2006 Hammy Awards

Following is the text of the Hammy Award presentation speech given at the 2006 Super Party by Rob Wonder and Kimberly Thompson:

It was a Super’s nightmare. You get your first real part on the Opera House stage, and you are thrown into an extensive role under very difficult conditions. The requirements? Hitting complicated, exactly timed marks with your vision blinded by semi-transparent veils and glaring spotlights, and performing intricate tasks handicapped by bulky gloves. Now imagine that the original Super has dropped out, and you, the cover, are attempting your first outing in this role during a performance of Madame Butterfly. For jumping in with both feet and coming out the hero, the All-About-Eve Hammy goes to Michael Strickland.

The wedding scene in The Marriage of Figaro is a joyful, grand affair. The entire court emerges to celebrate the wedding of Figaro and Susanna, but in 2006, it was the entrance of two Supers that stole the show. It wasn’t their cute costumes or the bad dental work that caught the audience’s attention. One of two Bridesmaids from Hell misstepped, and in the spirit of Super support, the other attempted a rescue. The result was an avalanche of petticoats and shawls blocking the entrance of Antonio, played by Peter Strummer. In honor of this occasion, the Jack-Falls-Down-and-Jill-Goes-Tumbling-After Hammy goes to Barbara Edwards and Irene Bechtel.

While much of the focus of A Masked Ball is on the King and his romantic attraction to Amelia, you tend to overlook the two other young lovers who meander through the ballroom set, engaged in “canoodling” on the balcony, and who are totally oblivious to the intrigue and tragedy in the making. The It's-All-About-Me Hammy goes to Yvette Forte Rosedale and Bradly Hamilton.

In a moment of Fledermaus celebration, a champagne glass crashes to the floor. A vigilant Super rushes to the rescue and cleans up the shards. He is so focused on his work, he bends over to moon the audience, completing the job. The Bottoms-Up Hammy goes to Rob Wonder.

One of our favorite Supering activities is making an entrance. Whether raised up from the trap, flown in, or carried in on a litter, nothing beats the splash of a great entrance. Exiting the stage is another story. Most of the time we either slink off on cue, stand in place as the curtain comes in, or vanish in a blackout. Not so for one of our Supers, who, 15 minutes before the end of each performance of Tristan und Isolde, not only fought with Adler Fellow Sean Pennikar, but also wound up getting shoved backward off the end of a 12-foot-high, steeply raked stage and onto a crash pad, making him the envy of everyone who ever played Tosca. Good thing for him he had a lot of diving experience! The Get-Me-to-the-Dressing-Room-Fast Hammy goes to Kurt Krikorian.

It appears that being chosen for a role doesn't guarantee that one is going to perform it. The Manon Lescaut production was fraught with changes, substitutions, and at a few points, ejections. Prostitutes were dropped and others took their places. Even the names were changed to protect the innocent. The Act 1 students put up a good fight, but eventually they got the axe. The Executioner's Assistant one week returned to being a servant the next. The one thing that remains constant in a Super's life is change. The You-Can't-Tell-a-Cover-Without-a-Program Hammy (or, the Musical-Chairs Hammy) goes to the entire Super cast of Manon Lescaut.

They were just hanging out at the well, as they had done a dozen times, waiting for Carmen to make a break for it, when Zuniga, a.k.a. Ricardo Herrera, passes by and whispers, "Just follow me." They pause and then do what any good Super does faced with a split-second decision in a spontaneous performance moment: They do what they are told! They followed him to stage right and then had to make a long full-out run to stage left to chase Carmen. Did it make for a better performance? It sure did: the director told them to leave it in. The We-Were-Just-Following-Orders-Sir Hammy goes to John F. Martin and Rick Weil.

It is unheard of that anyone other than a Super might be the recipient of a coveted Hammy Award. However, with Supers willing to beg, borrow, or steal to be in a show, the job of finding just the right cogs to fit into the opera production machinery is more than daunting. This is especially true when one is unfamiliar with the available cogs, who must be time flexible, USDA reliable, cause no side effects, fit costume specifications to within millimeters, and blend smoothly with the other cogs. The multiple personalities of the Super corps also add anxiety and stress to this job. So, for being such a nice person and competent administrator, the Not-All-the-Tap-Dancing-Happens-Onstage Hammy goes to our fearless leader, April Busch.

Many of the winners were not there to claim their Hammys, which was providential, as there were not enough anyway. The Super Committee is having more made. If you were one of the winners and desire your Hammy (and who wouldn't?), please contact them here.

and ... The Super of the Year Awards