Drury Lane is a big winner at the virtual 2020 Jeff Awards; Court Theatre wins for ‘King Hedley II’
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, a longstanding family business mostly shuttered by the pandemic since March, was set to receive cheering news Monday night. Two of the for-profit theater’s musical productions, “An American in Paris” and “The Color Purple,” were to emerge broadly victorious at the 2020 Joseph Jefferson Awards.
Other shows heralded by the all-volunteer committee at a virtual ceremony Monday include Court Theatre’s production of August Wilson’s “King Hedley II" (beating out the hugely acclaimed “Bug” at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company), the immersive staging of “The Boys in the Band” at the Windy City Playhouse and the production of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” at the Mercury Theater on Chicago’s North Side, a venue that announced earlier this summer that it was going out of business.
Best leading actor Jeffs went to Carrie Coon for her work in her husband Tracy Letts' “Bug” at Steppenwolf, Kelvin Roston, Jr. for his work in the title role of “King Hedley," and to Josh Drake and Eben K. Logan for (respectively) their lead Drury Lane performances in “American in Paris” and “The Color Purple.” Best director nods went to Wardell Julius Clark for “Kill Move Paradise” at TimeLine Theatre, Carl Menninger for “The Boys in the Band,” Lili-Anne Brown for “The Color Purple” and L. Walter Stearns for “Spamalot.”
Rebecca Spence got a Jeff for her work in the one-woman show “Every Brilliant Thing,” also at the Windy City Playhouse while Lorenzo A. Rush, Jr., took home a Jeff for his work in the Porchlight Music Theatre revue “Sophisticated Ladies," featuring the music of Duke Ellington. That show also took home a traditionally coveted Jeff for best ensemble.
The extraordinary “Bug” set design by Takeshi Kata was honored, as was the lighting for that show by Heather Gilbert; Gilbert is also a Tony Award nominee this year for her work on “The Sound Inside” on Broadway.
The committee also gave out Jeffs to new plays by Lee Edward Colston II, Levi Holloway and Loy A. Webb.
There were no special Jeff awards in 2020, this year the 53rd time that Chicago theaters with Actors Equity contracts have been honored. Instead, the committee chose to acknowledge an “honor roll” of organizations who have aided theaters and artists during the pandemic, including the Chicago Theater Relief Fund, Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, the Chicago Theatre Bike Ride, The Show Will Go On!, the League of Chicago Theaters and the longstanding charity known as Season of Concern.
This year’s Jeffs judged shows opening between Aug. 1 of last year and the pandemic-induced shutdown of March 13 and included a reduced list of 62 eligible shows. The pre-recorded ceremony was created in secret and broadcast on YouTube and did not feature the traditional live acceptance speeches, although winners were invited to submit speeches afterward to the committee’s social-media channels. Nonetheless, some theaters planned watch celebrations with cocktails over Zoom and many nominees dressed the part, even if they did not leave home for a Jeffs like none other in the organization’s long history.
2020 EQUITY JEFF AWARD WINNERS
Production — Play — Large
“King Hedley II” — Court Theatre
Production — Play Midsize
“The Boys in the Band” — Windy City Playhouse
Production — Musical or Revue Large
“An American in Paris” — Drury Lane Productions
Production — Musical or Revue Midsize
“Monty Python’s Spamalot” — Mercury Theater Chicago
Ensemble — Play
“The Boys in the Band” — Windy City Playhouse
“The Leopard Play, or Sad Songs for Lost Boys” — Steep Theatre Company
Ensemble — Musical or Revue
“Sophisticated Ladies” — Porchlight Music Theatre
New Work
Lee Edward Colston II — “The First Deep Breath” — Victory Gardens Theater
Levi Holloway — “Grey House” — A Red Orchid Theatre
Loy A. Webb — “His Shadow: A Parable” — 16th Street Theater
Director — Play — Large
Wardell Julius Clark — “Kill Move Paradise” — TimeLine Theatre Company
Director — Play Midsize
Carl Menninger — “The Boys in the Band” — Windy City Playhouse
Director — Musical or Revue Large
Lili-Anne Brown — “The Color Purple” — Drury Lane Productions
Director — Musical or Revue Midsize
L. Walter Stearns — “Monty Python’s Spamalot” — Mercury Theater Chicago
Performer in a Principal Role — Play
Carrie Coon — “Bug” — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Kelvin Roston, Jr. — “King Hedley II” — Court Theatre
Performer in a Principal Role — Musical
Josh Drake — “An American in Paris” — Drury Lane Productions
Eben K. Logan — “The Color Purple” — Drury Lane Productions
Solo Performance
Rebecca Spence — “Every Brilliant Thing” — Windy City Playhouse
Performer in a Revue
Lorenzo Rush, Jr. — “Sophisticated Ladies” — Porchlight Music Theatre
Performer in a Supporting Role — Play
Deanna Reed-Foster — “The First Deep Breath” — Victory Gardens Theater
A.C. Smith — “King Hedley II” — Court Theatre
Performer in a Supporting Role — Musical
Skyler Adams — “An American in Paris” — Drury Lane Productions
Nicole Michelle Haskins — “The Color Purple” — Drury Lane Productions
Scenic Design — Large
Takeshi Kata — “Bug” — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Scenic Design — Midsize
William Boles — “The Boys in the Band” — Windy City Playhouse
Joe Schermoly — “The Gulf” — About Face Theatre
Costume Design — Large
Theresa Ham — “Beauty and the Beast” — Paramount Theatre
Costume Design — Midsize
Kristy Leigh Hall — “Howards End” — Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Sound Design — Large
Mikhail Fiksel — “Dana H.” — Goodman Theatre
Sound Design — Midsize
Jeffrey Levin — “Grey House” — A Red Orchid Theatre
Lighting Design — Large
Heather Gilbert — “Bug” — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Lighting Design — Midsize
Mike Durst — “Grey House” — A Red Orchid Theatre
Choreography
Lynne Kurdziel-Formato — “An American in Paris” — Drury Lane Productions
Original Music in a Play
Ladysmith Black Mambazo — “Lindiwe” — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Musical Direction
Jermaine Hill — “Sophisticated Ladies” — Porchlight Music Theatre
Projection Design
Kevan Loney — “An American in Paris” — Drury Lane Productions
Artistic Specialization
Breon Arzell as movement choreographer for “Kill Move Paradise” — TimeLine Theatre Company
Steve Cuiffo as illusion and lip sync consultant for “Dana H.” — Goodman Theatre
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
———
©2020 the Chicago Tribune
Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
