‘Cider’s’ the Apple of Their Eyes

“The Cider House Rules,” the epic, two-part stage adaptation of John Irving’s 1985 novel, ruled the 1998 Theatre LA Ovation Awards nominees, which were announced Monday. It took 13 nominations, including best play at a larger theater.

“Cider House” actors Michael Winters and Josh Hamilton will compete against one another for best leading actor/play, and Jillian Armenante was nominated for leading actress/play, even though many might have called her part as the volatile best friend of the orphan Homer Wells a supporting role. The play also netted four featured-actor nominations.

The nominations, unveiled at a cocktail reception at the Hotel Inter-Continental in downtown Los Angeles, are the fifth annual for these peer-judged, competitive awards. The “Cider House” nods represent part of a larger coup for Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum, which led Los Angeles area theaters this year with a total of 39 nominations--including 10 for the imported revival of “Chicago” at the Ahmanson Theatre, in the category of musical at a larger theater. In all, CTG/Mark Taper Forum received 21 nominations for its Ahmanson Theatre presentations--among them Charlotte d’Amboise and Ian McKellen, for their roles in “Chicago” and “An Enemy of the People,” respectively--and 18 nominations for the Mark Taper Forum.

Among smaller theaters, the Circle X Theatre production of “Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22” led the pack, with seven nominations.

Four productions received six nominations: “The Old Settler” and “Blame It On the Movies,” at the Pasadena Playhouse; East West Players’ revival of “Pacific Overtures”; and Actors Alley’s “Room Service.”

“The Cider House Rules,” a lengthy, multi-generational saga set in Maine, tackles tough issues, including abortion, incest, poverty and domestic violence. It is a story that even author Irving initially believed could not be successfully translated to the stage--although he has since called the adaptation “fabulous.”

While Ahmanson and Taper productions dominated this year’s proceedings, a notable exception to the rule was the much-ballyhooed Gen-X musical “Rent” at the Ahmanson--which, despite winning both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, received only three nominations, and those for featured actors.

The Ovation Awards, in 26 categories, are administered by Theatre LA, a nonprofit association of more than 150 area theaters and producers. The 1998 Ovation Awards ceremony will be held Nov. 16 at the Shubert Theatre in Century City, hosted by Nathan Lane.

The nominees:

* Play/larger: “Neat,” Mark Taper Forum; “The Old Settler,” Pasadena Playhouse; “Old Wicked Songs,” Geffen Playhouse; “Harriet’s Return,” Geffen Playhouse; “The Cider House Rules,” Mark Taper Forum

* Play/smaller: “Valsetz,” Celebration Theatre; “Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22,” Circle X Theatre Company at the Lost Studio; “Yield of the Long Bond,” Matrix Theatre; “Room Service,” Actors Alley; “Indiscretions,” Pacific Resident Theatre

* Musical/larger: “Pacific Overtures,” East West Players; “Peter Pan,” McCoy/Rigby at La Mirada Theatre; “Blame It On the Movies,” Pasadena Playhouse; “Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk,” Ahmanson Theatre; “Chicago,” Ahmanson Theatre

* Musical/smaller: “Situation Tragedy,” Amazing Brisket at Globe Playhouse; “Cabaret,” West Coast Ensemble; “Hello Again,” Blank Theatre Company at Second Stage; “On the Twentieth Century,” Colony Studio Theatre; “Bat Boy,” Actors’ Gang

* Writing of a world premiere: Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming & Laurence O’Keefe, “Bat Boy”; Larry Atlas, “Yield of the Long Bond”; Nia Vardalos, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”; Glen Berger, “Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22”; Pamela Forrest, “Valsetz”

* New translation/adaptation: David Schweizer/Richard Howard, “Salome”; The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Paul Magid and Robert Woodruff, “Room Service” (at the Mark Taper Forum); Bertolt Brecht & W.H. Auden, “The Duchess of Malfi”; Milena Albert, “The Seagull”; John K. Gillespie and Chiori Miyagawa, “The Dressing Room”

* Director/musical: Todd Nielsen, “On the Twentieth Century”; Tim Dang, “Pacific Overtures”; David Galligan, “Blame It On the Movies”; George C. Wolfe, “Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk”; Walter Bobbie, “Chicago”

* Director/play: Jeremiah Morris, “Room Service” (at Actors Alley); Kent Gash, “Harriet’s Return”; Andrew J. Robinson, “Yield of the Long Bond”; Jillian Armenante, “Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22”; Tom Hulce & Jane Jones, “The Cider House Rules”

* Leading actor/play: Ian McKellen, “An Enemy of the People”; Michael Winters, “The Cider House Rules”; Tony Abatemarco, “The Mystery of Irma Vep”; Frank Langella, “The Father”; Josh Hamilton, “The Cider House Rules”

* Leading actress/play: Jillian Armenante, “The Cider House Rules”; CCH Pounder, “The Old Settler”; Debbie Allen, “Harriet’s Return”; Patricia Place, “Valsetz”; Charlayne Woodard, “Neat”

* Leading actor/musical: Deven May, “Bat Boy”; Brent Barrett, “Chicago”; David Engel, “Blame It On the Movies”; Jeff Trachta, “Three Guys Naked From the Waist Down”; Lego Louis, “On the Twentieth Century”

* Leading actress/musical: Cathy Rigby, “Peter Pan”; Cindy Benson, “Blame It On the Movies”; Charlotte d’Amboise, “Chicago”; Susan Egan, “Hello Again”; Kaitlin Hopkins, “Bat Boy”

* Featured actor/play: Christopher Duncan, “The Old Settler”; Tom Beyer, “The Cider House Rules”; Bobs Watson, “Of Mice and Men”; Martin McDougall, “Burning Blue”; Kevin Jackson, “The Cider House Rules”

* Featured actress/play: Stephanie Faracy, “Two Rooms”; Elizabeth Ruscio, “Slide”; Salli Richardson, “The Old Settler”; Jane Carr, “The Cider House Rules”; Brenda Wehle, “The Cider House Rules”

* Featured actor/musical: Ron Orbach, “Chicago”; Wilson Cruz, “Rent”; M.E. Spencer, “Chicago”; David Furumoto, “Pacific Overtures”; Mark Leroy Jackson, “Rent”

* Featured actress/musical: Leigh Hetherington, “Rent”; Jennifer Leigh Warren, “Hello Again”; Christine Kellogg, “Blame It On the Movies”; Deborah Nishimura, “Pacific Overtures”; Avery Sommers, “Chicago”

* Ensemble performance: casts of “Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk,” “Room Service” (at Actors Alley), “Yield of the Long Bond,” “Dealer’s Choice,” “Indiscretions”

* Set design/larger: John Napier, “An Enemy of the People”; John Arnone, “The Cider House Rules”; David Jenkins, “Dealer’s Choice”; Gary Wissmann, “The Old Settler”; Markas Henry, “Old Wicked Songs”

* Set design/smaller: Victoria Profitt, “Indiscretions,”; Victoria Profitt, “Request Concert”; Deborah Raymond and Dorian Vernacchio, “The Mystery of Irma Vep”; Richard Scully, “Room Service” (at Actors Alley); Gary Smoot, “Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22”

* Costume design/larger: David Zinn, “The Cider House Rules”; Naomi Yoshida Rodriguez, “Pacific Overtures”; Paul Tazewell, “Harriet’s Return”; Zoe DuFour, “The Old Settler”; John Bright, “An Enemy of the People”

* Costume design/smaller: Michelle Dunn, “Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22”; Audrey Eisner, “Indiscretions”; Christine Wright, “The Mystery of Irma Vep”; Salvatore Salamone, “Salome”; Diane Ross, “Room Service” (at Actors Alley)

* Lighting design/larger: Julie Archer, “Peter & Wendy”; James F. Ingalls, “The Cider House Rules”; Daniel A. Ionazzi, “All in the Timing”; Ken Billington, “Chicago”; Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, “Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk”

* Lighting design/smaller: Dan Weingarten, “Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22”; Peter Strauss, “Room Service” (at Actors Alley); J. Kent Inasy, “Tennessee in the Summer”; Deena Lynn Mullen, “Request Concert”; Ken Booth, “The Mystery of Irma Vep”

* Sound design/larger: Abe Jacob, “Harriet’s Return”; Red Ramona, “Old Wicked Songs”; Edward Cosla, “Peter & Wendy”; Scott Leher, “Chicago”; Jon Gottlieb, “The Cider House Rules”

* Sound design/smaller: Mark Wheaton & Weba Garretson, “The Mystery of Irma Vep”; David Hakim, “Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22”; Bob Blackburn, “Request Concert”; John Zalewski, “Salome”; Adam Kroloff, “Xenogenesis”

* Choreography: Savion Glover, “Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk”; Ann Reinking, “Chicago”; Patti Colombo, “Peter Pan”; Yehuda Hyman, “Blame It On the Movies”; David Furumoto & Betsy Chang, “Pacific Overtures”