Aussie Helpmanns salute 'Producers'
Epic 'Ring Cycle' was night's big winner
Host Simon Burke, now a veteran in the role, managed to insult at least three industry high-fliers -- as is his wont each year -- and amuse everyone else heartily.
With opening number "I Paid," he slayed industry body the Australian Entertainment Industry Assn. for "trying to do the Tonys on $10." If the budget was anywhere near that, producer Rodney Rigby did a fine job indeed.
Epic A$15.3 million ($11.6 million) staging of Wagner's "The Ring Cycle" by the State Opera of South Australia was the night's big winner, collecting 10 trophies, including opera, special event, music direction, direction and numerous craft awards.
Opera's leads, Lisa Gasteen and John Wegner, collected trophies for male and female performer in an opera, and Stuart Skelton and Deborah Riedel drew supporting performer kudos.
"The Producers," produced in Oz by Sports and Entertainment Ltd. and the Gordon/Frost Organization, and now in its 17th month, goose-stepped its way to five trophies, including tuner, direction of a tuner, choreography (Susan Stroman) and thesp kudos for Chloe Dallimore (Ulla) and Tony Sheldon (Roger DeBris).
Dallimore and Sheldon's acceptance speeches were arguably the night's most charming.
Sheldon doffed his cap to Mel Brooks, saying, "This is a role that wins awards," and thanked his showbiz mom, Toni Lamond, for convincing him to camp up for the role. Dallimore thanked the producers for taking a chance on a dancer and the creators for allowing the Aussie cast to have made it on their own.
Former Midnight Oil front man Peter Garrett, the new federal opposition spokesman for the arts, received a rock star's reception when he skipped onstage during a parody of an Oils song to present an award.
Cate Blanchett, whose red carpet appearance was an evening highlight, adopted a broad Aussie accent to present the final award for best tuner. Earlier in the night, she was the popular recipient of the actress in a play award for her lead role in "Hedda Gabler," staged last year by the Sydney Theater Company.
Anthony Weigh, judged best supporting actor in a play for his role as Hedda's husband, thanked Cate's husband, Andrew Upton, who adapted the play, for "rescuing 'Hedda Gabler' from 100 years of twee English translations."
Tony Briggs, whose play with music "The Sapphires" tapped the story of his aboriginal mom and sisters who performed for the troops in Vietnam, collected kudos fornew work and new play. On receiving the second award, the scribe gushed, "I appreciate everything everyone's ever done for me in my life ever."
Tap Dog Dein Perry, back in Oz for a 10th anni tour, performed, and Opera Australia principal Emma Matthews shared a song from "Der Rosenkavalier."
Cast from "The Producers" took the stage to popular applause. A clutch of black-clad thesps delivered a pastiche of lines from David Williamson plays as an ode to the James Cassius Award winner for lifetime achievement.
The other Cassius winner, Joan Sutherland, sent a video acceptance from Europe.
Jacobsen Entertainment's "Dirty Dancing" was glaringly absent from the festivities as Kevin Jacobsen angrily resigned from organizing body the AEIA two years ago after being sent up by Burke for an overlong acceptance speech at the previous year's Helpmanns. Eager for "Dirty Dancing" to earn some kudos, he rejoined the org and entered the competish, but it was too late -- not enough judges had seen the show. It should have another chance next year.
One of the awards' biggest problems in previous years has been ensuring that recipients from far-flung locales are in Sydney to accept their kudos. Nineteen no-shows interspersed among 39 awards was the best ratio yet.
At the Helpmann after-party, at Star City Casino, veteran rock promoters Michael Chugg and Gary Van Egmond quizzed AEIA prexy Andrew Kay about how they were supposed to share their trophy for staging the best contempo concert, Bette Midler's "Kiss My Brass" tour. Kay offered to chip in for another.
