Only at the Helen Hayes awards will you have three acceptance speeches referencing the word "girdle."

The celebratory, at times irreverent ceremony took place in front of a sold-out crowd at the Warner Theater last night.

The big winners of the evening were Synetic Theater, the edgy dance-dominant Rosslyn troupe, solidifying its place as one of the most innovative companies working in the area right now. Five out of the group's six trophies were for its stunning silent version of Macbeth, including Outstanding Resident Play, and the ensemble award for its (also silent) Hamlet.

An unexpected development of the night was Studio Theater SecondStage's zany little production of Reefer Madness swiping the Outstanding Resident Musical trophy from other, more bombastic competitors. Reefer's director Keith Alan Baker shared the prize with Signature's Eric Schaeffer, who also won for Meet John Doe.

Meet John Doe, a pleasant surprise from Ford Theater last year, had a generally strong showing at the awards, where Signature Theater often dominates the musical categories. Its female lead, Heidi Blickenstaff, took the trophy for best actress in a resident musical.

The night had its share of no-brainers: costars Nancy Robinette and J. Fred Schiffman winning for Souvenir at Studio; Tony winners Bill Irwin and Cherry Jones grabbing non-resident acting trophies; and Kate Eastwood Norris' having her two-character comedic tour de force in She Stoops To Comedy recognized, making this her second best supporting actress award in a row. Studio, Synetic, Signature and Woolly (whose Dead Man's Cell Phone won Best new play and some technical awards) edged out those smaller companies who gained nods this year, though Arena Stage and Shakespeare Theater were shut out, when both groups normally fare very well at Helen Hayes.

It quickly started to seem that "It's A Tie!" was becoming as commonly heard a phrase as "I'd Like To Thank..." as four categories named more than one winner throughout the evening.

The ceremony decided to forgo a host in favor of five singers, including the engaging Eleasha Gamble, who injected the evening with Broadway-style parodies, largely to success (a long-winded Gilbert & Sullivan riff naming every production staged this year was perhaps not the best way to end a long evening where the audience still hadn't eaten). Gamble sang her heart out of "My Strongest Suit" from Aida during one of the ceremony's most engaging numbers, featuring a runway-style display of the evening's best costume nominees, where wings appeared to be the new black.

Heart-warming moments throughout the night included an extremely eloquent and gracious acceptance speech from Sir Derek Jacobi, who mused about his life as an actor after getting the Helen Hayes Tribute award, and an endearing tribute to longtime audience members Bob Davis and Henry Schalizki, who took home the Governor's Award just as they celebrated their 60th anniversary as partners. Other speeches took the more amusing route, from the aforementioned girdle complaints from some of the female winners to shouts of "Fucking A!" from others (or in Erik Liberman's case, "Wowsers!").

A full list of last night's winners is available on the Helen Hayes Web site.

Image of Synetic accepting the Best Ensemble award, which is presented by the Canadian Embassy.