Ok so the Tony award nominations were released yesterday and they are interesting to say the least. I should point out that whilst this blog doesn't focus on Broadway and the american theatre in general the happenings in the USA do effect the Theatre here in the UK. Tony award winning shows and Tony nominated shows generally get at least a chance to be considered for our London stages just as our Olivier Awarded shows get a chance for a Broadway transfer. So with that in mind here are the nominations and I am going to comment on a couple of those nominations.
Nominees for the 64th Annual Tony Awards follow:
Best Play
In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Author: Sarah Ruhl
Next Fall
Author: Geoffrey Nauffts
Red
Author: John Logan
Time Stands Still
Author: Donald Margulies
Best Musical
American Idiot
Fela!
Memphis
Million Dollar Quartet
Best Book of a Musical
Everyday Rapture
Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott
Fela!
Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones
Memphis
Joe DiPietro
Million Dollar Quartet
Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Addams Family
Music & Lyrics: Andrew Lippa
Music: Adam Cork
Lyrics: Lucy Prebble
Fences
Music: Branford Marsalis
Memphis
Music: David Bryan
Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan
Best Revival of a Play
Fences
Producers: Carole Shorenstein Hays and Scott Rudin
Lend Me a Tenor
Producers: The Araca Group, Stuart Thompson, Carl Moellenberg, Rodney Rigby, Olympus Theatricals, Broadway Across America, The Shubert Organization, Wendy Federman/Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Lisa Cartwright, Spring Sirkin, Scott and Brian Zeilinger
The Royal Family
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove
A View from the Bridge
Producers: Stuart Thompson, The Araca Group, Jeffrey Finn, Broadway Across America, Olympus Theatricals, Marisa Sechrest, The Weinstein Company, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions/Robert G. Bartner, Mort Swinsky/Joseph Deitch, Adam Zotovich/Ruth Hendel/Orin Wolf, Shelter Island Enterprises, The Shubert Organization
Best Revival of a Musical
Finian's Rainbow
Producers: David Richenthal, Jack Viertel, Alan D. Marks, Michael Speyer, Bernard Abrams, David M. Milch, Stephen Moore, Debbie Bisno/Myla Lerner, Jujamcyn Theaters, Melly Garcia, Jamie deRoy, Jon Bierman, Richard Driehaus, Kevin Spirtas, Jay Binder, StageVentures 2009 Limited Partnership
La Cage aux Folles
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Barry and Fran Weissler and Edwin W. Schloss, Bob Bartner/Norman Tulchin, Broadway Across America, Matthew Mitchell, Raise The Roof 4 Richard Winkler/Bensinger Taylor/Laudenslager Bergrère, Arelene Scanlan/John O'Boyle, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Allen Spivak, Jerry Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Inc/Harvey Weinstein, Menier Chocolate Factory
A Little Night Music
Producers: Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, The Menier Chocolate Factory, Roger Berlind, David Babani, Sonia Friedman Productions, Andrew Fell, Daryl Roth/Jane Bergere, Harvey Weinstein/Raise the Roof 3, Beverly Bartner/Dancap Productions, Inc., Nica Burns/Max Weitzenhoffer, Eric Falkenstein/Anna Czekaj, Jerry Frankel/Ronald Frankel, James D. Stern/Douglas L. Meyer
Ragtime
Producers: Kevin McCollum, Roy Furman, Scott Delman, Roger Berlind, Max Cooper, Tom Kirdahy/Devin Elliott, Jeffrey A. Sine, Stephanie P. McClelland, Roy Miller, Lams Productions, Jana Robbins, Sharon Karmazin, Eric Falkenstein/Morris Berchard, RialtoGals Productions, Independent Presenters Network, Held-Haffner Productions, HRH Foundation, Emanuel Azenberg, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Kaiser, Max Woodward
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Jude Law, Hamlet
Alfred Molina, Red
Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge
Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane
Denzel Washington, Fences
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Viola Davis, Fences
Valerie Harper, Looped
Linda Lavin, Collected Stories
Laura Linney, Time Stands Still
Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles
Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises
Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles
Chad Kimball, Memphis
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, Finian's Rainbow
Montego Glover, Memphis
Christiane Noll, Ragtime
Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
David Alan Grier, Race
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences
Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts
Stephen Kunken, Enron
Eddie Redmayne, Red
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family
Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge
Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge
Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family
Robin De Jesús, La Cage aux Folles
Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian's Rainbow
Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet
Bobby Steggert, Ragtime
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim
Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises
Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music
Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away
Lillias White, Fela!
Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, The Royal Family
Alexander Dodge, Present Laughter
Santo Loquasto, Fences
Christopher Oram, Red
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Marina Draghici, Fela!
Christine Jones, American Idiot
Derek McLane, Ragtime
Tim Shortall, La Cage aux Folles
Best Costume Design of a Play
Martin Pakledinaz, Lend Me a Tenor
Constanza Romero, Fences
David Zinn, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Catherine Zuber, The Royal Family
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Marina Draghici, Fela!
Santo Loquasto, Ragtime
Paul Tazewell, Memphis
Matthew Wright, La Cage aux Folles
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Hamlet
Neil Austin, Red
Mark Henderson, Enron
Brian MacDevitt, Fences
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, American Idiot
Donald Holder, Ragtime
Nick Richings, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Wierzel, Fela!
Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners, Fences
Adam Cork, Enron
Adam Cork, Red
Scott Lehrer, A View from the Bridge
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Kaplowitz, Fela!
Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen, A Little Night Music
Dan Moses Schreier, Sondheim on Sondheim
Best Direction of a Play
Michael Grandage, Red
Sheryl Kaller, Next Fall
Kenny Leon, Fences
Gregory Mosher, A View from the Bridge
Best Direction of a Musical
Christopher Ashley, Memphis
Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Ragtime
Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles
Bill T. Jones, Fela!
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Promises, Promises
Bill T. Jones, Fela!
Lynne Page, La Cage aux Folles
Twyla Tharp, Come Fly Away
Best Orchestrations
Jason Carr, La Cage aux Folles
Aaron Johnson, Fela!
Jonathan Tunick, Promises, Promises
Daryl Waters & David Bryan, Memphis
Now we have got the nominations out of the way its time to talk about a couple of them. I will start with the nomination for best performance by a Leading Actor in a play for Jude Law. Long time readers of HeadTheatre may remember an article I wrote in October of last year named Jude Law: Hamlet in which I analysed Jude Law's work on Broadway and the reaction he was getting, I criticised him and his type of film actor as people who use the theatre for credibility. I would like to apologise and congratulate Jude for his nomination, as I said in my article at the time he was receiving decent notices praising his work and I was surprised to hear that but also very happy to hear it and now I am glad his work has been nominated. Good for Jude and again I wish we had seen it at the Donmar when it was on in London.
I would also like to congratulate Douglas Hodge for his nomination for best leading actor in a musical for his performance in La Cage Aux Folles. Having seen Hodge perform in Guys and Dolls, as Nathan Detroit, back in 2005 I have been following his career to see how he does and the clips shown on British TV for LCAF during its West End run showed that Hodge is one of our top actors at the moment. He moved with the production to Broadway for its New York run and I am really happy that he has gotten this international recognition.
The other two nominations I want to talk about are for Nathan Lane and American Idiot.
American Idiot, based on the album by Green Day, is a Rock Opera in the same vein as Tommy. I have been waiting for this show for years, when the album originally came out I was so excited by the talk of a Rock Opera and I have been waiting to hear about it for the past 5 years. It opened on Broadway just two weeks ago and has already garnered this nomination alongside many favourable reviews. So knowing how Broadway is now utilising the world wide web I headed over to youtube for a gander and this is what I found.
I instantly felt like I was watching a little bit of WWRY but then also a little bit of RENT. It seems full of that anguish that RENT has and the unending happy teen bopping that WWRY was so guilty of. Not knowing where the show really will go means that I am unable to truly give a meaningful critique of its style etc. However being a piece written by, including the book, an international band means the liklihood of either a film deal or West End run being brokered increases the chance that at some point I will see this piece of new Rock Opera. I am most interested to see how much of the albums criticism of American society will have made it into the show. None the less even if the show doesn't win the Tony I predict a long run on Broadway.
The other nomination was for a favourite of mine, Nathan Lane. Lane has for me been the most entertaining american broadway star I have seen for years. His work both in film and onstage has kept me laughing for many years and I am really happy he has been nominated yet again. It did however surprise me considering that this $15 million production, The Addams Family, is a huge artistic flop with Lane being the only good thing in the entire show. Having watched a clip from the Letterman show (see below) I can see why people do not like it but the American public have lapped it up and the show has been playing to mostly full houses... something virtually unheard of at the moment in the theatre industry. Only two shows have been making more money than The Addams Family and that is 'Wicked' and 'The Lion King' both massive shows that have got a very impressive following. Lane has signed on to play Gomez Addams until March 2011 and it looks like there is nothing that will stop this artistic bust becoming at the very least a moderate commercial success. I would say that if it does huge megabucks I really can see this show making its way across the Atlantic and if it does you can bet that just like when the Producers came to London that Lane will follow to fill his role and if he does I will go and get tickets just to see him.
In conclusion I would like to congratulate once more those artists I have mentioned and of course everyone else who has been nominated for a Tony Award.
On the note of awards, tomorrow I am attending 'Morecambe' at the Pavillion Theatre in Worthing and will post a review of the show on headtheatre before Saturday. There will also be a special analysis episode of Theatre from My Head reviews on youtube regarding 'Morecambe' next week.
Please feel free to leave any feedback below.
Xtofer
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