Sheldon’s 2025 Croswell Sunny Award Selections

Croswell Opera House Marquee in Adrian. Photo by Steve Sheldon.

On Wednesday, the People’s Choice spoke loud and clear, Parade was their favorite 2025 Croswell production. Thursday, it’s my turn. One thing you can say about theatre is that it’s personal. We bring our collective experiences, hopes and dreams and our heroes and villains with us. It is all of that makes or breaks a musical.

For the 2025 Croswell Sunny Awards, again the criteria I used includes was I entertained, did I think and did I feel something, with an emphasis on feeling. I had some agreement with the People’s Choices and some differences.

A note of introduction. Overall. I thought Croswell had a very strong 2025 season. Their choices demonstrated a willingness to take risks. They stayed committed to including roles for children. And, once again, the depth of talent on-stage and behind the scenes, is extraordinary. Their shows included challenging roles for men and women. It was difficult to choose best supporting and lead actress, the field was that strong. In the end, it came down to what did the actress do with the character they portrayed.

Here goes:

Best Set Design: Cinderella – Beth Flumignan. The set design of Cinderella was elegant and simple. It was flexible so scene changes were smooth. There was color and functionality.

Best Costume Design: Anastasia – Sabriyah W. Davis. Costumes were beautiful. Colors were regal. Costumes changes were frequent and added so much to the success of the play.

Best Choreography: Bring It On – Debra Ross Calabrese. The nod goes to Bring It On for the combination of movement, dancing and cheer-leading gymnastics. With a large cast, staging the ensemble numbers was challenging. Calabrese achieved near perfection that was visually pleasing and exciting.

Ensemble of Bring It On. Lydia Kirk front in elevated position. Photo by Ashlee Sayles.

Best Vocal Direction: Cinderella – Kristin Clark. From the moment you enter the theatre, you were invited into a magical world. A significant part of that magic was the music. Ms. Clark’s direction of the singing voices was exquisite. Cinderella’s voice was strong, yet sweet and there are not enough adjectives that describe Angela Hench’s Fairy Godmother.

Ensemble of Cinderella. Photo by Lad Strayer & Ashlee Sayles.

Best Orchestra Conductor: Annie – Raymond Novak. Annie has a beautiful score, from the overture to the final song. Novak put together an exceptional pit and they delivered. The orchestra’s rhythm and volume was always coordinated with the actors.

Best Artistic Direction: Parade – Michael Yuen. The People’s Choice got this correct. Yuen’s direction of Parade told an emotional story with simplicity and caring. In the end, he delivered a devastating emotional punch in the gut to everyone who saw it.

Best Supporting Actor: Annie – Chris Stack. Stack played FDR. Not a major part but he made the most out of his time on stage. Playing FDR straight, he came across as believable, lovable and funny. And who didn’t love his version of Tomorrow.

Caroline “Cici” Hubbard as Annie & Chris Stack as FDR. Photo by Lad Strayer & Ashlee Sayles.

Best Supporting Actress: Cinderella – Angela Hench. An opera singer by training, Hench was simply mesmerizing as The Fairy Godmother. And she flew. Her soprano voice soared to the ceiling and contributed to the magic of the show.

Angela Hench as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. Photo by Lad Strayer & Ashlee Sayles.

Best Lead Actor: La Cage Aux Folles – Eric Parker. Parker was the glue that held this hilarious musical together. He did it all. He sang, danced and acted. He was comfortable in his own skin and that translated to his being comfortable in his role.

(L-R) Eric Parker as George, Dawn Kingman, Lane Hackel, Caroline Coy, Matthew Porter & Johnny Reed as Albin in La Cage Aux Folles. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Best Lead Actress: Parade – Kristin Kukic & Annie – Caroline “Cici” Hubbard. OK, I wimped out on this one. Kukic was dynamic in Parade. Hubbard was dynamic in Annie. Both stole their respective shows. Kukic brought maturity and style to her role. Hubbard brought youthful innocence to her role. Both sang beautifully. In Parade, Kukic stole the show. But how do you measure the performance of an 11-year-old girl who is on stage 85% of the time, sings 85% of the songs and carries the success of the production on her young shoulders. Both ladies earned best lead actress.

Kristin Kukic as Lucille Frank & Matthew Porter as Leo Frank in Parade. Photo by Lad Strayer & Ashlee Sayles.

Caroline “Cici” Hubbard starred as Annie at the Croswell. Photo courtesy of Lad Strayer & Ashlee Sayles..

Best Duet/Trio In A Musical: Bonnie & Clyde – Emma Skaggs & Nicole Merchant singing “You Love Who You Love.”  One of my favorite love songs of the 2025 Croswell season. These two ladies, playing not entirely lovable characters, sang a love song that brought tears to the eyes of the audience. This is one of the songs I wish I could listen to over and over again.

Emma Skaggs as Bonnie & Kevin Ludwig as Clyde. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Maxwell Lam & Nicole Merchant in Bonnie & Clyde. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Best Musical of the 2025 Season: La Cage Aux Folles. Every show could claim this award. Considering the three criteria- entertainment, thinking & feeling, La Cage created more fun, thoughts and feeling than any other for me. This is a different sort of love story that packs a powerful social message. I laughed out loud. I left thinking about what I had just seen and I was moved to tears.

The Les Cagelles singing and dancing at Club La Cage Aux Folles. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Sheldon’s Magical Musical Moment: La Cage Aux Folles – Johnny West. West ended Act I, alone on the stage, his hurt palpable to everyone, singing “I Am What I Am.” That song remains my favorite number of the entire season. It stirred an emotional reaction in me that doesn’t often occur in a theatre. Well done Mr. West.

Johnny West as Albin , stage name ZaZa. Photo by Lad Strayer.