Tony Award Winners 2011
June 13, 2011
Awards announced: 12 June 2011
WINNERS
Best Play
War Horse
Author: Nick Stafford
Best Musical
The Book of Mormon
Best Book of a Musical
The Book of Mormon
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Book of Mormon
Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
Best Revival of a Play
The Normal Heart
Best Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Mark Rylance
Jerusalem
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Frances McDormand
Good People
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz
Catch Me If You Can
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sutton Foster
Anything Goes
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
John Benjamin Hickey
The Normal Heart
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Ellen Barkin
The Normal Heart
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
John Larroquette
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Nikki M. James
The Book of Mormon
Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris
War Horse
Best Direction of a Musical
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker
The Book of Mormon
Best Choreography
Kathleen Marshall
Anything Goes
Best Orchestrations
Larry Hochman & Stephen Oremus
The Book of Mormon
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Rae Smith
War Horse
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Scott Pask
The Book of Mormon
Best Costume Design of a Play
Desmond Heeley
The Importance of Being Earnest
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable
War Horse
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Brian MacDevitt
The Book of Mormon
Best Sound Design of a Play
Christopher Shutt
War Horse
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Brian Ronan
The Book of Mormon
Special Tony Award® for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Athol Fugard
Philip J. Smith
Regional Theatre Tony Award®
Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Isabelle Stevenson Award
Eve Ensler
Special Tony Award
Handspring Puppet Company
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
William Berloni
The Drama Book Shop
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts
IN NUMBERS
The Book of Mormon – 9 including Best Musical
War Horse – 5 including Best Play
Anything Goes – 3 including Best Revival of a Musical
The Normal Heart – 3 including Best Revival of a Play
One each for Catch Me If You Can, Good People, How to Succeed…, The Importance of Being Earnest, Jerusalem, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert
LINKS
New shows this week: Dominic West in Butley, David Tennant and Catherine Tate, Lend Me A Tenor
May 30, 2011
What’s opening in the West End this week including Dominic West in Butley, David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing and Matthew Kelly and Joanna Riding in Lend Me A Tenor.
NEW SHOWS 30 MAY to 5 JUNE 2011
Dominic West stars in Butley at the Duchess Theatre
On Wednesday 1 June Much Ado About Nothing gets its official opening night at the Wyndham’s Theatre. David Tennant and Catherine Tate star as Beatrice and Benedick in this high-profile new production directed by Josie Rourke.
Also on Wednesday, Dominic West (The Wire) returns to the West End as previews start for Simon Gray’s savage, witty and remarkable play Butley at the Duchess Theatre, directed by Lindsay Posner and also starring Paul McGann.
Also starting previews this week is Lend Me A Tenor on Thursday 2 June at the Gielgud Theatre in London. Ian Talbot directs this fun new musical comedy by Peter Sham and Brad Carroll, based on the Broadway classic and starring Matthew Kelly and Joanna Riding.
OPENING NEXT WEEK
The Royal Court’s revival of Arnold Wesker’s Chicken Soup With Barley opens, starring Samantha Spiro and directed by Dominic Cooke (Press night 7 June).
The Donmar Warehouse production of Schiller’s Luise Miller directed by Michael Grandage and starring Alex Kingston, Felicity Jones, Finty Williams, Max Bennett and David Dawson (Previews from 8 June).
Friday 10 June marks the centenary of British playwright Terence Rattigan and on the following day, Saturday 11 June, two of his classic plays, Cause Celebre at the Old Vic and Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, both close in the West End.
Finally, Sunday 12 June sees this year’s Tony Awards announced. A big, glitzy ceremony is planned with Danielle Radcliffe, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vanessa Redgrave handing out gongs and the Royal Court’s Jerusalem and National Theatre’s War Horse in line for multiple awards.
AND OPENING LATER IN JUNE
Amanda Holden stars in Shrek the Musical
The Flying Karamazov Brothers come crashing into the Vaudeville Theatre with much kilt wearing, flame throwing and general madcap hysteria (from 9 June); Shrek The Musical has its press night at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane starring Amanda Holden and Nigel Lindsay (14 June); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead starring featuring Samuel Barnett and Jamie Parker at the Theatre Royal Haymarket (from 16 June); Kristin Soctt Thomas leads the cast in previews of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre, in a new production directed by Ian Rickson, also starring Douglas Henshall and Ben Miles (Press night 16 June); The Royal Ballet’s sumptuous and large-scale production of Romeo and Juliet comes to the O2 Arena (from 17 June); Kevin Spacey as Richard III in Sam Mendes’s new production of Shakespeare’s play at the Old Vic (from 18 June); The Railway Children comes steaming back into the Waterlook Station Theatre for a summer run (from 19 June); and a big-budget new movie-to-stage musical comes to town as Ghost The Musical opens at the Piccadilly Theatre starring Caissie Levy, Richard Fleeshman and Sharon D Clarke, with music by Dave Stewart (from 22 June).
Also don’t forget that West End Live – the West End’s free weekend festival – comes to Trafalgar Square for the first time this year on 18 and 19 June, promising star turns from many of the West End’s biggest shows.
LINKS
Book tickets to West End shows
Tony Award Nominations 2011
May 3, 2011
Nominations announced: 3 May 2011
Awards to be announced: 12 June 2011
NOMINATIONS
Best Play
Good People
Author: David Lindsay-Abaire
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove
Jerusalem
Author: Jez Butterworth
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Royal Court Theatre Productions, Beverly Bartner/Alice Tulchin, Dede Harris/Rupert Gavin, Broadway Across America, Jon B. Platt, 1001 Nights/Stephanie P. McClelland, Carole L. Haber/Richard Willis, Jacki Barlia Florin/Adam Blanshay
The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Author: Stephen Adly Guirgis
Producers: Scott Rudin, Stuart Thompson, Public Theater Productions, Oskar Eustis, Joey Parnes, Labyrinth Theater Company, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O’Donnell, Yul Vázquez, Danny Feldman, Fabula Media Partners LLC, Jean Doumanian, Ruth Hendel, Carl Moellenberg, Jon B. Platt, Tulchin Bartner/Jamie deRoy
War Horse
Author: Nick Stafford
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten, National Theatre of Great Britain, Nicholas Hytner, Nick Starr, Bob Boyett, War Horse LP
Best Musical
The Book of Mormon
Producers: Anne Garefino, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Jean Doumanian, Roy Furman, Important Musicals LLC, Stephanie P. McClelland, Kevin Morris, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson
Catch Me If You Can
Producers: Margo Lion, Hal Luftig, Stacey Mindich, Yasuhiro Kawana, Scott & Brian Zeilinger, The Rialto Group, The Araca Group, Michael Watt, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, Jay & Cindy Gutterman/Pittsburgh CLO, Elizabeth Williams, Johnny Roscoe Productions/Van Dean, Fakston Productions/Solshay Productions, Patty Baker/Richard Winkler, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Warren Trepp, Remmel T. Dickinson, Paula Herold/Kate Lear, Stephanie P. McClelland, Jamie deRoy, Barry Feirstein, Rainerio J. Reyes, Rodney Rigby, Loraine Boyle, Amuse Inc., Joseph & Matthew Deitch/Cathy Chernoff, Joan Stein/Jon Murray, The 5th Avenue Theatre
The Scottsboro Boys
Producers: Barry and Fran Weissler, Jacki Barlia Florin, Janet Pailet/Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Nederlander Presentations, Inc./The Shubert Organization, Beechwood Entertainment, Broadway Across America, Mark Zimmerman, Adam Blanshay/R2D2 Productions, Rick Danzansky/Barry Tatelman, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Allen Spivak/Jerry Frankel, Bard Theatricals/Probo Productions/Randy Donaldson, Catherine Schreiber/Michael Palitz/Patti Laskawy, Vineyard Theatre
Sister Act
Producers: Whoopi Goldberg & Stage Entertainment, The Shubert Organization and Disney Theatrical Productions
Best Book of a Musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Alex Timbers
The Book of Mormon
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
The Scottsboro Boys
David Thompson
Sister Act
Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Book of Mormon
Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
The Scottsboro Boys
Music & Lyrics: John Kander and Fred Ebb
Sister Act
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Glenn Slater
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
Best Revival of a Play
Arcadia
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Roger Berlind, Stephanie P. McClelland, Scott M. Delman, Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Disney Theatrical Group, Robert G. Bartner, Olympus Theatricals, Douglas Smith, Janine Safer Whitney
The Importance of Being Earnest
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy
The Merchant of Venice
Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Debbie Bisno & Eva Price, Amy Nederlander, Jonathan First, Stewart F. Lane & Bonnie Comley, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Merritt Forrest Baer, The Araca Group, Broadway Across America, Joseph & Matthew Deitch, JK Productions, Terry Allen Kramer, Cathy Chernoff/Jay & Cindy Gutterman, Mallory Factor/Cheryl Lachowicz, Joey Parnes, The Shubert Organization
The Normal Heart
Producers: Daryl Roth, Paul Boskind, Martian Entertainment, Gregory Rae, Jayne Baron Sherman/Alexander Fraser
Best Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Producers: Broadway Across America, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Joseph Smith, Michael McCabe, Candy Spelling, Takonkiet Viravan/Scenario Thailand, Hilary A. Williams, Jen Namoff/Fakston Productions, Two Left Feet Productions/Power Arts, Hop Theatricals, LLC/Paul Chau/Daniel Frishwasser/Michael Jackowitz, Michael Speyer-Bernie Abrams/Jacki Barlia Florin-Adam Blanshay/Arlene Scanlan/TBS Service
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Frances McDormand, Good People
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It’s You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O’Malley, The Book of Mormon
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Rae Smith, War Horse
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born Yesterday
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, War Horse
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Jerusalem
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon
Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
Christopher Shutt, War Horse
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon
Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice
Best Direction of a Musical
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys
Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can
* * *
Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Athol Fugard
Philip J. Smith
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Isabelle Stevenson Award
Eve Ensler
Special Tony Award
Handspring Puppet Company
Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
William Berloni
The Drama Book Shop
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts
* * *
Tony Nominations by Production
The Book of Mormon – 14
The Scottsboro Boys – 12
Anything Goes – 9
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – 8
The Merchant of Venice – 7
Jerusalem – 6
The Motherf**ker with the Hat – 6
The Normal Heart – 5
Sister Act – 5
War Horse – 5
Catch Me If You Can – 4
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo – 3
The Importance of Being Earnest – 3
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown – 3
Arcadia – 2
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson – 2
Born Yesterday – 2
Brief Encounter – 2
Good People – 2
La Bête – 2
Priscilla Queen of the Desert – 2
Baby It’s You! – 1
Driving Miss Daisy – 1
The House of Blue Leaves – 1
Lombardi – 1
The People in the Picture – 1
Tony Awards Nominations Announced Today
May 3, 2011
Don’t forget that the 2011 Tony Awards nominations are announced today, Tuesday 3 May 2011.
The nominations will be presented live on the TonyAwards.com website by Matthew Broderick and Anika Noni Rose, from 1.30 pm London time (8.30 am New York time) today.
The nominations announcement will take place at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center at Lincoln Center.
All 26 competitive categories will be revealed. To be eligible productions had to open during the 2010-2011 Broadway season, which ended on 28 April 2011.
Performers tipped to receive nominations include Daniel Radcliffe, Bobby Canavale, Edie Falco, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Al Pacino, Mark Rylance and John Laroquette amongst others. Shows predicted to do well in the nominations include a number of shows that have transferred from London including Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Sister Act, War Horse, La Bete and Jerusalem.
Following the nominations announcement, a “Meet the Nominees” press reception will be held on 4 May and a Tony Nominees’ Luncheon on 31 May. All this leads up to the 65th Annual Tony Awards ceremony itself, which takes place on 12 June 2011 at the Beacon Theatre in New York.
LINKS
Tony Awards 2011 – nominations
Awards section: See all past Tony Awards winners
Olivier Awards: The BBC apologise over awards broadcast
April 4, 2011
Live coverage for last month’s Olivier Awards on the BBC’s red button service attracted 177,000 viewers.
Paul Gambaccini and Jodie Prenger, hosts of the BBC Radio 2 Olivier Awards coverage
Whilst it’s better to have the awards screened on the red button service than not on TV at all, we can’t help but compare to last year’s Tony Awards, which is broadcast live by CBS and got an average audience of 7 million.
The BBC has also admitted that filming the BBC Radio 2 transmission of the event on the red button service (Radio 2 is the main broadcast partner for the Olivier Awards), “did not meet audience expectations and we’re sorry for any disappointment caused to viewers, especially where it led to viewers missing key live moments from the stage”.
Here’s hoping that all of this results in the BBC widening their investment – and coverage – of the awards next year.
LINKS
SOLT finally get BBC back on board
November 29, 2010
Hoorah!
The Society of London Theatre has finally managed to secure TV coverage for it’s annual Olivier Awards event.
The 2011 awards, which will be held on 13 March 2011 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, will be covered extensively by the BBC on television, radio and online.
The Society will also enlist BBC Radio 2 once again to help promote the Audience Award, which is voted for by members of the public. Last year 55,000 theatregoers voted and Wicked was crowned the Most Popular Show.
We admit to doing our fair share of bitching and moaning in the past over the lack of mainstream coverage for the UK’s most important theatre awards ceremony (see Tonys tension as Broadway bitches back), and we are delighted that SOLT has made it a priority and made this happen.
CBS television’s annual coverage of the Tony Awards secures an unprecedented level of US and international publicity for Broadway theatre. In an age of severe arts cuts, ensuring that the West End is showcased on national TV and radio- and around the world – is an absolute priority.
Tony Awards tonight
June 13, 2010
The annual Tony Awards will be announced tonight, Sunday 13 June 2010, at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Sean Hayes, presenting this year's Tony awards
The star-studded event will be hosted by Sean Hayes, best known as Jack from Will & Grace and currently starring in Promises, Promises on Broadway.
The awards, the most important in the US arts calendar, will feature performances from current Broadway shows including American Idiot, Fela!, Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet, La Cage aux Folles, A Little Night Music and Ragtime. Star presenters will include Katie Holmes, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Angela Lansbury, Mark Sanchez, Daniel Radcliffe, Barbara Cook, Stanley Tucci, Idina Menzel and Laura Bell Bundy!
Other appearances and performances will include Glee’s Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison, Paula Abdul, Antonio Banderas, Cate Blanchett, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Douglas, Scarlett Johansson, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, Chris Noth, Bernadette Peters, Raquel Welch and David Hyde Pierce, who will receive a special Tony Award and is slated to appear in London next month in La Bete at the Comedy Theatre.
Shows up for awards this year include a revival of August Wilson’s Fences starring Denzel Washington (10nominations); Broadway musical Fela! (11 nominations) – and which makes its UK premiere at the National Theatre in November; and nods for a number of high-profile Hollywood stars including Christopher Walken (Behanding in Spokane), Liev Schreiber (A View From The Bridge), and Scarlett Johansson (A View from the Bridge).
Glee's Lea Michele rehearsing on Friday for the Tony Awards
Recent Broadway musical The Addams Family starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, failed to find favour with the Tony awards committee, scoring only two nominations – best original score and best supporting actor in a musical for Kevin Chamberlin.
UK creatives or shows have garned 28 nominations this year. The Menier Chocolate Factory in South London will be awaiting news on two of its successful productions that have transferred to Broadway and received 15 Tony nominations: La Cage Aux Folles opened at the Longacre Theatrein April to enormous critical acclaim. The show features original London star Douglas Hodge and US actor Kelsey Grammer, both of whom have been nominated in the best actor in a musical category. In total the show has picked up 11 nominations, including best revival of a musical, scenic design (Tim Shortall), costume design (Matthew Wright), lighting design (Nick Richings), sound design (Jonathan Deans), direction (Terry Johnson), choreography (Lynne Page), orchestrations (Jason Carr) and best supporting actor (Robin De Jesus).
Also A Little Night Music, which started life at the Menier in 2008 before transferring to the Garrick theatre in the West End, opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr theatre in December 2009. It has picked up 4 nominations, including competing against La Cage in the best musical revival category, and nods for Catherine Zeta-Jones (best actress in a musical), Angela Lansbury (best supporting actress in a musical), and sound design (Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen).
Douglas Hodge and Kelsey Grammer in La Cage Aux Folles
Other nominated UK shows include the Donmar Warehouse’s transfer of Red which enjoys 7 nominations including best play, best actor for Alfred Molina, best supporting actor for Eddie Redmayne, and best scenic design (Christopher Oram), lighting design (Neil Austin), sound design (Adam Cork) and direction (Michael Grandage). The Donmar production of Hamlet sees a nod for Jude Law and best lighting design of a play for Neil Austin. And the Royal Court’s production of Enron, which failed on Broadway but continues to sell well in London is nominated for best original score (music by Adam Cork and lyrics by Lucy Prebble), best supporting actor for Stephen Kunken, best sound design (Adam Cork) and best lighting design (Mark Henderson). Also veteran UK actress Rosemary Harris also received a best supporting nod for The Royal Family and one of the UK’s greatest living playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn, will receive a lifetime achievement award.
US viewers can watch the awards on CBS from 8pm ET. Selected countries are also airing the awards over the next week, although not in the UK. TonyAwards.com will only be featuring live footage of the red carpet arrivals and Creative Arts Awards from 6pm until 8pm ET.
See a list of Tony Award 2010 nominations here
West End Evita to transfer to Broadway
June 10, 2010
Ricky Martin and Elena Roger to star in EVITA on Broadway
The 2006 London production of Evita directed by Michael Grandage is to be revived on Broadway, opening at a Nederlander Theatre in Spring 2012.
Elena Roger in Evita
The show will feature the London production’s star Elena Roger as Eva Peron, joined by Latino superstar Ricky Martin as Che.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical will be produced by Hal Luftig and Scott Sanders.
Grandage, who directed the acclaimed 2006 London production of the show at the Adelphi Theatre, will be joined again by Tony Award winning choreographer Rob Ashford for the new production. It will be the first Broadway production of the Tony Award-winning show since its 1979 debut.
Ricky Martin said in a statement that, “I’m looking forward to playing such an essential part in Michael Grandage’s wonderful production and the chance to work with the tremendously talented Elena Roger.”
Michael Grandage said: “It is very exciting to bring this new production of Evita to Broadway with an Argentinean woman in the title role for the very first time”.
Ricky Martin in Les Mis on Broadway
The Argentinian actress Elena Roger won an Olivier award for her role in the show. Most recently Roger won the 2009 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance as Edith Piaf in the Jamie Lloyd directed Piaf at the Donmar Warehouse and in the West End. She is about to return to the Donmar to star in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Passion at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Scarlett Strallen and David Thaxton, again directed by Jamie Lloyd. The Donmar is about to launch a new West End season at the Trafalgar Studios showcasing the talents of the Donmar’s Resident Assistant Directors scheme. The plays are Lower Ninth, Novecento and Les Parents Terribles.
Ricky Martin is no stranger to Broadway having played Marius in the original production of Les Misérables – a role about to be taken by pop star Nick Jonas in the London production of Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre and at a Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert at the O2 in October. Martin has sold over 55 million albums during his two-decade solo career and is expected to undertake a worldwide tour throughout 2011 before making his Broadway return in Evita.
TONY AWARDS
The Tony Awards will be presented this Sunday 13 June 2010 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Hosted by Sean Hayes, the annual Broadway event will feature performances from shows including American Idiot, Fela!, Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet, La Cage aux Folles, A Little Night Music and Ragtime. Star presenters will include Katie Holmes, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Angela Lansbury, Mark Sanchez, Daniel Radcliffe, Barbara Cook, Stanley Tucci, Idina Menzel and Laura Bell Bundy!
Other appearances will include Glee’s Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison, Paula Abdul, Antonio Banderas, Cate Blanchett, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Douglas, Scarlett Johansson, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, Chris Noth, Bernadette Peters, Raquel Welch and David Hyde Pierce, who will appear in La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London next month.
La Cage dominates Tony nominations
May 7, 2010
The UK’s Menier Chocolate Factory has scored another hit with its production of La Cage Aux Folles – this time on Broadway.
La Cage Aux Folles starring Douglas Hodge and Kelsey Grammer
The small South London arts venue has dominated this year’s Tony Awards nominations – with a total of 15 nods. Its musical productions of Jerry Herman’s La Cage Aux Folles and Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music have both garnered multiple nominations for their Broadway transfers.
La Cage Aux Folles premiered at the Chocolate Factory in 2008 before transferring the Playhouse Theatre in London, and opened at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway last month to enormous critical acclaim.
The show features original London star Douglas Hodge and US actor Kelsey Grammer, both of whom have been nominated in the best actor in a musical category. In total the show has picked up 11 nominations, including best revival of a musical, scenic design (Tim Shortall), costume design (Matthew Wright), lighting design (Nick Richings), sound design (Jonathan Deans), direction (Terry Johnson), choreography (Lynne Page), orchestrations (Jason Carr) and best supporting actor (Robin De Jesus).
A Little Night Music, which started life at the Menier in 2008 before transferring to the Garrick theatre in the West End, opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr theatre in December 2009. It has picked up 4 nominations, including competing against La Cage in the best musical revival category, and nods for Catherine Zeta-Jones (best actress in a musical), Angela Lansbury (best supporting actress in a musical), and sound design (Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen).
Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury in A Little Night Music
Overall, it has been a successful year for the UK on Broadway, with a total of 28 nominations going to UK creatives. Other celebrated UK shows include the Donmar Warehouse’s transfer of Red which enjoys 7 nominations including best play, best actor for Alfred Molina, best supporting actor for Eddie Redmayne, and best scenic design (Christopher Oram), lighting design (Neil Austin), sound design (Adam Cork) and direction (Michael Grandage).
The Donmar also saw its production of Hamlet garner a best actor nod for Jude Law and best lighting design of a play for Neil Austin.
The Royal Court’s production of Enron, which transferred to Broadway but was not well received and has closed early at the Broadhurst Theatre, was nominated for best original score (music by Adam Cork and lyrics by Lucy Prebble), best supporting actor for Stephen Kunken, best sound design (Adam Cork) and best lighting design (Mark Henderson). Enron is currently playing to strong audiences in London at the Noel Coward Theatre.
Veteran UK actress Rosemary Harris also received a best supporting nod for The Royal Family and one of the UK’s greatest living playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn, will receive a lifetime achievement award.
Other big hitters nominated this year include a revival of August Wilson’s Fences starring Denzel Washington (10 nominations); Broadway musical Fela! (11 nominations) – and which makes its UK premiere at the National Theatre in November; and nods for a number of high-profile Hollywood stars including Christopher Walken (Behanding in Spokane), Liev Schreiber (A View From The Bridge), and Scarlett Johansson (A View from the Bridge).
Recent Broadway musical The Addams Family starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, failed to find favour with the Tony awards committee, scoring only two nominations – best original score and best supporting actor in a musical for Kevin Chamberlin.
The 64th awards will be presented on 13 July in New York.
See a list of Tony Award 2010 nominations here
AWARDS: Ayckbourn to receive Tony Award
April 23, 2010
Sir Alan Ayckbourn, one of the UK’s greatest living playwrights, is to be awarded a special Tony award in June to recognise his life’s work.
Alan Ayckbourn
The Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be presented to Alan Ayckbourn at the ceremony in New York on 13 June. Ayckbourn, who is 71, has written 74 full-length plays, and saw a revival of his play The Norman Conquests win a Tony Award last year. His 1975 play Bedroom Farce is currently playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London.
He will collect his honour at a ceremony in New York on 13 June. The nominees for this year’s Tony Awards will be presented on 4 May.
US actress Marian Seldes will also be presented with a Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre award. She performed in all 1,809 New York performances of Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, a show that will come to London in August starring Simon Russell Beale, Anna Massey, Jonathan Groff and Claire Skinner.
Other non-competitive, special awards announced ahead of the ceremony include the Isabelle Stevenson Award to David Hyde Pierce, who will star in La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in June alongside Joanna Lumley and Mark Rylance. Also Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to the Alliance of Resident Theatres New York, B. H. Barry and Tom Viola.
More information from the Tony Awards:
Alan Ayckbourn is the author of more than 74 full-length plays including Absurd Person Singular (1975), Bedroom Farce (1975), Just Between Ourselves (1976), Woman in Mind (1985), A Small Family Business (1987), House & Garden (1999) and Private Fears in Public Places (2004). He has directed more than 300 productions, including the West End premieres of most of his writing. Between 1972 and 2009, he was the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, England, where the majority of his work has been and continues to be premiered. Sir Alan, who was knighted in 1987, was most recently represented on Broadway with The Norman Conquests. That production received the Tony Award as Best Revival of a Play in 2009.
Marian Seldes won a Tony Award in 1967 for her performance in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance, the first of five Tony nominations. Her Broadway career spans more than six decades, from her debut in Medea in 1947 through her most recent appearance in Terrence McNally’s Deuce (2007). Among her many Broadway credits was Ira Levin’s long-running Deathtrap, in which she appeared in all 1,809 performances. She is revered as a teacher to several generations of actors, having served on the faculty at Julliard (1967-1991) and Fordham University (2002-present).
David Hyde Pierce: Humanitarian
The recipient of the second Isabelle Stevenson Award will be Tony Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce. This honor recognizes an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations. Mr. Pierce is being honored for his work in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. He began his support for the Alzheimer’s Association in the early 1990s and is currently a National Board Member. He works on both a local and national level advocating congressional leaders for additional funding for Alzheimer’s research and care programs. The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support, and research.
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Established in 1990, Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre recognize institutions, individuals and organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre, but are not eligible in any of the established Tony Award categories. This year’s Tony Honors will be presented to:
- The Alliance of Resident Theatres New York (A.R.T./New York) – Founded in 1972, A.R.T./New York assists its nearly 300 member theatres in managing their companies effectively so they may realize their rich artistic visions and serve their diverse audiences well. Over the years, A.R.T./New York has earned a reputation as a leader in providing progressive service to its members, making the organization an expert in the needs of the Off and Off Off Broadway community.
- B. H. Barry – A leading theatrical fight director, Mr. Barry pioneered the teaching of stage combat as part of the curriculum in U.S. drama programs, having being been trained in his native England. His numerous Broadway credits range from the 1981 productions of Frankenstein and Macbeth to Dividing the Estate in 2008.
- Tom Viola – Executive Director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the nation’s leading industry-based not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization. Mr. Viola is being honored for his personal commitment to the fight against AIDS, which stretches back beyond his service as founding administrative director of Equity Fights AIDS in 1988. He saw the organization through its merger with Broadway Cares in 1992, and became BC/EFA’s executive director five years later. BC/EFA was previously honored with a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre in 1993.
LINKS: Tony Awards
