Tony Award Nominees Announced

Oprah Winfrey's "The Color Purple," which got a lukewarm reception from critics but which has been a box office hit, made a surprisingly strong showing, taking 11 nominations, more than the widely acclaimed "Jersey Boys" about 1960s music band Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons which took eight.

The nominations for best play were "The History Boys," Martin McDonagh's "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," "Rabbit Hole" starring Cynthia Nixon, who is among the favorites for best actress in a play, and "Shining City," whose star Oliver Platt was nominated for best actor.

The nominations for best musical were "The Color Purple," "The Drowsy Chaperone," "Jersey Boys," and "The Wedding Singer," which was adapted from the film starring Adam Sandler.

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Hasty Pudding Theatricals Honors Richard Gere and Halle Berry

Richard Gere and Halle Berry have been selected as the Hasty Pudding man and woman of the year by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals of Harvard University. The awards are presented annually for "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment." The BBC reports that Gere accepted his Man of the year award wearing a white bra and a blonde wig. He also sung the "Razzle Dazzle" song from Chicago.

The actor's singing performance included the lyrics "I could become a permanent resident, I could become your next president," in reference to Harvard president Lawrence Summers, who resigned last week.

Vice-president of Hasty Pudding Theatricals Peter Dodd said it was "natural" to give this year's award to Richard Gere.

"He is one of those actors that's been around for so long," he said.

Previous recipients of the award include film director Martin Scorsese and actress Catherine Zeta Jones.

Both Gere and Berry were presented with Pudding Pot awards. More about Hasty Pudding Theatricals can be found here.


Posted on February 27, 2006
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2005 National Medal of Arts Recipients Named

The National Medal of Arts, established by Congress in 1984, is awarded by the President to those who have made extraordinary contributions to the creation, growth, and support of the arts in the United States. Here is a list of the 2005 National Medal of Arts recipients.

Louis Auchincloss, author, New York, NY

James DePreist, symphony orchestra conductor, New York, NY

Paquito D'Rivera, jazz musician, composer, writer, North Bergen, NJ

Robert Duvall, actor, Plains, VA

Leonard Garment, arts patron and advocate, New York, NY

Ollie Johnston, film animator and artist, Burbank, CA

Wynton Marsalis, trumpeter, composer, Jazz at Lincoln Center artistic director, New York, NY

Dolly Parton, singer, songwriter, Pigeon Forge, TN Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, school of fine arts/museum, Phildelphia, PA

Tina Ramirez, choreographer, Ballet Hispanico artistic director, New York, NY

You can find out more out about each of the artists here on the NEA's website.


Posted on November 10, 2005
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2005 Tony Award Winners Announced

Doubt won four Tonys including Best Play at the 59th annual Tony Awards. Monty Python's Spamalot took home the Tony for Best Musical and Bill Crystal won the award for Best Special Theatrical Event for 700 Sundays. A list of the winners is below. Broadway.com has a report on the Tony Award winners and the offical Tony Awards website also has a list of the winners with additional details about each play.

Best Play: Doubt

Best Musical: Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Book of a Musical: Rachel Sheinkin for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre: Adam Guettel for The Light in the Piazza

Best Revival of a Play: Glengarry Glen Ross

Best Revival of a Musical: La Cage aux Folles

Best Special Theatrical Event: Billy Crystal 700 Sundays

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Bill Irwin for Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play: Cherry Jones for Doubt

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Norbert Leo Butz for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Victoria Clark for The Light in the Piazza

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: Liev Schreiber for Glengarry Glen Ross

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play: Adriane Lenox for Doubt

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical: Dan Fogler for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical: Sara Ramirez for Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Scenic Design of a Play: Scott Pask for The Pillowman

Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Michael Yeargan for The Light in the Piazza

Best Costume Design of a Play: Jess Goldstein for The Rivals

Best Costume Design of a Musical: Catherine Zuber for The Light in the Piazza

Best Lighting Design of a Play: Brian MacDevitt for The Pillowman

Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Christopher Akerlind for The Light in the Piazza

Best Direction of a Play: Doug Hughes for Doubt

Best Direction of a Musical: Mike Nichols for Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Choreography: Jerry Mitchell for La Cage aux Folles

Best Orchestrations: Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin for The Light in the Piazza

Regional Theatre Tony Award: Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: Edward Albee


Posted on June 6, 2005
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Drama Desk Names Spamalot Best Musical

Doubt, John Patrick Shanley's drama about a strong-minded nun in a Bronx Catholic school who suspects a priest of being a possible child molester, and The Light in the Piazza, a musical about a mother and daughter traveling together in Italy in the summer of 1953, each won five awards at the 50th Annual Drama Desk Awards. The next big winners of the evening, with three Drama Desk Awards each, were two new musicals: Monty Python's Spamalot, based on the 1975 film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with book, music and lyrics by Eric Idle, directed by Mike Nichols, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a new musical, staged by James Lapine, about six young people on the edge of puberty who strive to become adults by competing in an annual spelling bee.

Doubt and Monty Python's Spamalot were voted Outstanding New Play and Outstanding New Musical, respectively. Billy Crystal won the Outstanding Solo Performance Drama Desk Award for his one-man show, 700 Sundays; Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit was voted a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue; Slava's Snowshow won the Unique Theatrical Experience Award; and Outstanding Ensemble Drama Desk Awards were presented to the casts of Glengarry Glen Ross and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.


Posted on May 26, 2005
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Spamalot Receives 14 Tony Nominations

Monty Python's Spamalot has received a total of 14 nominations for this year's Tony awards. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Light in the Piazza both have 11 Tony nominations. Nominees for Best Play include Democracy, Doubt, Gem of the Ocean and The Pillowman. Best Musical nominations went to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Light in the Piazza, Monty Python's Spamalot and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Here is complete list of this year's Tony award nominations. The BBC also has an article about the 2005 Tony Awards.


Posted on May 16, 2005
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2005 Kleban Winners Announced

Playbill.com reports that the winners of the 2005 Kleban Awards are David Javerbaum, Cheryl L. Davis and Ken Stone. David Javerbaum was named the most promising musical theatre lyricist and Davis and Stone were named the most promising librettists in what Playbill describes as a "rare two-way tie."


Posted on May 11, 2005
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Doubt Wins Four Lucille Lortel Awards

Doubt by John Patrick Shanley has won four Lucille Lortel Awards. Doubt also won for Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Featured Actress and Outstanding Director. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee won in the Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Featured Actor categories. And Nine Parts of Desire starring and written by Heather Raffo won in the Outstanding Solo Show category. The 2005 Lucille Lortel Awards were presented on Monday, May 2nd at Dodger Stages. A full list of the winnners can be found here on BroadwayWorld.com.


Posted on May 10, 2005
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