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Capital Fringe’s awards ceremony had the glitz of the Helen Hayes Awards, except without any fancy outfits. Or overlong acceptance speeches. And with everyone crammed into a chairless Trinidad Theatre instead of the fancy Lincoln Theatre.
Well, they were like this year’s Helen Hayes Awards in one important way: The ceremony was pretty chaotic. Only this was the happy kind of chaos. Everyone was in a party mood.
Fringe CEO Julianne Brienza and I presented the Audience Awards, as voted by online readers using a confusing, non-categorized poll. The winners:
- Best Comedy: The Wedding Party
- Best Dance & Physical Theatre: straight on til moUrning
- Best Drama: “It’s What We Do”: A Play About the Occupation
- Best Musical Theatre & Opera: How to Quit Your Day Job
- Best Overall Show: The Eddie Lounge Reunion Tour: The Lounge Awakens
Brienza also presented her Director’s Choice Award to POWER! Stokely Carmichael.
“That’s all well and good,” you may be saying. “But what if I was lazy and didn’t go to any of these shows, and now want to see only the popular ones?” You’re in luck, obnoxious person.
Brienza also announced the picks for Fringe’s Extension Week, to be held until Aug. 2 at the Trinidad Theatre (except for Brian Feldman‘s Dishwasher, which will still be held at your house). POWER! sadly isn’t among them, but there are more than enough other critically acclaimed works to choose from. The extension shows are:
- “It’s What We Do”: A Play About the Occupation
- St. Jimmy Celebrates “The Food at Our Feet”
- How to Quit Your Day Job (read our review)
- Dishwasher (read our review)
- The Eulogy (read our review)
- I am the Gentry (read our review)
- Ambien Date Night (read our review)
- #Sexts (read our review, and an account of the show’s making)
- The Wedding Party (read our review)
- DC Trash — Recycled!! (read our review)
- Wombat Drool (read our review)
- Burlesque Classique’s Vaudevillian Romp (read our review)
- The Last Burlesque (read our review; the show will also have an extended run at the Trinidad Theatre Aug. 6-15)
Of this (still quite large) number, Fringeworthy personally recommends The Eulogy, How to Quit Your Day Job, I am the Gentry, DC Trash — Recycled!!, Wombat Drool, and The Last Burlesque. Get thee to the Logan Fringe Arts Space forthwith.
And that’ll do it for me as your Fringeworthy host. I hope everyone has had a suitably uncomfortable time at this year’s Capital Fringe, and I look forward to seeing what the organization will do with itself now that it’s done the typical D.C. thing: buy property in a hip neighborhood, put up roots, and talk a big game about being here for the long haul. Hold onto your buttons for next year—in fact, you should probably leave them on all year, just to be safe. Bye, everyone!
Handout photo by Paul Gillis Photography