You never know when you will enter a theater and see the “best.”
Of a season. Of a year. Of a decade. Of a lifetime.
I don’t go to the theater to find competitive superlatives. I go because of a lifelong passion for seeing stories acted out, a passion that began with television’s Armstrong Circle Theatre and the US Steel Hour and continued when I started, at age 3, going to movies. Seeing actor perform live was the pinnacle. I don’t go the theater to decide the finest or to give awards. I go because that’s my favorite good time.
Think of it. Night after night, I am treated to the ideas of various people of various minds. Some of those minds are brilliant, and you learn a lot about life by listening to what they have their characters say. Some minds are mundane, but it’s good to have them for comparison. So you’ll know the different, the brilliant, the new, and the original when you hear it.
Not only do I hear what playwrights think and say, but I see directors and actors bringing human behavior to life.
I’ve been going to the theater non-stop since 1967, and I still can’t get enough of it.
Hence, I honor the works and the people who impressed me the most.
Sure, I have a penchant for making lists and keeping records, but the impetus for the Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Awards is to say “thank you.”
The “best” is to be cherished, the 40 best to be recognized.
That’s how this all works.
Five nominees have been chosen among qualifiers in six categories. From that five, recipients will emerge. Those recipients will be published within a few days. At that time, the Top 40 in each category will be listed.
The Nominees for the 2019 Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Award are:
For BEST PRODUCTION
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Simon Stephens after Mark Haddon; Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
HAMILTON by Lin-Manuel Moreno; National Tour, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN by David Catlin after Mary Shelley; Lookingglass Theatre at McCarter Theatre Company, Princeton
NIXON IN CHINA by John Adams and Alice Goodman; Princeton Festival, Princeton
ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare; Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
For BEST ACTOR
SEAN ANDERSON, Nixon in China, Princeton Festival, Princeton
WALTER BRIGGS, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, McCarter Theatre Company, Princeton
NATHAN DARROW, A Number, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
AUSTIN NEDROW, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
MATTEO SCAMMELL, Romeo and Juliet, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
For BEST ACTRESS
NATALIE CARTER, Dot, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
CORDELIA DEWDNEY, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, McCarter Theatre Company, Princeton
SARAH GLIKO, The Bridges of Madison County, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
MAHIRA KAKKAR, Skylight, McCarter Theatre Company, Princeton
SABRINA PROFITT, Awake and Sing, Quintessence Theatre Group, Philadelphia
For BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
LUKE BRADT, Young Frankenstein, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
KEITH D. GALLAGHER, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, McCarter Theatre Company, Princeton
ANTHONY MARTINEZ-BRIGGS, Romeo and Juliet, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
LAWRENCE PRESSMAN, Awake and Sing, Quintessence Theatre Group, Philadelphia
ALLEN LEWIS RICKMAN, The Sunshine Boys, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bristol, Pa.
For BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MICHE BRADEN, Nina Simone: Four Women; People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
E. ASHLEY IZARD, King Lear, The Wizard of Oz, The Tinker’s Wedding, Quintessence Theatre Group, Philadelphia
DANIELA MACK, Semele, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia
KAREN PEAKES, A Comedy of Tenors, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Walnut Street Theater, Philadelphia
ZUHAIRAH, Dot, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa., and Gem of the Ocean, Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia
For BEST DIRECTOR
DAVID CATLIN, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, McCarter Theatre Company, Princeton
JOHN COLLINS, Gatz, Elevator Repair Service at McCarter Theatre, Princeton
THOMAS KAIL, Hamilton, National Tour, Forrest Theatre
STEVEN LaCOSSE, Nixon in China, Princeton Festival, Princeton
BLANKA ZIZKA, Romeo and Juliet, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
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