Feature

Take Two

This year's SALT Awards contained all the glitz and glamour of the first incarnation

By James MacKillop

Syracuse Area Live Theater founder and president Art Zimmer, also the publisher of the Syracuse New Times, and the accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP kept a tight lid on the process. This meant there were some real surprises at the second annual SALT Awards ceremony on Monday, May 9.

Some popular favorites were disappointed, while previously underappreciated talents took the spotlight. And like their counterparts in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, SALT Academy members enjoy a bit of capriciousness. That's how Syracuse Stage's Michael Donald Edwards was named professional director of the year but his two shows, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Fully Committed, lost to Big River, the only contender he did not direct.

Not all the smiling faces were receiving awards. The SALT ceremony followed the Motion Picture Academy's precedent of calling on previous winners to announce the awards. This included people who were not in competition this year who had won last year: Susan Basile, Chris Lightcap, Joe Loitito, Kevin McNamara and Robert Moss, as well as people in different categories, including Bob Brown, Frank Fiumano, Dani Gottuso and Dan Tursi. Returning this year were the county's two best-known sparring partners, County Executive Nick Pirro and Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll, State Fair director Peter Cappuccilli and radio personality Big Mike Fiss. Rounding out the group was the much-admired head of Le Moyne College's theater program, Bill Morris.

Among the surprise winners was Steve Braddock's adaptation of young adult author Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793. Produced by the well-funded Gifford Family Theatre, Fever 1793 initially looked out of contention as its audience is primarily young people.

Sure to cause comment also are the two winners from Ithaca's tiny Kitchen Theater Company: former Syracuse University student Karl Gregory and Kitchen's artistic director Rachel Lampert. Gregory appeared in Kitchen's Fully Committed, a popular show in Syracuse with Fiumano. Lampert appeared in her own one-woman show, The Soup Comes Last, the only locally written show in years that went on to acclaim in Manhattan.

After last year's love fest, tickets for the second annual SALT Awards were in short supply: There weren't any left for the accountants or even some of the presenters, who were forced to sit on the stage all evening. But there was something about the standing-room only crowd, most in evening wear, all jammed into stadium seating (no tables) at the New Times Theater, that heightened emotions, brought more standing ovations, put more thunder in laugh lines. The event was still an enormous high.

It was a sophomore high, though. The exhilaration that the whole thing could be pulled off--of theatrical Capulets and Montagues making nice in a small space--happens only once. This time speeches grew longer, with people thanked that nobody had ever heard of. A creeping tendentiousness meant more plugs for upcoming projects and personal hobbyhorses. Down front, a hapless young woman held up signs reminding speakers they were running overtime, which prompted Fiumano's mock threat, "Hold that up again and Uncle Vito will be paying you a visit." In all SALT II was 17 minutes longer than SALT I.

With so many people who are used to handling themselves on stage, the quality of off-hand remarks ran high. Fiss started on a high note by playing his answering machine tape on a boom box. Along with good gags from local show people, we heard repeated messages from Zimmer asking Fiss to be a presenter because President Bush had backed out at the last minute.

The best scripted moment came from last year's winners Gottuso and McNamara, who were presenters this time. McNamara mused that they were the first duo presenters, and, after all, he was a leading man. Gottuso turned this into a gender barb about how needful leading men were of their leading ladies. Their ultimate punch line was undercut by a heckler with laser-like timing.

Multiple winner Moe Harrington had a superb evening with lines so smooth they sounded scripted but might not have been. One was a roast of her producer and sometime co-star, Lightcap. "Some people think Chris can be a difficult person, and she'd be the first to admit it. (Two-beat pause) I'd be the second." Later she gave an apparently erotic tribute to her husband, in the evening's raciest moment. "I'd like to thank Frank for the afternoon chats. And thank Bill Molesky for the afternoon e-mails. And thank Michael (two-beat pause) for the afternoons."

Molesky, also a multiple winner, and Fiumano were much in evidence all evening and got off multiple zingers, including the best ad-libbed one-liners. Molesky: "Thanks for the applause. It makes me feel (pause) 5-foot-8." Fiumano, fighting his way to the stage, quipped, "It's easier coming up those stairs on high heels."

Often humor was turned against the self. The best of these moments came from Lampert, who won for the one-woman show, The Soup Comes Last. "You all know the usual actor's nightmare," she began, "but think of the other actor's nightmare--you win an award and nobody knows who the hell you are."

Choreographer Shannon Tompkins, winning as best non-performing person, appeared to be the most emotionally shaken of all winners. Nearing that mark was Sharee Lemos, who won for best director. She seemed genuinely stunned and asked repeatedly if there was some mistake and if her name was really on the trophy. As the director of the deaf-themed Children of a Lesser God, she gave her tear-filled acceptance speech in sign language, the evening's most affecting moment.

No one could beat veteran Lucille Markson for the terse expression of deeply felt emotion. Elected to the SALT Hall of Fame, she fought back tears with a plucky smile, "See what happens if you live long enough?"

The topper for graciousness was Holly Wilson-Perrotto of Theatre '90, who won a Lifetime Achievement Award. She began by praising the previous year's winner, Lightcap, and congratulated her on 25 years with The Talent Company, a presumed rival.

Also on stage was an easel with a large group photograph of last year's winners by The New Times' Michael Davis. Inspired by the annual Hollywood photograph in Vanity Fair, the SALT photo is the brainchild of actress-singer-dancer Susan Basile. Copies of last year's, and soon, this year's photograph will be available in a large poster for $55. Money collected from its sale will go toward establishing a $2,000 scholarship for local performing arts students. Copies of the poster are available by calling Susan Basile at 445-9635.

And the winners are:

Professional Theater

Play of the Year: Big River (Syracuse Stage). Other contenders: Fully Committed, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Director of the Year: Michael Donald Edwards (Syracuse Stage). Other contenders: Robert Moss, M. Burke Walker.

Community Theater

Musical of the Year: Funny Girl (The Talent Company). Other contenders: My Fair Lady, Pippin.

Non-Musical of the Year: Children of a Lesser God (Appleseed Productions). Other contenders: Moreau, Proof, The Laramie Project.

Actress of the Year: Moe Harrington. Other contenders: Sarah Dadey, Binaifer Dabu, Dani Gottuso.

Actor of the Year: Frank Fiumano. Other contenders: Bill Molesky, Joey Panek, Joe Pierce.

Director of the Year: Sharee Lemos. Other contenders: Gerard Moses, Dan Tursi, David Witanowski.

Best Original Production (Play): Fever 1793 (Gifford Family Theatre). Other contenders: All I Want For Christmas, Flame, The Stone Cutter.

Musical Director of the Year: Josh Smith. Other contenders: Shawn Hebert, Lou Lemos, Pat Lotito.

Non-Performing Person of the Year: Shannon Tompkins. Other contenders: Edith Basile, Karen Procopio, Jeanette Reyner.

Summer Season

Production of the Season: Pippin (Wit's End). Other contenders: Cats; No, No, Nanette; The Laramie Project; The Music Man.

Actress of the Season: Rachel Lampert. Other contenders: Laura Austin, Binaifer Dabu, Elizabeth Klemperer.

Actor of the Season: Karl Gregory and Josh Mele (tie). Other contenders:, Lanny Freshman, John Seavers, Kerby Thompson.

Touring Road Shows

42nd Street (Famous Artists). Other contenders: Mamma Mia, The Full Monty.

Lifetime Achievement Award (Currently Active)

Bill Molesky, Holly Wilson-Perrotto (two). Other contenders: Murray Bernthal, Bob Brown, Frank Fiumano, Gerard Moses.

Hall of Fame Award (No Longer Active)

Lucille Markson, Marshall Nye (two). Other contenders: Ken Bowles, Bill Salomone, Sheila Shattuck.

People's Choice Awards

Play of the Year: The Laramie Project (Syracuse Civic Theater). Other contenders: Funny Girl; Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Pageant; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change.

Actress of the Year: Moe Harrington. Other contenders: Becky Bottrill, Dani Gottuso, Kate Huddleston, Nora O'Dea.

Actor of the Year: Bill Molesky. Other contenders: Bob Brown, Josh Mele, Gennaro Parlato.