The Sixth Annual Eddon Awards

The Best in LA Theatre for 2015    

     There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2015 which I did not cover. This list is based only 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 that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.

BEST PRODUCTIONS

(The) Baker's Wife - Actors Co-op

Bent - Mark Taper Forum

Billy Elliot The Musical - La Mirada Center for the Performing Arts

(The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson

Carrie The Killer Musical Experience - La Mirada/Los Angeles Theatre

Cash on Delivery - El Portal Mainstage

Cinderella - Ahmanson

Closer Than Ever - Good People Theatre Co at Hollywood Piano, Burbank             

(A) Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - Crown City Theatre           

Guys and Dolls - Group Center Theatre (GCT)

Hit the Wall - LGBT, Hollywood

Jesus Christ Superstar - DOMA Theatre

Murder for Two - Geffen

My Fair Lady - Musical Theatre West (MTW)

Newsies - Pantages

The Night Alive - Geffen

Picnic - Antaeus Theatre Co

Side Show - 3-D Theatricals

(The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson

Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg Theatre

Sweeney Todd - Monroe Forum Theatre, El Portal

Switzerland - Geffen

Train to Zakopane - Edgemar Center for the Arts, Santa Monica

Verdigris - Theatre West

(The) Winning Streak - Group rep

BEST PRODUCTIONS - Dinner Theatre

Lawrence Welk Theatre, Escondido:  Hello Dolly!/ (The) King and I

Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont:  In the Heights/ West Side Story 

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SHOWS

(A) Christmas Memory - Sierra Madre Playhouse

GMCLA's Holiday Spectacular: Brassy, Classy & Sassy

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Motown - Troubies at the Falcon Theatre

UNIQUE or SPECIAL EVENTS

Always Patsy Cline - Sierra Madre Playhouse

Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye Farewell Tour -Ahmanson

El Grande Circus de Coca Cola - Colony Theatre

Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40

Kurios - Cirque du Soleil - LA Dodger Stadium

Laura Dickinson 17 - El Portal Mainstage

(A) Lovely Lineage -Kristin Towers Rowles -Sierra Madre Playhouse

S/he & Me: A Theatrical Cabaret -Alex Billings -CSULB Theatre        Arts/CaRep Co, Long Beach

BEST DIRECTOR: PLAY

Randall Arney - (The) Night Alive - Geffen

Mark Brokaw - Switzerland - Geffen

Ray Cooney - Cash on Delivery - El Portal

Gary Imhoff - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar

Moises Kaufman - Bent - Mark Taper Forum

Ken Sawyer - Hit the Wall - LGBT

Scott Schwartz - Murder for Two - Geffen

BEST DIRECTOR: MUSICAL

Michael Arden - Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg

Mark Brokaw - Cinderella - Ahmanson

T.J. Dawson - Side Show - 3-D Theatricals

David Engel - Seussical The Musical - 3-D Theatricals

Bruce Kimmel - Inside Out - Grove Center Theatre, Burbank

Brian Kite - Billy Elliot - La Mirada

Jack O'Brien - (The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson

Tyne Rafaeli (for Bartlett Sher) - (The) Bridges of Madison County -           Ahmanson

Brady Schwind - Carrie The Killer Musical Experience- La Mirada/               Los Angeles Theatre

Kristin Towers Rowles - Sweeney Todd - El Portal

Joel Zwick - Serrano the Musical - Matrix

MOST PROMISING NEW PLAY

Appropriate - by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins -  MTForum

Bad Jews - by Joshua Harmon - Geffen

(The) Christians - by Lucas Hnath - MTForum

Class - by Charles Evered - Falcon

Miserable with an Ocean View - by Howard Skora - Whitefire

Tiger by the Tail - by Frawley Becker - Group rep

Wonderful Life - by Helen Pafumi & Jason Lott - Malibu Playhouse

MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL

Adam & Eve and Steve: book by Chandler Warren/music by Wayne Moore-NoHo Arts Center

The Fabulous Lipitones: book by John Markus & Mark St.Germain/   incidental music by Randy Courts & St. Germain-Colony               

Serrano The Musical: book & lyrics by Madeline Sunshine/music     by Robert Tepper-Matrix

BEST ENSEMBLE: PLAY

Appropriate - MTForum

Bent - MTForum

Cash on Delivery - El Portal Mainstage

HomeFree - The Road Theatre, Magnolia

Hit the Wall - LGBT

Lombardi - Group rep

(The) Night Alive - Geffen

Picnic - Antaeus

Real Women Have Curves - Pasadena Playhouse

Tiger by the Tail - Group rep

Verdigris - Theatre West

BEST ENSEMBLE: MUSICAL

(The) Baker's Wife - Actors Co-op

(The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson

Carrie the Killer Musical - La Mirada/LA Theatre

Closer Than Ever - Hollywood Piano

Inside Out - Grove Center Theatre

Newsies - Pantages

Nunsense - Crown

Serrano The Musical - Matrix

Side Show - 3-D Theatricals

Singin' in the Rain - MTW

(The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson

Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Josh Adamson/Bets Malone - Big Fish - Moonlight Amphitheatre, Vista

Richard Bermudez/Victoria Strong - (The) King and I - Welk Resort, Escondido

Misty Cotton/Emily Lopez - Carrie - La Mirada/LA Theatre

Nikki D' Amico/Cori Cable Kidder - Almost Patsy Cline - Sierra Madre

Laura Dickinson/Richard Bermudez - Evita - Candlelight

Molly Ephraim - Bad Jews - Geffen

Cynthia Ferrer/Randy Doney - Hello Dolly! - Welk Resort, Escondido

Tanna Frederick/Mike Falkow - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar

Taylor Gilbert - The Other Place - The Road, Magnolia

Renee Gorsey - The American Dream - Group rep

Gildart Jackson/Callie Schuttera - Class - Falcon

Martin Kildare/Katharine McDonough - My Fair Lady - MTW

Douglas Ladnier/Alison England - Sweeney Todd - Monroe, El Portal

Laura Linney/Seth Numrich - Switzerland - Geffen

Heather Lundstadt/Robert Standley - Guys and Dolls - GCT

Idina Menzel - If/Then - Pantages

Joanna Miles/David Selby - Front Door Open - Greenway Court

Alessa Neeck/Christopher Carl - South Pacific - MTW

Paul Vincent O'Connor/Fiona O'Shaughnessy - (The) Night Alive - Geffen

Lloyd Pedersen/Daniel Sykes - (The) Winning Streak - Group rep

Flora Plumb/Marcia Rodd - Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40

Cathy Rigby - Seussical - 3D Theatricals - Fullerton/Redondo

Kristin Towers Rowles/Jahmaul Bakare - Violet - Monroe, El Portal

Brett Ryback/Jeff Blumenkrantz - Murder for Two - Geffen

Bryce Ryness - Matilda - Ahmanson

Elizabeth Stanley/Andrew Samonsky - (The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson

Mitchell Tobin/Vicki Lewis - Billy Elliot - La Mirada

Marcelo Tubert - El Grande Circus de Coca Cola - Colony

Karen Volpe - 9 to 5 - GCT

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE

Cathy Arden - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar

Janna Cardia, Claire Adams - Assassins - Red Blanket Productions with Punk Monkey Productions at Pico Playhouse

Patrick Cummings - South Pacific - MTW

Chad Doreck/Valerie Perri - Serrano The Musical - Matrix

Drew Droege/Patty McCormack - Miserable with an Ocean View - Whitefire Theatre

Diane Frank - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Group rep

Chelsea Emma Franko/Tracy Lore - Company - Cabrillo

Matthew Hancock /Charlotte Gulezian/Kristina Johnson - Hit the Wall - LGBT

Shannon Holt/Rhonda Aldrich - Picnic - Antaeus

Jake Kitchin - Billy Elliot - La Mirada

Quinn Mattfeld/Cassie Silva - Matilda - Ahmanson

M. Rowan Meyer - Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40

Ann Myers - Guys and Dolls - GCT

Kayla Parker/Lynn Randall - Carrie - La Mirada/LA Theatre

Jeremy Saje - JC Superstar - DOMA

Nick Ullett - Enter Laughing - Wallis Annenberg

BEST SOLO SHOW: MALE

Jack Lemmon Returns - Chris Lemmon - The Broad, Santa Monica

BEST SOLO SHOW: FEMALE

(A) Carlin Home Companion/Growing Up with George-Kelly Carlin-Falcon       

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: MALE

Aaron Akins - Into the Cole - E-Spot Lounge, Vitello's

Tom Ameen - E-Spot Lounge

Kevin Earley - On the Record - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

Bill A. Jones - Frank, Bobby & Me! - E-Spot Lounge

Mark Arthur Miller - Soul Searching - Sterling's

Ben Vereen - Catalina Jazz Club

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: FEMALE

Megan Hilty - Valley Performing Arts Center, Cal State Northridge

Michele Lee - Catalina Jazz Club

Candy Milo - If She Taps, You're F--ked- Sterling's

Barbara Minkus - It's All About Love - St. Mark's, Glendale

Diane Vincent - Diane & Lucy & Betty: A One Woman Show - Sterling's

Nita Whitaker - All That Matters - Sterling's

BEST CD

ARIA - home

Judy Norton - Reflections

Jeanne Page - Reboot

Lyn Stanley - Interludes

BEST BOOK

Noel, Tallulah, Cole and Me: A Memoir of Broadway's Golden Age - by John C. Wilson with Thomas S. Hischak and Jack Macauley -Rowan & Littlefield

BEST THEATRICAL SEASON

Center Theatre Group    -   Mark Taper Forum