, NYC
JENNIFER SUMMERFIELD — Dancing at Lughnasa, Curio Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa.
MARE WINNINGHAM — Casa Valentina, Broadway, NYC
BEST DIRECTOR
TIM CARROLL — Richard III and Twelfe Night, Broadway, NYC
ANGUS JACKSON — Julius Caesar, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Brooklyn, N.Y.
DAVID LEE — Present Laughter, Two River Theatre, Red Bank, N.J.
DARKO TRESNJAK — A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Broadway, NYC
STEPHEN WADSWORTH — The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
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