Patricia Watt Finds Her Voice In Theater World

To a once-5-year-old Patricia Watt, names such as Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, Lena Horne and Richard Rodgers meant nothing. They were simply her family’s friends who would visit them periodically during the late 1950s and beyond at their homes in Manhattan and North Sea.

She had no idea that they belonged to a brilliant tribe of Broadway musicians, composers, lyricists—a world she was born into as the daughter of Douglas Watt, the New York Daily News drama critic and columnist for more than half a century, and a music critic and columnist for The New Yorker for nearly as long. Her mother, Ethel, was a former Broadway actress whose stage name was Ethel Madsen; she quit the biz after 14 Broadway shows, to marry and have children.

“When my mother was busy, I used to accompany my father to see shows on Broadway and in London, for 30 years,” Ms. Watt recalled, seated in her North Sea living room, surrounded by framed photos of her glamorous, now 91-year-old mother as a young starlet. “I’m grateful that my parents introduced me to the world of theater, which is so much a part of my life. The first show I ever saw with my father was ‘Peter Pan,’ with Mary Martin, when I was 3.”

By age 12, she was going to nightclubs.

“When my parents couldn’t get babysitters, we’d all be hanging out at the Persian Room at the Plaza, or going to the Apollo Theater to see Duke Ellington,” she said. “We went to Sardi’s a lot, on opening night, to wait for the reviews. I remember that it would either be a happy crowd, or an unhappy crowd.”

Outside of her family’s shadow, Ms. Watt has produced plays and concerts—internationally and in her own right—from Manhattan to London to the East End, including “Love, Janis,” “Hair,” “An Evening With Truman Capote” and, most recently, “50 Shades of F****d Up.” This summer, in conjunction with The John Drew Theater at Guild Hall in East Hampton, she will be bringing “Honoring Lee Davis: The American Musical Series Salute,” formerly the Songbook Salon, to the Southampton Arts Center, from July 25 through August 23.

And in honor of her father, who died in 2009, Ms. Watt has taken over The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, of which Mr. Watt was a founding member, along with Clive Barnes of the New York Times and Jack Kroll of Newsweek. The annual ceremony, to be held this year on Monday, June 1, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University, honors Broadway dancers and choreographers in recognition of Fred Astaire and his sister, Adele, also a renowned dancer.

“The Astaire Awards are a marvelous way to honor dance in the theater and film world,” said choreographer Susan Stroman, five-time Tony winner and director of “The Producers.” “Dancers are vital to the success of many shows and their contribution often goes unacknowledged. Patricia has made sure dancers in our business are not only recognized, but celebrated. These are some of the hardest working artists around, and for them to be applauded by their peers means so much.”

The winners will not be revealed until Monday night, though producer Harvey Weinstein—whose new show, “Finding Neverland,” recently opened on Broadway—will be honored for Outstanding Contribution for Musical Theater and Film, Ms. Watt said. And Joel Grey—actor, singer, dancer and star of “Cabaret”—will receive the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by actress Sutton Foster.

“I feel these awards are important because the Tony Awards don’t recognize dance,” Ms. Watt explained. “The only dance award is for choreography, and it’s usually given off camera.”

The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards were started in 1982 by producer and Broadway dancer Kathleen Raitt, who married actor-singer John Raitt and happened to know Fred Astaire. “She decided there should be an awards show given to honor dancers on Broadway, and one day when she ran into Fred Astaire in Los Angeles. He gave her his blessings, so she decided to name it after him,” Ms. Watt said, adding that the ceremony went on hiatus from 2003 to 2008, until she decided to pick up the reins. “I met Ava Astaire, Fred’s daughter, at an event, and we decided we should bring the awards back—in honor of both our fathers.”

Their first year at the helm, Ms. Watt and Ms. Astaire formed a nomination committee and awarded choreographer Tommy Tune the Douglas Watt Achievement Award, and decided to donate a portion of each event’s proceeds to the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards Dance Therapy Program for autistic and disabled children.

“Patricia Watt should have an Astaire Award herself,” according to Southampton resident Pat Birch, who directed and choreographed “Grease” and received the Douglas Watt Achievement Award last year. “No one understands the moves and souls of dancers better. Her dad, Doug, who was one of the best critics ever, would be thrilled with Patty’s event and devotion.”

The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards will be held on June 1 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University. Red carpet and cocktails will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the ceremony from 7:30 to 9 p.m., featuring Broadway numbers from “On the Town,” Finding Neverland” and “On the 20th Century.” Tickets range from $75 to $500. For more information, call (212) 595-0924, or visit theastaireawards.org.