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As in seasons past, the 66th Annual Theatre World Awards once again clings to the traditions first set in motion by founder John Willis decades ago, in which a dozen thespians receive the esteemed honor of being cited for their impressive New York debuts either on or Off-Broadway, as bestowed by previous winners. One of the most notable attributes of this season's proceedings, however, was that the ceremony managed to come in at more than a half hour before the scheduled end-time, which is certainly due largely to the technical skill and proficiency of director Barry Keating, as well as the charm and personality of host Peter Filichia. And as such, it proved an afternoon not soon forgotten by any of the assembled throng.
As always, this season's presenters were evenly matched with the recipients, either by virtue of them having worked together on stage or elsewhere, or appearing in the original cast of a show recently revived, or simply good chemistry. It was, therefore, extremely fitting for Brian Stokes Mitchell (a 1988 recipient for Mail as well as the original Coalhouse in Ragtime, to present an award to the resplendent Stephanie Umoh, who portrayed Sarah in the revival earlier this season at the Neil Simon. Likewise for Michael Cristofer (who won for The Cherry Orchard in 1977) to present to Scarlett Johansson, who wowed the city with her performance in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge and wholeheartedly proved that yes, film 
actors can indeed be just as stellar on the boards. Another highlight was Vanessa Williams (who won in 1995 for Kiss of the Spider Woman) presenting to her "Ugly Betty" partner-in-crime Michael Urie for his splendid work in The Temperamentals. And Michael Cerveris, a 1993 winner for The Who's Tommy, was nothing less than stellar when presenting to Bill Heck for 
The Orphan's Home Cycle, even while forced to wrangle with a technically-challenged microphone.
Three presenters in particular were absolute standouts, however. One was Viola Davis, when bestowing the award to her brilliant on-stage son Chris Chalk in Fences. Another was Michael McKean, who grabbed a prize for the comic mystery Accomplice in 1990 and presented to John Michael Hill for Superior Donuts, along with a speech that had the crowd rolling in the aisles (including the fact that when he received his award from Carol Lynley twenty years ago, she informed the crowd that she had absolutely no idea who he was, and to which he urged us 
to Google her name so we could find out who she was). And possibly most entertaining was Tovah Feldshuh, one of 1976's winners for Yentl, who dazzled the crowd by turning a cartwheel and giving a 
beautifully-felt speech to Nina Arianda for her shattering performance in Venus in Fur, reminding us about how it feels for an actor to have their name mispronounced and illustrating the point by telling us that when she herself won the award, the presenter referred to her as Tutu Fledschuck.
Performances by past winners also punctuated the event, including the stellar Alli Mauzey recreating her song "Loose Screw" from Cry-Baby in 1998, Loretta Ables Sayre (who won for her portrayal of Bloody Mary in 2008's South Pacific) bringing a touch of cabaret into the proceedings, and Jonathan Groff (fresh from an episode of "Glee," and a winner for Spring Awakening in 2007). Not to mention the marvelous John Tartaglia, who garnered an award for Avenue Q in 2004. And in one of the most exciting presentations, the fabulous Kate 
Burton (who gave a heartwarming
speech about receiving her award from her legendary father Richard in 1983, for the play Winners) had the honor of bestowing the 2010 Starbaby Award (endowed by the Dorothy Loudon Foundation) to Bobby Steggert for his spectacular work in both Ragtime and Yank! this season, along with foundation founder Lionel Larner. Additional presenters included Robert LuPone, Condola Rashad and Alfred Molina, and remaining recipients were Kera Kelley for The Glass Menagerie, Sahr Ngaujah for FELA!, Eddie Redmayne for Red, Andrea Riseborough for The Pride and Heidi Shreck for Circle Mirror Transformation (for which, as an absentee, her mother made a beautiful speech).
The Theatre World Awards have long been known as one of the community's best-kept secrets, and this season proved
no exception. Those who have never attended must try to go next year, and those who've been before can simply bask in the glory and the splendor of having been there.
Photos, courtesy of Maryann Lopinto
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