Last night I touched on what I thought the Jeff Committee got right in this season's Citation nominations. Today I'm ready to look at where they screwed up.
As it turns out, I don't have much to complain about—sort of. Looking back over the shows that were Jeff Recommended and thus eligible for nominations, I'd say that of the shows on the list that I saw (about a quarter of them), the committee singled out most of the right elements. I might have argued for a supporting actress nomination for Stacy Stoltz for forging a three-dimensional character out of a Tennessee Williams paper doll (Mae a.k.a. Sister-Woman in the Hypocrites' otherwise underwhelming Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), but then again I put Stoltz in the same category as Amy Morton, in that I suspect both actresses could read me the assembly instructions for an IKEA bookshelf and I'd find it compelling and deeply affecting.
The egregiously overlooked, then, come from this season's great shows that weren't Recommended, and there are some doozies. Most come from companies that were too young or produce too infrequently to be eligible under Jeff rules; these are the shows that go unseen by the committee and, in most cases, by the larger press, but they were highly rewarding for the audiences that managed to find them.
GreyZelda hasn't been producing in Chicago long enough, or their Desire Under the Elms might have netted an acting nom for Melissa Kuhlman.
Vitalist Theatre has only produced one show a year so far, making them too fly-by-night for Jeff's taste. Otherwise their highly regarded Mother Courage would likely make a few appearances.
The newly formed Black Sheep Productions had a killer debut with Another Day in the Empire, which if produced under the auspices of a more established company would surely have netted nods for best ensemble, best actor for Kevin Stark, and direction for Vance Smith. Appetite Theatre similarly deserved props for their production of Melissa James Gibson's Suitcase; I'd nominate them for ensemble and for Courtney O'Neill's set design, the first I've seen to truly take advantage of the cavernous National Pastime space, if only they weren't too young to get into the party (and after "indefinitely postponing" their followup production, I only hope we'll see them again).
Still, there are two shows from this season, that were presumably Jeff eligible, that I'm shocked to realize weren't Recommended. Lifeline got a bajillion nominations for their adaptation of Gaudy Night, but the Jeff scouts couldn't see fit to recommend the entrancing Piano Tuner on any basis? Not Jim Grote's adaptation, nor Patrick Blashill's lead performance, or Alan Donahue's lush, amazing scenic design? Unbelievable.
The most glaring omission, though, is the un-Recommended Dorian. One of the best-received shows of the season, Dorian made it onto practically every Best of 2006 list you can find. As a new adaptation with a great ensemble cast and killer choreography and direction by Tommy Rapley, it should be all over the Jeffs list, and as a production of the Bailiwick, I can't imagine why it wouldn't be judged. But apparently it never got the Jeff Rec. Does anyone have an explanation, or is this just an astounding lapse of judgment on behalf of the committee's opening night judges?
I'd like to hear other opinions. Where else did the Jeff Committee miss the boat?
Comments