Non-Competitive Tony Winners Announced

The nominations for the big awards will be revealed tomorrow at 8:30AM, but the Tony Awards committee has announced the winners of its Special Tony Awards today. Congratulations to Jerry Herman, Phyllis Newman, Shirley Herz and all the folks at the Signature Theatre Company in Arlington, VA.

Herman, composer of audience favorites Milk and Honey, Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage Aux Folles as well as cultist delights Dear World, Mack & Mabel and The Grand Tour, will receive the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

The annual Regional Theatre Award goes to the Signature Theatre Company, as recommended by the American Theatre Critics Association. The award also includes a grant of $25,000 from Visa (who also happens to be one of the main Tony sponsors). As per the press release: “For 20 years, Signature Theatre has broadened and brightened the region’s cultural landscape with its bold productions of challenging new and established works.”

Newman is receiving the inaugural Isabelle Stevenson Award, established to honor a member of the theatre community “who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations.” Newman founded the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative in 1995 and has raised $3.5 million dollars and helped 2,500 in the entertainment industry.

Herz is his year’s recipient of the Tony Honors for Excellence, given to someone in the industry ineligible for Tony recognition in established categories. She has worked as a press agent for over 200 on and off Broadway for over fifty years, starting as Rosalind Russell’s personal press rep during the run of Wonderful Town.

Your Intermission Interview: 1956

I love collecting theatre memorabilia, whether it be Playbills from older shows, cast albums on LP and other formats and souvenir programs. Leafing through “The PLAYBILL for the Sam S. Shubert Theatre” for the original Broadway production of Pipe Dream, I came across this page entitled “Your Intermission Interview” which presents a checklist of the shows on the boards. This idea has been modified into the “How Many Have You Seen?” pages in the contemporary theatre Playbill which isn’t as participatory. I thought I’d share it:

YOUR INTERMISSION INTERVIEW

How many of these hits have you seen?

If your score is 14 or more you are a star; 13, you are featured; 12, you’re a bit player; less than 12, you need more rehearsals at the box office.


MUSICAL

□ FANNY – Majestic – Ezio Pinza, Walter Slezak
□ THE PAJAMA GAME – St. James – John Raitt, Eddie Foy Jr., Helen Gallagher
□ PIPE DREAM – Shubert – Helen Traubel, William Johnson
□ SILK STOCKINGS – Imperial – Hildegard Neff

COMEDY

□ BUS STOP – Winter Garden – By William Inge
□ THE CHALK GARDEN – Barrymore – Gladys Cooper, Siobhan McKenna
□ THE DESK SET – Broadhurst – Shirley Booth
□ THE MATCHMAKER – Royale – Ruth Gordon, Eileen Herlie, Loring Smith
□ THE PONDER HEART – Music Box – David Wayne
□ JANUS – Plymouth – Margaret Sullavan, Claude Dauphin, Robert Preston

DRAMA

□ A HATFUL OF RAIN – Lyceum – Shelley Winters, Ben Gazzara
□ INHERIT THE WIND – National – Paul Muni, Ed Begley, Tony Randall
□ THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK – Cort – Joseph Schildkraut, Susan Strasberg, Gusti Huber
□ THE LARK – Longacre – Julie Harris, also starring Boris Karloff
□ TIME LIMIT – Booth – Arthur Kennedy, Richard Kiley

Casting Susan Blackwell

I’m gunning for [title of show] to get a little bit of Tony love on Tuesday. It was the first new musical to open this season and as you are well aware, I found myself enjoying it immensely. (Much to the surprise of my constituents). Here’s hoping that all four stars receive the Tony recognition they deserve.

In [title of show], Susan Blackwell (who this very moment is doing a “Die Vampire Die” workshop at The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts with our friend Alicia) presented an idiosyncratically madcap based on herself; one who loved to perform and sing, but was also told she doesn’t “sing good enough to be in a musical.” Contrary to that assessment, I found Blackwell to be a perfect musical theatre comedienne. She possesses a good character voice with succinct comic sensibilities rounded out by a vulnerability revealed during the showstopping “Die, Vampire, Die, ” one of the many audience favorites in the little musical that could.

Tall and lithe, Blackwell strikes an imposing classical figure onstage, I could easily see her taking on one of the Greek tragediennes or a drawing room comedy. Blackwell’s audience appeal lies in her fearless ability to be herself and I haven’t seen her onstage since the closing performance of [tos] back in October. That is far too long for my liking so I decided that I would take it upon myself to present the casting directors of the Broadway and the regionals with a brief list of ideas for future reference…

Auntie Mame/Mame: Vera Charles
Into the Woods: The Baker’s Wife or Witch
Damn Yankees: Gloria
Annie: Miss Hannigan
Do Re Mi: Kay Cramm
Bells Are Ringing: Ella Peterson
Sail Away: Mimi Paragon
The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Princess Puffer
She Loves Me: Ilona
The Man Who Came to Dinner: Maggie Cutler, Lorraine Sheldon or Nurse Preen
A Little Night Music: Charlotte
Flora, the Red Menace: Flora
The Sound of Music: Elsa
Grey Gardens: Little Edie
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever: Daisy
On the Town: Hildy or Madame Dilly
I am the Camera/Cabaret: Sally Bowles
My Sister Eileen/Wonderful Town: Ruth Sherwood
Follies: (when she’s older) Phyllis
Holiday: Linda Seton
The Philadelphia Story: Tracy Lord
Falsettos: Trina
City of Angels: Donna/Oolie
The Boys from Syracuse: Luce

Well, dear readers, what roles would you like to see Ms. Blackwell take on?

Musical Twitter?

It’s an interesting idea using new media and technology to promote a show, but does anyone think this is a bit ridiculous (if original)?

Being reported from NBC News:

Next to Normal will become the first Broadway show to Twitter a full performance.

“For the first time ever, the full story of a Broadway musical will be told via Twitter. Follow the characters of Next to Normal as they tweet their story – all the lows, all the highs – day by day, song by song. Experience it like you never have before. No Twitter account required!” the show announced on its official website this week.

The opening tweet from the @N2NBroadway account earlier this week announced “Starting May 5, follow the characters as they tweet their story – all the lows, all the highs – day by day, song by song.”

The twitterformance (OK, that’s not really a word,) will run through June 7. Next to Normal IRL life has an open-ended run at the Booth Theatre, located at 222 W. 45th St.

Copyright NBC Local Media

The Final Tony Eligibility Rulings

With the 2008-2009 season officially over, the Tony Awards Administration Committee met today for their final deliberation over the eligibility of a whopping 17 productions for the 2009 Tony Awards. Here’s what was decided:

Matt Cavenaugh and Josefina Scaglione will be considered eligible in their respective Best Performance by a Leading Actor/Actress in a Musical categories for their performances in West Side Story.

Gavin Creel will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical category for his performance in Hair.

Constantine Maroulis and Amy Spanger will be considered eligible in their respective Best Performance by a Leading Actor/Actress in a Musical categories for their performances in Rock of Ages.

Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block and Megan Hilty will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical category for their performance in 9 to 5: The Musical.

Bruce Coughlin, Stephen Oremus and Alex Lacamoire will be considered jointly eligible in the category of Best Orchestrations for 9 to 5: The Musical.

Thomas Sadoski will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play category for his performance in reasons to be pretty.

The three parts that make up The Norman Conquests will be eligible as a single play in the Best Revival of a Play category.

Brian Dennehy will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play category for his performance in Desire Under the Elms.

Jonathan Cake and Steven Weber will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play category for their performances in The Philanthropist.

David Hyde Pierce will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play category for his performance in Accent on Youth.

John Goodman and John Glover will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play category for their performances in Waiting for Godot.

Everything else has either been previously decided or is concurrent with the opening night credits. The nominations will be announced Monday morning by Cynthia Nixon and Lin-Manuel Miranda at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Quote of the Day: "One of the Boys" Edition

The invaluable Janney juggles acerbity and warmth with flair in the Lily Tomlin role. She’s no great singer but is frequently buffered by the superior pipes of her co-stars and handles solo duties with assurance and decent pitch. Violet’s splashy “One of the Boys” is a knowingly cheesy late-’70s-style showstopper that recalls Lauren Bacall sashaying and barking through numbers in “Woman of the Year.”

– Variety on 9 to 5

The comparison seem to make sense… Janney could do well in a series of musical theatre acting roles that require less in the singing department. But does anyone recall the title of Lauren Bacall’s act one showstopper in Woman of the Year, which also served as the show’s Tony performance? That’s right. “One of the Boys.” Just thought I’d draw attention to that. Meanwhile, Janney would be a perfect choice to headline a revival of Woman of the Year.

Princess Leia & Atticus Finch for the ’09-’10 Broadway season?

It’s being reported today that Carrie Fisher’s autobiographical solo show Wishful Drinking will open on Broadway at Studio 54 this October. Fisher leaves no stone unturned about her life as she delves her razor sharp wit into every aspect: from being the child of two major stars (Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher), to pop culture icon/nerd sex symbol as Princess Leia in Star Wars, through her battles with drugs, alcohol and depression. Carrie’s evening has also been published in book form, and her story is so hilarious to read, I cannot wait to see it live. The show has been touring various venues throughout the country to considerable success, with the hopes of coming to NY. This will mark Fisher’s first appearance on Broadway since a replacement stint as Agnes in Agnes of God back in 1983. Carrie made her Broadway debut as a teenager in the chorus of her mother’s revival of Irene in 1973. Flop enthusiasts will remember Fisher from the 5-performance bomb Censored Scenes from King Kong in 1980. Fisher has gone to a stellar career as a writer and actress, including her recent Emmy-nominated guest spot as Liz Lemon’s idol on 30 Rock. It looks as though we’ve got our first serious contender for next year’s Theatrical Event awards!

Also, a small item in Playbill on Opening Night’s first night account of Desire Under the Elms mentions that Matthew Modine hopes to play Atticus Finch in a Broadway production of To Kill a Mockingbird. The article mentions Jeffrey Richards as producer, but there has been no other word about this play. The play itself was originally adapted by Christopher Sergel for use on an academic level; however the writer has frequently revised the work and it is a staple of stock and regional companies throughout the country. It has yet to be performed on a Broadway stage. However, given the definitive nature of the Oscar winning film, it feels as if a stage version isn’t entirely necessary. As it is one of my top three favorite books of all time (and one of my favorite films to boot), I’ll definitely be there if and when it happens.

Not "Today"

You gotta take the rough with the smooth…so here goes. We looked at Seth Rudetsky’s fantastic deconstruction of Angela Lansbury leading the company in “It’s Today” from the original cast album of Mame last week. Well, I just stumbled on this clip of the same number from the notorious film version starring Lucille Ball. The film does everything it can to cater to its highly miscast star, who apparently put up the money for the project. The keys have been dropped, the tempo is erratic and the orchestrations have been muted from their brassy highs. The emotions are forced, the energy lacking, plus Onna White’s choreography seems a bit much for such a cramped looking apartment. (I wonder how many people got kicked in the head during rehearsals/shooting). The most criminal thing: there is absolutely no joy. The only thing impressive about this entire mess is Lucy’s hitch kick toward the end of the number (well, she was 62 and recuperating from a broken leg…)

While I’ll always love Lucy, it will never be for Mame.

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