List of the 2011 TONY Award Winners!

Thank you to playbill.com...

Winners are marked by a *.

2011 TONY AWARD NOMINEES AND RECIPIENTS

Best Musical
*The Book of Mormon
Catch Me If You Can
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister Act

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
*Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
*Mark Rylance, Jerusalem

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
*Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It's You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
*Frances McDormand, Good People
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter

Best Revival of a Musical
*Anything Goes
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying


Best Lighting Design of a Play
*Paule Constable, War Horse
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Jerusalem

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
*Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon

Best Play
Good People Author: David Lindsay-Abaire
Jerusalem Author: Jez Butterworth
The Motherf**ker with the Hat Author: Stephen Adly Guirgis
*War Horse Author: Nick Stafford

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
*Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Best Revival of a Play
Arcadia
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Merchant of Venice
*The Normal Heart

Best Book of a Musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Alex Timbers
*The Book of Mormon Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
The Scottsboro Boys David Thompson
Sister Act Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
*Rae Smith, War Horse
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
*John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon

Best Costume Design of a Musical
*Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
*Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
*Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born Yesterday

Best Direction of a Play
*Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice

Best Direction of a Musical
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
*Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
*Christopher Shutt, War Horse

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
*John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
*Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
*Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
*Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

*The Book of Mormon
Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

The Scottsboro Boys
Music & Lyrics: John Kander and Fred Ebb

Sister Act
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Glenn Slater

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys
*Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can

***


Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-Competitive Categories

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Athol Fugard (Recipient)
Philip J. Smith (Recipient)

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago, IL) (Recipient)

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Eve Ensler (Recipient)

Special Tony Award
Handspring Puppet Company (Recipient)

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
William Berloni (Recipient)
The Drama Book Shop (Recipient)
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts (Recipient)

REVIEW: Priscilla, Queen of the Spectacle

Priscilla Queen Of The Desert: the musical is brash, bright, and ballsy. Pun definitely intended. From the first notes She (Priscilla) comes at you full throttle with her disco pulse, reigning supreme as the queen of extravaganza musicals.

All the components are there, a great cast, stunning costumes, and a kick ass soundtrack. If you were looking for a quiet, contemplative night at the theatre you'd better look elsewhere. But good luck trying to pull your eyes away from the bright lights and good times at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

You are in for some surprise too. As with any great story there is more to Priscilla than meets the eye, or ear, as the case may be. And this production holds up to the original film. Audiences are definitely in for one wild and heart-warming ride.

The cast, fronted by Broadway veteran Will Swenson, Priscilla legend Tony Sheldon and up-and-comer Nick Adams sizzle together onstage. The trio have great chemistry, and the ensemble sound and look amazing onstage. Swenson's Tick/Mitzi sets the perfect tone for the shows more challenging and heavier themes. While, Mr. Sheldon, who originated the role of Bernadette in the Australian production, is a clear star. Surprisingly, Priscilla will mark his Broadway debut and we'd bet he gets nominated for a Tony. Nick Adams, (pictured above) as the young, bratty but lovable, Felicia holds his own, but lacks some of the nuance and depth of character that Swenson and Sheldon bring. Perhaps it is a case of life imitating art and vise-versa. Felicia is a naive and tender young man, full of piss and vinegar, and still learning. Like his character, Mr. Adams seems a little under developed in the role. His inconsistency with the accent was problematic, but if he's anything like Felicia, Adams will continue to rise to the challenge. It is a big opportunity for him and he is a joy to watch.

As we mentioned the costumes are a real highlight of this show. With over 300 different pieces, the sheer volume of colour, size and boldness will overwhelm the senses. Considering the large cast and the choreography the costumes only add to the sheer magnitude of the production. They help to emphasis the concept of space, which is so vital to the original film. How to convey the immensity of the Australian outback onstage is a considerable challenge. But the costumes, in all their grandness lend themselves to thinking about this show and Its larger than life attitude.

And then there is the bus. Priscilla herself. This show would be impossible to produce without one, and the use of a rotating platform and mechinised door allowed for scenes both inside and outside of the bus, creating very effective divisions of space. Of course there is an outrageous quality to putting a bus on a stage but it is essential to the telling of the story and if you can't make Priscilla a spectacle perhaps it shouldn't be made at all. Big musicals definitely have a place in the current climate of successful musical theatre and Priscilla is the grande dame of them all.

For those who fear that Priscilla may be playing to a niche audience or that it will seem shallow rest assured there is a lot that goes deeper to this show. Some of the criticism of the stage production has centred around a perceived sanitization of the original film's grit and ugliness. But we'd argue that there is still a lot of tension lingering under all the gloss and glitter. The characters still face social, sexual and gender identity issues with tenacity and diva fierceness.

The message in Priscilla is about self-discovery and the constant journey that is life. And who's to say that should not be set to disco music? Priscilla is running in Toronto for 12 weeks! We highly recommend this one. It's a real crowd pleaser!

For tickets or more info click here!

LM and JH

Preview: PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT

Opening this week at the Princess of Wales Theatre is the highly anticipated and much talked about PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL. On the eve of opening night the vibe around PRISCILLA was really buzzing as it was announced that the one and only Bette Midler was joining the production team of the show!

EAP is getting the opportunity through a dear friend in the arts to see the show tonight! We will be reviewing the show and it should be up on the blog in a few days.

Based on the Oscar-winning film, PRISCILLA tells the outrageous and, yet at the same time, moving tale of three friends who to have been booked to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. They head west from Sydney aboard their flamboyant bus, Priscilla and thus the story begins.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL had its world premiere in Sydney in 2006. It traveled in the sub continent and received much critical praise in Melbourne and New Zealand, becoming the most successful Australian musical of all time. The London production is now in its second smash hit year in the West End at the Palace Theatre. Beyond Toronto and Broadway, further international dates are also in discussion for productions in Brazil, Scandinavia and Germany.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL
At the Princess of Wales Theatre
300 King Street West

For tickets or more info on the show click the header or click here!

(Courtesies: Mirvish.com)

An exciting season at Mirvish

EAP has only been back in town for two months but already we are excited by all the theatre we have seen lately, Legally Blonde, South Pacific, Love, Lost and What I Wore, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and Ride the Cyclone at SummerWorks. We have enjoyed all of them, although admittedly, some more than others. If what we have seen so far is any indication get ready for a great theatre season for 2010-11. But nobody is exciting us more than Mirvish.

Mirvish is kicking off their season with a bang, bringing Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical, direct from Its debut in Sydney, and a run in London's West End. Priscilla has a limited engagement at the Princess of Wales before the show makes Its Broadway debut early next year. Priscilla appeals to us because it is making Its North American premiere here, and nothing makes the folks at Emerging Art Productions more excited than seeing new shows coming to Toronto first. The show is also exciting because it will feature a number of Canadians in title roles and in the chorus.

Add that to the current Mirvish line-up of, Banana Shpeel, the Cirque Du Soleil, vaudeville inspired musical, currently on at the Cannon, Rock of Ages, at the Royal Alexander, and Love, Loss, and What I Wore, the new musical by Nora Ephron at the Panasonic, and there is definitely something for everyone over the next few weeks. Following Banana Shpeel, in October, a well-known favourite returns to the Cannon. Wicked flies into Toronto again on the 20th. A Funny Thing... , Billy Elliot, The Secret Garden, Sweet Charity and the return of The Lion King round out this season's musical options.


Billy Elliot will likely be a huge hit for Mirvish, and The Lion King will surely draw big houses. I haven't seen Billy Elliot yet, although Justin loved it in London. I am definitely looking forward to the Toronto production. The Secret Garden is a personal favourite of mine. The music is beautiful and the story is timeless. It isn't as well known as it should be, so I am happy to see Mirvish bringing it to Toronto. I am sure audiences here will enjoy a well done production of The Secret Garden.

Mirvish is also producing a couple of plays this season. Canadian comic Rod Beattie's new show Wingfield:Lost and Found begins January 12th. And the much anticipated Calendar Girls, based on the hilarious film of the same name, and fresh from Its West End debut, will begin in April. Calendar Girls will feature an all Canadian cast, and if it is half as good as the film or the London production it is sure to be a hit here. All of EAP's shows of interest are available as part of Mirvish's subscription season. If you would like more information on subscription you will find the link here. And click the header to see the full Mirvish line-up in detail.

And don't forget that, on December 6th, Mirvish's is presenting, An Evening with Stephen Sondheim. Mr Sondheim, perhaps the greatest musical theatre composer ever, has a new book out this fall, and will be on hand at the Princess of Wales for an intimate interview/conversation with critic Robert Cushman. Des McAnuff, Artistic Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival will host. And you are invited! Ticket information is available here. See you at the theatre.

LM

Priscilla Queen of the Desert to premiere in Toronto

Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the new musical based on the 1994 Australian film about three drag queens who take their fierce singing and dancing show to the middle of the outback aboard a fabulous old bus nicknamed Priscilla, will make its North American premiere in the fall of 2009 here in Toronto.

Produced by David Mirvish, the location of the staging has not been announced, however speculation of a Canon Theatre run is circulating.

In a statement Mirvish said; "To our delight, the stage production was as special as the film. And seeing the story fleshed out live on stage, with more songs, more costumes, more dancing and more infectious, feel-good cheer, we knew this would be a worldwide phenomenon. We are excited to be launching this extraordinary show in Toronto. We will be the show's entry to North America. Our audiences will be able to see it first, as Priscilla will be the cornerstone of the 2009-10 Mirvish subscription season."

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical first opened in Sydney in October 2006 and has played to more than one million theatregoers, grossing more than $90 million in Australian dollars, making it the most successful Australian stage show of all time.

Performance dates and casting will be announced at a later time for the Toronto production.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical was written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott. Simon Phillips directs.

The musical will begin performances at London's Palace Theatre March 10, 2009, prior to a press night on March 23 and a gala night on March 24.

Photo by Jeff Busby