Best Original Show

Jerry's World at Infernal Bridegroom ProductionsBased on the programs of Joe Frank -- a real-life radio personality dubbed "the most imaginative, literate monologist in radio" -- Jerry's World, like a strangely ecstatic tone poem, celebrates the dirty little corners of our contemporary landscape, in which life gets funnier as it gets more abstract and amorphous. Directed and adapted by Troy Schulze, the collage of scenes and monologues (all of which were either re-creations or recordings of dialogue from the actual radio program) stitches together anecdotes and rants, including cracks at long post office lines, overpaid athletes and oversexed teenage dance shows. Ultimately, the show is both a sonic experiment that redefines traditional theater and a mesmerizing symphony of language.