Journalists Lose Tony Award Voting Privileges

Approximately 100 members of the press received a very surprising notice yesterday. Journalists on what is known as the "First Night Press List" (i.e. the top priority theater journalists) were informed that they are no longer invited to vote for the Tony Awards. The letter came without warning and did not include much insight into what precipitated the decision. The only reason suggested was that the Tony Management Committee sees journalists as having a conflict of interest (some members of the press, notably those at the New York Times, already have a policy of not voting for such awards). Some people have noted that considering the remaining 700 Tony voters are made up primarily of theater owners, Broadway producers, publicists, theater artists, and others who clearly have a personal interest in the outcome of the awards, the Tony logic is backwards. Suspicions are that this move is another step for the Tony Awards to become even more commercial, where the results are more about rewarding the Broadway shows with the greatest commercial potential than those of the highest quality. Several members of the Broadway press have already made their displeasure clear in their publications. The remaining fallout should be interesting to observe. The Tonys could see a drop in press coverage if the spurned journalists turn vengeful.

Special Theatrical Event Category To Be Dropped From Tony Awards

On the heels of the 63rd Annual Tony Awards ceremony, it has been announced that the Tonys will stop giving out the Best Special Theatrical Event award. This award was created to honor unusual, non-traditional, and limited run Broadway shows that didn't fit so neatly into the Best Play or Best Musical categories. Nominees in that category this year included Will Ferrell's limited engagement (almost) one-man show You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush, the magical wintry clown show Slava's Snowshow, and winner Liza's at the Palace starring Liza Minnelli. The advantage of eliminating the category is that these Broadway shows are now eligible for other production element awards such as set design and costumes, which they previously weren't eligible for. To ensure that these special theatrical events can still be recognized, the Tonys will consider them for the Best Play or Best Musical categories. The Tony committee will also reserve the right to honor these types of shows with a Special Tony Award if deemed worthy.

God of Carnage and Billy Elliot Take Top Honors at Tonys

The sun shined in Radio City Music Hall last night where they held the 63rd Annual Tony Awards, and where Best Musical Revival winner Hair made a particularly impressive showing. The broadcast's opening number began with Elton John singing a song from Best Musical winner Billy Elliot, which led into a medley that featured several current Broadway shows, culminating in all of the performers singing "Let the Sun Shine In" together on stage as Hair's hippies prowled through the aisles and danced with Tony attendees. The rest of the ceremony - for better or for worse - was similarly eventful, and was jam-packed with musical numbers this year (including songs from touring shows Legally Blonde, Mamma Mia, and Jersey Boys). Neil Patrick Harris proved to be a great host, with a relaxed demeanor and a sharp wit - he also sang a hilarious closing song recapping highlights from the ceremony. Big winners during the night included Best Play winner God of Carnage and Best Revival of a Play winner The Norman Conquests. Actors that took home trophies included Angela Lansbury and Geoffrey Rush, whose acceptance speeches were particular highlights, Next To Normal's Alice Ripley, West Side Story's Karen Olivo, and the trio of young men who play the title role in Billy Elliot.

Tony Awards Tonight

Attention theater fans: Tonight is your night! It's Tony Awards night, which is practically a national holiday for those who love Broadway. The 63rd Annual Tony Awards will air on CBS at 8pm Eastern time in a three-hour broadcast coming live from Radio City Music Hall in midtown New York City. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) hosts the ceremony, which will feature musical numbers from the nominated shows, in addition to the awards. The impressive list of presenters will include Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Jane Fonda, Kristin Chenoweth, Anne Hathaway, Angela Lansbury, Kevin Spacey, Susan Sarandon, James Gandolfini, and many more. For Broadway lovers who would like to enjoy the telecast in the company of fellow theater fans, there is going to be a simulcast of the ceremony in Duffy Square (home of the TKTS booth), right in the heart of Times Square. Hosted by Tovah Feldshuh (currently starring in the Broadway play Irena's Vow), this special broadcast of the Tonys will also include the untelevised pre-show Creative Arts Awards from 7pm to 8pm.

Tony Presenters To Include Ferrell, Chenoweth, Fonda, Kidman, and More

The presenters for the 63rd Annual Tony Awards ceremony have been announced, and it's quite a starry line-up, full of theater celebrities (many who are currently appearing in Broadway shows) and well-known personalities from film and TV too. The stars currently scheduled to present awards and introduce the evening's performances on the telecast are: Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Jane Fonda, Kristin Chenoweth, Anne Hathaway (upcoming Twelfth Night in Central Park), Angela Lansbury (Blithe Spirit), Kevin Spacey, Lauren Graham and Oliver Platt (Guys and Dolls), Jessica Lange, Audra McDonald, Susan Sarandon (Exit the King), Carrie Fisher (upcoming Wishful Drinking), Piper Perabo (Reasons To Be Pretty), Lucie Arnaz, Kate Burton, Edie Falco, Hallie Foote, Colin Hanks, Frank Langella, David Hyde Pierce (Accent on Youth), John Stamos, Chandra Wilson, James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis (God of Carnage). Neil Patrick Harris will host the ceremony, which will air on June 7, broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Neil Patrick Harris Tapped To Host Tony Awards

The host of the 63rd Annual Tony Awards has finally been announced. Actor Neil Patrick Harris will serve as master of ceremonies on the telecast, which is set to air June 7 on CBS from 8:00 to 11:00pm, broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall. Harris first experienced celebrity as a young actor on the hit television series Doogie Howser, M.D., in which he played a medical prodigy. As an adult he went on to earn his stripes in the theater, performing in productions in Los Angeles and London, and appearing on Broadway in the musicals Cabaret and Assassins, and in the award-winning drama Proof. More recently, Neil Patrick Harris has regained a television following with his hilarious turn as womanizer Barney on the TV show How I Met Your Mother.

Billy Elliot Leads the 2009 Tony Award Nominations

The nominations for the 63rd Annual Tony Awards have been announced, and Billy Elliot leads the pack with 15 nominations, tying it with The Producers as the Broadway show with the most Tony Award nods in history. The original new Broadway musical Next To Normal received 11 nominations, Hair and Shrek the Musical grabbed eight, and Mary Stuart and The Norman Conquests were the plays that received the most recognition, each getting seven nominations. Significant snubs this year include the well-received production of The Seagull starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Peter Saarsgard, the new Jason Robert Brown musical 13, and the new revival of Desire Under the Elms starring Brian Dennehy. Other surprises include Daniel Radcliffe's failure to secure a Best Actor nod for his work in Equus, 9 To 5 being shut out of the Best Musical category, and John Goodman and Bill Irwin (both in Waiting For Godot) being snubbed. The Tony Awards ceremony will air on CBS on June 7, broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

In The Heights And August Take Top Tonys

Most of Broadway dressed up and headed to Radio City Music Hall last night for the annual Tony Awards. Some awards went exactly as expected, with Patti Lupone taking Best Actress in a Musical for Gypsy, South Pacific grabbing Best Musical Revival, and August: Osage County winning Best New Play and Best Play Direction. There were no big upsets, though a few slight surprises, such as Stew taking Best Book of a Musical (many predicted Xanadu's Douglas Carter Beane would win) and Rondi Reed being awarded for her outstanding supporting work in August (she was up against critic's darlings like Martha Plimpton and Sinead Cusack). There were many, many close contests: In the Heights got the Best Musical and Best Score prizes (which Passing Strange took in many other awards contests), Paulo Szot took Best Actor in a Musical against all-around strong competition, Deanna Dunegan got Best Actress in a Play (her biggest rival being co-star Amy Morton), and Andy Blankenbuehler's wonderful In the Heights choreography won over Rob Ashford's impressive work for Cry-Baby.

Whoopi Goldberg was a great host for the night, and the show moved at a brisk pace. The fact that such major awards as Best Play Revival, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Choreography were not handed out during the televised broadcast was an embarrassment, but on the upside it did allow more time for musical performances. No doubt many viewers will be anxious to head to Broadway to see shows like Cry-Baby, Gypsy, Passing Strange, Xanadu, and Young Frankenstein after seeing their energetic performances on TV.

Broadway's Best On Tonys Tonight

The Tony Awards, the annual honoring of Broadway's best achievements, begins at 8pm on CBS tonight in a three-hour show hosted by Whoopi Goldberg and broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall. Some of the creative awards are being left off the TV telecast tonight, so Broadawy fans should point their browsers to www.TonyAwards.com at 7:15pm to see those being handed out. Visit that site at 6pm to watch the red carpet arrivals being webcast.

Tony Telecast To Celebrate Broadway Milestones

Generally the annual Tony Awards telecast only features musical numbers from currently nominated Broadway musicals, but this year's Tony broadcast is also going to feature appearances by the casts of two formerly nominated Broadway shows, The Lion King and Rent. The Lion King's return performance is in honor of the long-running Broadway musical's 10-year anniversary (the "Disney on Broadway" hit is still going strong and selling out regularly). For Rent, the return will be more bittersweet, since that 1996 Tony Award-winning Broadway phenomenon is finally calling it quits and closing its Broadway production in September. However, Rent has enjoyed a long and good life on Broadway, having played for over 12 years.

Tony Award Nominations Announced Today

This morning the nominations for the 62nd Annual Tony Awards were announced by David Hyde Pierce (Broadway's Curtains, TV's Frasier) and Sara Ramirez (TV's Grey's Anatomy, Broadway's Spamalot), and the musical In the Heights came out on top with an impressive 13 nominations. Other musicals that did well were Passing Strange and the Broadway revivals of South Pacific and Sunday in the Park with George; August: Osage County fared particularly well among the plays. Given that all of these shows were well-reviewed, their success was expected, and today's Tony nods actually yielded very few surprises. However, they have set up some pretty exciting contests for Tony night on June 15, when we'll find out which Broadway shows and performers reign supreme. If you want to judge for yourself, make sure you see as many of the noms as possible before then.

Whoopi To Host Broadway's Tony Awards

As she announced herself this morning on The View (which she co-hosts), Whoopi Goldberg will be the host of the 62nd Annual Tony Awards, which will broadcast live on CBS on June 15. Whoopi appeared on Broadway only a couple years ago in a solo show, and she also occasionally serves as a producer of Broadway shows. "I love Broadway and I'm thrilled to be doing anything for the first time," she said about the Tony gig, "I'm gonna have a blast."

12 Broadway Musicals To Feature In Tony Concert

Visa Signature will be offering a taste of the Tonys by sponsoring a "Tonys Preview Concert," to be taped at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 11. All of this season's Broadway musicals that are eligible for Tony nominations will perform at the event. The broadcast will air on CBS in the New York City area on June 7, but dates will vary in other markets, so check local listings. And don't forget to check out the Tony Awards ceremony itself, which will air on June 15.

Date Set For Tony Awards

The 62nd Annual Tony Awards show, which honors the best of Broadway each year, will be held on June 15, 2008 at Radio City Music Hall. As usual, the ceremony will be broadcast on CBS. With the Broadway season just now beginning, there isn't much buzz yet on which shows are most likely to be Tony contenders, but come Spring, the Broadway community will surely be engaging in heated debates over who will take home the statues.

Tony Awards Nominating Committee Announced

The Tony Awards Nominating Committee for the 2007-2008 season, the people who will be in charge of seeing all of the Broadway shows and picking the best, has been announced. Among the many distinguished Broadway performers and theater professionals on the committee are producer Sue Frost, actress Joanna Gleason (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), actor Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ragtime), actress Phyllis Newman, playwright Lynn Nottage, actor Roger Rees, choreographer Donald Saddler, and theater writer Steven Suskin.

Tony Awards To Add Two New Categories Next Year

It has just been announced that the Tonys, the annual awards that reward Broadway excellence, will be adding two new categories in the 2007-2008 season: Best Sound Design of a Musical and Best Sound Design of a Play. It's about time that the Tonys recognize good sound design, a vital part of the Broadway experience. Perhaps what finally led them to this decision was that the recently-completed Broadway season boasted so many shows that demonstrated such impressive sound design -- most notably Journey's End, Talk Radio, and The Coast of Utopia.

First Wave of Post-Tony Closings

So far there have been two casualties following the Tony Awards. Oddly enough, the first Broadway show to post its closing notice was Company, which actually won the biggest award that it was up for, Best Revival of a Musical. Usually struggling shows will do their best to stick it out until the Tonys, in the hopes that they'll win an award and then be able to attract a bigger audience. But apparently that hasn't worked out for Company. The other show to make such an announcement was August Wilson's play Radio Golf, which lost the Best Play award to The Coast of Utopia. Both shows will have their last Broadway performance on July 1.

Few Surprises at Tony Awards Show

The Broadway musical phenomenon Spring Awakening and the epic play trilogy The Coast of Utopia took the top prizes at the Tony Awards on Sunday night, as expected. Also unsurprising: Frank Langella taking the Best Actor in Play award for his masterful performance in Frost/Nixon, Christine Ebersole winning the Best Actress in a Musical award for playing two different characters in Grey Gardens, and John Gallagher Jr. grabbing Featured Actor in a Musical for his tortured teen in Spring Awakening. Company got Best Musical Revival and the marvelous Journey's End (which sadly had its last Broadway performance just hours before the Tonys began) took Play Revival.

The only true "upset" came when dark horse David Hyde Pierce's name was announced for Best Actor in a Musical rather than the favored Raul Esparza. Pierce's warm-hearted acceptance speech was a highlight of the evening, as was Langella's classy one. Manic Julie White, winner of Best Actress in a Play for her agent-from-hell in The Little Dog Laughed, was the comic highlight at the podium, followed closely by Mary Louise Wilson (Grey Gardens). The musical performances sandwiched in between the award presentations were less than thrilling this year, with the exceptions of the Chorus Line opener (performed on the street outside Radio City Music Hall) and the energetic Spring Awakening medley (which amply proved that Duncan Sheik deserved his Best Score award).

Tonys Tonight!

Don't forget to tune into the 61st Annual Tony Awards show at 8pm tonight (Eastern Standard time) on CBS. Broadway's best will be on display as they are honored for their achievements in the 2006-2007 Broadway season. If you're in the New York area, also check out the "Red Carpet" pre-show on NY1 at 6pm.

Tony Award Presenters Announced

In between musical numbers performed by the casts of nominated Broadway shows Curtains, Grey Gardens, Mary Poppins, Spring Awakening, 110 in the Shade, Company, and A Chorus Line, a starry line-up of actors and entertainers will be presenting this year's Tony Awards on June 10. The list includes Harry Connick, Jr., Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, Neil Patrick Harris, Anne Heche, Marg Helgenberger, Felicity Huffman, Eddie Izzard, Jane Krakowski, Angela Lansbury, Robert Sean Leonard, John Mahoney, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, Bernadette Peters, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher Plummer, Kevin Spacey, Usher, Sam Waterston, Vanessa Williams, Rainn Wilson, and more! There will also be a special performance by Fantasia, the former American Idol who is now starring in The Color Purple on Broadway.

The Tony Nominations - Who got the honor, and who got the cold shoulder

The Tony nominations came out today, and it's no surprise that the shows receiving top recognition were the epic Tom Stoppard play The Coast of Utopia and the hot new musical Spring Awakening, which have a total of 10 and 11 nominations, respectively. The real shock was what -- and who -- didn't manage to make the cut this year. Legally Blonde failed to land a Best Musical nom (despite the fact that it got nominations for Book and Score), and both The Pirate Queen and the Les Miserables revival were completely shut out. Broadway darling Kristin Chenoweth did not snag an acting nom for her performance in The Apple Tree, and Oscar winner Kevin Spacey's turn in A Moon for the Misbegotten was snubbed. Among those triumphant were Christopher Plummer (Inherit the Wind), Liev Schreiber (Talk Radio), Vanessa Redgrave (The Year of Magical Thinking), Angela Lansbury (Deuce), Audra McDonald (110 in the Shade), and David Hyde Pierce (Curtains). To see these heavy hitters, and many others, duking it out for the big prizes, tune into the Tony Awards on CBS on June 10.