Only 2 Hours? That Deserves an Ovation

This year’s Ovation Awards ceremony Nov. 12 will feature “an overwhelming feeling of massive participation from representatives of the entire theater community,” producer Lawrence O’Connor said.

Translation? At this point, O’Connor stopped short, saying he didn’t want to give away too many details of the program at the new Kodak Theatre.

However, he did run down the list of concurrently running musicals whose casts will perform: “Aida,” which is opening the preceding night at the Ahmanson Theatre; “Flower Drum Song,” from the Mark Taper Forum; “Big River,” from Deaf West Theatre; and “Pinafore!,” from Celebration Theatre. The cast of “bare” will perform “America the Beautiful” in a new arrangement by the show’s composer, Damon Intrabartolo. A seven-piece band led by Brad Ellis will provide accompaniment.

The set is being designed by Bruce Ryan, whose recent credits include the Miss America Pageant and the John Lennon tribute at Radio City Music Hall.

O’Connor insists that this year’s show, directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, will clock in at two hours, unlike some of the Ovation marathons of the past. If so, it may be the shortest Ovation show for a long time to come, because starting next year, the number of awards will increase, thanks to a rules change. With more awards will come more acceptance speeches.

OVATIONS PRELUDE: One new feature of this year’s Ovations will be the announcement of the National Repertory Theatre Foundation’s National Play Award. The foundation and Ovations sponsor Theatre LA joined forces this year to grant five L.A. companies $1,000 each by producing readings of the five finalists for the award.

Those readings will take place on the two days preceding the Ovations, at El Portal Center for the Arts in North Hollywood. The Saturday schedule will include a Moving Arts reading of Dayana Stetco’s “Milena, Stripping,” at 10 a.m.; a Theatre of NOTE reading of Stanley Kiesel’s “To Exceed the Height of Happier Men,” at 1 p.m.; and a Fountain Theatre reading of Lexie LaBove’s “Turning for Home,” at 4 p.m.

Scheduled for Sunday are an M.Y.E. Theatre Company reading of Scott Munson’s “The Idea of Order at Key West,” at 11 a.m., and a Victory Theatre reading of William Ludel’s “Red & Scooter,” at 6 p.m.

Admission is free.

JERRY HERMAN ALL-STARS: One of the starriest stage benefits in years is on tap for the Luckman Theater next Saturday: “Tap Your Troubles Away,” a tribute to composer-lyricist Jerry Herman (“Hello, Dolly!,” “Mame,” “La Cage aux Folles”), benefiting the Actors’ Fund of America.

Angela Lansbury and Carol Channing will sing a duet, although producer David Galligan declined to say the title. Bernadette Peters will sing “Time Heals Everything.” Brian Stokes Mitchell will perform “I Am What I Am.” The list goes on with Tyne Daly, Rita Moreno, Leslie Uggams and many more.

Information: (323) 933-9244.

UNDERGROUND THEATER: Subway riders may have noticed that the only advertiser in the cars on the Red Line in the last two months has been “The Lion King” at the Pantages Theatre, which is directly across Hollywood Boulevard from the Red Line’s station at Hollywood and Vine.

Riding the subway and seeing theater placards--gee, it’s easy to imagine that you’re in Manhattan.

The subway ads began with an offer of a free “Lion King” watch to anyone who presents a Metropolitan Transit Authority ticket or pass at the Pantages box office. That offer is valid through January.

Warren Morse, an MTA marketing executive, said “That Certain Cervantes” at El Portal, half a block from the North Hollywood subway station, also conducted a subway promotional campaign--in the form of stacks of 10% discount coupons available on the trains.

He said the MTA is open to offers of similar campaigns promoting theaters or shows within walking distance of subway stops, as long as the theaters bear the costs of the campaigns.

The MTA board has not yet approved an overall plan for advertising on the Red Line, but the “Lion King” campaign is considered a pilot project, Morse said.

SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE ‘ART WITH FRIENDS’: For the second year in a row, “Art” is at the top of American Theatre magazine’s annual list of the most-produced plays (other than Shakespeare and “A Christmas Carol”) in the many resident theaters that make up Theatre Communications Group.

However, this year “Art” shares the top spot with “Dinner With Friends”--both with 15 productions. “The Laramie Project” is next, with 14.

Also for the second year in a row, David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Fuddy Meers” is the one prominent title on the list that hasn’t yet played L.A. It’s in fifth place on this year’s list, with 10 productions slated.