The One That I A-Dora

Last night, the 29th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards were handed out at the Winter Garden Theatre over the course of about two hours and forty five minutes. Sometimes known as the "Canadian Tonys," our theatre capital's award show is decidedly more low-key (if, somehow, not any shorter) than its American counterpart. A few nomination upsets aside (host Sharron Matthews made a pointed comment about the lack of a single nomination for popular and critically lauded Stuff Happens), there were few surprises at the show.

Judith Thompson's phenomenal The Palace of the End took home the trophy for Outstanding New Play, while Buddies sizzler Arthouse Cabaret won Outstanding New Musical. CanStage's The December Man shut out Soulpepper's critical darling Top Girls in the Outstanding Production of a Play category, though the latter did take home an award for Alisa Palmer's direction.

The biggest winner of the night was definitely CanStage's revival of Fire, which swept the categories for Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Direction of a Musical, Outstanding Musical Direction (which sounds the same, but means something different), and both male and female musical performance awards for stars Ted Dykstra and Nicole Underhay.

Not that the evening wasn't charming or that we didn't enjoy the free food, but Torontoist does have one little suggestion that might make the evening seem a bit more... on-topic. While Sharron Matthews and Thom Allison are both fabulous singers and delightful performers, what is the logic in having them perform tunes from shows that are eight years old or have yet to be produced instead of, say, something from The Drowsy Chaperone, which was actually nominated for an award (which it won) this year?

As TAPA's website does not at this time have the results of this year's awards ceremony posted, we have provided a complete list of winners after the jump.

General Theatre Division

Outstanding New Play
Judith Thompson, The Palace of the End

Outstanding New Musical
devised by Jim LeFrancois and David Oiye, Arthouse Cabaret

Outstanding Production of a Play
The December Man, The Canadian Stage Company in co-production with The Citadel Theatre

Outstanding Production of a Musical
Fire, The Canadian Stage Company in co-production with The Citadel Theatre

Outstanding Direction of a Play
Alisa Palmer, Top Girls

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
James MacDonald, Fire

Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role – Play
Joseph Ziegler, The Time of Your Life

Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Play
Lally Cadeau, Rose

Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role – Musical
Ted Dykstra, Fire

Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Musical
Nicole Underhay, Fire

Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role in a Play or Musical
Stuart Hughes, The Time of Your Life

Outstanding Set Design
Camellia Koo East of Berlin

Outstanding Costume Design
Tamara Marie Kucheran, Intimate Apparel

Outstanding Lighting Design
Andrea Lundy, The Eco Show

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Mike Ross, Under Milk Wood

Outstanding Musical Direction
Ted Dykstra, Fire

Outstanding Choreography in a Play or Musical
Lizt Alfonso, VIDA!

Outstanding Touring Production
The Drowsy Chaperone, Dancap Productions Inc.

Independent Theatre Division

Outstanding New Play or New Musical
Anusree Roy, Pyaasa

Outstanding Production
Waiting for Godot, Modern Times Stage Company

Outstanding Direction
Soheil Parsa, Waiting for Godot

Outstanding Performance by a Male
Nicco Lorenzo Garcia, People Power

Outstanding Performance by a Female
Anusree Roy, Pyaasa

Outstanding Set Design
Trevor Schwellnus, Madre

Outstanding Costume Design
Astrid Janson and Sarah Armstrong, Laurier

Outstanding Lighting Design
Michelle Ramsay, April 14, 1912

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Thomas Ryder Payne, Madre