Goodspeed at Chester

Goodspeed has another smaller venue, the Norma Terris Theatre in the neighbouring town of Chester.

A long time supporter of the theatre and finally the benefactress of this new space, Norma Terris was the original Magnolia in SHOW BOAT and appeared in LITTLE MARY SUNSHINE at Goodspeed in 1970.

Her pictures adorn the foyer along with set pieces from previous Goodspeed shows...

and a model of Goodspeed in what appears to be Lego

The Terris is devoted to the development of new work and we saw a smart new musical called...

  about a barbershop quartet struggling to stay together when one of their members dies.

Every night a different barbershop quartet performs in the foyer before the show. Who knew there were so many to choose from?

The play, by a head writer of the COSBY SHOW and A DIFFERENT WORLD, is very American and sit-com-y, but funny and vastly entertaining. Cheap, too. One set, four actors, no band.

The premise being that the only suitable candidate for the vacant slot in the quartet is a newly arrived mechanic who happens to be a Sikh which raises all sorts of racism questions.

The performances by (L-R) D.C. Anderson, Rohan Kymal, Danny Rutigliano and Wally Dunn are perfect and their a capella renditions of everything from a George M. Cohan medley to "Night fever" bring down the house. Certain to be a regional theatre favourite.

Our 'hood

All the houses look like this

Goodspeed does four or five matinees a week which do great business.

The nearest supermarket is a 20 minute drive away so we have to buy a week's groceries every Thursday evening.

The theatre at night

This is the Italian restaurant across the road

But last night we chose Gelston House next door.

Delicious food sitting outdoors by the river. All is well with the world.

First Readthrough

Jeremy Morse (Barnaby), Ashley Brown (Irene), Klea Blackhurst (Dolly), Old Crock (Horace)

Brooke Shapiro (Ermengarde) & Charles MacEachern (Ambrose)

Jeremy Morse, Spencer Moses & Ashley Brown

I am "...and More"!

Anika Noni Rose, Ben Vereen, Lea Salonga, Wesley Taylor, Nathan Lane and More Will Be Part of Theatre World Awards Ceremony

By Andrew Gans
29 May 2013

Lea Salonga

Presenters and performers have been announced for the 69th Annual Theatre World Awards ceremony, which will be held June 3 beginning at 6:45 PM at the Music Box Theatre, home of the current Broadway revival of Pippin.

Currently scheduled to perform and/or present are Theatre World Award alumni Courtney B. Vance, Anika Noni Rose, Ben Vereen, Christine Lahti, Tony Sheldon, Lea Salonga, Isabel Keating, Phillip Boykin, Jessie Mueller, Jackie Hoffman, Wesley Taylor, Patricia Elliott, Meg Bussert and Crystal A. Dickinson with special guest Nathan Lane. Mother and daughter Rosemary Harris and Jennifer Ehle, both Theatre World Award alumni, are 2013 Honorary Co-Chairs.

Hosted by Peter Filichia, the awards ceremony will be directed by Theatre World Award recipient John Tartaglia, with Board Members Mary K. Botosan and Erin Oestreich returning as producers of the annual event.

Theatre World's 2013 honorees for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance, the Fifth Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater for an Outstanding Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production, and the newly established John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre were announced May 7.

---

Advertisement

---

Winners follow:


2013 Theatre World Award Winners
Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway debut performance during the 2012-13 theatrical season

Bertie Carvel, Matilda The Musical
Carrie Coon, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Brandon J. Dirden, The Piano Lesson
Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Valisia LeKae, Motown: The Musical
Rob McClure, Chaplin
Ruthie Ann Miles, Here Lies Love
Conrad Ricamora, Here Lies Love
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Yvonne Strahovski, Golden Boy
Tom Sturridge, Orphans

2013 Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater Winner
Outstanding performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production
Jonny Orsini, The Nance

2013 John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Winner
Alan Alda

The Theatre World Award winners were chosen by the Theatre World Awards Committee that includes David Cote (Time Out New York and “NY1”), Joe Dziemianowicz (New York Daily News), Peter Filichia (The Newark Star-Ledger, Emeritus) Harry Haun (Playbill), Matthew Murray (Talkin’ Broadway), Frank Scheck (New York Post) and Linda Winer (Newsday).

The Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater "honors an Outstanding Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production." The award is chosen by the Trustees of The Dorothy Loudon Foundation, Lionel Larner, executive director, together with recommendations from the Theatre World Awards Committee.

The newly established John Willis Award is given for "lifetime achievement in the theatre to honor the man who created and maintained the Theatre World tradition for 66 years, encouraging new talent in an often challenging business." The John Willis Award will be presented annually by the Theatre World Award Board of Directors to the "man or woman whose lifetime achievements and personal generosity to the Theatre Community merit special recognition and acknowledgement."

The Theatre World Award Board of Directors is headed by Tom Lynch (president) with Dale Badway (vice-president), Alden Fulcomer (secretary), Tabitha Falcone (treasurer), Mary K. Botosan, Kimothy Cruse, Michael Kostel, Erin Oestreich, Lisa Rothe and Stephen Wilde.

Broadway Mystery

This mysterious marquee has been above the St. james Theatre on W44th for a couple of weeks. Apart from the fact I've never heard of Riggan Thomson I thought he bore a remarkable resemblance to Michael Keaton.

I'm pretty sure it's a fake marquee for a movie.

End of the Line

WE read and sang through the show today and of course it's going to be brilliant. The rehearsal hall is a short walk from our accommodation and next to this.

I mean, ridiculous, right?
Behind the theatre and across the bridge is an abandoned railway line

 Such a shame it isn't still in use as there is no way out of here without a car

But the station house has been put to good use as a lovely atmospheric colonial gift store

We bought a couple of pasta bowls and the shop owner told us the story of his life for half an hour.
I don't think he gets many customers.

We're Heeeeeere!

Goodbye to the sublet in Inwood!

Everything is packed away in storage until September.

A two and a half hour drive from Manhattan and East Haddam, Connecticut is our home for the next four months.

Such a beautiful spot for a theatre. The middle of nowhere.

The cast met in the basement of the theatre for hamburgers and hot dogs prepared and served by the wonderful volunteers. For most of us it's our first time working at Goodspeed.

Then came a tour of the premises led by the stage manager

Gorgeous!

The company accommodation. Ot as TT calls it, the Psycho house.

There are only two shops in the entire area. One is a liquor store which is of no use to us. Unfortunately, the other shop is chocolates and ice creams. We will work our way through the menu in no time. The Dirty Barn Shoes is something involving chocolate chips and cookie dough.

A noice tea

An absolutely splendid dinner at La Masseria, the popular and ritzy Italian restaurant on W48th, with Frank Lazarus who is visiting from the UK. Frank wrote and starred in the Broadway and West End hit A DAY IN HOLLYWOOD-A NIGHT IN THE UKRAINE

I am waiting for TT to write our West End and Broadway hit.

Rushin' Tee Rume

Tony nominee Keala Settle (as she will forever be known from now on) suggested lunch at the Russian Tea Room and as we had never been there we thought "Why the hell not?"

Those red things on the light fitting are Christmas baubles. What a clever use for out of season decorations!

It's all frightfully posh and the waiters are really Russian

Clever TT pointed out that the decor for NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 is obviously based on this very room.

Our other guest was the divine Ms Jacqui Arnold from PRISCILLA. TT is showing pics of the flat in Katoomba.

 The food was absolutely delicious and incredibly expensive. A good time was had by all.