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You can check my Production of the Year and Performance Awards posted earlier, but here are the rest of my top picks (and don’t miss my annual Orton-esque quote at the end) for the generally disappointing and continuously challenging past dozen months known as 2009, for whatever it all may be worth in a year that otherwise sucked the big one. Some redemptive value? As Stella Adler once said: “Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.”

Joey Arias, Arias with a Twist, Redcat Theatre, Disney Hall

RUNNERS-UP: Steven Fales, Missionary Position, Celebration Theatre

Patti Lupone, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, Ahmanson Theatre

Bill Cain, Equivocation, Geffen Playhouse

Tracy Letts, August: Osage County, CTG/Ahmanson

RUNNERS-UP: Adam Bock, The Receptionist, evidEnce Room @ the Odyssey; Joe DiPietro, Fucking Men, Celebration; Julie Hebert, Tree, EST-LA [Inside] the Ford, Laura Richardson, Come Back, Little Horny, Lost Studio; Bill Robens, Kill Me, Deadly, Theatre of NOTE; Tim Toyama and Aaron Woodfolk, Bronzeville, Robey Theatre; Alfred Uhry, Parade, CTG/Taper; Beau Willimon, Farragut North, Geffen Playhouse; Jacqueline Wright, Love Water, EST/Open Fist

The Not Man Apart Physical Theatre Company, Pericles Redux, Kirk Douglas Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Julian Fellowes, Mary Poppins, CTG/Ahmanson; Heather Hatch, Legally Blonde, Pantages; Eric Idle, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson; Bob Martin, Minsky’s, CTG/Ahmanson; Tiger Reel, R.U.R., Action! Theatre at Art/Works; Deborah Stein, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court

Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County, CTG/Ahmanson

RUNNERS-UP: Luis Alfaro, Dias y Flores, Company of Angels; Dan Bonnell, Love Water, EST/Open Fist; Bart DeLorenzo, The Receptionist, evidEnce Room @ the Odyssey; Martha Demson, Come Back, Little Horny, Lost Studio; Ben Guillory, Bronzeville, Robey Theatre; Doug Hughes, Farragut North, Geffen Playhouse; Jessica Kubzansky, Tree, EST-LA [Inside] the Ford, Michael Peretzian, No Man’s Land, Odyssey; Calvin Remsberg, Fucking Men, Celebration; Kiff Scholl, Kill Me, Deadly, Theatre of NOTE; Jose Luis Valenzuela, Solitude, Latino Theater Co; Elissa Weinzimmer, School for Suckers, Lillian

Rob Ashford, Parade, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum

RUNNERS-UP: Roger Bean, Life Could Be a Dream, Hudson; Jeff Calhoun, Pippin, CTG/Taper; David Galligan, Children of the Night, Katselas Theatre Co; Richard Eyre, Mary Poppins, CTG/Ahmanson; Michael Michetti, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court; Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde, Pantages; Casey Nicholaw, Minsky’s, CTG/Ahmanson; Mike Nichols, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson; Patrick Peterson, Altar Boyz, Celebration; Rick Sparks, Divorce! The Musical, Hudson; Basil Twist, Arias with a Twist, Redcat

Jason Robert Brown, Parade, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum

RUNNERS-UP: David Hanbury, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court; John Du Prez and Eric Idle, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson; Erin Kamler, Divorce! The Musical, Hudson; Semyon Kobialka, Solitude, Latino Theater Co; Scott Martin, Children of the Night, Katselas Theatre Co; Lawrence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde, Pantages; David Sinder, August: Osage County, CTG/Ahmanson; Charles Strouse and Susan Birkenhead, Minsky’s, CTG/Ahmanson; Nathan Wang, Po Boy Tango, East West Players

Michael Paternostro, Life Could Be a Dream, Hudson Mainstage

RUNNERS-UP: Christopher Lloyd Bratten, Altar Boyz, Celebration; James Dodgson, Mary Poppins, CTG/Ahmanson; Paul Ford, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, Ahmanson; Steven Landau, Pippin, CTG/Taper; Tom Murray, Parade, CTG/Taper; David O, Divorce! The Musical, Hudson; Phil Reno, Minsky’s, CTG/Ahmanson; David Singer, August: Osage County, CTG/Ahmanson; Ben Whiteley, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson

Matthew Bourne, Mary Poppins, Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Rob Ashford, Parade, CTG/Taper; John Farmanesh-Bocca, Pericles Redux, Not Man Apart at the Kirk Douglas; Ameenah Kaplan, Altar Boyz, Celebration; Urbanie Lucero, Solitude, Latino Theater Co; Lee Martino, Life Could Be a Dream, Hudson; Casey Nicholaw, Minsky’s, CTG/Ahmanson; Casey Nicholaw, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson

Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins, Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS UP: Brian Sidney Bembridge, Tree, EST-LA [Inside] the Ford, Tom Buderwitz, Fucking Men, Celebration; Francois-Pierre Couture, Solitude, Latino Theater Co; Jimmy Cuomo, Children of the Night, Katselas Theatre Co; David Esbjornson, Equivocation, Geffen; Susan Gratch, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court; Anna Louizos, Minsky’s, CTG/Ahmanson; J.P. Luckenbach, Bronzeville, Robey; Tim Hatley, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson; Christopher Oram, Parade, CTG/Taper; Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County, CTG/Ahmanson; Basil Twist, Arias with a Twist, Redcat; Sibyl Wickersheimer, Love Water, EST/Open Fist

Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins, Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Gregg Barnes, Minsky’s, CTG/Ahmanson; Tim Hatley, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson; Frances Kenny, Equivocation, Geffen; Soojin Lee, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court; Michael Mullen, Altar Boyz, Celebration; Christopher Oram, Parade, CTG/Taper; Leah Piehl, Love Water, EST/Open Fist; Naila Aladdin Sanders, Bronzeville, Robey; A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, Children of the Night, Katselas Theatre Co; Valentino’s Costumes, Life Could Be a Dream, Hudson

Francois-Pierre Couture, Solitude, Latino Theater Company, LATC

RUNNERS-UP: Neil Austin, Parade, CTG/Taper; Howard Harrison, Mary Poppins, CTG/Ahmanson; Donald Holder, Pippin, CTG/Taper; Luke Moyer, Bronzeville, Robey; Jeremy Pivnik, Fucking Men, Celebration; Matt Richter, Kill Me, Deadly, Theatre of NOTE; Hugh Vanstone, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson; KC Wilkerson, Po Boy Tango, East West Players; Chris Wojcieszyn, Love Water, EST/Open Fist; Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County, CTG/Ahmanson; Steven Young, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court; Scott Zielinski, Equivocation, Geffen

Lindsay Jones, Fucking Men, Celebration Theatre

RUNNERS-UP: Acme Sound Partners, Spamalot, CTG/Ahmanson; Jon Gottlieb, Equivocation, Geffen; Steve Canyon Kennedy, Mary Poppins, CTG/Ahmanson; David B. Marling, The Bird and Mr. Banks, Road; Cricket S. Myers, Life Could Be a Dream, Hudson; Cricket S. Myers, Love Water, EST/Open Fist; Rob Oriol, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court; John Weston, Parade, CTG/Taper; Robert Woodbury, August: Osage County, CTG/Ahmanson; John Zalewski, Solitude, Latino Theater Co

Dane Bowman and Jason Parsons, The House of Besarab, Hollywood American Legion Theatre

RUNNER-UP: Bo Foxworth, Equivocation, Geffen; Victor Warren, Stranger, Bootleg

Daniel Brodie, Arias with a Twist, Redcat Theatre, Disney Hall

RUNNERS-UP: Christopher Ash, Solitude, Latino Theater Co; Jason H. Thompson, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court

Kooza, Cirque du Soleil at the Santa Monica Pier

Summer Shapiro and Peter Musante, Legs and All, San Francisco Fringe Festival, Climate Theatre, San Francisco

The Lion King, Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas

Naomi Donne, Make-up Design, Mary Poppins, CTG/Ahmanson;

Carol F. Doran, Wigs and Hair, Parade, CTG/Taper;

Semyon Kobialka, Cello Accompaniment, Solitude, Latino Theater Co;

Josh Marquette, Hair Design, Minsky’s, CTG/Ahmanson;

Robin McWilliams, Hair Design, Children of the Night, Katselas Theatre Co;

Chuck Olson, Properties Design, Life Could Be a Dream, Hudson;

Leah Piehl, Make-up Design, God Save Gertrude, Boston Court;

Basil Twist, Puppet Design, Arias with a Twist, Redcat

When the artistic director of one of our city’s more location-challenged theatre complexes was mugged last winter, it reminded me of an incident that happened when I was working there a few years ago. As I was putting something in the trunk of my car parked in front of the theatre, one of the local working girls who strolled the area on a regular basis asked if I was looking for a “date.” I told her no, thank you, that I was in the ‘hood rehearsing for a play. As she moved on, she thoughtfully called back, “Break a leg!”

[ Click here to read the part 1 ]