The 6th Annual Ovation Awards

Date and Venue 31 January 2010 @ 7.00 - 10.15pm | Vancouver Academy of Music, Vancouver

Reviewer Ed Farolan

Fighting Chance Productions swept away with six awards in last Sunday's 6th Ovation Awards ceremonies: Production – Community Rent; Male Lead - Brandon Eddy – Tick Tick Boom; Supporting Female - Jacqueline Breakwell Rent; Supporting Male - Nick Fontaine – Rent; Gypsy – Female - Andrea Bailey – Rent; and Gypsy – Male - Arne Larsen – Rent.

Arts Club garnered three awards: Production – Professional Les Miserables; Production – Ensemble: Altar Boyz; Director: Bill Millerd, Les Miserables. And two awards went to APPLAUSE! Musicals In Concert: Production – Concert or Revue: Titanic, the musical and Female Lead–Mandana Namazi – Passion.

Here's the complete list of winners: Production – Professional: Les Miserables – Arts Club Theatre Company; Production – Community: Rent – Fighting Chance Productions; Production – Ensemble: Altar Boyz – Arts Club Theatre Company; New Work: Shine - A Burlesque Musical - Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society & The Wet Spots. Cass King, John Woods & Sam Dulmage Libretto. John Woods, Music; Production – Concert or Revue: Titanic, the musical – APPLAUSE! Musicals In Concert; Outstanding Newcomers: Nick Fontaine & Georgia Valerie Swinton; Female Lead – Tie: Diana Kaarina – Thoroughly Modern Millie, Theatre Under The Stars; and Mandana Namazi – Passion, APPLAUSE! Musicals In Concert;

Male Lead: Brandon Eddy – Tick Tick Boom, Fighting Chance Productions; Supporting Female - Tie:Jacqueline Breakwell – Rent, Fighting Chance Productions; and Cathy Wilmot – A New Brain, Pipedream Productions; Supporting Male: Nick Fontaine – Rent, Fighting Chance Productions; Gypsy – Female: Andrea Bailey – Joseph/Rent/Annie; Gypsy – Male: Arne Larsen – Rent/A New Brian; Music Director: James Bryson – A Chorus Line, Royal City Musical Theatre; Director: Bill Millerd, Les Miserables – Arts Club Theatre Company; Choreography: Keri Minty – A New Brain, Pipedream Productions; Set Design: Julie Martins – The Full Monty, Patrick Street Productions;Costume Design: Chris Sinosich – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – Footlight Theatre.

It was a long but fun event with a programme of songs and dances from amateurs and professionals, from all age groups--from children to high school students to senior citizens. The crowd enjoyed most the superb performance of Mikal Grant (Mental, the musical) and Josh Epstein's improv (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) where he sings "I'll even act for free for Ryan Mooney". There was a full-house audience who witnessed to this, so Mooney should take advantage of this offer and get this excellent actor/singer/dancer for his next musical.

Organizer and Artistic Director of Applause Musicals Society Scott Ashton Swan gave the longest speech, talking about how New York knows about the musical happenings in Vancouver with guests such as Stephen Sondheim visiting here, and how musicals in Vancouver are simply jumping in leaps and bounds, and other matters such as operettas and pantomimes vying for awards, the granting of two financial awards to outstanding newcomers, one financial award to a locally written show, and finally, a special "long-time contribution" award to someone who has contributed more than 10 years in the musical theatre community. Despite the length of his speech, pianist Steven Greenfield didn't stop him with the tinkling of his piano.

I was happy to be invited as a presenter, and more than happy to have given the Best Community Production Award to Ryan Mooney whom I interviewed three years ago, and predicted that this young talented director would be going places.