With the Evening Standard publishing the shortlist for their annual theatre awards, tongues have started wagging among the theatrical community. Of course, those in the know are all too aware that the winners have already been decided, and the powers that be are already trying to ensure that the right bums are on the right seats come the 23rd November.
Anyone who has paid any attention to these events in the past will immediately know that the awards will be distributed on a highly political level. I would be very surprised if we didn’t see a wave of support for the highly acclaimed Jerusalem and Enron. Strategic awarding will probably mean we see the Best Play award go to Jez Butterworth, and Best Actor to Mark Rylance for Jerusalem, leaving Best Director to go to Rupert Goold for Enron. This may seem incredibly cynical, but having spent many years in and around the theatre industry, I don’t expect to be wrong, particularly in light of the fact that both transfer to the West End imminently, and let’s face it, sales are never guaranteed, so any help is always welcomed.
The good news is that this does leave the other categories open, allowing them to award some much more interesting choices, such as Best Actress to Deanna Dunagan, repeating her Tony Award win, for August: Osage County and Best Musical to Spring Awakening. Having seen this show at both the Lyric, Hammersmith and the Novello, upon its West End transfer, it was perhaps once of the most vibrant, exciting and wonderfully conceived musicals I have seen in the last five years. It was further enhanced perhaps, by the fact that I expected not to like it at all!
Sadly, the cynic in me does say “Ah, but wouldn’t that award be a huge help to getting the Open Air Theatre’s production of Hello Dolly into town?”, and yes, he is probably right. Good job I like Samantha Spiro, a superb actress and deserving of a West End musical run, following her acclaimed turns in Merrily We Roll Along and Funny Girl. So we wait for the 23rd with baited breath.
One thing is always for certain; it’s all good for the London theatre industry, and therefore the theatregoing public.
