The Helpmanns (what a wonderful name!) normally go to the top end of town, with names such as Cate Blanchett for her part in “Gross und Klein” (Big and Small) and Opera Australia’s sensational “La Traviata” on Sydney Harbour adorning  the lists, so we didn’t see any Canberra names, though opera singer Lorina Gore and actor Patrick Brammall, had been  nominated.

The Street Theatre’s Caroline Stacey must be feeling very self-satisfied at her prescience, having booked in “Angela’s Kitchen”, which won Best New Australian Work.  That starred the affable Paul Capsis, who also won Best Male Actor in a Play.

As well, there was a fair smattering of faces familiar to Canberrans, such as veteran Nancye Hayes, who won Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical and Robyn Nevin, who won Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play, Big hART for “Namatjira”,  Bangarra’s Stephen Page for “ID” and Musica Viva for “The Galileo Project”.

Popular choices were Tim Minchin, Kylie Minogue and one daring newcomer to the Australian arts scene, the Museum of Old and New Art inHobart, which won Best Contemporary Music Festival  for “MONA FOMA.”

It had already been announced that the JC Williamson Award went jointly issued to the late Jimmy Little and to the founder of Currency Press, Katharine Brisbane.

With actor Simon Burke hosting the ceremony, there was much more than just a list of awards, with a tribute to Jimmy Little,  showcase performances by Cirque du Soleil, The Australian Ballet, the “South Pacific” and “Chorus Line” companies  and a bunch of old hands from “A Long Way to the Top” –  Marcia Hines, Jon Stevens, Brian Cadd, Doug Parkinson and Ian Moss.

After the show, winners, losers, performers and guests all adjourned to the Marquee at the Star nightclub to dance the night away.

The Helpmanns will be broadcast on Tuesday, September 25,  at 8.30pm on STUDIO – channel 132 on Foxtel.