A Chorus Line voted Best Musical
THE cast and crew of A Chorus Line have high kicked their way to a Helpmann Award for Best Musical.
The revival of the Broadway classic, starring Dancing With The Star's Josh Horner, took out the top gong at the 12th annual Australian live entertainment awards last night at the Sydney Opera House.
Aussie export Hugh Jackman made a surprise appearance to present the final award of the night, which was accepted by A Chorus Line's producer Tim Lawson.
But interestingly, the choreography-heavy show did not win the Best Choreography in a Musical Award.
That honour went to Kelly Devine for the comedy Rock of Ages, the glam rock musical's only win of the night.
The State Opera of South Australia's staging of Moby Dick took home three awards including Best Opera, while Opera Australia's La Traviata received four awards.
Cate Blanchett was named this year's Best Female Actor in a Play for her performance in the Sydney Theatre Company's Gross und Klein (Big and Small).
Despite a disappointing debut in Sydney, the musical adaptation of An Officer and a Gentleman was awarded Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Bert LaBonte's stand-out performance as Sgt Emil Foley.
The musical Annie, starring Anthony Warlow, was a noticeable exception from the winners list.
Pop music princess Kylie Minogue also took home an award for Best Australian Contemporary Concert for her Aphrodite tour.
