From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 448, Performer of the Year, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Costume Design

 By James V. Ruocco

The actor.
The actress.
The musical.
The songs.
The showstoppers.
The performance.
The interpretation.

Who stood out?
Who deserves the recognition?
Who went above and beyond?
Whose talents were award-winning?
Whose work left a lasting impression?
Who stole the show?
Whose musical performance was unmissable? 

In 2023, Brookfield Theatre for the Arts, White Rabbitt Theatre, Castle Craig Players and Connecticut Theatre Company, among other venues, featured a stellar line-up of non-equity actors whose work - outstanding, expressive, lyrical, inspired, melodic - was deeply felt, emotional, amplified and handsomely presented within the framework of the individual musical storytelling. 

My choices are as follows:

Performer of the Year

Kerrie Maguire (Ilse Newmann in "Spring Awakening") (Connecticut Theatre Company), (Scarlett in "Wife/Worker/Whore") (Hole in the Wall Theater), (Gynecia in "Head Over Heels"), (Connecticut Theatre Company
Erin Campbell (Cinderella's Stepmother in "Into the Woods") (Castle Craig Players)
Charlie Hartel (Zanna in "Zanna Don't!") (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Joyce Follo Jeffrey (Mrs. Paroo in "The Music Man") (Seven Angels Theatre)
Javen Levesque (Bobby Strong in "Urinetown: The Musical") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts), (Moritz Stiefel in "Spring Awakening") (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Shelly Marsh Poggio (Carlotta in "Panto of the Opera") (Pantochino Productions)
Moses Jacob (Harold Hill in "The Music Man") (Seven Angels Theatre)

Best Actor in a Musical

Adam Tortorello (Mark Cohen in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)
Tiernan Michael Shea (Roger Davis in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)
Javen Levesque (Bobby Strong in "Urinetown: The Musical") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts)
Griffin Kulp (The Wolf/Cinderella's Prince in "Into the Woods") (Castle Craig Players)
Zachary Geiger (Melchior Gabor in "Spring Awakening") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts)
Galen Donovan (Melchior Gabor in "Spring Awakening") (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Nick Kuell (Buddy in "Elf") (Fairfield Center Stage)
Martin Giannini (Captain von Trapp in "The Sound of Music") (Black Rock Theater)

Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Bert Bernardi (Victoria Sautee as Madame Cherchez in "Panto of the Opera") (Pantochino Productions)
Javen Levesque (Moritz Stiefel in "Spring Awakening") (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Ethan Valencia (Hanschen Rilow in "Spring Awakening") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts)
Marc Improta (Nathan Detroit in "Guys and Dolls") (Fairfield Center Stage)
Galen Donovan (Angel Dumott Schunard in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)

Abraham Hussein (Benjamin Coffin III in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)
Kevin Kiley (Tom Collins in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)
Dylan Ryan (Moritz Stiefel in "Spring Awakening") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts)
Jeffrey Fulton (Nicely-Nicely Johnson in "Guys and Dolls") (Fairfield Center Stage)
Benjamin Race (Jack in "Into the Woods") (Castle Craig Players)
Jeremy Ajdukiewicz (Santa Claus in "Elf") (Fairfield Center Stage)

Best Actress in a Musical

Kate Patton (Little Sally in "Urinetown: The Musical") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts) Desi Amato (The Witch in "Into the Woods") (Castle Craig Players)
Christy McIntosh-Newsom (Miss Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls") (Fairfield Center Stage)
McKenzie Campbell (Charity Hope Valentine in "Sweet Charity") (Kingswood Oxford)
Kerrie Maguire (Gynecia in "Head Over Heels") (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Rebecca Borowik (Sarah Brown in "Guys and Dolls") (Fairfield Center Stage)

Emily Fink (Maria in "The Sound of Music") (Black Rock Theater)
Kennedy Morris (Wendla Bergman in "Spring Awakening") (Brookfield Theatre for the
Arts)
Montana Telman (Wendla Bergman in "Spring Awakening") (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Montana Telman (Mopsa in "Head Over Heels" (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Destiny Whitten (Mimi Marquez in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)

Best Featured Actress in a Musical

Erin Campbell as Cinderella's Stepmother, Nicole Zolad as Florinda and Erin Aldrich as Lucinda in "Into the Woods" (Castle Craig Players)
Kerrie Maguire (Ilse Newmann in "Spring Awakening) (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Joyce Jeffrey (Mrs. Paroo in "The Music Man" (Seven Angels Theatre) 
Diana Yeisley (Mark's Mom in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)
Olivia Ciaffaglione (Maureen Johnson in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre) 

Emma Gulick (Kate in "Zanna Don't!") (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Erin Aldrich (Roberta in "Zanna Don't!) (Connecticut Theatre Company)
Chelsea Dacey (Suzy in "The Marvelous Wonderettes Dream On") (Castle Craig Players)
Krystina Diaz (Joanne Jefferson in "Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)
Jocelyn Titus (Ilse Newmann in "Spring Awakening") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts)
Lindsay Anderson (Deb in "Elf") (Fairfield Center Stage) 

Best Costume Design

Brendon Rogers ("Rent") (White Rabbitt Theatre)
Jimmy Johansmeyer ("Panto of the Opera") (Pantochino Productions)
Ian Galligan, Melanie Del Sole and Kate Bunce ("Into the Woods") (Castle Craig Players)
Margaret Teed Jones ("Urinetown: The Musical") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts)
Kate DeAngelis ("Spring Awakening") (Brookfield Theatre for the Arts)
Krysten Drachenberg ("Wife/Worker/Whore") (Hole in the Wall Theater)