The Broadway Musical Blog – Musical theater news and gossip from the Great White Way
Dishing out daily (or almost daily) Broadway musical news and gossip. The companion site to The Broadway Musical Home (broadwaymusicalhome.com), a directory of Broadway musicals with the story, songs, merchandise, video clips, lyrics, tickets, rights & awards for almost 200 shows.The Reviews for Lysistrata Jones are In…
The reviews for Lysistrata Jones are out, and critics universally feel this Off-Broadway transfer probably should have stayed Off. Suffering the fate of many other transfers, the campy and quirky qualities that made it endearing in its original run, seem frivolous and over-the-top under the lights of the Great White Way. Critics did feel Patti Murin, who plays the title role, has improved since the Off-Broadway run, and that the show captures the spirit of the younger generation – that embodied by shows like “Glee” and “High School Musical”. But the silly, one-liner script largely disappointed and the production as a whole lacked the brillance one expects of a Broadway show. Have you seen it? What did you think?
NEW YORK TIMES
Lysistrata Jones brings to mind the distant era of the college frolic “Good News” (1927) and “Babes in Arms”(1937), perishable good-time shows in which peppy kids delivered of-the-moment jokes and lively dances…. All the cast members effortlessly inhabit that happy dimension where cartoon is made flesh and vice versa…. But it turns out there’s tasty substance beneath the froth, just enough to keep you hooked.
Click here to read the full Lysistrata Jones review.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
After a successful run last summer at the tiny gym of Greenwich Village’s Judson Memorial Church, the goofy pop musical Lysistrata Jones has advanced to the big leagues of Broadway. Why? I have no idea. It’s a little like a solid junior-high basketball team playing Madison Square Garden.
Click here to read the full Lysistrata Jones review.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Do they give Tony Awards for best abs? If so, there’s really only one clear winner so far this season – Lysistrata Jones…. The musical itself, though, needs some more time in the gym. While no theatrical air ball, Lysistrata Jones isn’t a slam dunk, either. It’s got terrific songs by Lewis Flinn and an energetic cast, but the book is too derivative, a few of the actors seem overmatched, the choreography from Dan Knechtges is merely serviceable, and there aren’t enough killer jokes. … The show is now wilting under the white lights of Broadway and the air is seeping out of the ball.
Click here to read the full Lysistrata Jones review.
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn’s musical update on the Ancient Greek sex comedy has its bubbly charms, but it also demonstrates the challenges of transferring scrappy downtown stage successes to Broadway’s less forgiving environment. That doesn’t mean the show’s entertainment value has been erased. But its more insubstantial qualities are magnified, demonstrating that commercial transfers are rarely an automatic slam-dunk.
Click here to read the full Lysistrata Jones review.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
The original play combined subversive comedic antics with hefty stakes. The derivative combines campy comedic antics with no stakes whatsoever…. Without some viable equivalent of something big to play for, Lysistrata Jones, its amusements and imagination aside, plays very thin and contrived — albeit with thick Broadway prices
Click here to read the full Lysistrata Jones review.
The Reviews for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever are In…
The reviews for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever are in, and though they aren’t the worst we’ve seen this season, they are nowhere near rave reviews. With some very intensive script-changes that throw gender-bending into the mix, critics found the new book almost as problematic as the original. The biggest upset was the splitting of the main female character’s multiple personalities into multiple cast members, rather than keeping it a showcase of one actress’ abilities. Most agree that Christine Jones’ sets and the songs themselves were the greatest stars, but overall were underwhelmed by this “reincarnation.”
NEW YORK TIMES
Toward the long-awaited end of the new semirevival of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,” which opened on Sunday at the St. James Theater, an eminent psychiatrist proposes that what we have been watching was perhaps only “my own psychoneurotic fantasy.”
Click here to read the full “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” review.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The diagnosis is in for Harry Connick Jr.’s Broadway musical about a psychiatrist undergoing a psychic meltdown: It needs more time on the couch.
Click here to read the full “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” review.
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Respect to director Michael Mayer and playwright Peter Parnell for their audacious attempt at reinventing a problematic musical in the Broadway revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. The 1965 show has always been much loved for its lush Burton Lane score but denied the stamp of greatness by Alan Jay Lerner’s over-complicated structural mess of a book.
Click here to read the full “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” review.
VARIETY
The play initially was constructed as a vehicle for a star singer/comedienne (played by Barbara Harris on stage, Barbra Streisand on screen). The challenge and the fun came from watching an insecure neurotic instantly and repeatedly transformed through hypnosis into her glamorous, past-life self. Mayer has seen fit to divide this star part in half and have it played by two actors, removing the one element that thoroughly worked in the original.
Click here to read the full “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” review.
NEWSDAY
It’s a relief and a special pleasure to report that Mayer, in a square-cornered turn from his smart-rock productions of ”Spring Awakening” and “American Idiot,” has joined playwright Peter Parnell to change an unworkable plot into a more-than-serviceable gender-bending framework. There’s a mostly-classy cast, a fantasy op-art set and almost two dozen wonderful songs from the Broadway production and the film.
Click here to read the full “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” review.
CD Giveaway: Off-Broadway’s With Glee
I’ve got 10 copies of the Off-Broadway Cast Album for With Glee, to give away.
Comment on this entry for a chance to win. In your comments, tell us why you love musical theatre.
The winners will be chosen at random using a random number generator and announced here, on Facebook and Twitter after the new year. (Be sure to include your email address so we can reach you to get your mailing address if you win!)
Good luck!
UPDATE:
Congratulations to Jack Mack, Carla Pullum, Courtney, Cara Quigley, Jay, Anniesotm, Christopher Leavy, Keith, jsm6133 and wagrobanite – the randomly selected winners for this competition. If you were one of the lucky ones, keep an eye on your inbox as Brimmer Street Productions, the record label for WITH GLEE, will be in touch shortly to get you your CDs. Congratulations!
For those who didn’t win this time, keep an eye on the blog. Another contest is on its way!
The Reviews for Bonnie & Clyde are In…
The reviews for Bonnie & Clyde are in, and though they’re not the worst Wildhorn has seen, they are far from positive. Reviewers did find some redeeming qualities in the show’s cast, but found the story and songs simply didn’t deliver. Unoriginal and uninspired, most of them left the theatre asking the question: “Why?”
NEW YORK TIMES
That Clyde Barrow is such a cutup. Why, the boy will do most anything to stir up his sluggish fellow Americans: slap at them, tickle them, shoot them in cold blood. He’ll even punch his fist clean through a wall and drive a big old car right onto the stage, just to try to get a rise out of somebody. But Clyde, honey, t’ain’t nothing you can do to raise the pulse of something that’s as near to dead as the show you’re in.
Click here to read the full “Bonnie & Clyde” review.
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Of all the legendary real-life outlaws who have cemented their place in the pages of classic Americana, few have been as iconically brought to life as Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in the landmark 1967 Arthur Penn film. So it takes a bold creative vision to put a fresh stamp on the doomed Depression-era felons. The new musical Bonnie & Clyde assembles four talented leads in a good-looking production, but its trite storytelling leaves them shooting blanks.
Click here to read the full “Bonnie & Clyde” review.
VARIETY
Boy meets girl on a deserted road in Depression-era West Dallas, and sooner than you can say “Warren Beatty,” they’re rolling in the hay — or rather, the dust. Seeing as how his name is Clyde and hers is Bonnie, the eventual outcome is no surprise here, and indeed the dead-end story trajectory grows burdensome, as does the fact that unschooled white-trash gunslingers generally aren’t loquacious enough to steal the spotlight. For all that, three exciting performances and a better-than-usual score from Frank Wildhorn combine to make this an arresting if problematic new musical.
Click here to read the full “Bonnie & Clyde” review.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
‘Bonnie & Clyde’ isn’t the worst musical to open on Broadway in the past decade. It isn’t even the worst Frank Wildhorn musical to open on Broadway in the past decade. (That would be “Dracula.”) It is, however, quite sufficiently bad enough to qualify for the finals of this year’s What-Were-They-Thinking Prize. Why would anyone not obviously deranged put money into a show with music by a composer whose last three Broadway outings tanked? And who thought it was a good idea to write a commodity musical whose title gives the impression that “Bonnie & Clyde” is based (even though it isn’t) on a 44-year-old movie that is no longer well remembered save by upper-middle-age baby boomers? Nor have Mr. Wildhorn and his feckless collaborators managed to beat these long odds: “Bonnie & Clyde” is so enervatingly bland and insipid that you’ll leave the theater asking yourself why you ever liked musicals in the first place.
Click here to read the full “Bonnie & Clyde” review.
NEWSDAY
There should be — and I’m guessing there will be — a place on Broadway this season for “Bonnie & Clyde.” Certainly, Arthur Penn’s 1967 film masterwork of violence and gorgeous outlaws does not cry out to be a musical. And, if it did, vanilla-pop composer Frank Wildhorn would not appear on most lists of feasible adapters.
Click here to read the full “Bonnie & Clyde” review.
The Reviews for Godspell are In
The reviews for Godspell are in and they are not what Producers were hoping to see. Though some of the cast, like Telly Leung and Lindsay Mendez, get some nice shout outs, reviewers all agree – the show is simply trying too hard and better belongs Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off Broadway, at your local high school or community theatre, than at the Circle in the Square. With glitter and choreography that includes the Macarena and trampolines, the show skews young and is generally is not these reviewer’s cup of tea. That said, we’ve seen many a show continue on to great success, regardless of reviews because the youth element latched on so strongly (Wicked, anyone?). Perhaps this show will surprise every one of them and the ADHD energy that was too much for these reviewers is the perfect recipe for success among the coveted younger audiences.
The New York Times:
Go easy on the caffeine if you’re heading to the Broadway revival of “Godspell” that opened on Monday night at the Circle in the Square. The cast of this relentlessly perky production of the 1971 musical, which transformed parables from the Gospels into a series of singable teaching moments, virtually never stops bopping, bouncing, bounding, even trampolining across the stage and up the aisles of the theater. It’s like being trapped in a summer camp rec room with a bunch of kids who have been a little too reckless with the Red Bull.
The Hollywood Reporter/Reuters:
Prepare ye the way for disappointment. Goldstein approaches it all like a Children’s Television Workshop special. Maybe it’s appropriate for a show so widely performed in schools, but this feels indeed like a high school production staged by the wacky new drama teacher. (Think Mr. G. on HBO’s under-appreciated Summer Heights High.) Christopher Gattelli’s choreography also throws a million ideas at the stage in the hope that something sticks. The strength of some of the second-act songs such as “On the Willows” ensures that a depth of feeling does eventually coalesce. And the crucifixion is arrestingly staged, albeit with cheesy simulated slo-mo from the disciples during the finale’s wailing guitar breaks. But my chief takeaway from this was the tarnishing of a treasured theater memory. Now, let’s see how Jesus Christ Superstar holds up in the spring.
Associated Press:
“Godspell,” which has long been a standard show put on in colleges and high schools, captures the best of the old and embraces the new: At intermission, some cast members stay on stage for the traditional boogie with the audience – yes, free wine is handed out – and yet this new version has the parable about Tribute to Caesar illustrated by Jesus putting a coin in a tip jar. Costumes by Miranda Hoffman remain true to that dynamic, with the use of multicolored pants and suspenders as a nod to the hippy past, and prom dresses, sneakers, a bowling shirt and leopard prints a sign of the new. It all ends badly, of course – for Jesus, not the show. The second act is a bummer, though Jesus’ death is sensitively handled. But as his followers carry his body away – their faces glisten with sweat and they are visibly moved – it’s clear that “Godspell” has anointed a new group of Broadway stars and we are the richer for it.
Newsday:
The nine performers are talented young people who get less cloying in the second act, when they stop trying so hard. They begin in business clothes, talking into cellphones, but soon change into ragtag thrift shop/fairy-tale style. They dance the Macarena, shoot confetti at us from pop guns and, in one of the better numbers, jump on trampolines revealed under trap doors.
Scrupulous journalism requires me to report that Friday’s audience leaped to its collective feet, roared with approval and many even went onstage for thimbles of wine at intermission. At the risk of appearing to kick a puppy, I admit I was not among them.
NY Post:
Goldstein and choreographer Christopher Gattelli milk the in-the-round staging for all it’s worth. The band members are scattered among the audience, the actors often run up and down the aisles and volunteers are invited onstage for games of charades and Pictionary. Clean-cut and colorful, this production skews young. It’s great for teens, but adults may find its hyperactivity a bit numbing.
Variety:
Strongest aspect of the affair is the casting: This “Godspell” is especially well sung. Standing out are Lindsay Mendez (on “Bless the Lord” and elsewhere) and Telly Leung (on “All Good Gifts”). The one big letdown comes from Hunter Parrish, the Jesus of the occasion. Parrish has an innocent smile, big blonde hair, and plenty of teeth; he doesn’t look like a Ken doll, exactly, but he sings like one. Wallace Smith, as John/Judas, is marginally stronger but not up to the level of the ensemble. One of the surprising bright spots is the entr’acte reprise of “Learn Your Lessons Well,” sung by Leung (at piano) with Mendez and Smith. Yes, there is an audience for this “Godspell,” and perhaps they can be reached. But the strengths of the original have been so weighted down by mirthless improvements that it makes for a very long two hours.
Bloomberg News:
0 stars. Updating the show with mobile phones and references to Donald Trump makes it no less creepy. Jesus (Hunter Parrish) can’t sing. The band sounds muddy. David Korins’s set and Miranda Hoffman’s costumes replace primary colors with dull tones. There’s one standout among the dreary supporting players: a star-quality mimicker named Telly Leung.
NY Magazine:
The music’s been given a once-over, as well, with sometimes radically tricked-out new undercarriages: Gone is the granola folk of “God Save the People,” replaced by an almost- reggae lilt; “We Beseech Thee”‘s gospel revival has been canned in favor of neo-country (and is now performed on, gulp, trampolines). And yet, for all that’s changed, it’s still much the same spell. “Bless the Lord” is still the first number to bring down the house (especially as performed by the redoubtable Lindsay Mendez), and incandescent individual performances (Telly Leung’s magnificent “All Good Gifts,” for example) elevate songs that might, in less expert hands, show their age.
NorthJersey.com:
The show’s songs, including “Day By Day” (warmly sung by Anna Maria Perez de Tagle), “Learn Your Lessons Well,” “By My Side” and “All for the Best,” are well-served by Michael Holland’s dynamic orchestrations…It’s clever, but the message intended by the parable gets lost. That’s the evening’s biggest problem: Instead of the show’s style enhancing the delivery of its substance, it often obscures it.
Read the full review
Time Out:
Reorchestrated and sound-designed for young, modern ears, this Godspell sounds like a born-again Glee, and several performers have moments to shine (including Uzo Aduba, Telly Leung and the wonderful Lindsay Mendez). Capering through Christopher Gattelli’s joyous choreography, on David Korins’s continually surprising set, the actors are nothing if not energetic. But for all the copious tributes paid to him, Jesus is a thankless role, and Hunter Parrish is this production’s sacrifice to it; with a voice and presence as light as his ultra-blond locks, Parrish preaches softly and wears a creepily forced smile. This is Jesus as Stepford twink, and it’s regrettably in keeping with a show that, in its combination of bathos and kitsch, is a model of bad faith.
Read the full review
Backstage:
Instead of allowing the concept, of a childlike Christ leading a gaggle of puppyish disciples through the parables, to stand on its own, Goldstein has added a plethora of gimmicks, including audience-participation charades and Pictionary, as well as topical references to everything from Donald Trump to Facebook to Occupy Wall Street. When the cast hauls out the glitter cannons at the end of the first act, you know they’re trying too hard. “Godspell” is a popular choice for high school and community theaters because it has a simple, laid-back charm and opportunities for the cast of 10 to stand out, with each receiving at least one lead vocal part in the bouncy, infectious score, here rocked up and amped by orchestrator Michael Holland and sound designer Andrew Keister. Goldstein would have done better to reduce the volume and let the young ensemble rather than the jazzy staging take the spotlight.
The Village Voice:
But the show’s switches from goofy to glum are as awkward as ever, and while the Jesus (the surfer-dude-looking Hunter Parrish from Weeds) has a silkily beautiful voice, he can’t make the dramatic parts as profound as they want to be.
The Reviews for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark are in…
NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW:
“There is something to be said for those dangerous flying objects — excuse me, I mean actors — that keep whizzing around the Foxwoods Theater, where the mega-expensive musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” has entered the latest chapter of its fraught and anxious existence. After all, if you’re worried that somebody might fall on top of you from a great height, the odds are that you won’t nod off. “
Click here to read the full “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” review.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS REVIEW:
“The problem with expensive leftovers is that they’re bound to go bad if you don’t put them to good use. “
Click here to read the full “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” review.
WASHINGTON POST REVIEW:
“When last we left Spidey, boy oh boy, was he in a pickle. Rampaging super-villains are one thing — they come with the territory. But those reviews! Holy clock-cleaning!”
Click here to read the full “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” review.
BACKSTAGE REVIEW:
“What an improvement. The tangled plot threads that made the new musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” a sticky mess during its record-breaking preview period have been unraveled and woven into an exciting web of wonder.”
Click here to read the full “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” review.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY REVIEW:
“Early in Act 2 of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the genetically altered villain Green Goblin (Patrick Page) sings, ”I’m a $65 million circus tragedy — actually, more like 75.” Yes, that’s a wink-wink nod to the show’s notorious crawl to opening night following months of delays, budget overruns, cast injuries, and the exit of original director and co-creator Julie Taymor. “
Click here to read the full “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” review.
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER REVIEW:
“The Bottom Line: The costliest, most ambitious endeavor in Broadway history, “Spider-Man” finally gets off the ground but fails to soar. “
Click here to read the full “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” review.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE REVIEW:
“”Spidey 2.0,” as the once-pretentious, hitherto-arty, forever-costly musical called “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” is now colloquially known, is quite startlingly different from the disastrous original incarnation of the comic-book musical that humbled Bono and The Edge and ate Julie Taymor alive.”
Click here to read the full “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” review.
AM NEW YORK REVIEW:
“Anyone who sat through an early preview of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” before the show went on a three-week hiatus and Julie Taymor was forcibly removed as its director is sure to notice how substantially the show has been improved.”
Click here to read the full “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” review.
Tony Award Live Online Coverage: June 12 at 8/7c
Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of the 2011 Tony Awards right here, on Facebook and Twitter. We loved hearing what you thought of the winners, the speeches, the performances – and loved geeking out with you – so thanks for joining us!
Winners are marked with a 
.
Best Musical
The Book of Mormon
Catch Me If You Can
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister Act
Best Play
War Horse
Good People
Jerusalem
The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Best Book of a Musical
The Book of Mormon Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Alex Timbers
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
The Normal Heart
Arcadia
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Merchant of Venice
Best Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Mark Rylance Jerusalem
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
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Frances McDormand Good People
Nina Arianda Born Yesterday
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
John Benjamin Hickey The Normal Heart
Mackenzie Crook Jerusalem
Billy Crudup Arcadia
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
John Larroquette How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Colman Domingo The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley Anything Goes
Forrest McClendon The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O’Malley The Book of Mormon
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Nikki M. James The Book of Mormon
Laura Benanti Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark Sister Act
Patti LuPone Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
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
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker The Book of Mormon
Rob Ashford How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall Anything Goes
Susan Stroman The Scottsboro Boys
Best Choreography
Kathleen Marshall Anything Goes
Rob Ashford How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Casey Nicholaw The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman The Scottsboro Boys
Best Orchestrations
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus The Book of Mormon
Doug Besterman How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman The Scottsboro Boys
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank Catch Me If You Can
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Rae Smith War Horse
Todd Rosenthal The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Ultz Jerusalem
Mark Wendland The Merchant of Venice
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Scott Pask The Book of Mormon
Beowulf Boritt The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane Anything Goes
Donyale Werle Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Best Costume Design of a Play
Desmond Heeley The Importance of Being Earnest
Jess Goldstein The Merchant of Venice
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
Brian MacDevitt The Book of Mormon
Ken Billington The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski Anything Goes
Best Sound Design of a Play
Christopher Shutt War Horse
Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Simon Baker Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson Autograph Jerusalem
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Brian Ronan The Book of Mormon
Peter Hylenski The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan Anything Goes
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
Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the night features performances from:
- Anything Goes featuring Sutton Foster
- Catch Me If You Can with Norbert Leo Butz and Aaron Tveit
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying featuring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette
- Sister Act featuring Patina Miller
- The Book of Mormon featuring Andrew Rannells
- The Scottsboro Boys featuring Joshua Henry.
- The 2010 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Memphis
- Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark featuring Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano
- John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown
- The cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert featuring Nick Adams, Tony Sheldon, Will Swenson
- A re-assembling of the New York Philharmonic’s April 2011 run of Company featuring Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Katie Finneran, Neil Patrick Harris, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Lazar, Patti LuPone, Jill Paice, Martha Plimpton, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jim Walton and Chryssie Whitehead
Special appearances and presenters will include Paul Shaffer, Martha Wash, Bono and the Edge, Brooke Shields, Robin Williams, Daniel Radcliffe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Alec Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson, Kelsey Grammer, Viola Davis, Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones, Harry Connick Jr., Christie Brinkley, David Hyde Pierce, Marg Helgenberger, Matthew Broderick, Angela Lansbury, Jim Parsons, Joel Grey, Patrick Wilson, and Robert Morse
A WARNING TO OUR WEST COAST CONTINGENCY: The broadcast of Tony Awards will be delayed for the Pacific time zone, so if you don’t want spoilers, stay away from the internet entirely at 7 PM your time. We’re not the only ones who will be talking about this on Sunday and don’t want to be responsible for ruining any surprises!
The 2011 Drama Desk Award Winners
Outstanding Musical
The Book of Mormon
In Transit
Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical
See Rock City & Other Destinations
Sister Act
The Kid
Outstanding Play
Nick Stafford, War Horse
Jon Robin Baitz, Other Desert Cities
Adam Bock, A Small Fire
Stephen Adly Guirgis, The Motherf**ker With the Hat
Samuel D. Hunter, A Bright New Boise
Rajiv Joseph, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
David Lindsay-Abaire, Good People
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes
Hello Again
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Normal Heart
Born Yesterday
The House of Blue Leaves
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Merchant of Venice
Three Sisters
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker With the Hat
Charles Busch, The Divine Sister
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Geoffrey Rush, The Diary of a Madman
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
Michael Shannon, Mistakes Were Made
Paul Sparks, Dusk Rings a Bell
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Frances McDormand, Good People
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Michele Pawk, A Small Fire
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me if You Can
Colin Donnell, Anything Goes
Daniel Radcliffe, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical
Christopher Sieber, The Kid
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It’s You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture
Sherie Rene Scott, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Boyd Gaines, The Grand Manner
Logan Marshall-Green, The Hallway Trilogy
Zachary Quinto, Angels in America
Tom Riley, Arcadia
Yul Vazquez, The Motherf**ker With the Hat
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Lisa Emery, The Collection & A Kind of Alaska
Julie Halston, The Divine Sister
Sarah Nina Hayon, A Bright New Boise
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher
Linda Lavin, Other Desert Cities
Judith Light, Lombardi
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
Brian Stokes Mitchell, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Rory O’Malley, The Book of Mormon
Bob Stillman, Hello Again
Tom Wopat, Catch Me if You Can
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Kerry Butler, Catch Me if You Can
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Jill Eikenberry, The Kid
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Laura Osnes, Anything Goes
Outstanding Director of a Play
Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Trip Cullman, A Small Fire
Moises Kaufman, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Davis McCallum, A Bright New Boise
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice
Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock, Baby Universe
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Joe Calarco, In Transit
Jack Cummings III, Hello Again
Jack Cummings III, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Outstanding Choreography
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, Beautiful Burnout
Steven Hoggett, Peter and the Starcatcher
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Siudy, Between Worlds
Outstanding Music
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon
Brad Alexander, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Alan Menken, Sister Act
Marc Shaiman, Catch Me if You Can
Mike Stoller and Artie Butler, The People in the Picture
David Yazbek, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Outstanding Lyrics
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon
Rick Crom, Newsical The Musical – Full Spin Ahead
Jack Lechner, The Kid
Adam Mathias, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Glenn Slater, Sister Act
Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Catch Me if You Can
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Adam Mathias, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth, In Transit
Iris Rainer Dart, The People in the Picture
Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon
Michael Zam, The Kid
Outstanding Orchestrations
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Hello Again
Bruce Coughlin, The Burnt Part Boys
Simon Hale, Jim Abbott and David Yazbek, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Marc Shaiman and Larry Blank, Catch Me if You Can
Lynne Shankel, The Extraordinary Ordinary
Outstanding Music in a Play
Wayne Barker, Peter and the Starcatcher
Kathryn Bostic, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Lars Petter Hagen, Baby Universe
Alan John, The Diary of a Madman
Tom Kitt, The Winter’s Tale
Dan Moses Schreier, The Merchant of Venice
Outstanding Revue
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles on Broadway
Fyvush Finkel Live!
Newsical The Musical – Full Spin Ahead
Outstanding Set Design
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Rachel Hauck, Orange, Hat & Grace
David Korins and Zachary Borovay (projection design), Lombardi
Derek McLane, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Tony Straiges, Treasure Island
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice
Outstanding Costume Design
Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Ann Hould-Ward, A Free Man of Color
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Paloma Young, Peter and the Starcatcher
Outstanding Lighting Design
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Jean Kalman, John Gabriel Borkman
R. Lee Kennedy, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Laura Mroczkowski, Spy Garbo
Ben Stanton, The Whipping Man
David Weiner, A Small Fire
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Lindsay Jones, The Burnt Part Boys
Michael Rasbury, Hello Again
Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon
Jon Weston, In Transit
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Acme Sound Partners, The Merchant of Venice
Ian Dickinson, John Gabriel Borkman
Brett Jarvis, Baby Universe
Bray Poor, Wings
Eric Shimelonis, The Hallway Trilogy
Outstanding Solo Performance
John Leguizamo, Ghetto Klown
Daniel Beaty, Through the Night
Mike Birbiglia, Mike Birbiglia’s My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
Juliette Jeffers, Batman and Robin in the Boogie Down
Colin Quinn, Colin Quinn Long Story Short
Joanna Tope, The Promise
Unique Theatrical Experience
Sleep No More
Being Harold Pinter
Circus Incognitus
Gatz
Play Dead
Room 17B
Drama League Award Winners Announced
The 2011 Drama League Award winners were announced in a ceremony that took place on May 20.
The Book of Mormon won for Distinguished Production of a Musical and Anything Goes for Distinguished Revival of a Musical. The non-musical winners were War Horse and Normal Heart.
Mark Rylance was given the Distinguished Performance Award for his work in both Jerusalem and La Bete. Awards were also handed out to Susan Stroman, who received The Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing; Whoopi Goldberg, who was given the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award; and Liza Minnelli, who received the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award.
Many others received nominations; the full list of nominees follows. Congratulations to the winners and keep your calendar marked for the Tony Awards on June 12!
Distinguished Production of a Musical
The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez
Catch Me If You Can music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman, book by Terrence McNally
Elf music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, book by Bob Martin
In Transit by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth
The People in the Picture book and lyrics by Iris Rainer Dart, music by Mike Stoller and Artie Butler
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert book by Allan Scott
Sister Act music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner | Broadway Theatre
Distinguished Production of a Play
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph
The Diary of a Madman by David Holman from Nikolai Gogol’s short story
The Dream of the Burning Boy by David West Read
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz
Gatz by Elevator Repair Service from F. Scott Fitzgerald
Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire
Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth
Kin by Bathsheba Doran
The Motherf**ker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz
Sleep No More devised by Punchdrunk
War Horse adapted by Nick Stafford from Michael Morpurgo
Distinguished Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russell Crouse, Timothy Crouse, and John Weidman
Hello Again by Michael John Lachiusa
How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert
Distinguished Revival of a Play
Angels in America by Tony Kushner
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin
The Collection and a Kind of Alaska by Harold Pinter
The House of Blue Leaves by John Guare
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
La Bête by David Hirson
The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer
Distinguished Performance Award
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Vanessa Aspillaga, underneathmybed
Daniel Beaty, Through The Night
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Jim Belushi, Born Yesterday
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Reed Birney, The Dream of the Burning Boy
Desmin Borges, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
Christian Borle, Angels in America and Peter and the Starcatcher
André Braugher, The Whipping Man
Charles Busch, The Divine Sister
Bill Camp, Notes From Underground
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker With The Hat
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Billy Crudup, Arcadia and The Metal Children
Colin Donnell, Anything Goes
Lisa Emery, The Collection/A Kind of Alaska
Ensemble, Sleep No More
Ensemble, Hello Again
Raúl Esparza, Arcadia
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves and This Wide Night
Halley Feiffer, Tigers Be Still
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Laura Heisler, Kin
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Marin Ireland, In the Wake and Three Sisters
John Larroquette, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Dan Lauria, Lombardi
John Leguizamo, Ghetto Klown
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Elizabeth Marvel, The Little Foxes and Other Desert Cities
Frances McDormand, Good People
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture
Seth Numrich, War Horse
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Estelle Parsons, Good People
Alison Pill, This Wide Night
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Daniel Radcliffe, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Martin Rayner, Freud’s Last Session
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Paul Reubens, The Pee-Wee Herman Show
Chris Rock, The Motherf**ker With The Hat
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem and La Bête
Michael Shannon, Mistakes Were Made
Fiona Shaw, John Gabriel Borkman
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Scott Shepherd, Gatz
Christopher Sieber, The Kid
Alexandra Socha, The Dream of the Burning Boy
Paul Sparks, Dusk Rings a Bell
Ben Stiller, The House of Blue Leaves
Will Swenson, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Kathleen Turner, High
Aaron Tveit, Catch Me If You Can
Robin Williams, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Tom Wopat, Catch Me If You Can
In addition, seven past recipients of The Distinguished Performance Award will be honored on the dais for their work this season. However, because an individual can only receive The Distinguished Performance Award once in his/her lifetime, they are ineligible for award consideration this year. Those past honorees are:
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Cherry Jones, Mrs. Warren’s Profession
James Earl Jones, Driving Miss Daisy
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown
Brian Stokes Mitchell, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Geoffrey Rush, The Diary of a Madman
And the Theatre World Award Winners Are…
Ellen Barkin (The Normal Heart)
Desmin Borges (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity)
Halley Feiffer (The House of Blue Leaves)
Grace Gummer (Arcadia)
Rose Hemingway (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying)
John Larroquette (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying)
Heather Lind (The Merchant of Venice)
Patina Miller (Sister Act)
Arian Moayed (Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo)
Jim Parsons (The Normal Heart)
Zachary Quinto (Angels in America)
Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)
The Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence: Seth Numrich (War Horse)
The Lunt-Fontanne Award for Ensemble Excellence: The cast of The Motherf**ker With the Hat (Bobby Cannavale, Annabella Sciorra, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Chris Rock, Yul Vazquez)
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