Tony Nominee Rituals

Variety.com posted an article recently about the rituals (or, actually, the lack thereof) of the 2012 crop of Tony nominees. Michael Cerveris, who plays Juan Peron in the critically acclaimed production of Evita, burns incense. Steve Kazee, nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Once, plays darts. To see the rest of the rituals of the nominees, check out the link below.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118053455?refCatId=15

Christopher Gattelli Interviewed By Playbill

I wanted to bring attention to an interview in Playbill's online incarnation with my colleague Christopher Gattelli, the Broadway dancer and choreographer who worked this year on Godspell and Newsies.  He has been nominated for a 2012 Tony for best choreography (and is likely to win that trophy), and recently spoke with Playbill about his unique style, history and his experiences on Newsies.

http://playbill.com/news/article/165661-PLAYBILL-BRIEF-ENCOUNTER-With-Christopher-Gattelli-2012-Tony-Nominee-for-Newsies-Choreography

Bobby Cannavale and Scarlett Johansson to Return to Broadway

Emmy-winner and two-time Tony-nominee Bobby Cannavale and Tony-winner Scarlett Johansson will be returning to Broadway during the 2012-2013 season.

Cannavale, who won a 2005 Emmy for his guest appearance on Will & Grace and received Tony nominations for his performances in Theresa Rebeck's Mauritius and Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Motherfucker With the Hat will be returning to Broadway next spring in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Clifford Odets' 1949 play The Big Knife. According to Broadway.com, "Set during the Golden Age of Hollywood, [the play] follows film star Charlie Castle (Cannavale), whose studio has had to cover up a mistake that could have ended his career.  when a woman with insider knowledge threatens to come forward, the studio heads will stop at nothing to protect Charlie's secret.  Charlie however must decide what lengths he's willing to go to before just quitting the business for good."

Scarlett Johansson, a 2010 Tony winner for the revival of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge, is in final negotiations to play Maggie the Cat in an upcoming revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  Film star and two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner is in talks to play Maggie's husband, Brick.  Broadway.com summarizes the play by saying, "Set in a plantation home in the Mississippi Delta, [the play] tells the story of Brick and his wife Maggie as they celebrate the birthday of Big Daddy Pollitt, Brick's father and the Delta's biggest cotton-planter.  The family must grapple with issues they have repressed over the years."

This just in from Katie Riegel, a publicist friend of mine who works at SpotCo -- an entertainment and arts marketing firm.  She sent me this update about Ghost: the Musical -- one of the shows that SpotCo counts as a client.  Check out the video!








Hi theater blogger friends,

I wanted to reach out to you with a cool new video from the opening night of the new musical version of GHOST on Broadway. We would be thrilled if you would help us spread the word by sharing with your readers and followers. 

http://bit.ly/GhOpN
Thanks for your consideration. If you have any questions about the shows or would like any further information, please be in touch!

Katie Riegel 

SpotCo 
512 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10018
www.spotnyc.com

2012 Tony Awards Claim First Casualties

The Tony Awards have claimed their first casualties.  After being completely shut out of the Tony Awards, receiving no nominations in any category, two plays will be closing.  Theresa Rebeck's play, Seminar, will close after the Sunday matinee this coming Sunday, May 6th, 2012.  The following Saturday, Eric Simonson's basketball themed play Magic/Bird will play its final performance.

The Tony nominations have an impact like this every year, with shows closing within weeks after the Tony nominations if they fail to receive any, or within a week of the awards themselves if the show is nominated but fails to win anything.  Interestingly, there were a total of seven shows that were entirely shut out of Tony nominations this year -- Seminar, Magic/Bird, Godspell, Private Lives, The Mountaintop, Relatively Speaking, and Chinglish.  Of these seven, however, only the first three are still playing -- but two for not much longer.  The only holdout is Godspell, for which lead producer Ken Davenport is still in the midst of figuring out what he will do to keep the show open, or whether he will close the show out at some point before the Tony Awards.

And the 2012 Tony Nominees Are ...

Best Play
Clybourne Park
Other Desert Cities
Peter and the Starcatcher
Venus in Fur

Best Musical
Leap of Faith
Newsies
Nice Work if You Can Get It
Once

Book of a Musical
Lysistrata Jones
Newsies
Nice Work if You Can Get It
Once

Score
Bonnie & Clyde
Newsies
One Man, Two Guvnors
Peter and the Starcatcher

Revival of a Play
Death of A Salesman
The Best Man
Master Class
Wit

Revival of a Musical
Evita
Follies
Porgy & Bess
Jesus Christ Superstar

Actor in a Play
James Corden, One Man Two Guvnors
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman
James Earl Jones, The Best Man
Frank Langella, Man and Boy
John Lithgow, The Columnist

Actress in a Play
Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Linda Lavin, The Lyons
Cynthia Nixon, Wit

Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Follies
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies
Steve Kazee, Once
Norm Lewis, Porgy & Bess
Ron Raines, Follies

Actress in a Musical
Jan Maxwell, Follies
Audra McDonald, Porgy & Bess
Cristin Milioti, Once
Kelli O'Hara, Nice Work if You Can Get It
Laura Osnes, Bonnie & Clyde

Featured Actor in a Play
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Michael Cumpsty, End of the Rainbow
Tom Edden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Andrew Garfield, Death of a Salesman
Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park

Featured Actress in a Play
Linda Emond, Death of a Salesman
Spencer Kayden, Don't Dress for Dinner
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher
Judith Light, Other Desert Cities
Condola Rashad, Stick Fly

Featured Actor in a Musical
Phillip Boykin, Porgy & Bess
Michael Cerveris, Evita
David Alan Grier, Porgy & Bess
Michael McGrath, Nice Work if You Can Get It
Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar

Featured Actress in a Musical
Elizabeth A. Davis, Once
Jane Houdyshell, Follies
Judy Kaye, Nice Work if You Can Get It
Jessie Mueller, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost

Director of a Play
Nicholas Hytner, One Man, Two Guvnors
Pam MacKinnon, Clybourne Park
Mike Nichols, Death of a Salesman
Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, Peter and the Starcatcher

Director of a Musical
Jeff Calhoun, Newsies
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work if You Can Get It
Diane Paulus, Porgy & Bess
John Tiffany, Once

Choreography
Rob Ashford, Evita
Christopher Gattelli, Newsies
Stephen Hoggett, Once
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work if You Can Get It

Orchestrations
Porgy & Bess
Nice Work if You Can Get It
Once
Newsies

Scenic Design of a Play
Other Desert Cities
Clybourne Park
One Man, Two Guvnors
Peter and the Starcatcher

Scenic Design of a Musical
Once
Ghost
Newsies
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Costume Design of a Play
Don't Dress for Dinner
A Streetcar Named Desire
One Man, Two Guvnors
Peter and the Starcatcher

Costume Design of a Musical

Follies

Porgy & Bess

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Nice Work if You Can Get It

Lighting Design of a Play

Peter and the Starcatcher

The Road to Mecca

Death of a Salesman

Other Desert Cities

Lighting Design of a Musical

Porgy & Bess

Follies

Once

Ghost

Sound Design of a Play

One Man, Two Guvnors

Death of a Salesman

End of the Rainbow

Peter and the Starcatcher

Sound Design of a Musical

Porgy & Bess

Once

Follies

Nice Work if You Can Get It

Final Tony Award Nomination Predictions

Well, the time has come.  All the shows have opened (and some have closed).  What does that mean for me?  It's time to post my final Tony nomination predictions.  The official nominations don't come out till Tuesday, so let's hope that I do well here.

Play

Other Desert Cities

Venus in Fur

Peter and the Starcatcher

Clybourne Park

Musical

Once

Nice Work if You Can Get It

Newsies

Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark

Book

Once

Bonnie and Clyde

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Newsies

Score

Bonnie and Clyde

Lysistrata Jones

Newsies

Peter and the Starcatcher

Play Revival

Death of a Salesman

The Best Man

The Road to Mecca

Streetcar Named Desire

Musical Revival

Follies

Jesus Christ Superstar

Porgy & Bess

Evita

Leading Actor in a Musical

Steve Kazee, Once

Raul Esparza, Leap of Faith

Danny Burstein, Follies

Norm Lewis, Porgy & Bess

Jeremy Jordan, Newsies

Leading Actress in a Musical

Jan Maxwell, Follies

Audra McDonald, Porgy & Bess

Elena Roger, Evita

Cristin Milioti, Once

Kelli O’Hara, Nice Work if You Can Get It

Featured Actor in a Musical

Philip Boykin, Porgy & Bess

David Alan Grier, Porgy & Bess

Jason Tam, Lysistrata Jones

Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar

Michael Cerveris, Evita

Featured Actress in a Musical

Elaine Paige, Follies

Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Melissa van der Schyff, Bonnie & Clyde

Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost the Musical

Leading Actor in a Play

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman

Stacey Keach, Other Desert Cities

James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors

Alan Rickman, Seminar

James Earl Jones, The Best Man

Leading Actress in a Play

Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities

Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur

Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow

Rosemary Harris, The Road to Mecca

Linda Lavin, The Lyons

Featured Actor in a Play

Hamish Linklater, Seminar

Andrew Garfield, Death of a Salesman

Tom Edden, One Man Two Guvnors

Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher

Jim Dale, The Road to Mecca

Featured Actress in a Play

Condola Rashad, Stick Fly

Judith Light, Other Desert Cities

Angela Lansbury, The Best Man

Celia Kenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher

Linda Emond, Death of a Salesman

Director of a Play

Walter Bobbie, Venus in Fur

Joe Mantello, Other Desert Cities

Pam Mackinnon, Clybourne Park

Mike Nichols, Death of A Salesman

Director of a Musical

Eric Schaeffer, Follies

Diane Paulus, Porgy & Bess

John Tiffany, Once

Michael Grandage, Evita

Scenic Design of a Play

Chinglish

A Streetcar Named Desire

Peter and the Starcatcher

Other Desert Cities

Scenic Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

Ghost the Musical

Newsies

Costume Design of a Play

Peter and the Starcatcher

A Streetcar Named Desire

Don’t Dress For Dinner

Death of A Salesman

Costume Design of a Musical

Follies

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Godspell

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Lighting Design of a Play

A Streetcar Named Desire

Peter and the Starcatcher

Death of A Salesman

Other Desert Cities

Lighting Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

Ghost the Musical

Evita

Sound Design of a Play

Death of a Salesman

A Streetcar Named Desire

Peter and the Starcatcher

End of the Rainbow

Sound Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

Ghost

Porgy & Bess

Choreography

Christopher Gattelli, Newsies

Rob Ashford, Evita

Warren Carlyle, Follies

Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Orchestrations

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Newsies

Once

Final Round of Eligibility Decisions Made

The Tony administration committee has met for the final session of the 2011-2012 season and has made their final decisions about the categories in which various actors, designers, and other theater professionals will be eligible for the 2012 Tony Awards.  Their decisions are below.

Linda Emond and Andrew Garfield will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Featured Actress/Actor in a Play categories for their respective performances in Death of a Salesman.

Alex North will not be eligible in the category of Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics Written for the Theatre) for the score Death of a Salesman.

Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor/Actress in a Musical categories for their respective performances in Once.

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová will not be eligible in the category of Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics Written for the Theatre) for the score of Once.

Paul Nolan will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical category for his performance in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Ben Fankhauser, Jeremy Jordan and Kara Lindsay will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor/Actress in a Musical categories for their respective performances in Newsies.

Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel will be considered jointly eligible in the category of Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Newsies.

Candice Bergen, Kerry Butler, Angela Lansbury, Jefferson Mays and Michael McKean will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Featured Actress/Actor in a Play categories for their respective performances in The Best Man.

Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical category for their respective performances in Evita.

Kevin Daniels and Tug Coker will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play category for their respective performances in Magic/Bird.

David Korins and Jeff Sugg will be considered jointly eligible in the Best Scenic Design of a Play category for Magic/Bird.

Rick Elice will be considered eligible in the category of Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics Written for the Theatre) for Peter and the Starcatcher (Music: Wayne Barker; Lyrics: Rick Elice).

Wood Harris and Daphne Rubin-Vega will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor/Actress in a Play categories for their respective performances in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor/Actress in a Musical categories for their respective performances in Ghost.

Rob Howell and John Driscoll will be considered jointly eligible in the category of Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Ghost.

John Lithgow will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play category for his performance in The Columnist.

Ben Daniels, Adam James, Patricia Kalember and Jennifer Tilly will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor/Actress in a Play categories for their respective performances in Don’t Dress for Dinner.

Leap of Faith Opens on Broadway

The final commercial production of the Broadway, Leap of Faith, season has officially opened. The reviews are in and they are not that great. Raul Esparza, the show's leading man, is getting some of the best reviews of his career, but the show is otherwise not remotely worth the price of admission. Steve Suskin of Variety Magazine writes, "Raul Esparza sizzles like a firecracker in this musicalization of the 1992 Steve Martin pic, but his wick is continually dampened by the pesky book, songs, and staging. While the familiar story could be compelling, as assembled here, it's a mass of cliche" Ben Brantley of the New York Times wrote, "Say amen, sombody. Or, better yet, just wimper the word.  We've finally come to the end of a hard-run overcrowded spring on Broadway. And here, to sound the final trumpet, is one last musical, a show that appropriately expresses how many a dedicated theatergoer must be feeling right now: plum tuckered out. Praise the lord and pass the amphetamines."

"Don't Dress for Dinner" Opens on Broadway

The final production in the Roundabout Theatre Company's 2011-2012, and one of the final two productions of the Broadway season overall (with Leap of Faith, which also opened last night), the Broadway production of Don't Dress for Dinner, a French farce by the author of Boeing-Boeing opened last night at the American Airlines Theatre. The reviews are in and they are mixed.  Variety Magazine's Marilyn Stasio thoroughly enjoyed the show while Charles Isherwood of the New York Times thoroughly did not.

Ms. Stasio commented that, "After working up this high-gloss version of Robin Howdon's crafty adaptation at Chicago's Royal George Theatre a few years ago, veteran helmer John Tillinger brings it in with an A-list design team and a cast that knows how to negotiate the sublimely silly conventions of classic farce." Mr. Isherwood, taking the opposite view, writes, "Can I blame Mark Rylance? You see, if it were not for the alchemical magic of Mr. Rylance's Tony-winning performance in Mr. Camoletti's Boeing-Boeing, revived to popular acclaim on Broadway and in the West End a couple of years ago, I doubt I would have had to endure the creaking mechanics of Don't Dress for Dinner.  Instead of feeling whipped up from a classic recipe, this Roundabout Theatre Company production has the stale flavor of an old TV dinner defrosted and microwaved."

Let's see how it fares at Tuesday's Tony nominations announcement.