When I stepped off the ship in New York from England on July 29, 1947, my destination was Broadway. In the past 68 years, I have seen many original productions from Kiss Me Kate to South Pacific, from The King and I to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Years later, I photographed professionally most of the Broadway stars, from Lisa Kirk to Mary Martin, from Yul Brynner to Carol Channing, and, in many cases, they became my dear friends. In 1980, I became a Tony voter, and I was appointed to the Tony Nomination Committee from 2000-2003. In 1980, I was appointed to the Executive/Nominating Committee of Outer Critics Circle, and for the past 35 years, I have seen every Broadway show and major Off-Broadway shows. In the same year, I became a voter for Drama Desk. These three organizations of theatre professionals and critics present three of the most prestigious awards for theatre each season.
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On May 21, Outer Critics Circle presented their awards at a dinner party at Sardi's, where it has been held for the past 35 years. Outer Critics Circle includes Broadway and Off-Broadway shows for their awards, as does Drama Desk. Unlike the Tonys and Drama Desk which announce their winners on the night of their awards, Outer Critics Circle announces their winners earlier, so that the dinner party is a relaxed, delightful occasion, where awardees can mingle and receive congratulations from the membership. The major awards were The Outstanding New Broadway Play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Broadway Musical An American in Paris, Off-Broadway Play From Riverside and Crazy, Off-Broadway Musical Hamilton, Revival of a Play You Can't Take It With You, Revival of a Musical The King and I, Director of a Musical and Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, Actor in a Play Alex Sharp, Actress in a Play Helen Mirren, Actor in a Musical Robert Fairchild and Actress in a Musical Kristin Chenoweth.
Other organizations, that bestow theatre awards, include the New York Drama Critics Circle (an organization of the leading theatre critics), which presented their awards at Studio 54 Below. Hamilton received the Best Musical Award, and music, lyrics, book and star Lin-Manuel Miranda accepted the award from John Kander. Between Riverside and Crazy received the Best Play Award, and the playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis accepted the award from Bobby Cannavale. Designer Bob Crowley and Ars Nova received two special citations. All four awards were well deserved, and the event was a pleasant affair, with an open bar and delicious food. It is another of my favorite events.
The New York City Ballet presented one of the finest programs, that I have ever seen, since becoming an ardent fan of the company, when I attended a dress rehearsal at City Center in 1951. The program began with Bournonville Divertissements, music by Edvard Helsted and Holger Simon Paulli, choreography by August Bournonville. It consisted of four selections, from three different ballets from the nineteenth century, choreographed by the great Danish choreographer, who created the charming style of dance for the Royal Danish Ballet, which he headed for almost forty years. It is a lovely ballet, reaching its climax in the energetic Tarantella from Napoli, danced magnificently by all the many dancers we saw in the previous selections. All were terrific, but Teresa Reichlen, in the pas de deux from Flower Festival in Genzano, and Amar Ramasar, in pas de six from Napoli, were particularly impressive. The second ballet was Bournonville's La Sylphide, music by Herman Severin Lovenskjold, staged by Peter Martins. It is the story of a Scottish young man (Joaquin de Luz) seduced by a Sylph (Sterling Hyltin) on his wedding day. He abandons his bride (Brittany Pollack), and pursues the Sylph to the forest, with tragic consequences. The three dancers named were marvelous. It is the first production of the ballet offered by the company, and it is a resounding success. No ballet lover can resist the delightful Danish style.
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