Neal Zoren’s picks for the 2015/16 Helen and Morris World Theater Award

See the qualifiers, nominees, and picks on Neals Paper. Republished by kind permission.

hamilton tony 2People ask, “How can you see 216 productions in a year?”

The answer is I would see more if time and cash flow allowed. Those two life-enriching commodities rarely arrive together.

You will soon realize I did not see Hamilton. It wasn’t for lack of trying.

Oh, yes, I have been in the Hamilton lottery. More times than you’ve tied shoes. The same answer every time — “Unfortunately, your name was not selected….blah, blah, blah.

What’s a history buff and theater enthusiast to do? Wait, I guess. Until tickets are available or cheaper.

The good news is me not seeing Hamilton left the field wider for nominees. This assumes I’d agree with others that the Hamilton cast should glom all of the accolades. I may not have. Without more curmudgeonly griping, here are the nominees for the 2015-2016 Helen and Morris Zoren Award for World Theater. Winners in bold.

BEST PRODUCTION:

THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller, Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City
THE HUMANS by Stephen Karam, Roundabout, Helen Hayes Theatre, New York City
LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT by Eugene O’Neill, Roundabout, American Airlines Theatre, New York City
PYGMALION by George Bernard Shaw, The Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
LA TRAVIATA by Giuseppe Verdi and Francesco Maria Piave, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa.

BEST ACTOR:

GABRIEL BYRNE, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Roundabout, NYC
JAMES IJAMES, An Octoroon, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, Pa.
FRANK LANGELLA, The Father, Manhattan Theatre Club, NYC
PATRICK McMANUS, Pygmalion, The Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
BEN WHISHAW, The Crucible, NYC

BEST ACTRESS:

MELANYE FINISTER, All My Sons, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
JESSICA LANGE, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Roundabout, NYC
LISETTE OROPESA, La Traviata, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa.
TARA ROSLING, Top Girls and You Never Can Tell, The Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
HARVEEN SANDHU, Pygmalion, The Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

LUKE BRAHDT, 1776, Media Theatre, Media, Pa.
BEN DAVIS, The Sound of Music, National Tour, Academy of Music, Philadelphia, Pa.
BRANDON VICTOR DIXON, Shuffle Along, Music Box Theatre, NYC
BILLY PORTER, Shuffle Along, Music Box Theatre, NYC
MICHAEL SHANNON, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Roundabout, NYC

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

MARIEKE HEEBINK, After the Rehearsal, Fringe Arts at Armory, Philadelphia, Pa.
JANE HOUDYSHELL, The Humans, Roundabout, NYC
ZAINAB JAH, Eclipsed, John Golden Theatre, NYC
JANE KRAKOWSKI, She Loves Me, Roundabout, NYC
FIONA REID, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to Scripture, The Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

BEST DIRECTOR:

PAUL CURRAN, La Traviata, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa.
KAMILAH FORBES, All My Sons, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
PETER HINTON, Pygmalion, The Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
JONATHAN KENT, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Roundabout, NYC
IVO VAN HOVE, The Crucible, Walter Kerr Theatre, NYC

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