Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category VII, Season Two

 Category VII this year is Outstanding Make-Up Design.  It was a hard, if not the hardest decision to make out of the season.  I wanted one episode to standout, but instead I had three that just kept dancing around one another.  In the end I chose the season opener "The Broken Circle."  

The episode comes with lots of horseshoe crab-foreheaded Klingons which is no small feat if no longer uncommon.  Fight sequences gave "wound" make-up opportunities, and then being frozen--if only temporarily--in outer space turned both Dr. M'Benga and Nurse Chapel into very believable popsicles.

"The Broken Circle" was written by Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman.  It first aired on June 15, 2023.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category VI

 Category VI has been inserted into the Randy Awards for the first time in the second season.  It is meant for a category of recurring actors between seasons--in other words, actors who reprise the same character from a previous season, which necessarily negates the possibility on an award offered in the inaugural season.  Throughout the history of all Star Trek franchises, actors have help recurring roles outside of the credited main cast.  They have provided a sense of continuity that has contributed to the essential nature of a show about a crew of individuals.  From Lt. Kyle (John Winston)'s 11 appearances as the Transporter Chief across all three seasons of the Original series to Lt Mitchell (Rong Fu)'s 12 appearances as Helmsman on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds across the first three seasons--recurring supporting characters are the bedrock of creating a larger reality on any series.

Like other Randy awards, this one is tiered.  There are Gold, Silver and Bronze level winners.  The inaugural Gold Award goes to Paul Wesley as Captain James T. Kirk in the episode "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" written by David Reed and Onitra Johnson.  It first aired on Jun 29, 2023. 

The Silver Award is also for the performance of Carol Kane as Pelia in the same episode.  The genius of her portrayal of Pelia the Lanthenite is that she feels spontaneous in her dialogue and actions.  

The Bronze award goes to Gia Sandhu's T'Pring from the episode Charades.  Written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers, it first aired on July 13, 2023.  Sandhu's interpretation of this one episode character from the original series has been a revelation over the first two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  In the first round of Randy Awards, she walked away with the Gold Award for Best Featured Actor making this her second trip to the podium in as many seasons.

Olney Theatre: Hello Dolly!

There are three major Holiday Musicals running in the DMV.  "Guys and Dolls" is at Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC; "Fiddler on the Roof" is at Signature Theatre in Shirlington, VA; and "Hello Dolly!" is at Olney Theatre Center in Olney, MD.  It's the DMV Trifecta.  I've seen all of them before, two productions of "Guys and Dolls," three of "Fiddler on the Roof," and just one of "Hello Dolly!".  But Hello Dolly! is the longest ago.  It was the 1978 revival with Carol Channing Reprising the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi.  And Eddie Bracken who was the original Horace Vandergelder.  I was in High School.  She was mesmerizing and the choreography was stunning. 

With the idea of cutting back a little on my theatre adventures, I made the choice to prioritize "Hello Dolly!".  Also, Nova Y. Payton was cast in the lead, and she is one of the most amazing and award winning actors in the DMV.  Before I tackle my thoughts on the show, let me expound a little on the status of the Classic American Musical.  These are musicals that ruled Broadway from the 1940's to the 1960's.  We all recognize their titles, and they carry a certain mystical cache.  But not all of them were created equal.   Some hang their fate of the power of a single lead actor.  Some have an abundance of choreography.  Others depend on comic timing, a quick and clever presentation of humorous anecdotes and site gages.  "Hello Dolly!" asks productions to accomplish ALL THREE.

So here we are with a flawed Dolly.  My complaints are like falling petals from a rose bush.  Any one is hardly noticeable, but there comes a point where you wished someone had given it more water, more fertilizer.  As Dolly, Novas gave a passable performance; however, her pacing was lugubrious at times.  Rather than hit the mark and move on, she chose to play it out to milk every possible laugh, every conceivable "tee hee".  It was a choice that didn't work.  Her ability to conjure the larger than life personality of the character also fell flat.  In compensation, she was fabulously regaled in costumes, and she does have an amazing singing voice.  Though on that score, she failed to command the volume necessary to conquer the pit orchestra's accompaniment.   

Likewise, Moses Villarama as Horace Vandergelder fell short in the vocalization department.  His voice, while on pitch, never got above the orchestra.  His characterization of the gruff old bachelor lacked nuance.  At no point did he appear vulnerable in a way that made the final turn believable.

So you have the star-crossed would-be lovers Cornelius Hackl (Michael Perrie Jr.) and Irene Malloy (Caitlin Brooke) AND Barnaby Tucker (Ricky Devon Hall) and Minnie Fay (Alex de Bard), playing second fiddle.  And here is where some true light shone forth.  Seriously, these actors were making up for what was lacking in the top tier.  Michael and Caitlin had no trouble whatsoever keeping the orchestra on its toes, with their beautiful, expressive voices.  Both Ricky and (even more so) Alex were comedic gold.

The ensemble was tremendous.  They executed the choreography effortlessly to great effect.  It was so good that beyond being the glue that held the other parts together, I don't think it's an understatement to say that it was the best part of the production.  Kudos to Eamon Foley.  And there's a definitely shout out to the set designer, too: Ravi "Riw" Rakkulchon.  The decision to perform the number "Put on your Sunday Clothes" on board a cage of a spinning train on it's way to New York from Yonkers was one of the most interesting and powerful moments of the show.

"Opening Act One" Ensemble with Dolly (Nova Y. Payton)

"It Takes A Woman": Male Chorus & 3rd from left, Cornelius (Michael Pierre Jr.), 5th from left Horace (Moses Villarama), 7th from left Barnaby (Ricky Devon Hall).

"Put On Your Sunday Clothes"

"Before the Parade Passes By"

"Hello Dolly"

"The Waiters' Gallop"

Vandergelder and Dolly come to terms.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category V, season two

 We celebrate the world of Special Effects with category V.  Season one gave the nod to "The Ghosts Of Illyria" with it's amazing plasma storms, non-coporeal Illyrian ghosts, glowing immune systems and chunks of planetary core beamed aboard the Enterprise!  It felt like an easy choice.

Season two's winner was not.  In fact, several of the traditional categories felt difficult to award via a degree of superiority over other episodes.  Having said that, I chose "Charades" with a critical consideration to the expressions of the Kerkov culture.  

Charades was written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers.  It first aired on July 13, 2023.

Christmas Dinner: Slow Roasted Pork Loin, Rosemary Mashed Potatoes, Pork & Mushroom Gravy and Seared Fresh Green Beans

Christmas Breakky: Biscotti, Fresh Fruit, Hazelnut Cinnamon Coffee

 

Red Anjou Pear and Pineapple

Homemade Biscotti

Hazelnut Cinnamon Coffee

The cup is a holiday gift from 

a Dear Friend

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category IV, season two

 Category IV is for the Best Combination of Design and Set Elements.  In the past this would have acknowledged production aspects like "Set Design," "Sound," "Lighting," even "Props."  With the rapid and ever expanding integration of Computer Generated Imagery, coupled with Artificial Intelligence and the untapped potential as this technology erupts, a combination of these previous award categories into a single more encompassing one made sense.  

Season One's recipient was "Spock Amok," an episode with wonderful sets, amazing design details, unusual special effects and delightful structural elements.  The second annual Randy Award in this category goes to "The Broken Circle," season two's inaugural episode.  Like its predecessor, "The Broken Circle" covers a wide range of varied and diverse production elements.  Sets on a star base, on two star ships, and on a very interesting planet.  Special effects with models and space detritus and pyrotechnics. A plethora of props and set pieces that create a reality full of diverse inevitability.  En toto, it's a rich tapestry; deep and wide, the perfect canvas for wonderful storytelling.