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.Archive for A Christmas Story
Awards Roundup and New Shows on the Horizon
All of the nominations are out for the various awards, with most expecting Matilda and Kinky Boots to take home the big prizes this year. It’s always surprising to see flops, like Hands on a Hardbody (which closed after only 28 performances) and Scandalous (which closed after 29) make the lists at all, but there will be a lot of close categories this year. (For a full list of all nominees for all of the various awards, click here.)
Here’s when all of the award ceremonies will take place:
Tony Awards: June 9, 8pm EST
Drama Desk Awards: May 19, 8pm EST
Drama League Awards: May 17, 12pm EST
Outer Critics Circle: Announced May 13
(NOTE: The Theatre World Awards have yet to announce dates…)
And all of the nominated shows…
But enough awards talk, on to exciting NEW things!
First up is one that is confirmed (and already marquee’d) for Broadway: First Date – a new musical about a horrible blind date. It’s slated to begin previews July 9 and open August 4. The show played well to the Seattle crowd and is still undergoing more changes before hitting, the Great White Way – seems a bit better suited for Off-Broadway, but who knows, maybe it’ll be next season’s runaway hit…
The other confirmed musical is Big Fish, an adaptation of the film that’ll star the oh-so-talented Norbert Leo Butz and Kate Baldwin. With Susan Stroman at the helm, there are a lot of big names attached to the project, which is now doing it’s out of town try out in Chicago, so it’s likely going to be a difficult investment to recoup.
Next up is Always… Patsy Cline, a jukebox musical telling the story of Patsy’s life through the eyes of her most devoted fan. Motown is still doing well box-office-wise, so the jukebox musical isn’t likely to die anytime soon. We’ll see if Patsy’s songs can fare better than some of the more recent attempts in this genre.
Prince of Broadway is another jukebox musical looking to open in the fall – celebrating the shows Hal Prince helped make into the big hits they were, this musical will have a bit more self-awareness than other jukebox musicals and a fantastic cast, including: Linda Lavin, Sebastian Arcelus, Sierra Boggess, Daniel Breaker, Josh Grisetti, Shuler Hensley, Richard Kind, Amanda Kloots-Larsen, LaChanze, Caroline O’Connor, David Pittu and Emily Skinner. But apparently that cast is part of the reason the show didn’t open when it was originally slated to do so. Will this one end never making it to opening night? We’ll just have to wait and see…
Then we’ve got Diner, with Sheryl Crow penning the score and lyrics and Barry Levinson, the film’s director and writer on the book. Bosting an Academy Award, Emmy Award and Grammy Award between them, this pair is hoping to add some Tony’s to their shelf too.
Beyond that are a number of shows that have tentative and out-of-town announcements, including:
Rocky: The Musical (a German transfer based on the film and directed by Alex Timbers)
Houdini (with music by Stephen Schwartz and starring Hugh Jackman)
Ever After (based on the film and directed by Kathleen Marshall)
Bullets Over Broadway (based on the film and directed by Susan Stroman)
Les Miserables (with fresh scenic and narrative elements and new orchestrations)
Aladdin (based on the Disney film and directed by Casey Nicholaw)
Some exciting stuff in there…hopefully they all make it to Broadway!
What are you most looking forward to seeing?
We’ll have more news on the way soon (plus some giveaways!), so if you haven’t already – be sure to bookmark, subscribe via rss or sign up for email updates of the blog!
And the Nominees Are… The 2013 Tony Award Nominations
The 2013 Tony Award Nominees were announced this morning and the new musical Kinky Boots led the pack with 13 nominations, with Matilda on its heals with 12 nominations in many of the same categories. This year’s surprises were that Motown and its star, Brandon Victor Dixon, got snubbed in the big categories and Bring It On, a show snubbed by all the other major awards, is up for the Best Musical Tony.
The 2012 Tony Awards will be presented on June 9, 8pm EST at Radio City Music Hall and broadcast live on CBS.
Once again, we’ll be live blogging, tweeting and facebooking with you throughout the ceremony, and you can follow our full awards coverage on The Broadway Musical Home.
These are the last of the nominee announcements, so we’ll soon be moving on to announce winners. Stay tuned or subscribe to the blog, to ensure you don’t miss out on anything!
Who do you think is going to win big this year?
Here is the full list of the 2013 Tony Award nominees:
BEST MUSICAL
Bring It On: The Musical
A Christmas Story, The Musical
Kinky Boots
Matilda The Musical
BEST PLAY
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
The Testament of Mary
Lucky Guy
The Assembled Parties
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Joseph Robinette, A Christmas Story, The Musical
Harvey Fierstein, Kinky Boots
Dennis Kelly, Matilda The Musical
Douglas Carter Beane, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, A Christmas Story, The Musical
Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, Hands on a Hardbody
Cyndi Lauper, Kinky Boots
Tim Minchin, Matilda The Musical
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Golden Boy
Orphans
The Trip to Bountiful
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Annie
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Pippin
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tom Sturridge, Orphans
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Amy Morton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Kristine Nielsen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Holland Taylor, Ann
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Bertie Carvel, Matilda: The Musical
Santino Fontana, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Rob McClure, Chaplin
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Stark Sands, Kinky Boots
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Valisia LeKae, Motown The Musical
Patina Miller, Pippin
Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Billy Magnussen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Carrie Coon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Charl Brown, Motown The Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Gabriel Ebert, Matilda The Musical
Terrence Mann, Pippin
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Victoria Clark, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Andrea Martin, Pippin
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Lauren Ward, Matilda The Musical
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Pam MacKinnon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Nicholas Martin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy
George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Scott Ellis, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Diane Paulus, Pippin
Matthew Warchus, Matilda The Musical
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Peter Darling, Matilda The Musical
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Chet Walker, Pippin
BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Chris Nightingale, Matilda The Musical
Stephen Oremus, Kinky Boots
Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook, Motown The Musical
Danny Troob, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
John Lee Beatty, The Nance
Santo Loquasto, The Assembled Parties
David Rockwell, Lucky Guy
Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Rob Howell, Matilda The Musical
Anna Louizos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Scott Pask, Pippin
David Rockwell, Kinky Boots
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Soutra Gilmour, Cyrano de Bergerac
Ann Roth, The Nance
Albert Wolsky, The Heiress
Catherine Zuber, Golden Boy
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots
Rob Howell, Matilda The Musical
Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, Lucky Guy
Donald Holder, Golden Boy
Jennifer Tipton, The Testament of Mary
Japhy Weideman, The Nance
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
Kenneth Posner, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Hugh Vanstone, Matilda The Musical
BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
John Gromada, The Trip to Bountiful
Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary
Leon Rothenberg, The Nance
Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, Golden Boy
BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm, Pippin
Peter Hylenski, Motown The Musical
John Shivers, Kinky Boots
Nevin Steinberg, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
REGIONAL THEATRE AWARD
Huntington Theatre Company, Boston, MA
ISABELLE STEVENSON AWARD
Larry Kramer
SPECIAL TONY AWARD
Bernard Gersten
Ming Cho Lee
SPECIAL TONY AWARD® FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATRE
Paul Libin
TONY HONORS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE THEATRE
Career Transition For Dancers
William “Bill” Craver
Peter Lawrence
The Lost Colony
The four actresses who created the title role of Matilda The Musical on Broadway – Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro
TONY NOMINATIONS BY PRODUCTION
Kinky Boots – 13
Matilda The Musical – 12
Pippin – 10
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella – 9
Golden Boy – 8
Lucky Guy – 6
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike – 6
The Mystery of Edwin Drood – 5
The Nance – 5
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – 5
Motown The Musical – 4
The Trip to Bountiful – 4
The Assembled Parties – 3
A Christmas Story, The Musical – 3
Hands on a Hardbody – 3
The Testament of Mary – 3
Bring It On: The Musical – 2
The Heiress – 2
Orphans – 2
Ann – 1
Annie – 1
The Big Knife – 1
Chaplin – 1
Cyrano de Bergerac – 1
The Other Place – 1
Scandalous – 1
And the Nominees Are… The 2013 Drama Desk Award Nominations
The nominations for the 2013 Drama Desk Awards were announced by Linda Lavin and John Lloyd Young today at 54 Below – and the short-lived Hands on a Hardbody led with an impressive 9 nods. The awards ceremony will take place on May 19 at Town Hall.
As always, we’ll be live blogging, tweeting and facebooking with you as the nominees and winners are announced!
Check out our full awards coverage here.
The complete list of the nominees is as follows:
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL
A Christmas Story: The Musical
Giant
Hands on a Hardbody
Here Lies Love
Matilda
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
The Other Josh Cohen
OUTSTANDING PLAY
Annie Baker, The Flick
Christopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Joe Gilford, Finks
Richard Greenberg, The Assembled Parties
Amy Herzog, Belleville
Deanna Jent, Falling
Richard Nelson, Sorry
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Passion
Pippin
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
The Golden Land
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Working: A Musical
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Golden Boy
Good Person of Szechwan
The Piano Lesson
The Trip to Bountiful
Uncle Vanya
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Reed Birney, Uncle Vanya
Daniel Everidge, Falling
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Shuler Hensley, The Whale
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Maria Dizzia, Belleville
Amy Morton, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Julia Murney, Falling
Vanessa Redgrave, The Revisionist
Miriam Silverman, Finks
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Eric Anderson, Soul Doctor
Brian d’Arcy James, Giant
Jim Norton, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen
Ryan Silverman, Passion
Anthony Warlow, Annie
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kate Baldwin, Giant
Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Lindsay Mendez, Dogfight
Donna Murphy, Into the Woods
Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Jenny Powers, Donnybrook!
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Chuck Cooper, The Piano Lesson
Peter Friedman, The Great God Pan
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Aaron Clifton Moten, The Flick
Brían F. O’Byrne, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Tasha Lawrence, The Whale
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Kellie Overbey, Sleeping Rough
Maryann Plunkett, Sorry
Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful
Laila Robins, Sorry
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Stephen Bogardus, Passion
John Bolton, A Christmas Story: The Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
Bertie Carvel, Matilda
John Dossett, Giant
Andy Karl, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Melissa Errico, Passion
Andrea Martin, Pippin
Jessie Mueller, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Christiane Noll, Chaplin: The Musical
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Kate Wetherhead, The Other Josh Cohen
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Lear Debessonet, Good Person of Szechwan
Sam Gold, Uncle Vanya
Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, Restoration Comedy
Pam MacKinnon, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Lynne Meadow, The Assembled Parties
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, The Piano Lesson
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
John Doyle, Passion
Diane Paulus, Pippin
Emma Rice, The Wild Bride
Alex Timbers, Here Lies Love
Matthew Warchus, Matilda
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Warren Carlyle, A Christmas Story: The Musical
Peter Darling, Matilda
Josh Rhodes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Sergio Trujillo, Hands on a Hardbody
Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider, Pippin
OUTSTANDING MUSIC
Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, Hands on a Hardbody
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love
Michael John LaChiusa, Giant
Dave Malloy, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, A Christmas Story: The Musical
David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen
OUTSTANDING LYRICS
Amanda Green, Hands on a Hardbody
Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bring It On: The Musical
Michael John LaChiusa, Giant
Dave Malloy, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Tim Minchin, Matilda
David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Dennis Kelly, Matilda
Sybille Pearson, Giant
Joseph Robinette, A Christmas Story: The Musical
David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen
Jeff Whitty, Bring It On: The Musical
Doug Wright, Hands on a Hardbody
OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS
Trey Anastasio and Don Hart, Hands on a Hardbody
Larry Blank, A Christmas Story: The Musical
Bruce Coughlin, Giant
Larry Hochman, Chaplin: The Musical
Steve Margoshes, Soul Doctor
Danny Troob, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
OUTSTANDING MUSIC IN A PLAY
César Alvarez with The Lisps, Good Person of Szechwan
Jirí Kaderábek, Mahir Cetiz, and Ana Milosavljevic, Act Before You Speak: The Tragical History of
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Glen Kelly, The Nance
Eugene Ma, The Man Who Laughs
Steve Martin, As You Like It
Jane Wang, Strange Tales of Liaozhai
OUTSTANDING REVUE
Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking!
Old Hats
Old Jews Telling Jokes
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Rob Howell, Matilda
Mimi Lien, The Whale
Santo Loquasto, The Assembled Parties
Anna Louizos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy
David Zinn, The Flick
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Amy Clark and Martin Pakledinaz, Chaplin: The Musical
Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Chris March, Chris March’s The Butt-Cracker Suite! A Trailer Park Ballet
Loren Shaw, Restoration Comedy
Paloma Young, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Ken Billington, Chaplin: The Musical
Jane Cox, Passion
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
Justin Townsend, Here Lies Love
Daniel Winters, The Man Who Laughs
Scott Zielinski, A Civil War Christmas
OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN
Jon Driscoll, Chaplin: The Musical
Wendall K. Harrington, Old Hats
Peter Nigrini, Here Lies Love
Darrel Maloney, Checkers
Pedro Pires, Cirque du Soleil: Totem
Aaron Rhyne, Wild With Happy
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN IN A MUSICAL
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Hands on a Hardbody
Scott Lehrer and Drew Levy, Chaplin: The Musical
Tony Meola, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Brian Ronan, Bring It On: The Musical
Brian Ronan, Giant
Dan Moses Schreier, Passion
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN IN A PLAY
Ien DeNio, The Pilo Family Circus
Steve Fontaine, Last Man Club
Christian Frederickson, Through the Yellow Hour
Lindsay Jones, Wild With Happy
Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary
Fergus O’Hare, Macbeth
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Joel de la Fuente, Hold These Truths
Kathryn Hunter, Kafka’s Monkey
Bette Midler, I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers
Julian Sands, A Celebration of Harold Pinter
Holland Taylor, Ann
Michael Urie, Buyer & Cellar
UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
Bello Mania
Chris March’s The Butt-Cracker Suite! A Trailer Park Ballet
Cirque Du Soleil: Totem
That Play: A Solo Macbeth
The Fazzino Ride
The Man Who Laughs
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
This year the nominators chose to bestow a special ensemble award to the cast of Working: A Musical. “Marie-France Arcilla, Joe Cassidy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Nehal Joshi, and Kenita R. Miller created a memorable ensemble of marvelously gifted singer-actors working together in pure artistic harmony.” Individual cast members receiving this award are ineligible for acting awards in the competitive categories.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. For 2012-2013, these awards are:
The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Executive Director and Producer: for a decade of creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form.
Wakka Wakka (Gabrielle Brechner, Kirjan Waage, and Gwendolyn Warnock): for sophisticated puppet theater, as represented by this season’s SAGA, that explores with wit, imagination, and insight serious issues of ourtimes.
Jayne Houdyshell: for her artistry as an exceptionally versatile and distinctive Broadway and Off-Broadway performer.
Samuel D. Hunter: His empathic and indelible The Whale affirms his arrival as a distinguished dramatist who depicts the human condition.
Maruti Evans, the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award: for his ingenious lighting designs, reflecting an exquisite and bold theatrical aesthetic. This season’s The Pilo Family Circus and Tiny Dynamite confirm his incandescent creativity.
And the Nominees Are… The 2013 Outer Critics Circle Nominations
Robert Cuccioli and Laila Robins announced the nominees for the Outer Critics Circle Awards today at The Friars Club. Pippin received the most nominations (11), with Kinky Boots (9), Chaplin: The Musical (8) and Cinderella (8) not too far behind. The winners will be announced on May 13 with a ceremony to follow on the 23rd at Sardi’s.
Check out our full awards coverage here.
Without further ado, here are the 2013 Outer Critics Circle Nominees:
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
Grace
Lucky Guy
The Nance
The Testament of Mary
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Bad Jews
Cock
My Name is Asher Lev
Really Really
The Whale
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
February House
Dogfight
Giant
Here Lies Love
Murder Ballad
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Dogfight
OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Dogfight
Here Lies Love
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Golden Boy
Orphans
The Piano Lesson
The Trip to Bountiful
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Pam MacKinnon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Nicholas Martin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Jack O’Brien, The Nance
Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy
Michael Wilson, The Trip to Bountiful
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Warren Carlyle, Chaplin: The Musical
Scott Ellis, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Diane Paulus, Pippin
Alex Timbers, Here Lies Love
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Warren Carlyle, Chaplin: The Musical
Peter Darling, Matilda the Musical
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Josh Rhodes, Cinderella
Chet Walker, Pippin
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN (Play or Musical)
John Lee Beatty, The Nance
Rob Howell, Matilda the Musical
David Korins, Here Lies Love
Scott Pask, Pippin
Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Amy Clark & Martin Pakledinaz, Chaplin: The Musical
Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots
Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
William Ivey Long, Cinderella
William Ivey Long, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Ken Billington, Chaplin: The Musical
Paul Gallo, Dogfight
Donald Holder, Golden Boy
Kenneth Posner, Cinderella
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Shuler Hensley, The Whale
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Tracee Chimo, Bad Jews
Amy Morton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Vanessa Redgrave, The Revisionist
Joely Richardson, Ivanov
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Bertie Carvel, Matilda the Musical
Santino Fontana, Cinderella
Rob McClure, Chaplin: The Musical
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Matthew James Thomas, Pippin
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Lilla Crawford, Annie
Valisia LeKae, Motown: The Musical
Lindsay Mendez, Dogfight
Patina Miller, Pippin
Laura Osnes, Cinderella
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Jonny Orsini, The Nance
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Tom Sturridge, Orphans
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Cady Huffman, The Nance
Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Kristine Nielsen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Vanessa Williams, The Trip to Bountiful
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Dan Lauria, A Christmas Story
Raymond Luke, Motown: The Musical
Terrence Mann, Pippin
Daniel Stewart Sherman, Kinky Boots
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Victoria Clark, Cinderella
Charlotte d’Amboise, Pippin
Andrea Martin, Pippin
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Bette Midler, I’ll Eat You Last
Martin Moran, All the Rage
Fiona Shaw, The Testament of Mary
Holland Taylor, Ann
Michael Urie, Buyer & Cellar
JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Ayad Akhtar, Disgraced
Paul Downs Colaizzo, Really Really
Joshua Harmon, Bad Jews
Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale
Aaron Posner, My Name is Asher Lev
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Irish Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Charlotte Moore and Producing Director Ciarán O’Reilly in recognition of 25 years of producing outstanding theater.
Award Time is Almost Here – The 2013 Eligible Shows
It’s one of the most wonderful times of the year — nominations will soon be out with the whole country buzzing about Broadway.
You can check out our 2013 Broadway theater awards calendar to see when and who will be making the announcements and when all the pretty prizes will be handed out.
As always, we’ll be live blogging, tweeting and facebooking with you as the nominees and winners are announced!
In the meantime, we wanted to do a rundown of the shows eligible for this year’s big categories:
Shows Eligible for Best Musical
Shows Eligible for Best Revival of a Musical
Who do you think is gonna take home this year’s biggest prizes?
The Reviews for A Christmas Story are In…
The critics were all pleasantly surprised to actually enjoy themselves at a Christmas show. Indeed, when all the best elements from the movie were transformed into silliness like kick lines with leg lamps, huge tap numbers involving a bedlam of 9-year-olds and a child who’s tongue is stuck to a flag pole, attempting not only to talk, but to sing, they couldn’t help but get carried away in the fun. Scored perfectly, directed tightly and choreographed brilliantly, even the most critical movie-aficionado and crankiest anti-Christmas Scrooge found “A Christmas Story” an absolute delight.
NEW YORK TIMES
“You’d have to have a Grinch-size heart not to feel a smile spreading across your face when Luke Spring, a 9-year-old dynamo with feathers for feet, starts tapping his little heart out in “A Christmas Story” … Clad in a sleek black suit, his high-wattage grin beaming into the auditorium, this energetic little charmer raises such a merry clatter with his nimble dancing that it all but brings down the house….“A Christmas Story,” based onthe popular 1983 movie adapted from the writings of the radio personality Jean Shepherd, wins points for being less glitzy and more soft-spoken than the garish, overbearing musical versions of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Elf.”…Shepherd narrates the stage version in the likable person of Dan Lauria, former star of the similarly nostalgic television series “The Wonder Years.” I found the heavy doses of voice-over in the rather clunky movie to be obtrusive and irritating. Happily, the stage version lightens up a little on the cute, smart-alecky asides…making room for the music and allowing the story mostly to speak for itself. Not that there’s much story to speak of….Mr. Pasek and Mr. Paul have provided a likable, perky score that duly translates all of the major episodes in the story into appropriate musical numbers…But the sequences that make the children in the audience perk up and stop fidgeting are naturally the big dance numbers led by the smaller fry in the cast…They are wonderfully showcased in a couple of fantasy numbers that are the highlights of each act, and are choreographed with invention by Warren Carlyle.”
HUFFINGTON POST
“The show that opened Monday at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a charming triumph of imagination that director John Rando has infused with utter joy. It’s also a snappy piece of mature songwriting from a pair of guys barely as old as the original 1983 film. The duo, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, are making their Broadway debuts with a score that is funny, nostalgic, warm and tender…The book by Joseph Robinette honors the film…The cast is led by a multi-talented Johnny Rabe as Ralphie – some performances star Joe West in the role – and a cast of skillful children, who can give the kids over at “Annie” a run for their money. One from the ensemble – 9-year-old tap dancing prodigy Luke Spring – brings the house down during a fantasy scene in a children’s speakeasy. Warren Carlyle’s inspired choreography manages to cut the sweetness with funny tart moments, such as the use of slow motion as a nod to the musical’s roots, or pyramids of people slightly off-kilter or manic elves at a department store…Purists may be upset to miss some film elements – such as Ralphie’s decoder ring – but few will walk away thinking “A Christmas Story” has been dishonored, itself a little Christmas miracle.”
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“No coal in the Christmas stocking for this entertaining family show, which sticks close to its source material while establishing an engaging personality of its own….A cut above the pack, it’s cute, corny, wholesome and sentimental – all basic requirements for family-friendly seasonal stage entertainment. But it also packs ample heart into its wistful glance back to a time when rewards were simpler, communities were closer-knit, and both parental and filial roles were less polluted by the infinite distractions and anxieties of contemporary life….Sturdily adapted by Joseph Robinette, it features a peppy, period-flavored score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. With their catchy lyrics and robust melodies, the songs strengthen the characters and situations, dropped in at just the right time to enhance and propel the story….Director John Rando and choreographer Warren Carlyle’s clever use of the dozen talented triple-threat kids in the cast is a winning ingredient. On the surface, Robinette’s work as book writer might appear elementary, but it takes skill to cover every vignette from a movie without merely checking obligatory references off a list…This is an ensemble show rather than a vehicle for star turns, but Lauria’s warmly authoritative presence provides a binding element, and Rabe gives Ralphie irrepressible spirit. Bolton deserves special mention, making Ralphie’s dad a gangly human cartoon, both gruff and affectionate….Unexpectedly, the show pulses with genuine feeling, which should guarantee return engagements.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“Don’t expect an exact replica of the movie….The film evokes a certain screwball nature that has become as synonymous with the holiday season as candy canes. But the stage adaptation plays like a heart-tugging, best-of version of the movie, with a saccharine score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a book by Joseph Robinette that desperately panders for laughs….The most iconic moments from the original story have been morphed into entire scenes or songs or running gags…Some of it works beautifully…Odd[ly] yes, but somehow it works. In fact, most of the songs are solid, although there are no real new Christmas classics in the mix…[but] one of the classroom kids — the tiniest, cutest one, Luke Spring — breaks into a tap routine that would draw applause from the likes of Sammy Davis Jr….The musicals’ pleasures are far and wide: Dan Lauria is steady as an older version of Ralphie, who narrates the story. Johnny Rabe, who played Ralphie at my performance (Joe West plays some performances), did a nice job of wrangling the curmudgeonly, hopeful nature of his character…The show feels too long…And Ralphie’s mom (Erin Dilly) feels like a too-sugary shell of the kookily frazzled character…on screen. And of course, the whole production is super-duper schmaltzy….For the most part, A Christmas Story: The Musical is exactly what you expect.”
The Newest Cast Album Goodies…
Musical stars have been filling up recording studios around town, and lots of new cast albums are now hitting the streets…order or preorder your copies today!
A Christmas Story Original Broadway Cast Album
Jekyll & Hyde 2012 Concept Recording Starring Constantine Maroulis
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 2012 Encores Cast Album Starring Megan Hilty
Carrie the Musical Premiere Cast Recording Starring Molly Ranson and Marin Mazzie
Pipe Dream 2012 Encores Cast Recording Starring Will Chase and Laura Osnes
2012 Encores Cast Album Starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Adam Grupper.
Have you bought/listened to any of these yet? Write your reviews below!
A video preview of the Broadway aimed A Christmas Story
Happy holidays to everyone on Broadway and around the world. Hope you’re staying warm, traveling safe and ending your year in high spirits.
Here’s a video clip from a show aiming to be next season’s holiday favorite, A Christmas Story: The Musical!
Enjoy 
A casting, gossip and news round-up for October
Finian’s Rainbow opens tonight on Broadway
The Broadway revival of Finian’s Rainbow opens on Broadway tonight, October 29, 2009. Starring Jim Norton (The Seafarer) as Finian, Kate Baldwin (Wonderful Town) as Sharon, Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu) as Woody, and Christopher Fitzgerald (Young Frankenstein) as Og, we’re looking to see how the public responds to the show.
For years it was thought to be an unrevivable show due to its racist content, but with a reworking of the book and songs like “Old Devil Moon,” “If This isn’t Love” and “How are Things in Glocca Morra?,” we think it more than deserves a another run on the Great White Way.
Going to see it? Interested in writing a review for the blog here? Contact me!
Promises, Promises to star Chenoweth and Hayes; opens March 25
Producers have announced that Promises, Promises will officially star Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. This will be the first ever revival of the musical, will open at the Broadway Theater on March 25.
With a book by Neil Simon, music by Burt Bacharah and lyrics by Hal David, the show will mark Hayes first appearance on Broadway and Chenoweth’s happy return. The original 1968 production played 1,268 performances on Broadway, was nominated for 8 Tony awards and awarded a Grammy.
Run DMC musical eyeing Broadway
Hollywood producer Paula Wagner is working with the rappers Joseph Simmons (Run) and Darryl McDaniels (DMC) and the estate of Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) about creating a stage musical about Run DMC’s road to fame.
No dates, casting or other collaborators have yet been announced.
Mary Murphy to make guest appearance in Burn the Floor
Mary Murphy from Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” will make a one-night-only guest star appearance in Broadway’s Burn the Floor on December 22, partnering with ballroom champion Vaidas Skimelis.
Katie Holmes may star in the stage musical version of Cocktail
Rumors are flying that Katie Holmes may be under consideration for a starring role in the Broadway musical version of the 80s movie, Cocktail, that is being penned for the stage by Heywood Gould – the original author and screenwriter. Producer Marty Richards is on board and though Gould said “it’s far too early to talk about casting,” he did mention he “like[s] Katie Holmes.”
Little Miss Sunshine musical workshop stars Bierko, Latessa and Rene Scott
The stage musical version of Little Miss Sunshine is workshopping with stars Craig Bierko (Guys and Dolls, The Music Man), Dick Latessa (Hairspray, Damn Yankees), and Sherie Rene Scott (The Little Mermaid, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Aida) in Florida right now.
The adaptation of the 2006 film features a score by William Finn with book and direction by James Lapine.
We can only hope it’s good-enough to take to Broadway with those names on board.
Judy and Sayle to star in the Broadway-aimed A Christmas Story, The Musical!
Later this month, another production eyeing Broadway, A Christmas Story, The Musical!, will open out-of-town. The cast features talent with many Broadway shows under their belts, including James Judy (The Scarlet Pimpernel), Zachary Carter Sayle (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), John Bolton (Curtains, Spamalot) and Anne L. Nathan (Assassins, Sunday in the Park with George).
