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Natalie Davis will be very happy about this:
- KATHLEEN MARSHALL – “Best Choreographer”
DONNA MURPHY – “Best Female Dancer”
HUGH JACKMAN – “Best Male Dancer”
June 1, 2004, New York, New York —
The awardees of the 2004 TDF/ASTAIRE AWARDS, which are presented annually for the “Best Dance on Broadway” in the categories of “Best Choreographer,” “Best Female Dancer” and “Best Male Dancer,” were named by the TDF/Astaire Awards committee and announced by the awards’ administrator, Theatre Development Fund. This year’s awardees are: KATHLEEN MARSHALL for “Best Choreographer” for her work in Wonderful Town; DONNA MURPHY for “Best Female Dancer” for her performance in Wonderful Town and HUGH JACKMAN for “Best Male Dancer” for his performance in The Boy From Oz.
THE TDF/ASTAIRE AWARDS are authorized under a special agreement between MRS. FRED ASTAIRE and Theatre Development Fund. When notified of this year’s awardees, Mrs. Astaire said, “”I know that Fred would be delighted that his artistic achievement, on stage and screen, continues to serve as a symbol of excellence for the Broadway dance community. I thank Theatre Development Fund for helping to honor Broadway dance through their administration of the awards.”
The awards will be presented later this month at a private reception given by TDF.
The awardees for the 2004 TDF/ASTAIRE AWARDS were chosen from this season’s Broadway productions of: Avenue Q. Bombay Dreams, The Boy From Oz, Caroline or Change, Fiddler on the Roof, Little Shop of Horrors, Never Gonna Dance, Taboo, Wicked and Wonderful Town.
The 2004 TDF/ASTAIRE AWARDS COMMITTEE includes Douglas Watt, New York Daily News (emeritus) chairman; Clive Barnes, New York Post; Howard Kissel, New York Daily News; Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press; Donald McDonagh, Ballet Review; Richard Philp, Dance Magazine; Charles L. Reinhart, director of the American Dance Festival; and Linda Winer, Newsday.
THE ASTAIRE AWARDS, established in 1982 by the Anglo-American Contemporary Dance Foundation and administered by Theatre Development Fund since 1991, recognize outstanding achievement in dance on Broadway each season on the part of a dancer or dancers and choreographer. The awards were established with the cooperation of Fred Astaire, to honor him and his sister, Adele, who starred with her brother in ten Broadway musicals between 1917 and 1931. The musicals were: Over the Top (1917), The Passing Show of 1918, Apple Blossoms (1919), Love Letter (1921), For Goodness Sake (1922), The Bunch & Judy (1922), Lady Be Good (1924), Funny Face (1927), Smiles (1930) and The Band Wagon (1931). Before going to Hollywood, Fred Astaire starred on Broadway (without sister Adele) in one more show, The Gay Divorcee (1932).
Previous winners of TDF/ASTAIRE AWARD for dance performance are: Debbie Allen (Sweet Charity), Clyde Alves (The Music Man), Michael Arnold (42nd Street) Hinton Battle (The Tap Dance Kid), Justin Bohan (Oklahoma!), Gregg Burge (2x winner – Song and Dance and Oh, Kay!), Charles ‘Honi’ Coles (My One and Only), Adam Cooper (Swan Lake), Don Correia (Little Me), Charlotte D’Amboise (Damn Yankees), Pierre Dulaine (Grand Hotel), Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Savion Glover (Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk), Gregory Hines (Jelly’s Last Jam), The Kit Kat Boys & Kit Kat Girls of Cabaret, Margaret Illmann (The Red Shoes), Robert Lambert (Gypsy), Kate Levering (42nd Street) Robert Lindsay (Me and My Girl), Natalia Makarova (On Your Toes), Yvonne Marceau (Grand Hotel), Stanley Wayne Mathis (Oh, Kay!), Donna McKechnie (State Fair), Ann Miller (Sugar Babies), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago), Elizabeth Parkinson (Movin’ Out) Kevin Ramsey (Oh, Kay!), Herbert Rawlings (Dreamgirls), Ann Reinking (Chicago), Chita Rivera (2x winner – Kiss of the Spider Woman and Lifetime Achievement Award), Donald Saddler (Lifetime Achievement Award), John Selya (Movin’ Out) Scott Wise (Damn Yankees) and Deborah Yates (Contact).
Hugh is joining some serious dance talent – way to go. I honestly didn’t know who Donna Murphy was – she must be a pretty darned good dancer though, huh?
