BEST ACTOR
Gus Gordon
Channel 20's popular weather prognosticator Gus Gordon was active in the theater
long before he began tracking storms -- he started back in the '80s, during high
school in Cincinnati. His first appearance in a Springfield Municipal Opera
production came in 1991, a year after he joined WICS-TV. Gordon doesn't have
to capitalize on his TV popularity to get acting gigs: He's blessed with a rich
and wonderful singing voice that's ensured him key roles in many popular local
productions, including The Music Man, 110 in the Shade, My
Way, and Forever Plaid. His passion for theater has him rehearsing
between evening newscasts, and he often takes vacation time to perform. He can
be seen in Sunday in the Park with George, which opens Friday, Sept.
17, and in Side by Side by Sondheim, which opens next month. Both shows
are playing at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Readers also embraced teen
heartthrob Cory Blisset, another performer blessed with a great voice. Blisset
recently played Huck Finn in the Muni's Big River. Mac Warren, who gave
an exciting performance in Theatre Centre's As You Like It last winter,
also received strong support from readers. Warren is the kind of actor who makes
it all look easy.
Runner-up: Cory Blissett
BEST ACTRESS
Cynda Wrightsman
Known primarily for her many leading roles in musicals over the years, Cynda
Wrightsman also is a strong dramatic actress, a talent she showed to great effect
in last year's 110 in the Shade. Last spring, Wrightsman gave a perfectly
hilarious performance playing a has-been B-movie star in Roxy Group's Swingtime
Canteen. Her comic timing was right-on, and she completely transported the
audience back to the '40s. Runner-up Mary Jo Curry, now appearing in Sunday
in the Park with George, is one of those singer/actors who really know how
to "act" a song and communicate it. Audiences always connect with her. Other
standouts recognized by readers this year: Mary Young, who hadn't performed
in a long time, was back onstage last winter giving a wildly humorous and tender
performance as Rosalind in As You Like It at Springfield Theatre Centre.
Pat Pennington won raves for her performance in The Spitfire Grill at
New Salem last summer, as did Marian Levin in the lead role of Edward Albee's
Three Tall Women at STC.
Runner-up: Mary Jo Curry
BEST ARTIST
John E. Erickson
Although John E. Erickson did not begin painting until late in his life, he
proved quite prolific. From silkscreen prints to modernist acrylic paintings
including portraits and still-lifes, Erickson produced more than 100 works from
his home base in Springfield. A native of Champaign, Erickson taught for many
years at the University of Illinois before retiring to Springfield and teaching
part-time at Lincoln Land Community College. He was a member of the Prairie
Art Alliance and Gallery, where his paintings were often exhibited. Sadly, Erickson
died this past July. But the legacy of the artists named Springfield's best
by Illinois Times readers lives on in his works, dozens of which will
be displayed this winter at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.
Runner-up:
Mike Mayosky
BEST GOSPEL GROUP
The Fantastic Jones Family
For more than three decades, Springfield's own Fantastic Jones Family has been
wowing audiences with a unique blend of contemporary gospel music. A three-generation
family tradition, the group performs regularly at New Hope Missionary Baptist
Church -- where some of its members also serve as associate ministers -- and last
year sang at Mayor Tim Davlin's inauguration. Nationally recognized, with five
full-length albums, Springfield's best gospel band even has a recording that
two years ago was nominated for a Best New Wave Gospel Award by Texas-based
Gospel TruthMagazine. For that, and for all of their achievements,
Fantastic Jones Family gets a well-deserved "amen."
Runner-up: The Chosen
Ones
BEST BAND
F5
Hey that's quite a category you got there: No best country, cover, original,
punk, funk, jazz, polka, or disco -- it just says "Best Band." And if "best"
means "most popular" (and it very often does, despite what you masses-hating
sourpusses think), then F5 deserves the title, given all the packed bars, overflowing
festivals, and jam-packed street fairs at which they perform. Together now for
several years with only a few personnel changes, the band plays Top 40, popular
rock music, what the people want to hear -- and that makes it the best.
Runner-up:
Roxschool
BEST SINGER
Rod Grant
John Cota first heard Rod Grant singing karaoke and said to himself, "Wow! That
guy has a great voice." He asked Grant what band he was in, and the answer was
"None." So the two joined together with veteran local musicians to form the
rock band Late Arrival. Many Illinois Times readers apparently think
Cota is a good judge of talent: They picked Grant as Springfield's best singer.
But we saw several strong contenders, representing the diversity of the local
music scene. Other big vote-getters included the always-popular Trina Madonia,
Gus Gordon, Cory Blissett, Nancy Kitchen, Joe Frew, Josh Reilly, and Tom Irwin.
Runner-up:
Trina Madonia
BEST SOLO MUSICIAN
Tom Irwin
It's a crowded category nowadays with singer/songwriters galore and acoustic
guitars everywhere you look. But it wasn't always that way in our fair city.
Our winner, Tom Irwin, was a solo musician when being a solo musician wasn't
cool. Yes, Irwin remembers when the only solo musicians in town were at the
piano bars, blind and on the plaza, or named Miles. Many votes were cast in
this busy category; other top vote recipients were Jane Hartman, Josh Reilly,
Joe Frew, and Bonnie Ettinger. And yes, Irwin is the calendar editor of Illinois
Times, but he didn't count the votes.
Runner-up: Jane Hartman
BEST THEATER PRODUCTION
Big River
Big River garnered the most votes in this category. Produced by the Muni
in August, the show based on Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn had a strong
cast, along with beautiful scenic and lighting design by Scott Richardson and
Jeff Nevins. That show is always an audience-pleaser, thanks to the evocative
Roger Miller score, and, well, we Midwesterners identify heavily with Twain's
tales. Illinois Times readers also loved the intensity the students of
Rochester High School brought to their spring production of West Side Story.
Readers also applauded Theater in the Park's professional production of The
Spitfire Grill in New Salem. And Julie Guttas' choreography (and the dancers
who performed it) made the Muni's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers one
of the summer's best shows.
Runner-up: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
BEST MUSEUM
Illinois State Museum
502 S. Spring St., 217-782-7386
Who knew Springfield had so many museums? Some display old fuel pumps, vintage
cars, and relics of Route 66. Others showcase antique firefighting equipment,
military relics, and old coffins and hearses. Though they're all worth a visit,
our readers pick the biggest as the best. A playground for natural-history buffs,
the free-admission Illinois State Museum emphasizes hands-on learning for kids.
Many of its exhibits -- on subjects ranging from the state's oldest fossils and
rock formations to replicas of dinosaurs -- even include signs that read, "Please
touch!" The Illinois State Museum is part of a system of museums and galleries
located all over the state; you might also want to check out the museum's archaeological
site in Lewistown and its artisan galleries in Chicago, Lockport, and Whittington.
Runner-up: Museum of Funeral Customs
BEST PLACE TO DANCE
Chantilly Lace
2660 S. Fifth St., 217-522-7447
Is it the allure of the flashing lights, the familiar DJ music, or the large
dance floor that makes Chantilly Lace our most popular choice for cuttin' a
rug? Oh, it's all that and more Ń the 3 a.m. closing time, the expansive lighted
parking lot, the easy way you can tell a stranger how to find it (go where Fifth
Street meets Sixth), plus good service and friendly faces. But the most important
reason is the most obvious: the music. As one reader tells us, "It's got
a good beat; I can dance to it; I'd give it a 98."
Runner-up: Rockin Robin
BEST PLACE FOR LIVE MUSIC
Underground City Tavern
Hilton Springfield, 700 E. Adams St., 217-789-1530
With its angled stage and many-leveled listening area, it's not literally the
best place for live music. So in voting the Underground City Tavern as the best
place for live music, Illinois Times readers most likely meant that the
Underground City Tavern has the best live music. Nearly every Friday and Saturday,
mostly roots-music bands -- blues, swing, country, folk or some amalgamation
thereof -- are to be found onstage, entertaining the critters at the bottom of
the Hilton. With two weekly open mics, one plugged and one un-, the UCT manages
live music at least four nights a week. Other reader favorites include Marly's
Pub, the Sangamon Auditorium, the Alamo, the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Jazz
Central Station, and Bread Stretchers. One fan of live music voted for "anywhere."
Bless her heart.
Runner-up: Marly's Pub
BEST PLACE TO SEE A MOVIE
ShowPlace 12 West
3141 Mercantile Dr., 217-793-6440
As owners of the country's ninth-largest movie-theater chain, the Springfield-based
Kerasotes clan hardly needs a reason to celebrate. But this month gives the
third-generation movie-mogul family yet another reason to don party hats. Not
only does it mark the one-year anniversary of the grand opening of ShowPlace
12 West, but the giant multiplex located just off Wabash Avenue has also been
voted the city's best place to catch a flick. With stadium-style seating, the
theater has fast become a favorite for cooing teens, who cuddle in the back
rows. It also doesn't hurt that popcorn and soda refills are free. And for those
who like options, there's something to look forward to: The 40,000-square-foot
site was designed to include three more screens.
Runner-up: Route 66 Drive In
