2010 Carbonells Analysis (Updated)

Updates; added some National coverage here and there.

On "equitability"
The Drama Queen calls this year's nominations " a little more equitable" but immediately comments:

(That is, unless you're associated with the Caldwell Theatre Company, New Theatre, The Naked Stage, The Promethean Theatre or the Women's Theatre Project, which got a single nomination apiece.)

Of course, they STILL got at least a single nomination apiece.

South Florida Theater Review notes:

Thirteen theaters – virtually every major troupe in the region – received nominations, led by the major musical production houses, Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, each with 18 nominations. In the past, one or two theaters had been shut out.

Palm Beach ArtsPaper also comments on the distribution:

Although the two most nominated shows both came from Coral Gables companies,‭ ‬Palm Beach theaters tied Miami-Dade with a total of‭ ‬36‭ ‬nods.‭ ‬Broward,‭ ‬which perennially trails the other bordering counties,‭ ‬earned‭ ‬27‭ ‬nominations.‭ ‬

But Anonymous goes far beyond any mere journalist, and leaves a list of what could be an alternative lineup for the Carbonell Awards in the Theatre Scene's own comments section.

On Surprises
The South Florida Theater Review notes a "wildcard" production:

Among the names of the usual suspects was one wild card. Motherhood the Musical, the hit shepherded by local GFour Productions but not associated with any theater, earned four nominations including best new work and best musical.

The Review then goes on to note three suprises:

One was that GableStage’s Blasted received six nominations. Although one of the most critically acclaimed works of the season, some audience members were upset by Sarah Kane’s unsparing vision of man’s predilection for violence. But Carbonells are recommended and judged by panels comprised mostly of critics and theater professionals, not general audiences.

The second surprise was that Academy, the original musical penned by Maltz artistic director Andrew Kato and John Mercurio, was tapped for best musical but not best new work – even though the judges nominated four contenders instead of five.

The third was the 11 nominations captured by Broward Stage Door for Mack and Mabel and The Drowsy Chaperone. The nods are sweet vindication for the non-Equity company that struggled for years with a reputation for unchallenging fare recognizable to its condo and snowbird audiences, mounted in unimpressive productions. But recently, Dee Bunn and David Torres have been salting their seasons with meatier shows such as A Little Night Music that have been smartly directed, produced and performed.

I feel that he missed a fourth surprise, or at least, something that surprised me; the venerable Caldwell Theater Company only garnered a single nomination - for Michael McKeever as a supporting actor in Distracted.  The company has been struggling financially, hard-hit by the economy, a forced move,  and the fact that many of their donors had invested with Bernie Madoff.  A change in leadership has generally been regarded as bringing much needed artistic freshening, but it didn't pan out in the awards nominations in a field of fierce competition.

On Gay-ness
Of course, South Florida Gay News notes that gay-themed productions and portrayals are included in the nominations.

The Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s production of La Cage Aux Folles received six nominations, including Best Musical, as well as for its director, Mark Martino; Mark Jacoby, Best Actor; musical director Phil Reno; choreographer Denis Jones; and costume designer Jose M. Rivera.

Goldie, Max & Milk, a world premiere at Florida Stage about a lesbian mom and the Orthodox Jewish lactation specialist she consults, received two nominations, one for playwright Karen Hartman and one for Deborah L. Sherman, as Best Supporting Actress. Sherman also received a nomination for her portrayal of a lesbian in hell in No Exit, produced by Naked Stage.

GableStage’ production of Speech and Debate, a comedy set in high school about a loquacious girl, a nerd and an openly gay guy who join forces to disclose the truth about a teacher who preys on his male students, received two nominations, one for Best Ensemble and a Best Supporting Actress nod for Jackie Rivera.

Ricky Waugh received a nomination for Best Actor for his double role as a soldier and his gay twin brother in Dying City at Mosaic Theatre in Plantation.

On Being Ten
Tiles, the Mosaic Theatre Blog, notes that on this, their tenth anniversary, they earned 10 nominations.  And then bestows their own awards...

It’s only fitting that Mosaic Theatre earned 10 nominations in year 10.  It’s a tribute to the hard work of so many people and we are very proud of this accomplishment.  That said, here is a list of our nominations this year and also, 10 Golden Wickatacki’s that I am happy to bestow.

On Artistic Health
The Playbill story notes the Best New Work category:

...the category of Best New Work, an award that suggests the health of a theatre community because audiences and theatres are willing to take risks on brand-new work...

Other Stories

Palm Beach ArtsPaper is notably Palm-Beach-Centric in its coverage.

The Sun-Sentinel, no surprise, ran the Herald's story.  So no link for them.  And from here on out, we will be calling them "The Stunned-Senseless," just to ensure our ire is known.

The Miami NewTimes Cultist is even more enthusiastically pro-Miami-Dade:

If things go well, Actors' Playhouse and GableStage is gonna kick all other South Florida theaters in the pants this year.

BroadwayWorld just published a list, but a lot of names are hyperlinked to the BroadwayWorld database; see what they're saying about your favorites.

TheatreMania seems more interested in people who don't actually work in the South Florida theatre scene on a regular basis.

The Miracle Theater Examiner (which, as far as I can tell, has nothing to do with the actual Miracle Theater in Coral Gables) feels that the sprawling South Florida metropolitan region isn't vast enough.

One theatre we would like to see included is Broadway Palm located on the westcoast which causes a great traveling distance for the adjudicators.

I suspect we'll be adding the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach loooooong before we add anything on the Gulf Coast.  But The Naples Stage Door Blog sends its best wishes:

Congratulations to the nominees of the Carbonell awards on the other coast. I only recognized a few names, who've occasionally been in productions here.

I still don't think anyone's going to be moved to drive Alligator Alley a couple of times a week, even to add ALL the Gulf Coast theatres.