‘Drowsy Chaperone’ rouses Ovation voters

“The Drowsy Chaperone,” the quirky valentine to ‘20s musicals that had its world premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre last year, on Monday captured the most nominations -- an even dozen -- for the Ovation Awards, which recognize the best of L.A. theater. The musical, currently playing on Broadway, collected five Tony Awards this year.

Center Theatre Group, in its first year under the leadership of Michael Ritchie, took the lion’s share of the 2005-06 peer-judged Ovations nominations -- 34, or triple that of any other theater company. The new Kander and Ebb musical “Curtains,” which also had its world premiere at the Ahmanson, received seven nominations.

Reprise! Broadway’s Best (“Zorba” and “On the Town”) and the Geffen Playhouse (“All My Sons,” “Nine Parts of Desire” and “Boston Marriage”) each received 11 nominations.

The second most nominated single productions, with eight apiece, are Open at the Top Productions’ presentation of Timothy Findley’s drama “Elizabeth Rex,” the Arthur Miller classic “All My Sons” at the Geffen Playhouse and August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at the Fountain Theatre.

Taking six nods each are CTG’s production of Culture Clash’s “Water & Power”; the sci-fi musical spoof “It Came From Beyond,” at a small Hollywood theater; an adaptation of Dodie’s Smith’s 1948 novel, “I Capture the Castle,” presented by Hollywood Food Chain Productions; Blank Theatre Company’s musical “The Wild Party”; Alfred Jarry’s scatological “Macbeth” parody “Ubu Roi,” at A Noise Within; and Reprise’s “Zorba.”

The Ovation Awards, given to productions at large and small theaters in 28 categories, are sponsored by LA Stage Alliance.

Noncompetitive awards include honors for composer-lyricist Jerry Herman (“Hello, Dolly!” and the Community Outreach Award for the California Institute of the Arts Community Arts Partnership.

The awards will be presented on Nov. 13 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A.

Following is a partial list of nominees; a complete list can be found at calendarlive.com/ovations.

Play (larger theaters): “All My Sons,” Geffen Playhouse; “The Black Rider,” Ahmanson Theatre; “The Turn of the Screw,” Rubicon Theatre Company; “Ubu Roi,” A Noise Within; “Water & Power,” Mark Taper Forum.

Musical (larger theaters): “On the Town,” UCLA’s Freud Playhouse; “Sing!,” La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts; “The Drowsy Chaperone,” Ahmanson Theatre; “Tick ... Tick ... BOOM!,” Rubicon Theatre Company; “Zorba,” UCLA’s Freud Playhouse.

Play (smaller theaters): “Elizabeth Rex,” NoHo Arts Center; “Fences,” Odyssey Theatre Ensemble; “I Capture the Castle,” El Portal Forum, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” Fountain Theatre; “The Shelter,” Black Square Productions; “The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife,” Zephyr Theatre; “Zero Hour,” West Coast Jewish Theatre.

Musical (smaller theaters): “Gorey Stories,” Sacred Fools Theatre Company; “It Came From Beyond,” Write-Act Theatre; “J.O.B. the Hip-Hopera,” Stella Adler Theatre; “The Break Up Notebook: The Lesbian Musical,” Hudson Backstage Theatre; “The Wild Party,” Blank Theatre Company.

*

lynne.heffley@latimes.com