With Four Trophies, Signature's 'Assassins' Is the Leader of the Pack

Dark horses and familiar faces jockeyed to the top at last night's Helen Hayes Awards ceremony, as two shows with no apparent momentum took the most prestigious prizes.

Folger Theatre's puppet-filled "Measure for Measure," otherwise nominated only for directing and lighting, was named outstanding play. And Signature Theatre's "Assassins" won four awards -- more than any other show -- yet was nosed out for the ultimate musical prize by the Studio Theatre's "Caroline, or Change."

Former Round House company member Jason Kravits, now with Broadway's "Drowsy Chaperone," played host to a full house (excluding about half a dozen no-show winners) at the Warner Theatre for the 23rd Hayes Awards -- Washington's annual, glittery answer to the Tony Awards that celebrates local theater by honoring productions from last year.

No company or show emerged as a juggernaut during the efficient two-hour ceremony, which briefly acknowledged the day's tragic events at Virginia Tech. Sally Field's "You really like me" became a theme as a number of last year's winners earned return trips to the podium.

"Assassins" director Joe Calarco and lead actor Will Gartshore received trophies, a year after they won for "Urinetown."

"It doesn't get easier," sighed the nervous Gartshore, who outdistanced three competitors from Arena Stage's "Cabaret" -- a nine-time nominee that won only for George Fulginiti-Shakar's musical direction. "Assassins" also won both musical supporting-actor honors, with Andy Brownstein receiving his first Hayes Award and 10-time nominee Donna Migliaccio garnering her second.

The "Assassins" win marked Calarco's fourth directing award in the past nine years, and also added to a nice family night: His sister Renee, whose "Short Order Stories" premiered last year at Charter Theatre (which specializes in new local works), won the Charles MacArthur Award for outstanding new play.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company scored a mild surprise with "In the Continuum," about two women coping with AIDS half a globe apart. It topped splashier fare at the Kennedy Center ("The Light in the Piazza," "Twelve Angry Men," "Canterbury Tales") and the National Theatre ("Spamalot") as it was named outstanding non-resident production ("non-resident" being the designation for shows originating elsewhere). The off-Broadway hit, booked into Woolly last fall, also took actress honors in the non-resident category for Danai Gurira, who co-wrote and co-starred in the show with Nikkole Salter.

Other non-resident awards went to David Burnham, the rapturous Italian lover in "Piazza," and Jeff Dumas, the daffy Patsy in "Spamalot" (one of four "Spamalot" nominees in that coed supporting performer category).

Winners in the local actress categories included Julia Nixon for her powerful turn as the title character in "Caroline, or Change." In the straight-play category, Johanna Day won for her longing performance in "The Rainmaker" at Arena Stage.

Elsewhere, the fraternal order of Hayes Winners Past padded their résumés. Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Director Michael Kahn won his eighth directing award for the freewheeling, Beatles-tinged "Love's Labor's Lost" that will be revived this June during STC's Free for All at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre. Said Kahn, "I think more than anybody, I need to thank John, Paul, George and Ringo."

Kahn shared the award for the second time in three years with Aaron Posner, tapped for his "Measure for Measure" at the Folger (former home of STC). "I think this happened once before," Posner said.

Philip Goodwin became a repeat winner, taking supporting-actor honors as the domineering mayor in STC's "An Enemy of the People." Lighting designer Charlie Morrison (who won last year for STC's "The Tempest") won this year for his stark "Elephant Man" at Olney Theatre Center. Irina Tsikurishvili of the movement-oriented Synetic Theater won her fourth choreography award, this time for "Frankenstein."

"It's really a thrill to get these. You just have to keep your speeches straight," said set designer James Kronzer to laughter as he walked off with his eighth Hayes trophy, this time for "The Beaux' Stratagem" at the Shakespeare.

Even the new winners seemed to be stalwarts, and generally with roots in Shakespeare (always a plus in Washington). Kate Eastwood Norris, who burst onto the scene with the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, was honored for her supporting work in Posner's "Measure for Measure." Andrew Long became the latest STC member to find Hayes success at the Studio Theatre, taking leading-actor honors in Studio Secondstage's "Frozen."

One new wrinkle was the ensemble award, long contemplated and finally instituted this year. The maiden winner was Catalyst Theater Company for its staging of Bertolt Brecht's "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui."

Among the noncompetitive awards, Frances Sternhagen, a Washington native and early performer at Arena Stage, received the Helen Hayes Tribute.

Target Corp. was the KPMG Distinguished Service Award winner for its philanthropy within the Washington theater community, and the Cultural Development Corp.'s successful bid last year to keep the Source Theatre from turning into a bar and billiard hall earned it this year's Washington Post Award for Innovative Leadership.

The Hayes Awards are determined by 60 judges picked by a selection committee, with eight judges assigned to a given show. Judges file ballots within 24 hours of seeing a show, rating the performance in eligible categories.