The Eighth Annual Eddon Awards

The Best of LA Theatre for 2017 by Don Grigware

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2017 which I did not cover. This list is based solely on what I saw and reviewed.

• Alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed
• Artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories
• No set, costume, technical awards. I leave those to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.
• Don't take these choices too seriously. After all, it's just one man's opinions.
• This year I have trimmed down categories to include a smaller number of winners in each. I have also separated plays and performances into Large Space and Small Space.

BEST PRODUCTION in a Large Space

Hamilton - Pantages Theatre
The Red Shoes - Ahmanson Theatre
Something Rotten - Ahmanson Theatre
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Ahmanson Theatre
Head of Passes - Mark Taper Forum (MTF)
Heisenberg - MTF
Oklahoma - 3D Theatricals
Kiss of the Spider Woman - Welk Resorts Theatre. Escondido
Cagney - Debbie Reynolds Mainstage at the El Portal
Driving Miss Daisy - Colony

BEST PERFORMANCE - Large Space

Ensemble - Pantages Theatre
Carmen Cusack - Bright Star, Ahmanson Theatre
Phylicia Rashad - Head of Passes
Mary Louise Parker/Denis Arndt - Heisenberg
Ensemble - Oklahoma
Richard Bermudez, Jeffrey Scott Parsons, Natalie Nucci - Kiss of the Spider Woman
Robert Creighton and Ensemble - Cagney
Donna Mills and Ensemble - Driving Miss Daisy
Tyne Daly/Robert Forrester - Chasing Mem'ries, Geffen Playhouse
Al Pacino, Judith Light, Miles Gaston Villanueva - God Looked Away - Pasadena Playhouse
LaChanze - Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Carly Bracco - Peter Pan - Cabrillo Music Theatre

BEST DIRECTOR - Large Space

Thomas Kail - Hamilton
Andy Blankenbuehler - choreographer

BEST PRODUCTION in a Small Space

Lost in Yonkers - Group rep
Stupid Kid - The Road Theatre Company
Separate Tables - Theatre 40
The Man Who Came to Dinner - Actors Co-op
The 39 Steps - Actors Co-op
Frida: Stroke of Passion - Macha Theatre

BEST PERFORMANCE - Small Space

Bennett Saltzman, Roslyn Cohn, Loraine Shields - Lost in Yonkers
Taylor Gilbert and Rob Nagle & Ensemble - Stupid Kid
Roslyn Cohn and Diana Angelina - Separate Tables
Ensemble - Man Who Came to Dinner/39 Steps
Odalys Nanin - Frida: Stroke of Passion

BEST DIRECTOR - Small Space

Cameron Watson - Stupid Kid

BEST NEW PRODUCTION

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical - La Jolla Playhouse

UNIQUE or SPECIAL EVENTS

An Evening of Classic Broadway - Rockwell Table and Stage
Freddy - LA City College in association with the Fountain Theatre
An Evening with Debbie Reynolds - El Portal Mainstage

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: MALE

James Snyder - Soliloquy - Catalina Jazz Club
Levi Kreis - Broadway at the Keys - LGBT Center
Robert Yacko - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: FEMALE

Kay Cole - Souvenir - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Donna McKechnie - Same Place, Another Time - Catalina Jazz Club
Jean Louisa Kelly - For My Folks - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

BEST CDs

Lyn Stanley - The Moonlight Sessions
Levi Kreis - Broadway at the Keys
Robyn Spangler - Something Cool, The Billy Barnes Sessions
Calabria Foti - In the Still of the Night
Rebecca Spencer - Still, Still, Still

Don Grigware

Don Grigware is an Ovation nominated actor and journalist/writer whose contributions to theatre through the years have included 6 years as theatre editor of NoHoLA, a contributor to LA Stage Magazine and currently on his own website:
www.grigwaretalkstheatre.com

Don hails from Holyoke, Massachusetts and holds two Masters Degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in Education and Bilingual Studies. He is a teacher of foreign language and ESL.

Don contributed to BWW for over 10 years and received a BWW Award for Excellence in 2014 as one of the top ten Regional Editors across the globe.

Don is also an author/playwright and recently published Books I, II & III of his children's fable Two Worlds Together: Donnelly's Greatest Christmas. You may purchase copies of the two volumes at amazon.com A trilogy of one-acts in a collection called Holiday Madness was recently revised and re-published, also on amazon.com. Both the story and plays are available on kindle as well as in paperback.

There are new projects on the horizon, including co-authoring an autobiography, publishing a collection of scary mini-plays - 10-15 minutes in length - and publishing a sequel to Two Worlds Together, entitled Donnelly Tackles Technology. Let's brave COVID-19 and come out strong and healthy! Stay tuned for more fun and games!

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