By: Skip Sheffield
Palm Beach County fared exceptionally well in this year’s 36th annual Carbonell Awards at Broward Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale.
Our own Caldwell Theatre Company brought home three of the egg-shaped bronze sculptures for its production of Michael McKeever’s “Stuff,” including Best New Work, Best Set Design (Tim Bennett) and Best Supporting Actress (Angie Radosh). Caldwell has postponed its final production of the season due to its financial woes. Here’s hoping these accolades will encourage donations to this struggling professional troupe, the oldest in South Florida.
Palm Beach Dramaworks of West Palm Beach received the coveted Best Production of a play for its revival of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons.” Other awards for that production are Best Director (J. Barry Lewis) and Best Actor (Kenneth Tigar).
Maltz Jupiter Theatre dominated the musical category with an amazing 25 nominations and seven wins, including the Bill Von Maurer Award for Theatrical Excellence. The Maltz production of the vintage musical “Crazy for You” won Best Musical, Best Director Musical ((Mark Martino), Best Actor Musical (Matt Loehr), Best Actress Musical (Catherine Walker), Best Musical Direction (Helen Gregory) and Best Choreography (Shea Sullivan).
Boca Raton’s own Jay Harris was awarded the George Abbott Award for his many contributions to professional theater in Florida, New York and London.
The entire production, produced and directed by Amy London and Michael McKeever, was dedicated to the memory of Cuban-born artist Manuel Carbonell, who died in November at age 93. Carbonell’s nephew Ricardo Gonzalez narrated a stirring tribute to the achievements of his late uncle, namesake of the Carbonell Awards.
In addition to providing theater professionals a fun evening to celebrate their craft, the Carbonell Awards raises money for scholarships for deserving high school seniors in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties.