The Producers may have failed to impress ticket buyers in Toronto, but it left a lasting impression on the jury of the 2004 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, picking up six trophies in the general-theatre division, including outstanding production of a musical and outstanding direction for Susan Stroman. It's unlikely, however, that the sweep will have an effect at the box office.
The 25th ceremony was co-hosted (with Louise Pitre) by Sean Cullen, who plays Max Bialystock in Toronto, but it was his co-star Michael Therriault who walked away with the award for outstanding performance by a male in a principal role (musical) as accountant-turned-impresario Leo Bloom. The outstanding performance in a feature role in a play or musical went to Juan Chiron as the flamboyant theatre director Roger DeBris. The Producers, which closes in Toronto on Sunday, also collected awards for outstanding sound design and musical direction.
The Tarragon Theatre maintained its winning streak with its production of Jason Sherman's Remnants picking up the director's award for Richard Rose and a lighting design trophy for Graeme Thomson. Remnants tied with CanStage's The Syringa Tree for outstanding production of a play.
William Hutt was awarded the outstanding performance by a male for Soulpepper's No Man's Land, while Caroline Cave won the outstanding performance by a female in a principal role for The Syringa Tree.
The award for outstanding new play went to Michael Hollingsworth's Confederation, produced by VideoCabaret, while Kevin Quain picked up the outstanding new musical for the critically panned Tequila Vampire Matinee.
As expected, Jackie Richardson won the award for female performance in a musical for her soaring portrayal of blues legend Alberta Hunter in Cookin' At the Cookery, a hit CanStage co-production that is currently struggling at the New Yorker Theatre, where it was transferred in April. It closes on July 11.
Stories from the Rains of Love and Death by Modern Times Stage Company won the outstanding new play in the independent category (where companies with multicultural mandates dominated) as well as a direction nod to Soheil Parsa and a lighting design award for Andrea Lundy. Michelle Polak was named outstanding performance by a female for Aluna Theatre's For Sale. In a surprise move, Indian actor Ashwatthama JD won the male award for a valiant but virtually indecipherable performance in Ek Qatra Khoon -- A Drop of Blood.