NEW YORK—Mayor Bloomberg, actress Vanesssa Williams, Mathew Broderick, a couple of Muppets and the cast of the musical Hair were all on the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Monday night to celebrate and present awards to some of New York City’s artists and cultural institutions at the 2008 Mayor’s Awards for Arts and Culture.
At the top of the evening Mayor Bloomberg and Ms. Williams, star of the sitcom Ugly Betty, were played on stage by the Queens Jazz Orchestra Ensemble with a smoking version of Duke Ellington’s “A Train.” Curmudgeonly Muppets Statler and Waldorf, who provided comic interjections throughout the evening, then greeted the co-hosts from a theater box.
The awards ceremony is produced annually by the NYC department of Cultural Affairs. This year’s recipients were the Rush Arts Gallery and Resource Center and the Corridor Gallery founded by Russell, Danny and Joseph Simmons. Sharon Dunn who, until recently retired, was in charge of the arts for New York City public schools. Ginny Louloudes and The Alliance of Resident Theatres. Dancer and choreographer Arthur Aviles, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and its leader and president Don Randel, and the composer of the Broadway musical Hair, Galt MacDermott.
After receiving his award Mr. MacDermott was serenaded by the soon to be on Broadway revival cast of “Hair” who sang the title song from the 1967 Broadway Musical. Other performers of the evening included an American Sign Language (ASL) poetry slam by NYC public school teacher Jason Norman and three of his students. Jason and the students signed and performed poetry as it was narrated from off stage. Hoosac and Chagall, a couple of friendly alpacas from the Bronx Zoo also made an appearance.
The final award for the evening was the NYC Handel Medallion for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts, the highest award presented by the mayor’s office and this year’s recipient was famed author and playwright Neil Simon.
Mr. Simon was introduced by a host of Broadway stars including Christine Baranski, who won a Tony for her performance in Simon’s Rumors. Tony Roberts who starred in Simon’s 1967 hit Barefoot in the Park. Matthew Broderick, who by his own admission was “created by Neil Simon” and owes much of his early career to the Neil Simon plays Biloxi Blues and Brighton Beach Memoirs and Robert Klein who sang the song “Fallen” from Simon’s Broadway musical They’re Playing Our Song.
Simon, who has won three Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, a Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, a Golden Globe, has received Kennedy Center Honors, and a Pulitzer Prize, was characteristically humorous when he chided Mayor Bloomberg by telling him how deeply honored he was to receive the Handel Medallion, even though he had never heard of it.
