More August Honors
More August HonorsThere's just no stopping the August: Osage County juggernaut.
But then again, who'd want to, anyway?
While Tracy Letts' popular play earned seven well-deserved Tony Award nominations last week, including for Best Play, the Pulitzer Prize-winning work has already won several other awards over the past week.
A week ago today, August: Osage County was named Best Play by the Outer Critics Circle, up against Rock 'N' Roll, The Seafarer and The 39 Steps. The Outer Critics Circle is the official organization of writers on the New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media beyond Broadway.
Also one week ago today, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (NYDCC) named August: Osage County as its pick for Best Play of the 2007-08 Theatrical Season, offering Letts a cash prize of $2,500 by a grant from the Lucille Lortel Foundation. According to Playbill, the NYDCC is comprised of 22 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines, and wire services based in the New York metropolitan area, including (with pictures!): Adam Feldman of Time Out New York; Eric Grode of The New York Sun; Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's Daily News; Hilton Als of The New Yorker; Clive Barnes of New York Post; Melissa Rose Bernardo of Entertainment Weekly; David Cote of Time Out New York; Michael Feingold of The Village Voice; Robert Feldberg of The Record (Bergen County, NJ); Elysa Gardner of USA Today; John Heilpern of The New York Observer; Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press; Jacques le Sourd of Gannett Newspapers; Jeremy McCarter of New York; David Rooney of Variety; Frank Scheck of New York Post; David Sheward of Back Stage; John Simon of Bloomberg News; Michael Sommers of The Star-Ledger/Newhouse Newspapers; Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal; Linda Winer of Newsday; and Richard Zoglin of Time.
On Friday, August: Osage County won Distinguished Production of a Play honors during the 74th Annual Drama League Awards over Eurydice, The Farnsworth Invention, November, Rock 'N' Roll, The Seafarer, Thurgood and The 39 Steps. According to Playbill, "the Drama League is an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to 'encouraging the finest in professional theatre and has since then developed into the theatre's premiere service organization.'"
Finally, last evening, August: Osage County was named Outstanding Play at the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards over Intimate Exchanges, Horizon, From Up Here, Dividing the Estate and Rock ’N’ Roll. According to Playbill, "the Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, writers and editors that honors all areas of New York theatre, including Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway" that has a nominating committee comprised of Barbara Siegel of TalkinBroadway.com and TheaterMania.com; Dan Bacalzo of TheaterMania.com; Robert Cashill of New York Theater News and Live Design; Celia Ipiotis of Eye on the Arts; Gerard Raymond of Back Stage and The Advocate; and Richard Ridge of broadwaybeat.com.
And while the Theatre World Awards honor only actors, Deanna Dunagan of August: Osage County was singled out last Thursday as one of the "performers, casts or others who have made a particularly lasting impression on the New York theatre scene." She has most certainly done and more with her amazing portrayal of the pill-popping Violet Weston, a role that has now earned her Chicago's prestigious Jeff Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award. Last December, I said, "Deanna Dunagan in particular offers perhaps the single most important Broadway debut in recent memory. Her performance will surely be recalled as one of the best on the boards in years." Will she soon be adding a Tony to her ever-crowded mantle?
Next stop is the 62nd Annual Tony Awards on June 15 where virtually everyone, including yours truly, expects August: Osage County to make it a clean sweep.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Related Stories:
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 12, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
An August Award (April 7, 2008)
Today's The Day ... Or Maybe Not (April 7, 2008)
Producer's Perspective Is Sneak Peek (March 24, 2008)
Fantasy Casting Calls (February 26, 2008)
Dennis Letts - RIP (February 24, 2008)
August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) (February 20, 2008)
August: Osage County Will Extend Again, Moving To Music Box (February 15, 2008)
Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Hot, Hot, Hot August Just Got Longer (January 14, 2008)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #1: Deanna Dunagan (December 31, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #3: Amy Morton (December 29, 2007)
ModFab: The Jury Is In (December 28, 2007)
August: Best Time Of The Year (December 15, 2007)
Sorkin "No Tracy Letts" (December 14, 2007)
More Than One Critic Letts August Esteem Show (December 5, 2007)
August Heat Fires Up December Opening (December 4, 2007)
Cold Opening Possible For August: Osage County? (November 16, 2007)
Finally, Back To The Table (November 14, 2007)
Add August To The List? (November 14, 2007)
An August Work (October 30, 2007)
Steppenwolf Letts "Juicy" August Move Forward (September 15, 2007)
This October, Letts' "August" Begins On Broadway (August 22, 2007)
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)
Labels: August Osage County, Awards, Deanna Dunagan, Play, Tony Nominations, Tracy Letts
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Monday, May 19, 2008
4 Comments:
Yeah, there is no doubt in my mind that August will take home the Tony. At all. SO much for suspense and The 39 Steps.
Joseph, Thanks for your comments.
Fortunately for fans of suspense, there's the nailbiters for Best Revivals both for Musical and Play. And as much as In The Heights seems to have a leg-up on its competition for Best Musical, don't rule out Passing Strange just yet.
"August" all the way.
Though I very openly admit, I'm more excited by the Theatre World Awards than the Tonys. I've gone the last several years (it was free, even better) and have had a spectacular time.
TAAL, Great tip on the Theatre World Awards. I had never really paid much attention to them, to be honest, until you wrote about them here. They certainly have great taste, given their coterie of winners (including Ms. Dunagan, of course!).
Maybe next year, I'll have to join you!
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