Must finish . . . IRNE nominations . . .

Sorry for the slow rate of postings this week, but zees ees zee time ven vee must somehow shoehorn our crrritical azzessments into zee IRNE award categories! Which takes time, careful calibration, and of course, results in the usual number of mistakes. Again this year the general trend (at least from where I stand) was striking: I can barely fill in all the large theatre categories, while the smaller theatre categories are bursting; I'm trying to narrow down six obvious contenders for Best Actress, for instance, and six more for Best Ensemble. And how and where can I squeeze in a nod to groups like Imaginary Beasts (Look and Long), or New Exhibition Room (Shhhh!), who don't really do "plays"? And what to do about those actors and actresses (yes this means you, Nancy E. Carroll and Paula Plum) who have done extraordinary work all year long, but already have a gaggle of IRNEs to their credit? It's hard, I know, for theatre folk to believe it, but trust me, most of the critics in town, like me, really take this stuff quite seriously. And that's why we're paid so highly for it! ;-)