ZACH Theatre – An Austin Theatre Blog

Martin Burke in ZACH's THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, photo by Kirk Tuck

The best and brightest in Austin arts critics presents the Austin Critics Table Awards each year. Now, in its 19th year, awards were presented last night by local arts critics to recognize the most exceptional achievements in dance, classical music, the visual arts and theatre — for a period covering May 2010 through April 2011.

This year’s committee was composed of the Austin American-Statesman’s Michael Barnes (arts), Cate Blouke (theatre), Claire Canavan (theatre), Luke Quinton (classical music/visual arts), Claire Spera (dance), and Jeanne Claire van Ryzin (arts) and The Austin Chronicle’s Elizabeth Cobbe (theatre), Jonelle Seitz (dance), Avimaan Syam (theatre) and the Chronicle’s Robert Faires (arts).

Barbara Chisholm as Molly Ivins in RED HOT PATRIOT: THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS, Photo by Kirk Tuck

ZACH Theatre and its actors were presented with several awards at the informal ceremony at Cap City Comedy Club last night, including:

• BEST COMEDY PRODUCTION – Becky’s New Car starring Lauren Lane
• BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION – The Drowsy Chaperone
• BEST ACTING IN A LEADING ROLE -
  Martin Burke in The Drowsy Chaperone,
  Barbara Chisholm in Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins,
  Lauren Lane in Becky’s New Car and August: Osage County
• BEST ACTING IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -
  Joshua Denning – Rent
  Meredith McCall – The Drowsy Chaperone
• BEST CHOREOGRAPHY – Robin Lewis for The Drowsy Chaperone and Rent
• BEST COSTUME DESIGN – Susan Branch Towne for The Drowsy Chaperone
  

Thanks to all the casts and crewmembers who worked with the theatre to make this such an exciting season! We look forward to continue bringing quality theatre to Austin in the 2011-12 Season — which we’ve just announced!

Another exciting tidbit: If you missed Barbara Chisholm’s award-winning performance in Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, ZACH will be remounting the play late this summer in-the-round on the intimate Whisenhunt Stage.

For a full list of winners, please check out today’s blog at Austin360.com.

Congrats to all!

Kitty leads the crew as they all bake up a "Toledo Surprise", Photo by Kirk R. Tuck www.kirktuck.com

One of the most popular musical numbers in this summer’s hit musical THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is “Toledo Surprise” (CLICK LINK TO PLAY) led by our jovial gangsters posing as pastry chefs (played by Tyler Wallach and Leslie Hethcox) and the harried producer (Scotty Roberts), who’s worried his fate will be sealed in pastry dough if he doesn’t put on a show.

The recipe?

First you chop the nuts -
- then you pound the dough -
- then you bake it up nice and slow -
- and then you got your Toledo … Toledo Surprise!

The gangsters sing it with such panache, and we’ve got a few talented cooks on staff who’ve baking up their own Toledo Surprises. By popular consensus and with all local ingredients (seasonal, too!), we’ve put together the ultimate Toledo Surprise recipe Austin audiences can make from home:

ZACH’S TOLEDO SURPRISE

Here’s what you need:

• 1½ pounds peaches (about 5), pitted and cut into chunks
• 2 cups blueberries later on), picked over and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped, lightly toasted pecans
• Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream as an accompaniment

Gangsters posing as pastry chefs are bakin' up a Toledo Surprise, Photo by Kirk R. Tuck www.kirktuck.com

Here’s what you do:

In a large bowl, toss the peaches and the blackberries gently with the cornstarch, the lemon juice, and the granulated sugar until the mixture is combined well. In a small bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the butter, blending the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, and stir in the pecans. Spread the peach mixture in a 13-inch-by-9-inch (3-quart) baking dish, sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly over it, and bake the crisp in the middle of a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve the crisp with the ice cream.

Thanks to Austin actress Barbara Chisholm for sharing her foodie expertise with us. If you have your own recipe ideas for a Toledo Surprise, post them on our blog at http://www.zachtheatre.org/blog.

Tickets to final performances of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE are going quickly, book early for the best seats online or with our box office at (512) 476-0541, x1.  Ask our box office about weekly ticket specials!

Martin Burke as Man in Chair in ZACH's THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, Photo by Kirk R. Tuck www.kirktuck.com

The ‘Man in Chair’ is a Broadway fanatic who plays host to THE DROWSY CHAPERONE musical as the vibrant production springs to life in his apartment. Martin Burke, who plays Man in Chair in ZACH’s production, tells us a bit about his role and what a thrill ride it has been for him and Austin audiences.

Martin has one of the best gigs in Austin live theatre: “It’s a joy to sit and watch the actors, dancers and musicians every night,” he said. “But I have to watch myself, too. Sometimes I’ll get caught up in the show and forget that I’m on stage, mouthing all the words to all the songs in the show and mimicking the choreography.”

“It feels like you’re catching me in one of those bathroom moments that I never meant for anyone to see.” Man in Chair starts the show complaining about all the things he hates in theatre: actors going into the audience, audience members getting up to go the bathroom; and the irony of it all, Martin said, is that “the Man in Chair does everything that he hates.”

Director Nick Demos, who recently won a Tony Award as producer of the musical MEMPHIS, and the wonderfully talented cast in ZACH’s production have made this show, Martin’s first performance in an Austin theatre musical, “very comfortable.”

“Nick has taught me a lot about acting and dealing with the audiences. From working in The Santaland Diaries for several years at ZACH, my tendency was to get really worked up when I got heckled. In this production, I’ve learned to just let them be, and it makes the show so dynamic and different from night to night.”

Jill Blackwood as Janet Van de Graaff with Man in Chair mimicking her every move, Photo by Kirk R. Tuck www.kirktuck.com

Martin recalls years watching Jill Blackwood raise the roof in other Austin theatre productions, particularly at ZACH, and now has a front row seat every night watching her “sing with her lips wide open but still moving just like Barbra Streisand.” He noted: “Do people really know that Jill (who plays Janet Van de Graaff) actually does play all the instruments in the musical number ‘Show Off’? Well, she does.”

“My favorite moments in the musical are when something goes wrong with the record and the show suddenly stops. It’s when I’m reminded that I’m actually an actor playing an actor who’s playing a man in a musical,” he said.

“I also love the line ‘It’s better to have lived than left’” when trying to figure out the words The Drowsy Chaperone (played by Meredith McCall) meant to say at a moment with the record of the musical accidentally skips. “It’s interesting that he doesn’t consider that she could’ve meant ‘love.’ It really adds poignancy and depth to the Man in Chair’s character.”

By popular demand, ZACH Theatre has extended THE DROWSY CHAPERONE run through August 29, opening up excellent seats for Austin live theatre audiences. Perfect for friends, family and out of town guests, tickets are available online and by phone at (512) 476-0541, ext. 1.

Special thanks to Kirk R. Tuck for production photography.

ZACH’s New Summer Musical THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is live on stage! Here are some stellar shots photographer Kirk R. Tuck took from the show. Please be sure to credit Kirk when you share them on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, your blog or wherever they may land …

If you’re accessing this blog from a cross-posting, the original is here.

The Drowsy Chaperone - Always with a cocktail in hand! (Played by Meredith McCall in ZACH's production of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE)

In THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, Janet Van De Graaff (played by Jill Blackwood) is a 1920’s showgirl who is about to give up the stage for love. But a lot of money is riding on her to bring in crowds as star of the upcoming production of “Feldzieg’s Follies.”

Feldzieg (played by Scotty Roberts), the show’s producer, has a lot riding on him too — chiefly two gangster investors threatening bodily harm if Janet doesn’t perform. Good thing Janet has a chaperone, “The Drowsy Chaperone” to be exact, who’s just tipsy enough to stay weary of the world and practically everything except her next drink!

Actress Meredith McCall stumbles on stage to play the Drowsy, specializing in rousing anthems, but there’s nothing more rousing to her than a good ol’ fashioned cocktail, which brings us to our first Drowsy Drink:

The Old Fashioned

THE OLD FASHIONED

Speculated to be the very first drink called a cocktail, when prohibition hit this drink stayed in style. To mix one up, make sure to use an old-fashioned cocktail glass and add:

• Sugar, 1 lump
• Seltzer, 1 dash
• Ice, one square piece
• Orange bitters, 1 dash
• Angostura bitters, 1 dash
• Lemon peel, 1 piece
• Whiskey, 1 jigger

There’s some muddling and mixing involved too, but the Drowsy swears if you just throw it all in a glass the formalities of the drink won’t matter by the time you get to drink number two. Moving on … The Drowsy Chaperone never minds going:

A "Between the Sheets" Cocktail

BETWEEN THE SHEETS

Heck, when booze was outlawed, the more risque the drink name the better! Mix one of these up using:

• Lemon juice, 2 dashes
• Triple sec, 1 shot
• Rum, 1 shot
• Brandy, 1 shot

If that doesn’t make you drowsy, try moving on to the drink that’s the namesake for our favorite cocktail accoutrement, the swizzle stick, known in the 1920’s as:

The Gin Swizzle

THE GIN SWIZZLE

• Gin, 3 shots
• Simple syrup, just a dash
• Juice of 1 fresh lime
• Bitters, 2 dashes

Our Drowsy is definitely 3 sheets to the wind right now: Attagirl! Help a dame out by logging on to ZACH’s Facebook page and posting your favorite prohibition-era cocktail recipes!

Costume designer Susan Branch Towne delivered these costume renderings to ZACH for its upcoming production of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE. Inspired by “the shameless theatricality” of the show, Susan said she was led to create renderings based on Erté, a 20th Century Russian-born French artist and designer. “I wanted to idealize the time, so I looked more at drawings than at photographs,” she said. “The costumes carry the great responsibility of establishing the mood of the show, since all the action essentially happens in the Man in the Chair’s apartment. Even more than usual, the costumes have to supply the color, change of scene, and overall progression of the story and characters.” Here’s a sneak peek at the fabulosity that awaits THE DROWSY CHAPERONE audiences:

(Click here to view the original blog if images do not appear.)

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE opens at ZACH Theatre on June 24, 2010; additional show info, including a link to buy tickets, is at http://www.zachtheatre.org/show/drowsy-chaperone.

ZACH Theatre is nominated for nine 2010 Austin Critics’ Table Awards, including 5 nods for Dave Steakley’s current production of OUR TOWN. The Austin Critics’ Table is an informal group of Austin arts community members composed of critics from The Austin American Statesman, The Austin Chronicle and might be good. This is the 18th year for these awards; ZACH nominations include:

• Musical: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
• Acting in a Supporting Role: Michael Amendola, Our Town
• Acting in a Supporting Role: Jordan McRae, Our Town
• Acting in a Supporting Role: Jose Villarreal, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
• Ensemble Performance: Our Town
• Ensemble Performance: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
• Scenic Design: Michael Raiford, Rockin’ Christmas Party
• Lighting Design: Jason Amato, Our Town
• Sound Design: Craig Brock, Our Town

ZACH stars Martin Burke from the upcoming production of The Drowsy Chaperone, Meredith McCall, and Lauren Lane from Becky’s New Car were also nominated in the “Acting in a Leading Role” category for the original play House of Several Stories – which was also nominated for “David Mark Cohen New Play Award” for playwright A. John Boulanger.

Austin Critics Table members include the Austin American-Statesman’s Michael Barnes (arts), Claire Canavan (theatre), Clare Croft (dance), and Jeanne Claire van Ryzin (arts); … might be good’s Claire Ruud (visual arts); and the Chronicle’s Elizabeth Cobbe (theatre), Michael Kellerman (music), Jonelle Seitz (dance), Avimaan Syam (theatre), and Robert Faires (arts).

Awards will be announced in a ceremony on Monday, June 7th, at 7 p.m., at Cap City Comedy Club, 8120 Research. The event is free and open to the public.