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.

Press Release From the Back Office

I got this e-mail from my friends at the publicity office at SpotCo, the press representative for a number of Broadway and off-Broadway shows.

C*CK AT THE DUKE
*Just what IS C*OCK?* Get a sneak peek at the Olivier Award-winning new play by Mike Bartlett, in its London to New York transfer from the Royal Court Theatre. Performances begin May 1 at the Duke on 42nd St:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm1662KU9wI

When John and his boyfriend take a break, the last thing he expects is to suddenly meet the woman of his dreams. Now he has a big choice to make. Don't miss the American premiere of COCK, the gripping new play by Mike Bartlett. James Macdonald (Top Girls, Dying City) directs this Olivier Award-winning production from The Royal Court Theatre. For more information, visit http://cockfightplay.com, facebook.com/cockfightplay or Twitter @cockfightplay.

VENUS IN FUR
After a recent performance of VENUS IN FUR on Broadway, playwright David Ives and The New Yorker's John Lahr engaged in a discussion of the play, the casting of stars Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy, plus much more. Get behind the scenes of this critically-acclaimed production in this five-part series of videos:

Part 1: http://youtu.be/Xp170rdtO-Q

Part 2: http://youtu.be/i5faLMpUsso

Part 3: http://youtu.be/aPxUPs2_9cY

Part 4: http://youtu.be/yb0Hhd42FFQ

Part 5: http://youtu.be/NgEj26nqFz8

"The Columnist" Opens on Broadway

Manhattan Theater Club's Broadway production of The Columnist, a new play by David Auburn, opened last night at the old Biltmore Theatre. The reviews are in and they are mixed. John Lithgow's performance is said to be among the best of his career. But the play itself is only good at best.

Marilyn Stasio of Variety Magazine summarized it best when she wrote, "John Lithgow is a chameleon who can play anything from a TV serial killer (Dexter) to a charming con in a Broadway musical (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). In The Columnist, the new bio-drama by David Auburn (Proof), he does a brilliant job with Joseph Alsop, the Washington political pundit who wielded immense power through his syndicated newspaper column. Supported by a solid cast, Lithgow finds the humanity in this irascible, obsessive and quite unlikable demigod. But neither he nor helmer Daniel Sullivan can do the impossible: manufacture a play out of the scattered events of Auburn's well-articulated but loosely structured scenes."

"Nice Work If You Can Get It" Opens on Broadway

The Broadway production of Nice Work If You Can Get It has opened on Broadway and the reviews are in. The show has received generally favorable, but not extatic, reviews. The show stars Kelli O'Hara and Matthew Broderick, has a Gershwin Brothers' score, recycled from past shows, and a new book by Joe DiPietro. According to Variety Magazine's Steven Suskin, the show is about "a dissipated playboy (Broderick) who falls for a distaff bootlegger (O'Hara), who illicitly commandeers his Long Island mansion to store her illegal hooch. Comic misunderstandings ensue and eventually resolve into four or five sets of happy lovers, plus lots of dancing."

Suskin was generally happy with the show, except for its leading man, Mr. Broderick (of Ferris Bueller's Day Off fame).  His review said, "The newly manufactured 1920s-set musical crams vintage Gershwin songs into a bubble crowdpleaser, enchantignly rendered by thesps Kelli O'Hara, Michael McGrath, and Judy Kaye. Mix in staging and choreography by Kathleen Marshall (Anything Goes) and a cheerfully screwball if somewhat creaky new book by Joe DiPietro, and you've got what might be termed a good new old-fashioned musical. If only its likable, hard-working leading man --a miscast Matthew Broderick -- didn't seem to be painfully concentrating on his next step, all night long."

Ben Brantley of the New York Times had something similar to say.  "Every now and then, a bubble of pute, tickling charm rises from the artificial froth of Nice Work If You Can Get It, the pastiche of a 1920s musical featuring songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Most of this show, which opened Tuesday night at the Imperial Theatre, registers as a shiny, dutiful trickle of jokes and dance numbers performed by talented people who don't entirely connect with the whimsy of a bygone genre. But then, all at once, there's  a moment of delicate ridiculousness, of utterly credible improbability, that signals what Kathleen Marshall, the production's director and choreographer, must have been aiming for."

Given how late in the season this show opened, it has a decent shot at some Tony nominations, particularly given the fact that it received 9 nominations from the Outer Critics Circle the other day, but I will have to figure out in what categories I think that will be.

62 Annual Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations

Nominations for the 62nd Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards have been released.  These awards are for excellence in Broadway and Off-Broadway, and are given out by the out of town theater press.  NOTE:  These are NOT the Tony nominations.

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
The Lyons
One Man, Two Guvnors
Seminar
Stick Fly
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
Bonnie & Clyde
Newsies
Once
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Blood and Gifts
The School for Lies
Sons of the Prophet
Tribes
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Death Takes a Holiday
Lucky Guy
Play It Cool
Queen of the Mist
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Newsies
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Once
Queen of the Mist
OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Bonnie & Clyde
Death Takes a Holiday
Newsies
Queen of the Mist
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Best Man
Death of a Salesman
The Lady From Dubuque
Private Lives
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Carrie
Evita
Follies
Porgy and Bess
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Mark Brokaw The Lyons
David Cromer Tribes
Nicholas Hytner One Man, Two Guvnors
Mike Nichols Death of a Salesman
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Jeff Calhoun Newsies
Michael Grandage Evita
Kathleen Marshall Nice Work If You Can Get It
John Tiffany Once

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Rob Ashford Evita
Christopher Gattelli Newsies
Steven Hoggett Once
Kathleen Marshall Nice Work If You Can Get It

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Bob Crowley Once
Derek McLane Nice Work If You Can Get It
Christopher Oram Evita
George Tsypin Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Gregg Barnes Follies
Eiko Ishioka Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
William Ivey Long Don’t Dress for Dinner
Martin Pakledinaz Nice Work If You Can Get It

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Neil Austin Evita
Donald Holder Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Brian MacDevitt Death of a Salesman
Hugh Vanstone Ghost: The Musical

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
James Corden One Man, Two Guvnors
Santino Fontana Sons of the Prophet
Russell Harvard Tribes
Philip Seymour Hoffman Death of a Salesman
Hamish Linklater The School for Lies

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Tracie Bennett End of the Rainbow
Tyne Daly Master Class
Linda Lavin The Lyons
Nicole Ari Parker A Streetcar Named Desire
Laila Robins The Lady From Dubuque

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Danny Burstein Follies
Raúl Esparza Leap of Faith
Jeremy Jordan Newsies
Steve Kazee Once
Norm Lewis Porgy and Bess

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Jan Maxwell Follies
Marin Mazzie Carrie
Audra McDonald Porgy and Bess
Cristin Milioti Once
Kelli O’Hara Nice Work If You Can Get It

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Will Brill Tribes
Tom Edden One Man, Two Guvnors
Andrew Garfield Death of a Salesman
James Earl Jones The Best Man
Jefferson Mays Blood and Gifts

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Joanna Gleason Sons of the Prophet
Spencer Kayden Don’t Dress for Dinner
Angela Lansbury The Best Man
Judith Light Other Desert Cities
Daphne Rubin-Vega A Streetcar Named Desire

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Phillip Boykin Porgy and Bess
Andrew Keenan-Bolger Newsies
Michael McGrath Nice Work If You Can Get It
Patrick Page Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Chris Sullivan Nice Work If You Can Get It

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Jayne Houdyshell Follies
Judy Kaye Nice Work If You Can Get It
Rebecca Luker Death Takes a Holiday
Da’Vine Joy Randolph Ghost: The Musical
Melissa Van Der Schyff Bonnie & Clyde

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Judy Gold My Life as a Sitcom
David Greenspan The Patsy
Denis O’Hare An Iliad
Stephen Spinella An Iliad

JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Robert Askins Hand to God
Gabe McKinley CQ/CX
Erika Sheffer Russian Transport
Jeff Talbott The Submission

3rd Set of Tony Predictions

With only 4 more productions left to open this season, I wanted to post another set of predictions to the site.  I will post summaries of the remaining reviews as they appear, and I will post a final set of nomination predictions over the weekend.  The nominations will be officially announced on May 1st and I will be up early in the morning to catch the announcement live, just for you!

Play

Other Desert Cities

Venus in Fur

Peter and the Starcatcher

Clybourne Park

Musical

Once

Lysistrata Jones

Newsies

Spider Man

Book

Once

Bonnie and Clyde

Lysistrata Jones

Newsies

Score

Bonnie and Clyde

Lysistrata Jones

Bonnie & Clyde

Once

Play Revival

Death of a Salesman

The Best Man

The Road to Mecca

Streetcar Named Desire

Musical Revival

Follies

Godspell

Porgy & Bess

Evita

Leading Actor in a Musical

Steve Kazee, Once

Ron Raines, Follies

Danny Burstein, Follies

Michael Cerveris, Evita

Jeremy Jordan, Newsies

Leading Actress in a Musical

Jan Maxwell, Follies

Audra McDonald, Porgy & Bess

Elena Roger, Evita

Cristin Milioti, Once

Patti Murin, Lysistrata Jones

Featured Actor in a Musical

Philip Boykin, Porgy & Bess

David Alan Grier, Porgy & Bess

Jason Tam, Lysistrata Jones

Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar

Patrick Page, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Featured Actress in a Musical

Elaine Paige, Follies

Jane Houdyshell, Follies

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

Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher

Stacey Keach, Other Desert Cities

James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors

Alan Rickman, Seminar

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

Thomas Sadoski, Other Desert Cities

Hamish Linklater, Seminar

Andrew Garfield, Death of a Salesman

Jim Dale, The Road to Mecca

Reuben Santiago Hudson, Stick Fly

Featured Actress in a Play

Hettienne Park, Seminar

Lily Rabe, Seminar

Judith Light, Other Desert Cities

Angela Lansbury, The Best Man

Celia Kenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher

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

The Best Man

Pater and the Starcatcher

The Mountaintop

Scenic Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

SpiderMan

Lysastrata Jones

Costume Design of a Play

Venus in Fur

Peter and the Starcatcher

Clybourne Park

Death of A Salesman

Costume Design of a Musical

Follies

SpiderMan

Porgy & Bess

Evita

Lighting Design of a Play

Venus in Fur

Peter and the Starcatcher

Death of A Salesman

Clybourne Park

Lighting Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

Ghost the Musical

Evita

Sound Design of a Play

Venus in Fur

Other Desert Cities

Peter and the Starcatcher

Clybourne Park

Sound Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

Ghost

Evita

Choreography

Dan Knechtges, Lysistrata Jones

Christopher Gattelli, Godspell

Rob Ashford, Evita

Warren Carlyle, Follies

Orchestrations

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Porgy and Bess

Godspell

Once

"The Lyons" Opens on Broadway

Nicky Silver's newest play, The Lyons, has opened on Broadway and the reviews are fantastic.  This is one of the better reviewed plays of the year and Linda Lavin has gotten strongest reviews of any actress this season.  This play may knock off one of my previously predicted Best Play nominees.  Linda Lavin will certainly get a Best Actress nomination and Dick Latessa, who plays Lavin's husband, may get a Best Actor nomination (though he may be in the Best Featured Actor category, so I'm not sure how best to judge his odds).

"Ghost: the Musical" Opens on Broadway

The Broadway adaptation of the hit, Oscar-winning film Ghost has opened on Broadway and the reviews are in.  Though the film was a major success in Hollywood, the Broadway adaptation has not been well received.  Charles Isherwood of the New York Times said of the show, "Ghost may not be the worst musical ever made from a movie.  But it is just as flavorless and lacking in dramatic vitality as many that have come before."  Continuing his pan of the show, Isherwood states that "the gifted [director] Matthew Warchus [took this job] presumably in search of the big money that only big musicals can provide."  Steven Suskin of Variety Magazine had something similar to say.  He wrote, "Full of moving scenery, lights, projections, film, and magical illusions, but devoid of actual magic, the Broadway production of Ghost is a lumbering megatuner with little to offer beyond a limitless array of dazzling effects."

A Streetcar Named Desire Opens on Broadway

The 8th Broadway revival of Tennesee Williams' classic play A Streetcar Named Desire has opened on Broadway.  The reviews are in and they are decidedly mixed. The physical production is, by all accounts, fantastic, but the acting is not.

Marilyn Stasio of Variety Magazine and Ben Brantley of the New York Times sum up this dichotomy best. Stasio wrote, "Nicole Ari Parker, Blair Underwood and Daphne Rubin-Vega, the stars of Emily Mann's striking production of A Streetcar Named Desire, offer no subtle psychological insights into Blanche, Stanley and Stella. But the physical beauty and sexual magnetism they bring to these iconic characters would surely delight Tennessee Williams -- along with auds who might appreciate some kicks with their culgure. The only downside to the production coup of looking good (witness the handsome set, gorgeous lighting, nice costumes, and great sounds) is that much of this beauty is only skin deep."

Brantley, providing some historical context, writes, "The Poker Night was once the working title for what would become Tennessee Williams' most celebrated work. So perhaps it's appropriate that a poker game provides one of the few moments approaching excitement in the torpid revival of the play that was renamed A Streetcar Named Desire. That moment occurs early enough into Emily Mann's production to fan hopes that the show might strike the occasional spark." But, sadly, that spark never materializes.

I guess the designers will have to be happy to receive the show's only Tony nominations.

Angela Lansbury and the Tony Awards

The idea for today's post came up during a conversation I had over dinner with film blogger Scott Feinberg.  We were talking about the upcoming awards season and how some people seem to crop up again and again whether they deserve to or not, while, at other times, some deserving people couldn't catch a break if they tried.  In particular, Angela Lansbury came up as a prime example.  On screen, she has given some of Hollywood's most beloved performances, in such classic films as National Velvet, Gaslight, The Manchurian Candidate, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris.  She also spent 12 seasons on television playing Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote, and made guest appearances on a number of big time TV shows like Law and Order: SVU.

Ms. Lansbury received a total of 18 Emmy nominations and 3 Oscar nominations over the course of her career, but has never won either of those awards in her career.  In fact, she set a record for the most consecutive Emmy losses for the same show, having been nominated and lost 12 consecutive Best Actress nominations for Murder, She Wrote -- receiving and losing the Emmy every year for the entire run of the show.  At the same time, when she appears on Broadway, she seems to get nominated for a Tony for everything she does.  Angela made her Broadway debut in 1957, and played smaller roles in her first three or four shows, but then got Tony nominations for the next four shows in which she appeared (the exception being 1977's The King and I in which Lansbury was a replacement and, thus, not eligible for a Tony).  Not only that, of the four nominations she received for these shows between 1966 and 1980, she won every time.

After Sweeney Todd, Ms. Lansbury took time away from Broadway to focus on other things and did not return to the Broadway stage until 2007's Deuce, followed by supporting turns in Blithe Spirit, A Little Night Music (both opening in 2009), and the current production of The Best Man.  For her efforts in those shows, she (again) has received Tony nominations for all of the first three, winning for Blithe Spirit, and she is likely to receive a supporting actress nomination for The Best Man come May 1st.

Now, for some of these performances, there is no doubt that Ms. Lansbury deserved some of these nominations and wins for her work.  She is clearly among the finest actresses of her or any generation.  But I have begun to wonder if she really deserved ALL the Tony nominations she has received over her career, or whether some of them might have been given to her because of her fame and her cherished position as a theatrical icon.  Another question that came up in the conversation that sparked the idea for this post is whether Ms. Lansbury would have received any of her post-2007 nominations had she not semi-retired from Broadway for 25 years.  Personally, I think she would still have been nominated for Deuce, and probably for Blithe Spirit, but I doubt she would have won for Blithe Spirit had it not been for a reason like what I describe above.  In addition to everything else, I also think that the fact that her Blithe Spirit win made her a record holder (only the second person to have won 5 Tony Awards for acting) was a big factor in both her win for that show and her nominations for every show in which she has appeared since 2007.

With all that in mind, I'd like to hear from you, my readers (and from Ms. Lansbury herself if she happens to be reading!).  What do you think about this subject, both in relation to Ms. Lansbury and  to anyone else in the industry as a whole?

Clybourne Park Opens on Broadway

Bruce Norris' play Clybourne Park, which won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize based on its off-Broadway incarnation last year and the Olivier Award for its visit to London, has finally opened on Broadway, bringing the last real contender for Best Play officially to the boards.  The reviews are in and are as strong as we have been predicting.  The play is a riff on Lorraine Hansberry's most famous play, A Raisin in the Sun.  For those who are not familiar with that play, don't worry.  Variety.com tells us that "Norris has already woven the passion underlying their dreams of ownership and identity into his own dramatic fabric."  Variety continues, "Rarely in American drama have the gaps between what one wants to say, how one says it and what one really feels been as hilariously explored for dramatic effect as Norris is able to pull off here." 

The New York Times was equally complimentary, calling the play, "Bruce Norris' sharp-witted, sharp-toothed comedy of American uneasiness.  Usually, when a work is as topical as this one is, it has a limited shelf life.  Yet, returning to Clybourne Park, which features its original excellent cast and sure-footed director, Pam MacKinnon, I realized that this play will be topical for many years to come."

Audience Award

An idea came to me today.  With all the award ceremonies that are starting to happen these days, why not create one of our own.  With all the politicking that goes into the major awards, including the fact that closed shows tend to get forgotten or popular stars getting nominated or winning over theater folk who deserve to get recognition, I decided to create my own audience award.  This year, I want you to nominate your favorite performers, designers, directors, productions, et. cetera using the Tony categories as a guide for what aspects of a show you can nominate.  The top 5 people you list for each category will be nominees from which I will pick a winner based on your feedback.  If fewer than five people get nominated in a category, I will fill in the remaining nominees with choices of my own.  Nominate someone today by leaving comments below.  You can use the list of shows that I posted back in September as a guide for what shows are eligible (check that out at this link http://andtheenvelopegoesto.blogspot.com/2011/09/official-2011-2012-schedule.html) and can get a list of categories at this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/65th_Tony_Awards#Awards).

David Yazbek Returns to Joe's Pub

I just got this press release in from friend-to-this-blog Katie Riegel of Sh-K-Boom about David Yazbek's upcoming performance at Joe's Pub.  Check it out!

DAVID YAZBEK RETURNS TO JOE’S PUB FOR CONCERT ON MAY 30^TH

“A Woozy Thrill Ride on a Volcano’s Edge” — New York Times

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19, 2012

Contact: Katie Riegel (katie@sh-k-boom.com)

Acclaimed composer/writer/performer David Yazbek will return to the stage at Joe’s Pub with his remarkable band for the first time in four years. The concert will take place Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 7:30pm and will feature songs from Yazbek's album "Evil Monkey Man" on Ghostlight Records, plus new works and songs from his other albums and his recent Broadway show Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

Three-time Tony nominee, Grammy nominee, Emmy and Drama Desk winner, winner of the N.A.I.R.D. award for Best Album and writer of the unrelenting “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego” theme song, Yazbek will take to the stage at Joe’s Pub to do what he does best: sing his own songs and punish the grand piano while stamping his right foot with great vigor. Don’t miss it.

David Yazbek is a long-time cult favorite—a recording artist, vocalist and pianist known for his thrilling live performances and irreverent style. His Broadway shows The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Women on the Verge…  have played in over 20 countries. His first album, The Laughing Man, won the N.A.I.R.D. Award for Best Pop Album of the Year. He is also a Grammy-nominated record producer and an Emmy-Award winning TV writer (for Late Night with David Letterman). For more information visit www.davidyazbek.com and facebook.com/officialdavidyazbek.

Tickets for the concert are $25 for Reserved Seating and $30 for Premium Seating and are available now online at joespub.com (http://www.joespub.com/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,40/id,6127).

“A Daredevil Juggler Catching Spiked Pins in the Traveling Carnival of his Imagination” – New York Times
“Edgy and Inventive Pop”—The New Yorker
“Full of Pop-Rock Hooks and Quirky, Occasionally Harrowing Lyrics” – New York Post
“Sporting influences ranging from XTC’s Andy Partridge to Frank Loesser, Yazbek’s music is full of bouncy riffs and hooks, as well as his trademark nasty-naughty sense of humor” – Time Out

***

JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater

425 Lafayette Street, NYC

Between East 4th and Astor Place

TICKETS:

Online - joespub.com

Phone - 212-967-7555

In Person - The Public Theater Box Office (425 Lafayette Street)

Tues-Sat from 1:00pm to 7:30pm, Sun + Mon from 1:00pm to 6:00pm

DINNER RESERVATIONS:

212-539-8778

Purchase of a ticket does NOT guarantee seating; seating, as well as standing-room, is available only on a first-come, first-served basis for all shows without a dinner reservation.  Two drink or $12 food minimum per person is standard. 
All tickets are non-refundable.

###

One Man Two Guvnors Opens on Broadway

The Broadway production of One Man, Two Guvnors, imported from London and adapted from the commedia dell'arte farce A Servant of Two Masters, opened last night on Broadway.  The reviews are in and are fantastic.  I won't bother trying to describe the plot -- with a farce, it's too hard to do -- but director Nicholas Hytner's production and its leading man, James Cordon, are among the funniest things in recent memory, according to Variety.  Variety Magazine's review stated "Aided by physical theater expert and associate director Cal McCrystal, director Nicholas Hytner expertly harnesses that comedy energy to build a tight, towering succession of character shtick, sight gags, slapstick and chase sequences unseen since Noises Off."  Ben Brantley of the New York Times seconded that feeling in his review, saying "It's a rich, slow-spreading smile, like butter melting in a skillet over a low flame.  And whenever it creeps across James Corden's face ... you know two things for sure: You're in for trouble, and you're already hooked.  Struggle as you will, there ain't nothing you can do about it."  Brantley continues, "This production never justifies that sinking sensation that arrives when I hear the words 'British comedy.'"  Probably not a contender for best play, One Man, Two Guvnors IS in the running for nominations for director and lead actor come the Tony nominations May 1st.

Lincoln Center Looking to Revive "The King and I"

In yet another example of recycling revivals much too quickly, Lincoln Center is looking at the idea of reviving The King and I, the famous musical with an even more famous score by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, II. Lincoln Center is also looking to hire an actress with whom they have a long history to play the leading role.  Kelli O'Hara has received three Tony nominations, one for the Roundabout's production of The Pajama Game and two for previous Lincoln Center Theater productions -- The Light in the Piazza and South Pacific.  O'Hara is currently starring in the Broadway production of Nice Work if You Can Get It, a pastiche musical based around the songs of the Gershwin brothers.

To quote the summary on Broadway.com, "The King and I tells the story of Anna (O’Hara), an American governess, who tries to help an Eastern king come to terms with the modern world. The show first opened on Broadway on March 21, 1951 and earned five Tony Awards including Best Musical, as well as acting trophies for stars Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner. The musical has received three Broadway revivals, most recently in 1996 with a production starring Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips. "

2012 Pulitzer Prize Winner Announced

The 2012 Pulitzer Prize Committee has announced their winners in music, biography, fiction, history, drama, poetry, and general non-fiction.  The short list includes Stephen Karam's Sons of the Prophet, John Robin Baitz's Other Desert Cities, and Water By the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes, with the prize going to Hudes' play.

Peter and the Starcatcher Openss On Broadway

The Broadway production of Peter and the Starcatcher has officially opened on Broadway to some pretty strong reviews.  The show's plot provides a prequel to the well known Peter Pan story by J.M. Barrie and is told in the style of a children's play (with some adult references), with actors providing the set where appropriate, for example.  Some reviewers (like the New York Times) saw the storytelling and the play as magical, while others (like The Hollywood Reporter) thought it was a nice idea but poorly executed and a bit tacky.  The comedic parts of the show received a similar split -- some thought the humor was too childish while others thought that the show's creators turned low humor into high comedy.  Regardless of what anyone thought at the nit-pick level, everyone thought the show overall was fantastic (and that leads me to believe it will get a Best Play Tony nomination).  Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, the two directors, were also universally thought to be a good match and right for the show, each bringing a different but needed sensibility to the production.  Christian Borle, now famous for TV's Smash, who was Tony-nominated for Legally Blonde a few years back, and theater vet Celia Keenan-Bolger, received praise for their performances, as well, adding at least one of their names to the nominations list.

Liza Minnelli to Receive Douglas Watt Award

Tony, Emmy, Oscar, and Grammy Award-winner Liza Minnelli will soon be able to add another trophy to her shelves when she receives the 2012 Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award at the 30th annual Fred and Adele Astaire Awards.  According to the press release I read on Broadway.com, "The award will be presented on June 4 at New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Astaire Award nominees will be announced on May 7."

Minnelli has won two Tony awards, both as Best Leading Actress in a Musical.  The first was in 1965 for Flora, the Red Menace and the second in 1978 for The Act.  She was nominated for a third time in the same category in 1984 for The Rink.  Her one-woman tribute to her godmother Kay Thompson, Liza's at the Palace ... ! won the Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event in 2009 and Liza received a special Tony in 1974 for “adding lustre to the Broadway season”.

Liza had similar success on screens big and small.  She was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar in 1970 for The Sterile Cuckoo and won in the same category in 1973 for Cabaret.  Minnelli was also nominated for 5 Golden Globes for Best Actress (4 for comedy/musical and 1 for drama) for 1970's The Sterile Cuckoo, 1973's Cabaret (for which she won), 1976's Lucky Lady, 1978's New York, New York, and 1982's Arthur.  She also won a Golden Globe on her 6th nomination for Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for A Time to Live.

Minnelli has 5 Emmy nominations to her credit, including one win in 1973 in the category of Outstanding Single Program – Variety and Popular Music for her Bob Fosse-directed concert Liza With a 'Z'.  She also won a Grammy Living Legend Award for Contributions and Influence in the Recording Field in 1990 and was nominated for two competitive awards for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album -- for 1997's Gently and for 2010's Liza's at the Palace ... !.  In 2008, she was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Tony Nomination Predictions: Round 2

As the official nomination date of May 1st gets closer and closer, I decided that it would be good to update my Tony predictions. Though many of the predictions overlap with my first set, there are a few changes to the acting and production categories. Leave comments and let me know what you think I got right and what I didn't.

Play

Other Desert Cities

Venus in Fur

Peter and the Starcatcher

Clybourne Park

Outside Chance:

Seminar

Musical

Once

Lysistrata Jones

Ghost

Spider Man

Book

Once

Bonnie and Clyde

Lysistrata Jones

Ghost

Score

Bonnie and Clyde

Lysistrata Jones

Ghost

Once

Play Revival

Death of a Salesman

Private Lives

The Best Man

The Road to Mecca

Musical Revival

Follies

Godspell

Porgy & Bess

Evita

Leading Actor in a Musical

Norm Lewis, Porgy & Bess

Steve Kazee, Once

Ron Raines, Follies

Michael Cerveris, Evita

Jeremy Jordan, Bonnie and Clyde or Newsies

Outside Chance:

Matthew Broderick, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Leading Actress in a Musical

Jan Maxwell, Follies

Audra McDonald, Porgy & Bess

Elena Roger, Evita

Cristin Milioti, Once

Patti Murin, Lysistrata Jones

Outside Chance:

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

Featured Actor in a Musical

Danny Burstein, Follies

Philip Boykin, Porgy & Bess

David Alan Grier, Porgy & Bess

Jason Tam, Lysistrata Jones

Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar

Featured Actress in a Musical

Elaine Paige, Follies

Jane Houdyshell, Follies

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 Earl Jones, The Best Man

Alan Rickman, Seminar

Hugh Dancy, Venus in Fur

Outside Chance:

Samuel L. Jackson, The Mountaintop

Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher

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

Rachel Griffiths, Other Desert Cities

Outside Chance:

Kim Cattrall, Private Lives

Angela Bassett, The Mountaintop

Angela Lin, Chinglish

Featured Actor in a Play

Thomas Sadoski, Other Desert Cities

Hamish Linklater, Seminar

Andrew Garfield, Death of a Salesman

Jim Dale, The Road to Mecca

Reuben Santiago Hudson, Stick Fly

Outside Chance:

Jerry O’Connell, Seminar

Adam Driver, Man and Boy

Featured Actress in a Play

Hettienne Park, Seminar

Lily Rabe, Seminar

Judith Light, Other Desert Cities

Angela Lansbury, The Best Man

Celia Kenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher

Outside Chance:

Candace Bergen, The Best Man

Jennifer Lim, Chinglish

Director of a Play

Walter Bobbie, Venus in Fur

Joe Mantello, Other Desert Cities

Pam Mackinnon, Clybourne Park

Mike Nichols, Death of A Salesman

Outside Chance:

Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, Peter and the Starcatcher

Richard Eyre, Private Lives

Leigh Silverman, Chinglish

Lynne Meadow, Wit

Director of a Musical

Eric Schaeffer, Follies

Diane Paulus, Porgy & Bess

John Tiffany, Once

Michael Grandage, Evita

Outside Chance:

David Holcenberg, Ghost the Musical

Julie Taymor, Spider Man

Dan Knechtges, Lysistrata Jones

Scenic Design of a Play

Venus in Fur

Chinglish

Pater and the Starcatcher

The Mountaintop

Outside Chance:

Stick Fly

The Road to Mecca

Private Lives

Other Desert Cities

Scenic Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

SpiderMan

Lysastrata Jones

Outside Chance:

Godspell

Newsies

Bonnie and Clyde

Costume Design of a Play

Venus in Fur

Peter and the Starcatcher

Clybourne Park

Death of A Salesman

Outside Chance:

The Mountaintop

Private Lives

Costume Design of a Musical

Follies

Ghost the Musical

SpiderMan

Porgy & Bess

Evita

Lighting Design of a Play

Venus in Fur

Peter and the Starcatcher

Death of A Salesman

Clybourne Park

Outside Chance:

Other Desert Cities

Private Lives

Road to Mecca

Lighting Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

Ghost the Musical

Evita

Sound Design of a Play

Venus in Fur

Other Desert Cities

Peter and the Starcatcher

Clybourne Park

Sound Design of a Musical

Follies

Once

SpiderMan

Evita

Outside Chance

Ghost

Choreography

Dan Knechtges, Lysistrata Jones

Christopher Gattelli, Newsies or Godspell

Rob Ashford, Evita

Warren Carlyle, Follies

Orchestrations

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Porgy and Bess

Godspell

Jesus Christ Superstar

Tony Nominations Announcement to Be Made By ...

The nominations for the 2012 Tony Awards don't come out until May 1st, but the news broke today that two very well liked theater folk will be reading the names of the nominees.  Those two folk are Tony-winner Kristin Chenoweth and Emmy-winner Jim Parsons (of The Big Bang Theory fame).  The announcement will be made at 8:30 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center at Lincoln Center.

Magic/Bird Opens on Broadway

The Broadway production of Magic/Bird has opened on Broadway and the reviews are in.  The team behind this show is the same one that brought us Lombardi a few years back and they seem not to have improved on their formula and, from the reviews, may even have lowered the bar.  The play does not have any of the excitement that the real Magic/Bird rivalry had 30 years ago, nor does much of the action that made the original rivalry so hot among fans appear on stage.  It seems that the things that made fans so interested -- the action on court -- did not make it to the stage, nor is there any way it could have without the two men themselves.  Ultimately, the men come across as rather square -- which maybe they are in real life -- because of this.  The ironic thing is that, in real life, the two men -- though they did meet a few times -- never really spent much time together, but when they did, it was time of mutual respect.  The only rivalry they had was on the basketball court and in the minds of their fans -- not the makings of a great drama.

Student Rush Policies

It is a well known fact that ticket prices to Broadway shows are expensive.  To counteract that, many shows have instituted rush policies, which allow people to buy tickets on the day of the show for a much smaller price.  I have taken advantage of many of these policies but have recently come across a number of people who don't have any idea how to find out what the policies are.  Thankfully, Playbill has posted an article listing the student rush or standing room policies for many of the major productions playing on Broadway right now.  Check it out!

http://playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428-Broadway-Rush-Lottery-and-Standing-Room-Only-Policies

Peter Pan Primer

I found an article the other day that I think you all will find useful.  With the opening of Peter and the Starcatcher coming up in the next few days, the editors of Broadway.com posted a primer of every major film and play adaptation of the story, listing at least six films and two plays.  To make this interesting for you, my readers, how many have you seen?  Which are your favorites and why?

Check out the list at this link.

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/161067/get-primed-for-peter-and-the-starcatcher-with-magical-memories-of-peter-pan/

Sierra Boggess Not Headed to Manderlay Again

Sierra Boggess was all set to play I in the Broadway musical adaptation of Daphne DuMaurier's novel (and Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film adaptation -- his only film to win the Best Picture Oscar, by the way) Rebecca.  When funding fell through and the show got delayed indefinitely, it was unclear what would happen.  Then it was announced that the show had found the funding it needed and the production would go on in the fall.  Now we are finding out that, when the show comes back in the fall, Boggess will not appear in it so that she can appear in The Prince of Broadway, which she had passed on to appear in Rebecca.  Check out the full story below.

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/161117/sierra-boggess-on-her-difficult-decision-to-leave-rebecca-for-prince-of-broadway/

Lysistrata Jones Cast to Perform at Joe's Pub

Though the show shuttered in January, the cast of the new Broadway musical Lysistrata Jones will be performing a concert version of the show at Joe's Pub tonight (April 9th).  The performances will be at 7pm and 9:30 pm.  Tickets are $15 advance/$18 at the door and can be purchased at www.joespub.com.  For more information, check out this article at Playbill.com.


http://playbill.com/news/article/161527-Overtime-Lysistrata-Jones-Company-Reunites-for-Two-Concerts-at-Joes-Pub-April-9

And the Litigation Goes On ...

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is back in court again.  According to an article by Gordon Cox in Variety Magazine, "An actor and stunt performer who appeared in [the show] has begun proceedings for legal action against the producers of the Broadway musical."  According to court documents filed in the New York State Supreme Court, "Richard Kobak, who performs under the name joshua Kobak, alleges he was injured while performing in the show, and has petitioned Spider-Man producer 8 Legged Prods. to produce documents and other information relating to the injuries and to the computer program and apparatuses that control the show's aerial stunts."

Check out Variety's full article below.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118052385?refCatId=15

Matthew Broderick Profile

For those of us who subscribe to the New York Times, we have seen an article that won't appear until tomorrow but that I wanted to bring attention to.  It profiles Matthew Broderick and his new show, Nice Work if You Can Get It, in which he will costar with another musical theater vet, Kelli O'Hara.  The article talks about his rehearsal process for the new show, his marriage to TV's Emmy-winning Sarah Jessica Parker, his stint in The Producers, and his film career's most shining moment -- Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  Check out the article in the Sunday Arts section of the NYTimes (if you can get it) either today (if you subscribe), tomorrow, or online at nytimes.com

Evita Opens on Broadway

The first Broadway revival of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita has opened on Broadway to mixed-to-negative reviews.  Variety said that the production comes off well and is "graced by an impressive performance by Argentine actress Elena Roger."  Ben Brantley of the times mentions a similar thing but in a different, more pointed way.  He writes in his New York Times review:

"As it did when it was first staged on Broadway in 1979, this bio-operetta begins and ends with the funeral of its title character.  But, unlike that earlier incarnation, this version by [director] Michael Grandage never seems to whip up any human life in the intervening two hours of sung-through flashbacks.  Despite the hard work of its spirited leading lady, the Argentine actress Elena Roger -- supported by a barely there Rickey Martin and a sterling Michael Cerveris -- this musical combination of history pageant and requiem Mass feels about as warmblooded as a gilded mummy."

Godspell to Go On National Tour

Playbill.com has made the official announcement that the current Broadway revival of Godspell will be going on its first national tour in the 2013-2014 season.  According to Ken Davenport's announcement, the tour will feature Danny Goldstein's direction and Christopher Gattelli's choreography, just like the current New York production.

"When I first announced that I was producing Godspell on Broadway, the emails started pouring in, asking me if I'd be taking it out on the road," said Davenport in a statement. "And, well, to quote our source material: 'Ask and ye shall receive.' The joy in Daniel Goldstein's production is infectious. And I can't wait to spread it all around the country starting next year!"

Check out the full announcement at Playbill's site below. 

http://playbill.com/news/article/161449-National-Tour-of-Godspell-Will-Be-Directed-by-Daniel-Goldstein

Elena Roger Q and A

Broadway.com did an interview with Elena Roger, who is starring in the title role of Evita this spring on Broadway.  The show's official opening night is scheduled for tomorrow (I'll be covering the reviews on Friday as usual), so I thought this interview would be quite appropriate to post today.  Maybe I'll get an interview of my own one of these days with her.

http://www.broadway.com/shows/evita-broadway/buzz/160971/elena-roger-on-returning-to-evita-working-with-ricky-martin-and-meeting-the-other-evas/

End of the Rainbow Opens on Broadway

Some people never die even after they die.  One of those people is Judy Garland, whose life story continues to be told on film and TV, and in the theater.  A new play about her life, End of the Rainbow, opened last night at the Belasco Theatre to some strong reviews.  Ben Brantley of the New York Times described the show by saying, "As befits a play about Judy Garland, a woman known for liberally mixing her pills, Peter Quilter’s “End of the Rainbow” is a jolting upper and downer at the same time. After watching Tracie Bennett’s electrifying interpretation of Garland in the intense production that opened on Monday night at the Belasco Theater, you feel exhilarated and exhausted, equally ready to dance down the street and crawl under a rock." Reviews relatively uniformly praise Ms. Bennett's performance in the show as one of the strongest in memory -- giving, in the words of Mr. Brantley again, "one of the most complete portraits of an artist I've ever seen.  What Ms. Bennett is doing transcends impersonation."  That Bennett's co-stars Tom Pelphrey (as Garland's fifth husband Mickey Deans) and Muchael Cumpsty (as Garland's pianist) hold their own and can get good notices is high praise for not only the actors but also director Terry Johnson, who won a directing Tony in 2010 for the revival of La Cage Aux Folles.  I have already predicted Ms. Bennett for a best actress nomination, but I may have to revise my list to include Messrs Johnson, Pelphrey, and Cumpsty.

Neil Patrick Harris to Host 2012 Tony's

Neil Patrick Harris, who has been building a name for himself in the theater world after fame on television (anyone remember Doogie Howser, M.D.?  Or maybe you watch the current hit show How I Met Your Mother?), will be returning for a third gig as host of the 2012 Tony Awards.  Harris hosted the Tony's in 2009 and again in 2011, as well as hosting the 2009 Emmy's and making an appearance at the 2010 Oscars, making a name for himself yet again as a consummate awards host -- a new-age Billy Crystal, perhaps?

Christie Brinkley Returns to Broadway's Chicago April 6-27

I just got word from the press office over at CHICAGO: the Musical that Christie Brinkley will be returning to the cast of that show.  Christie will be performing the role of Roxie for about three-and-a-half weeks, from April 6th to the 27th.  Following her Broadway run, Christie will take Roxie on the road as she makes her national tour debut with CHICAGO, which includes an exclusive two-week engagement at the Panatages Theatre in Los Angeles, May 15-27.  Additional tour dates and cities will be announced soon.

In its 15th year on Broadway, CHICAGO is currently the 4th longest-running show on Broadway... as well as Broadway's longest-running AMERICAN show! A true New York City institution, CHICAGO has everything that makes Broadway great: a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz; one show-stopping-song after another; and the most astonishing dancing you've ever seen. No wonder CHICAGO has been honored with 6 Tony Awards®, 2 Olivier Awards®, a Grammy® and thousands of standing ovations. It's also no surprise that CHICAGO has wowed audiences all around the world, from Mexico City to Moscow, from Sao Paulo to South Africa. Whether you're looking for your first Broadway musical, whether you've seen the Academy Award®-winning film and want to experience the show live on stage or whether you've seen it before and want to recapture the magic, CHICAGO always delivers. Visit www.ChicagoTheMusical.com for more information.