Tuesday, April 7, 2009

33rd Annual Carbonell Awards: A Great Evening!

Last night's 33rd Annual Carbonell Awards Ceremony went off without a hitch. Amy London pared down the show into a coherent evening; it's the first time I've ever attended where somebody wasn't bitching about something, whether it was a dance routine, or a presenter that was completely unknown, or just how late it was getting.

No, this year we knew everyone on the stage. We knew who was presenting. We knew who was performing. It was us. Time and again, I heard people commenting "it's all about the locals - as it should be!"

Even Hap Erstein liked it! So did Christine Dolen, although she didn't care for Paul Tei's some "alcohol-powered actor-director's" pointless heckling from the back of the house.

The show started only ten minutes late (which is excellent for the Carbonells; as close to on-time as they get), and ran just a hair over two hours - well before 10:00pm. That left plenty of time to hit the Theatre League's after-party at Revolution Live and still get home at a reasonable hour.

The after-party was also a success, although it was a rough start getting drinks at the top of the event; three bartenders for some 300+ people was totally lame a little on the lean side insufficient. But the fondue table was a success, and I thought the cheese selection was really good. And once the dance floor opened up, the night actually bloomed into a true Theatre Prom. I definitely hope this becomes a tradition.

Who won? All of us, but the people who got to take home the attractive new Carbonell Award are listed at a bunch of different places: take your pick:
What's that? Where's the Sun-Sentinel story? There isn't one. They couldn't be bothered to send a report seven blocks to cover the story. Oh, you can read about it in the Sentinel - they're carrying Dolen's story from the Herald. But I've already linked to that story. Sucks to be the Sentinel, I guess.

But for the rest of us, it was a worthwhile night of friends and colleagues celebrating the vibrant South Florida Theatre Scene.

My favorite moment? Jim Brochu, upon winning his Carbonell for Zero Hour, told us Charles Nelson Rielly's take on the Carbonell Awards: "Jimmy, anyone can win a Tony: but you haven't lived until you've won a Carbonell!"

Well, here's to living in the South Florida Theatre Scene!

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