Leighton Meester has played the character Blair Waldorf on the CW’s Gossip Girls for years. Now, she is moving from her previous character’s New York Upper East Side apartment to life on the ranch in her Broadway debut of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.
Meester will join James Franco and Chris O’Dowd in the revival of the unlikely story of two field workers, George and Lennie, during the Great Depression. The producers announced on Monday that Meester, who also starred in Country Strong, had been chosen to play the part of a ranch boss’ wife, and a woman that intrigues the mentally challenged Lennie. This is exciting news for all of the Broadway enthusiasts as Of Mice and Men has not been shown on Broadway in over 40 years. The performances will start in March at the Longacre Theatre in New York and will be directed by Anna D. Shapiro.
This is the second big thing to happen to Meester in less than a month. Although she has tried to keep her relationship out of the spotlight as much as possible, it was confirmed last month that Meester is now engaged to her boyfriend, Adam Brody. So far, no dates have been set for their wedding.
Sure, you know and love the 1965 Hollywood movie musical classic, The Sound of Music, starring the legendary Julie Andrews. But now you get a chance to see the musical as it was meant to be, in its stage form, right from the comfort of your own couch.
On December 5th, NBC will air the full-scale, blowout, elaborate Broadway inspired The Sound of Music Live! starring American Idol champion and country music superstar Carrie Underwood as Maria. The Tony winning, Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, implies just as the name suggests. It will come to you live, just like it would be if you were sitting at the Gershwin Theater on Broadway.
Carrie Underwood has very little acting experience. However, after the tremendous pressure of having to perform for her life on American Idol every week and almost ten years of touring and selling out arenas, she seems more than seasoned for the role. However, not everyone agrees with that sentiment. She told Entertainment Weekly that she was getting hate tweets from Julie Andrews fans on Twitter.
Carrie Underwood defends her role in Sound of Music revamp—and says she gets "hate tweets" http://t.co/P4rT2NsuoQ
But guess who had her back? Julie Andrews herself supported Underwood and spoke about the difficulty of having to perform the musical live. “Fifty years later, it’s time somebody had another crack at it. I had the best time of my life doing it, and it did wonderful things for me. I think it’s great that it’s being done again, but doing it live must be so daunting for Carrie.”
If you’re a fan of the HBO vampire drama True Blood, you will also want to check out the program. Stephen Moyer, aka Vampire Bill, will play Captain George Von Trapp. And if you’re worried that Moyer won’t live up to Christopher Plummer’s Von Trapp, you shouldn’t be. The British actor has seen his fair share of the stage. He performed in over three dozen musicals before falling in love with Sookie Stackhouse in Bon Temps.
Although Blythe Danner, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow, is widely known for her roles in Meet the Parents and Will & Grace, she has performed in numerous theatrical productions in her past. Danner now heads the bill along with Sarah Jessica Parker in a play written by actress Amanda Peet entitled, The Commons of Pensacola.
According to the Manhattan Theatre Club,The Commons of Pensacola is an “uncommon family drama” that revolves around estranged wife Judith, played by Blythe Danner, and Sarah Jessica Parker’s portrayal as her daughter Becca. They, along with other members of the family, deal with the aftermath of a financial scandal involving Judith’s husband and Becca’s father. Judith carries the heaviest burden of the public disgrace, and is reduced to a one-room retirement condo with none of her former possessions in Pensacola, Florida.
Judith maintains her dignity throughout, while dealing with an actress daughter close to burn-out along with additional strain from other family members. The Commons of Pensacola is set as a moody tragicomedy with heavy dialogue.
Reviews so far of The Commons of Pensacola have been less than favorable, (The New York Times theater critic was among those who bristled at the flatulence jokes “forced upon” Blythe Danner) and the general opinion seem to be that acting expertise of Blythe Danner and Sarah Jessica Parker are the only saving grace of the play.
There is a question, however, of if critics hold Blythe Danner in such high esteem that its strange to see her play characters that have a bit more of a brasher dialogue.
The Commons of Pensacola runs through January 26 at the City Center Stage I in Manhattan.
Alanis Morissette has had a wildly successful career as a singer, and it started at a young age. She has released several albums throughout her career, but none of them have been as significant to her or her friends, as her classic “Jagged Little Pill” from 1995. The album that earned her five Grammys will now be heading to the stage, and Morissette will turn her classic album into a Broadway musical.
The Canadian singer has made quite a name for herself over the years, and “Jagged Little Pill” especially was a very personal and outspoken album for her. When the album was released in 1995, it stayed atop the Billboard charts for 12 weeks, and sold more than 33 million copies.
The album also produced six singles, and to this day, it is still the best-selling debut album by a female artist in the U.S., as well as the highest-selling debut album worldwide in music history. She was also the youngest artist to win the Grammy for Album of Year at 21.
Alanis Morissette is turning "Jagged Little Pill" into a Broadway musical. Wonder if the album's greatness will go down on us in a theater.
With the lyrics of the album, it is easy to tell how personal it is for the singer, and she is excited to help bring that energy to Broadway. She explained of the experience of turning it into a musical, “I look forward to taking the heart of Jagged Little Pill and expanding its story, fleshing it out into ever deeper layers of emotionality, specificity, humanity, power, physicality, spirit and fabulism.”
The new musical will feature each track from Alanis Morissette’s Grammy-winning album, in addition to other hits throughout her career, and a few originals especially for the show. Perhaps “Thank You” or “Hands Clean” will be included? She has not been given much attention in recent years, but the pop star from the 90’s has also released new material, with “Flavors Of Entanglement” in 2008, and “Havoc And Bright Lights” in 2012.
Jagged Little Pill will be produced by Vivek J. Tiwary and Arvind Ethan David, and Tom Kitt will be provide the orchestrations and arrangements. David is excited about the production, and said “Alanis’ songs have always uniquely combined narrative clarity with dramatic power– bringing them to the Broadway stage feels like bringing them home.”
Fans of Alanis Morissette can all get excited for a new way to see some of her old material again, and an opportunity to see some new songs in relation to her most well-known work. Alanis Morissette, who is now 39-years-old, is set to release her popular album on Broadway in the early part of 2014.
Wow: Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" album is being made into a Broadway musical. Same producer as "American Idiot.
Michael C. Hall, better known to most as Dexter Morgan, is slated to be one of several big name stars in a new Broadway play. Hall, along with Toni Collette, Marissa Tomei and Tracy Letts are set to be in a Broadway production of The Realistic Joneses, a play by Will Eno. For those of you that are already missing Hall’s beloved character, cheer up, you will be able to see him on Broadway as early as March.
Hall, of course, is most well-known for his role in Dexter, which just finished up its 8th and final season on Showtime recently. He starred on the HBO hit Six Feet Under, which ran for five seasons. He has also been in several films, and is getting ready to appear in one of the most anticipated film of the fall, Kill Your Darlings, alongside former Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe.
Daniel Radcliffe On Working With #MichaelCHall: "He Probably Gets Called Dexter As Much As I Get Called Harry Potter" http://t.co/VmQ8RBVdIa
In addition to Hall, his co-stars are more well-known as film actors and are likely to gain even more attention. Toni Collette has also appeared on Broadway once before in The Wild Party. Like Hall, she also had a starring role in a Showtime series, The United States of Tara. Tomei is well-known for her Oscar winning role in My Cousin Vinny, and has also appeared on Broadway in Wait Until Dark, Salome, and Top Girls.
I will never see Michael C. Hall as anyone but #Dexter.
Bryan Cranston, who recently ended his run on AMC’s hit Breaking Bad is also starring in a broadway play called All The Way, in which he will portray former President Johnson.
The play tells the story of two couples, both with the last name of Jones. It is set in a small rural town, and presents the intertwining lives of two neighboring couples who live in identical houses and share the same last name. In somewhat of a utopia like setting, the two couples are forced to choose between perfect fantasies and imperfect realities.
Michael c hall is going to be in a broadway show. I just died.
A theater has been chosen for the play yet, but previews are set to begin in February, with an opening weekend of sometime in late March. Hall has appeared on Broadway twice before this, in Chicago and Cabaret.
The author of the play, Will Eno, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Thom Pain, and also wrote Middletown, Title and Deed, and Oh, The Humanity and Other Exclamations. The Realistic Joneses first premiered at the Yale Repertory in 2012 with Tracy Letts on board already. Sam Gold will also return as the director of the Broadway version.
Michael C Hall is coming to Broadway!!!! March 2014!!!!!!
After the end of Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston has already taken on a new role. He will play former president Lyndon Johnson in a Broadway play called All The Way. For those of you going through withdrawals without Breaking Bad on Sunday nights, you will be able to catch him on Broadway soon enough, which will debut this winter.
The premiere date is unknown, but it will mark the Broadway debut for the veteran television actor. Cranston gained a lot of fans and recognition for his role as Walter White and although fans are sad to see it go, they can rejoice in the fact that he has a new role to impress audiences with.
All The Way is written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, and it tells the story of LBJ through his first year in office after taking over the presidency, following the death of JFK in 1963. It goes on to tell the story of how he get elected and beat out Barry Goldwater in the following year, according to CBS News. It also discusses his advancements in the field of civil rights and the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Bryan Cranston is now playing LBJ on Broadway… and no I don't mean LeBron James. The original LBJ, you know the former president.
This role will be quite the contrast for Cranston who just finished a five-year-run of playing one of the biggest drug kingpins in the country. AMC’s Breaking Bad recently finished it’s fifth season and was shown to a record number of people, totaling 10.3 million. Cranston has been appearing in the play at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The production has been performing to a sold out crowd and is set to close out the run on Sunday.
All The Way, which has a runtime of about 3 hours, The Los Angeles Times mentions that it has received mixed reviews so far. The news of Cranston’s casting was released from producer Jeffrey Richards over social media on Sunday. Cranston has been in theater performances before, starting back in 1987 with The Steven Weed Show, and appearing in a 2006 production of Sam Shepard’s The God of Hell.
Bryan Cranston is even better as LBJ than he was as Walter White. I suspect "All the Way" will go all the way to Broadway.
A week after its official re-opening, New Orleans historic Saenger Theatre threw a celebration gala headlined by Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth. The October 5th show was touted as Chenoweth’s New Orleans debut.
The star displayed her incredible vocal range with performances of well-known Broadway favorites such as Over the Rainbow, My Fair Lady, and The Phantom of the Opera. She was accompanied by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of her own conductor, Kevin Stites.
Omg. Just had an amazing rehearsal with Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
Chenoweth usually brings along a trio of singers/dancers to performances such as this, and Saturday night she added a few surprise guests from Louisiana to that mix. The almost 2-1/2 hour long show was a huge hit, with some reviewers dubbing her an “honorary New Orlean” and suggesting that the star be invited to perform at the city’s tricentennial celebration in 2018.
The Saenger Theatre, a New Orleans landmark, opened in 1927. Performances originally included silent movies and stage plays, with music from the theater’s orchestra.
Over the years, the theater was bought and sold several times, and eventually landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The following year, it was purchased by a group of investors who proceeded to spend an additional $3 million to renovate it into a performing arts center. It flourished until 2005, when it suffered severe water damage during Hurricane Katrina.
Saturday’s re-opening gala celebrated the conclusion of a $53 million restoration effort. The Saenger was originally designed and built to resemble an Italian Baroque courtyard, and the recent renovation aimed to restore it to that atmospheric grandeur.
The theater officially re-opened on September 27th, with a sold-out three night performance by comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
The Saenger plans to host a variety of private and public events. Its Broadway in New Orleans series kicks off on October 15th with a two-week run of The Book of Mormon.
While its too early to judge the success of the restored Saenger, for now the city seems to be enthusiastically embracing the theater’s re-opening as a symbol of continued post-Katrina recovery.
Image via Facebook
After 30 years, Diahann Carroll is heading back to the “Great White Way.” She will be joining Denzel Washington in the second Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun, where the two will play mother and son.
The Tony Award winners will be joining a cast that includes Academy Award-nominee Sophie Okonedo as Ruth Younger, Tony Award-winner Anika Noni as Beneatha Younger, Stephen Tyrone Williams as Joseph Asagai, Jason Dirden as George Murchison, and Tony Award-nominee Stephen McKinley Henderson as Bobo.
Carroll is excited to be a part of the play, and she told the Associated Press, why she thinks the show keeps getting revived. “I think it’s one of our most original plays and I think that’s why it keeps coming back.”
The play, written by Lorraine Hansberry, originated on Broadway in 1959. It centers around a black family, the Younger’s, in the late 1950s, trying to make a better life for themselves in a white neighborhood. Walter, his wife Ruth, their son Travis, Walter’s mother Lena (Mama), and his sister Beneatha share a two bedroom apartment in Chicago’s south side. When a ten thousand dollar insurance check comes in, Walter has his own ideas for how to spend the money, but Mama uses part of it to buy a home for the family in a white neighborhood. Walter wants a share of the money to make a name for himself and open a liquor store, but Mama objects because of her religious beliefs. Soon though, Mama relents and gives the money to Walter, as long as he agrees to put some back for his sister’s education. Instead, Walter gives it all to a business partner, who he never hears from again. Through these financial trials, the family tries to move on, together.
The original cast, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Ivan Dixon, Louis Gossett, Jr. and John Fiedler, were also in the 1961 film adaptation. The last Broadway revival, in 2004, starred Sean “Diddy” Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Sanaa Lathan and Audra McDonald. The 2004 Broadway cast also starred in the TV movie version of the play which aired on ABC in 2008. Kenny Leon, who directed the 2008 television film version, will also direct the 2013 revival on Broadway.
Even though it’s been three decades since she’s been on stage, Carroll seems to think most actors always end up going back. “I feel that most of us like to come back to the theater for multiple reasons – it is a reminder of what we can do, what we cannot do and what it is we need to address in terms of holding on to whatever gifts God was kind enough to give us.”
Previews begin March 8, 2013 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, the same stage where the original play was performed. Opening night is scheduled for April 3, 2013.
The Tony Awards announced today that actor Neil Patrick Harris will once again be hosting the annual theater awards show. Harris has hosted the awards show three times in the past, hosting the 63rd, 65th, and last year’s 66th Annual Tony Awards.
“I’m very excited to be back hosting the Tony Awards at the legendary Radio City Music Hall,” said Harris. “It’ll be more impressive than ever – if my math is correct, it will be 267 times bigger than last year. Oh, wait. No, that can’t… hold on… carry the one… I’m awful at math. But rest assured, the show will rock!”
This year’s 67th Annual Tony Awards will take place on Sunday, June 9. The ceremony has been held each year since 1947 by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. In addition to hosting, Harris will also be co-producing the awards show.
“Neil is a multi-talented performer whose showmanship, wit and energy command the stage of live events,” said Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment. “He is a master of ceremony, who truly loves celebrating the performing arts with the highest level of entertainment, and it’s quite obvious to the audience he’s having a lot of fun along the way.”
Harris gained fame in the early 90s for playing the title role on the TV series Doogie Howser, M.D. He has gone on to star in movies, plays, and other TV shows, including the hit network TV comedy How I Met Your Mother.
Recently, Harris starred in a bizarre and silly series of shorts on the Nerdist YouTube channel called Neil’s Puppet Dreams:
There may be no crying in baseball, but Tom Hanks demonstrated this week that there is plenty of room for emotion on Broadway. The actor this week made his Broadway debut in the play Lucky Guy.
According to a New York Post report, Hanks teared up after the play, while receiving a standing ovation. He told the publication that he had wanted to take a bow with the show’s writer, Nora Ephron, who died last year after a battle with leukemia. From the Post:
Of the emotional curtain call, Hanks told us, “That was a tough moment. We were going to do this, and Nora and [show director] George C. Wolfe were going to walk out onstage. I miss her. What more can you say?”
Hanks and Ephron, apart from being personal friends, have a long history of working together in Hollywood. Ephron wrote and directed the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, and followed that up with 1998’s You’ve Got Mail.
As for Lucky Guy, the show is getting mixed reviews as a play, though some critics have praised Ephron’s writing.
Debra Winger, who starred in such memorable films as “Urban Cowboy” and “An Officer And A Gentleman”, has left the spotlight in recent years, becoming something of a recluse in Hollywood terms rather than be subjected to what she called “mediocre” projects.
That’s why it was such a surprise when she accepted a role in a David Mamet production called “The Anarchist”, which made its Broadway debut on Sunday. Winger says Mamet didn’t even talk to her about the show or the fact that he wanted her in it; instead, he sent her a copy of the script with a note asking her to accept the role.
“Right there, you’re 50 yards down the field,” Winger said. “You’re like, ‘Wow, I could hang out with this guy. He knows something about human nature.’”
The pair worked together and struck up a friendship on the set of the 1987 film “Black Widow”, which probably contributed to her surprising answer, the outcome shocking and scaring even her.
“I think that’s part of my deal — if it doesn’t scare me, why do it? There must be something in there to mine, to plumb, if I have this feeling,” she says. “That’s why in the scary movies you’re all yelling ‘Don’t open the door!’ It’s these things that we’re compelled to do, I think, that holds something for our life.”
Mamet is not just a playwright, but also does screenplays for film and television, including “The Untouchables” and “Hannibal”. Winger says he’s created two strong roles for women with “The Anarchist”, something he’s not been known for in the past.
“It’s something we don’t get very often,” she says. “Maybe that is the problem — that people think they have to write women instead of human being.”
Scarlett Johansson, who won a Tony Award for her performance in “A View From A Bridge” in 2010, is set to make her way back to the big stage in a production of “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof”.
Johansson, whose last film was the hugely successful “The Avengers”, released a statement on the heels of the show’s announcement:
“I am so thrilled to return to Broadway and feel incredibly fortunate to be doing so with Rob Ashford and such gifted actors.”
The “Lost In Translation” actress will be starring alongside Benjamin Walker (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and Ciaran Hinds in the production; her own role was made famous by Elizabeth Taylor on the big screen in 1958. The show will premiere around Christmastime this year.
The Broadway arts community mourns the loss of a great and talented composer today. Marvin Hamlisch, a well-known composer from from New York, NY, is now dead.
During his youth, Hamlisch was accepted into Juilliard School of Music’s Pro-College Division, and his first job was playing the piano for the play Funny Girl, which starred Barbara Streisand.
Many of us knew Hamlisch for his work with various Broadway productions, providing musical scores for well-known plays, such as: The Way We Were (1973), adaptations for Scott Joplin’s The Sting (1973), A Chorus Line (1975), and They’re Playing Our Song (1978).
With his work with A Chorus Line, the musical score for this amazing Broadway play earned him both a Tony Award and also a Pulitzer Prize. To give you a taste of Hamlisch’s work, I have provided below a YouTube clip of the song “One” from A Chorus Line.
Many other of Hamlisch’s scores can be heard within popular movies and productions, such as: Sophie’s Choice, Ordinary People, Three Men and a Baby, Ice Castles, The Informant!, and Behind the Candelabra.
Unfortunately, Marvin Hamlisch died on August 6th, 2012, at the age of 68 after a brief illness. Various fans of Hamlisch’s work have left their respects via Twitter (provided below).
Producers said wednesday in a release to EW, that “30 Rock” Star Alec Baldwin will appear in Lyle Kessler’s “Orphans” in Spring 2013.
The play premiered in 1983 at The Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles. A film version was made in 1987. ‘Orphans’ tells the story of two orphaned brothers living an a run-down Philadelphia row house, who kidnap a wealthy man, Harold. Harold will be played by Alec. Treat, the older brother to Phillip, takes care of his disabled younger brother by stealing, bu the two find a father figure in Harold soon after the kidnapping. Daniel Sullivan will direct and and Frederick Zollo and Robert Cole will produce.
It will run at a Schubert-owned theatre to be announced. The rest of the cast hasn’t been decided and will be revealed later.
The last time Bladwin was on Broadway was in “Entertaining Mr. Sloane” in 2006. He has been on stage, although not Broadway, in 2010, when he performed “Equus” in East Hampton, N.Y. Before that, he played the iconic role of Stanley Kowaslski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1992.
If you’re a fan of Broadway, you’ll probably want to see some monologues like this in Orphans. Alec Baldwin has been in over 40 films, but this is arguably his best monologue.
Richard Adler, the composer and lyricist who co-wrote songs for the hit musicals “Damn Yankees” and “The Pajama Game”, as well as the hit songs “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Hernando’s Hideaway”, passed away at his Southhampton, New York home on Thursday. He was 90. In addition to composing and writing lyrics to a number of songs, Adler was also the mastermind behind the John F. Kennedy birthday celebration featuring Marilyn Manroe’s famous birthday number.
Adler began his career as a lyricist in 1950, following a stint in the Navy. It was around this time that he joined forces with Jerry Ross, another budding composer. Together they penned a number of tunes, with both men taking equal credit for music and lyrics. After deciding that working together was ideal, the men found a mentor in Frank Loesser, the famous Broadway composer responsible for writing the songs to both “Guys and Dolls” and “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying”. After numerous Top 10 songs and three Broadway hits in as many years, the duo’s career was cut short by Ross’ death in 1955.
Sadly, Adler would find little success on the scene following his partner’s untimely demise, though he still continued to work alone and with other composers over the years. In addition to co-writing the hit Doris Day song “Everybody Loves a Lover” with Robert Allen in 1958, Adler also wrote “Olympus 7-0000” for the show ABC Stage 67. His last Broadway musical, “Music Is”, debuted in 1976 and featured lyrics from Will Holt.
Adler’s contributions have earned him a number awards, including three Tony Awards, two Variety Critics Awards, two Donaldson Awards, an Emmy Award, and four Pulitzer nominations. In 1984, the composer was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
A number of individuals familiar with Richard Adler and his contributions to Broadway have taken to Twitter to express their condolences over his passing. A fair share such posts have been collected and embedded into the space provided below. For more information about the composer, stop by Famous Dead.
Google hosted the touring cast of the Broadway musical American Idiot for a Q&A session. The musical is based on the hit 2004 Green Day album of the same title.
Bradley Horowitz, the VP of Product Management for Google+, posted some photos and video of the event to his Google+ stream.
Wonderful cast of American Idiot at Google. (image) (image)128 (image)18 Powered by socialditto
Here’s the full hour-long YouTube video, which people seemed to enjoy, based on the feedback on the social network:
The event was part of Google’s @Google Talks series. Other recent talks include Dr. Victoria Sweet, Chris Johnson and Hank Willis, and author Beatrice Peltre. You can see all of the videos Google uploads from these events here.
Neil Patrick Harris can apparently do no wrong. After opening the 2012 Tony Awards in true NPH fashion — “Welcome to the 66th Annual Tony Awards, or as we like to call it, Fifty Shades of Gay,” he joked at the show’s opening — the “How I Met Your Mother” co-star kept things light, breezy, and, more importantly, entertaining. At one point during the problem, Harris descended from the ceiling as Spider-Man, stating that “any concerns I had about this ‘Spider-Man’ rig failing have been overshadowed by the searing pain in my junk.”
Insert even more laughter here.
Although a lot of people are more concerned with who took home statuettes — Audra McDonald, Judith Light, Christian Borle, and James Corden all took home awards — a large selection of the population tuned in just to see Neil Patrick Harris, who opened the show was an impressive number. Did you really expect anything less from the “Doogie Howser” star? The Los Angeles Times wondered why NPH couldn’t host every awards program, and I’m inclined to agree. Even if you don’t have a vested interest in Broadway, chances are you’ll be entertained by Harris.
If you missed the telecast, you can check out Neil Patrick Harris’ opening and closing numbers below. After that, take a moment to look over a few Twitter reactions to the actor’s stint as host. As you can tell, a lot of people seem to think the guy is the bees knees. And even if you’re not a fan of Harris himself, you have to admit that the guy knows how to put on a show.
Musical: “Once.”
Play: “Clybourne Park.”
Revival of a Play: “Death of a Salesman.”
Revival of a Musical: “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.”
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: James Corden, “One Man, Two Guvnors.”
Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Play: Nina Arianda, “Venus in Fur.”
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Steve Kazee, “Once.”
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Audra McDonald, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.”
Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Christian Borle, “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Judith Light, “Other Desert Cities.”
Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Michael McGrath, “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”
Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Judy Kaye, “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”
Book of a Musical: Enda Walsh, “Once”
Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre: “Newsies.”
Direction of Play: Mike Nichols, “Death of a Salesman.”
Direction of a Musical: John Tiffany, “Once.”
Choreography: Christopher Gattelli, “Newsies.”
Orchestration: Martin Lowe, “Once.”
Sound Design of a Play: Darron L. West, “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Sound Design of a Musical: Clive Goodwin, “Once.”
Costume Design of a Play: Paloma Young, “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Costume Design of a Musical: Gregg Barnes, “Follies.”
Scenic Design Play: Donyale Werle, “Peter and the Starcatcher”
Scenic Design of a Musical: Bob Crowley, “Once.”
Lighting Design of a Play: Jeff Croiter, “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Lighting Design of a Musical: Natasha Katz, “Once”
Veteran actress, Candice Bergen, hid the fact that she had a stroke in 2006 out of fear that she would no longer be offered leading roles. When she was put in the hospital for her heart condition she collaborated with her representatives to dismiss the occurrence as a rumor.
She told New York Magazine that she decided to conceal her health issues because she didn’t want to be seen as a liability and revealed that since her stroke, “My Memory is just … not quite the same.” She also admitted “I get worn out because I’m old.”
Now the aging comedian is showcasing her talent to Broadway; she plays the role of the politician’s neglected wife in Gore Vidal’s The Best Man,. She says she initially turned down the role because “she didn’t want to desert her husband at night.”
The play also stars James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, John Larroquette, Eric McCormack, Kerry Butler, Jefferson Mays and Michael McKean. Jones thinks “it is one of the best plays ever written.”
Bergen is best known for her leading roles in Murphy Brown (1988–1998), for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards; and as Shirley Schmidt on the comedy-drama Boston Legal (2004–2008), for which she was nominated for two Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
