Craig Noel, the eminence grise of San Diego theatre, is alive and well. Though he’s called the founding director of the city’s Old Globe, the nomenclature is not quite accurate.
Nonetheless, the 92-year-old Noel directed more than 225 productions during his career at the Globe, which actually began when he acted in a 1937 production.
Noel, who recently received the National Medal of Arts in Washington, D.C., remarked that it was simply too heavy to wear to the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle’s sixth annual Craig Noel Awards, held Jan. 21 in the Axline Court and Sherwood Auditorium of the Museum of Modern Art’s La Jolla campus. Noel personally handed out awards to theater artists who were present.
Attendees, including patrons and artists, numbered 450.
The critics paid tribute to the late Dr. Floyd Gaffney, longtime advocate of African-American theatre in San Diego, emeritus professor of University of California, San Diego, and founder of Common Ground Theatre.
The Critics Circle gave a lifetime achievement award to Jack O’Brien, who recently, after 27 years as artistic director, became the Old Globe’s artistic director emeritus, and to Harvey Fierstein, writer, actor and singer. The critics also instituted a perpetual award, the Jack O’Brien Excellence in Directing Award, bestowing it on Esther Emery in recognition of her work in 2007.
The Critics Circle comprises nine members: Charlene Baldridge of La Jolla Village News; Don Braunagel of San Diego Magazine; Jennifer Chung-Klam of sandiego.com; Carol Davis of turbula.net; Pam Kragen of North County Times; freelance drama critic Ruth Lepper; Jeff Smith of The Reader; Anne Marie Welsh, former critic of the San Diego Union-Tribune; and George Weinberg-Harter of sandiego.com.
Two Broadway-bound musicals, the Globe’s “A Catered Affair” and the Playhouse’s “Cry-Baby,” took top awards in the musical categories. More than half the 41 awards went to San Diego resident artists and to smaller, not-for-profit resident theater companies, their directors, designers and actors.
The complete awards list (see www.sdcriticscircle.org) includes productions/artists/playwrights/directors from Mo’olelo, Moxie (“Victoria Martin, Math Team Queen”), Cygnet (“Yellowman”), New Village Arts (“Sailor’s Song”), Starlight, and Moonlight theaters.
Highlights of the free event were footage that accompanied the Gaffney tribute and a Martin Morawski film that paid tribute to O’Brien, which included San Diego sprung actors Melinda Gilb and Steve Gunderson, doing a mock audition that in hilarity and awfulness outshines “American Idol” tryouts; and tributes from, among others, Harvey Fierstein, playwright Tom Stoppard, Playhouse emeritus artistic director Des McAnuff, Pasadena Playhouse artistic director Sheldon Epps, and the companies of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” and “The Coast of Utopia.” The film ends with a mock human sacrifice acted by “Full Monty” composer David Yazbek and Tony Award winner (“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”) Norbert Leo Butz.
In his heartfelt remarks, O’Brien thanked Noel for hiring him to be the Globe’s artistic director in 1981.
“I grew up in San Diego,” O’Brien said, “something I couldn’t do in Saginaw.”
Then he paid tribute to his three “fathers,” director/mentors Noel, John Houseman and Ellis Rabb. O’Brien was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame Jan. 28 in New York City.
The San Diego Theatre Critics Circle’s 2007 Craig Noel Awards:

SPECIAL AWARDS
Floyd Gaffney Tribute
Jack O’Brien lifetime achievement award. First Jack O’Brien Excellence in Directing award given to Esther Emery.

Outstanding Musical
“A Catered Affair,” The Old Globe

Resident musical
“West Side Story,” Moonlight Stage Productions
“Ragtime,” Starlight Theatre

Lyrics for a Musical
David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger, “Cry-Baby,” La Jolla Playhouse

Score for a Musical
John Bucchino (Music and Lyrics), “A Catered Affair,” The Old Globe

Orchestrations for a Musical
Don Sebesky, “A Catered Affair,” The Old Globe

Direction of a Musical
John Doyle, “A Catered Affair,” Old Globe
Music Direction
Justin Gray, “Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story,” Welk Resort Theatre
Don Le Master, “The Full Monty,” San Diego Musical Theatre
Lead Performance in
a Musical, Female
Deborah Gilmour Smyth, “Ragtime,” Starlight Musical Theatre
Faith Prince, “A Catered Affair,” The Old Globe

Lead Performance in
a Musical, Male
Tom Wopat, “A Catered Affair”

Featured Performance
in a Musical, Male
Robert Barry Fleming, “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” San Diego Repertory Theatre

Featured Performance
in a Musical, Female
Alli Mauzey, “Cry-Baby,” La Jolla Playhouse

Choreography
Robin Christ and Kathy Meyer, “Sailor’s Song,” New Village Arts
Rob Ashford, “Cry-Baby,” La Jolla Playhouse

Original Music for a Play
Andrew Pluess and Benn Sussman, (sound design and original compositions), “after the quake,” La Jolla Playhouse

Direction of a Play
Kristianne Kurner, “Sailor’s Song,” New Village Arts

Sound Design
Paul Peterson, “Bell, Book and Candle,” Old Globe
Jeremy Siebert, “Cowboy Versus Samurai,” Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company

Costume Design
Jessica John,” Sailor’s Song,” New Village Arts
Karen Perry, “Two Trains Running,” Old Globe

Lighting Design
Brian MacDevitt, “A Catered Affair,” The Old Globe

Set Design
Nick Fouch, body of work in 2007, including “Yellowman,” Cygnet Theatre; “Sailor’s Song,” New Village Arts; “Devil Dog Six,” Moxie Theatre

Ensemble
“Sailor’s Song,” New Village Arts
“Measure for Measure,” Old Globe Shakespeare Festival 2007

Featured Performance
in a Play, Female
Sandy Campbell, “Communicating Doors,” Cygnet Theatre

Featured Performance
in a Play, Male
Joshua Everett Johnson, “The Adding Machine,” La Jolla Playhouse
Luke Marinkovich, “Victoria Martin: Math Team Queen,” Moxie Theatre
Jonathan McMurtry, body of work, Old Globe Shakespeare Festival 2007

Lead Performance
in a Play, Male
Chuck Cooper, “Two Trains Running,” Old Globe Theatre
James Sutorius, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Old Globe Theatre
Matthew Weeden, “Torch Song Trilogy,” Diversionary Theatre

Lead Performance
in a Play, Female
Monique Gaffney, “Yellowman,” Cygnet Theatre
Rosina Reynolds, “Wit,” North Coast Repertory Theatre

Solo Performance
Ron Choularton, “St. Nicholas,” Cygnet Theatre
Adriana Sevan, “Taking Flight,” San Diego Repertory Theatre

Touring Production
“Jersey Boys,” Broadway/San Diego producers

New Play
Itamar Moses, “The Four of Us,” Old Globe Theatre
Mary Fengar Gail, “Devil Dog Six,” Moxie Theatre

Dramatic Production
“Yellowman,” Cygnet Theatre