LONG ISLAND ‘ENCORE’ THEATER AWARD WINNERS – 2016
Selected by Syndicated Reviewer, Jeb Ladouceur
Once again, Theatre Three, Gateway Playhouse, and The Engeman were equally strong in this year’s ‘Encore’ competition … each of the iconic organizations produced winners in three of the contest’s ten categories. The famed Gateway garnered its trio of winning nods for the first time since 2013… and all those awards were for the same show! Repeat successes in this, the 4th year that ‘Encore’ certificates have been awarded, were Jeffrey Sanzel (Best Actor and Best Director) and Brett Chizever (Best Featured Actor). They had been selected in the selfsame categories in previous years. Worthy of note are the standout performances of acknowledged international stars Andrea McArdle (Broadway’s original ‘Annie’) and Sally Struthers (of ‘All in the Family’ fame). They added greatly to this year’s Long Island theater scene.
Best Play or Musical
‘Anything Goes’
Gateway Performing Arts Center, Bellport
For the first time, Bellport’s Gateway Theater wins the top ‘Encore’ prize with a lively Cole Porter musical. Lighting, Costumes, Choreography, and Performing excellence combined to make ‘Anything Goes’ this season’s winner despite strong competition from a number of other memorable productions staged in Port Jefferson and Northport.
Top Overall Show ‘’Anything Goes’
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Best Supporting Actress (play or musical)
Sally Struthers – (‘Anything Goes’)
Gateway Performing Arts Center, Bellport
The multiple award winning star of ‘All in the Family’ brought her considerable skills to Bellport earlier this year, and the audience at The Gateway just loved her. We got the distinct impression that Struthers is clearly familiar with ‘Anything Goes,’ so comfortable was she in her featured role. Sally and her little canine pal lit up the south shore stage.
Sally Struthers
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Best Actress (play or musical
Andrea McArdle – (‘Anything Goes’)
Gateway Performing Arts Center, Bellport
Andrea McArdle is one of those hoofers who is equally comfortable when singing, dancing, or acting. Since creating the title role in ‘Annie’ McArdle hasn’t missed a note, a beat, or an emotion. If anything the multi-talented star has only improved in her maturity, and she still looks like the kid who won our hearts with her sensational Broadway debut.
Andrea McArdle
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Best Supporting Actor (play or musical)
Brett Chizever – (‘Beau Jest’)
Theatre Three, Port Jefferson
Brett pulled off the comic gem of 2016 in ‘Beau Jest.’ Playing the hilarious part of ‘Bob,’ a ‘Boyfriend for Hire,’ Chizever teamed up with Jenna Kavaler and kept the Theatre Three audience in stitches for two hours. Brett’s job was all the more impressive because his role was so distinct from the sympathetic character he played in 2015’s gut-wrenching ‘The Boy from Oz.’
Brett Chizever (standing)
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Best Actor (play or musical)
Jeffrey Sanzel - (‘A Christmas Carol’)
Theatre Three, Port Jefferson
There should be a special acting category for Jeffrey Sanzel, if for no other reason than to be fair to his fellow thespians. It’s hard to imagine a role in any play or musical that can match Sanzel’s adaptation of Dickens’s immortal classic ‘A Christmas Carol,’ nor are we likely ever to find a role as compelling as that of ‘Ebenezer Scrooge.’ No one has interpreted the part as well as Sanzel.
Jeffrey Sanzel
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Best Scenic Design (play or musical)
Jonathan Collins – (‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’)
John W. Engeman Theater, Northport
Jon Collins is one of those theatrical masters who has become the very best at his craft. As soon as we enter Northport’s snazzy Engeman Theater, we’re breathtaken by Jon’s magnificent sets, and they prepare us for an even higher level of satisfaction. Collins has an inate sense of the optimum use of space within the proscenium. He is literally unmatched at the game.
‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’
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Best Child Actor (boy or girl – play or musical)
Sophia Eleni Kekllas - (‘Mary Poppins’)
John W. Engeman Theater, Northport
When we saw Sophia Eleni Kekllas’s winning portrayal of a ‘doll come to life’ in ‘Mary Poppins,’ it was as if the youngster was inventing the part as she went along. There was nothing contrived or artificial about her interpretation. Still, she made us believe for a few precious minutes. Bear in mind that little Sophia was playing- a character who could not exist. That’s acting!
Sophia Eleni Kekllas (center)
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Best Costume Design (play or musical)
Kurt Alger - (‘Mary Poppins’)
John W. Engeman Theater, Northport
Those who underestimate the importance of costumes in glitzy shows like ‘Mary Poppins’ would be overwhelmed by taking a trip backstage. There’s scarcely room to maneuver, so jammed with racks, hangers, and wig stands are the wings of the average playhouse. With this show set in Edwardian era London, the complexity of dressing its actors became routine for Kurt Alger.
‘Mary Poppins’
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Best Director (play or musical)
Jeffrey Sanzel - (‘Godspell’)
Theatre Three, Port Jefferson
Those of us who frequent Long Island theater haunts are familiar with the man who has become local drama’s Picasso … its Babe Ruth … its Mozart. Nothing that takes place on stage is likely to stymie this actor/writer/director. Jeffrey Sanzel took a giant step in reinforcing that reputation when he molded the cast of ‘Godspell’ into a unit where every performer seemed born to their role.
Jeffrey Sanzel
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Best Newcomer (male or female – play or musical)
Jennifer Barry - (‘Spamalot’)
Star Playhouse, Commack
Barry, believe it or not, works at a diner in New York City, where she happily waits on tables, and satisfies her show business instincts by entertaining Ellen’s Stardust customers with her big voice and repertoire of show tunes. In her Star Playhouse debut, Jennifer more than met expectations, and her collegiate theater training paid off with this, her first ‘Encore’ award. Welcome!
Jennifer Barry
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Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of a dozen novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. His newest book, THE GHOSTWRITERS, explores the bizarre relationship between the late Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Ladouceur’s recently completed thriller, THE SOUTHWICK INCIDENT, is due next month. It involves a radicalized Yale student and his CIA pursuers. Mr. Ladouceur’s revealing website is www.JebsBooks.com