Critics’ kudos go to Road, SCR shows

South Coast Repertory’s “Major Barbara” and the Road Theatre Company’s “The Woman in Black” nabbed the most honors in this year’s Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards, with both productions winning four each.

Many categories had multiple winners. One of the “Major Barbara” awards was for outstanding production. A second show, “Napoli Milionaria,” also won an outstanding production honor, although it won no other awards.

The win by “Napoli,” also produced by the North Hollywood-based Road Theatre, enabled the group to claim the title as most honored company.

South Coast’s artistic director, Martin Benson, won his seventh award from the critics circle for outstanding direction, for “Major Barbara.”

Veteran musical actress Carol Lawrence won an award for the nonmusical “Amy’s View” at International City Theatre, and she thanked the group “for allowing me to win an award without putting my tap shoes on.”

The awards were presented in a ceremony at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. The critics circle consists of 21 writers, mostly from weekly publications and Web sites. No Los Angeles Times reviewers are members of the group.

The winners:

Production: “Major Barbara,” South Coast Repertory; “Napoli Milionaria,” Road Theatre.

Playwright: John O’Keefe, “Times Like These.”

Musical score: Steve Schalchlin and Jim Brochu, “The Big Voice: God or Merman?”

Director: Martin Benson, “Major Barbara”; Roger Mathey, “Trainspotting”; Ken Sawyer, “The Woman in Black.”

Adaptation: Joan Holden, “Nickel and Dimed.”

Musical direction: Tom Griffin, “Side Show.”

Lead performance: Michael Genovese, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”; Eddie Jones, “Death of a Salesman”; Eddie Karr, “The Visible Horse”; Carol Lawrence, “Amy’s View”; Barry Lynch, “The Weir”; Marty Maguire, “A Night in November.”

Featured performance: John Marzilli, “The Grapes of Wrath”; Alfred Molina, “The Cherry Orchard”; Camille Saviola, “The House of Bernarda Alba.”

Ensemble performance: The cast of “Direct From Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys.”

Scenic design: Ralph Funicello, “Major Barbara”; Don Llewellyn, “Master Harold ... and the Boys”; Desma Murphy, “The Woman in Black.”

Lighting design: Robert L. Smith, “The Woman in Black”; Frederick Wenzlaff, “La Gioconda.”

Costume design: Robert Velasquez, “Red Thread”; Shigeru Yaji, “Major Barbara.”

Sound design: DE3 of Polyrhythmic & the Collective, “La Gioconda”; David B. Marling and Ken Sawyer, “The Woman in Black.”

Choreography: Randy Schulman and the Collective, “La Gioconda”; Tim Storms and Matt Emery, “Red Thread.”

Margaret Harford Award (sustained excellence): Murray Mednick.

Ted Schmitt Award (best premiere script): Robert Fieldsteel, “Crazy Drunk.”

Bob Z. Award: (lifetime achievement in set design): Bradley Kaye.

Natalie Schafer Award: (emerging comic actress): Gigi Bermingham.

Polly Warfield Award: (an excellent season in a small or mid-size theater): Colony Theatre.