Thaindian News

May 4 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, better known to the world as “The Tony Awards” recognizes the achievements of live theatre in America and are presented by both The Broadway League and American Theatre Wing during a ceremony given every year in New York City. The awards are named for Antoinette Perry, who was a co founder of the American Theatre Wing.

The Tony Award was founded by The American Theatre Wing in 1947 when it was suggested by a committee of producers which were headed by Brock Pemberton, but the first Tony medallion was not given out until the third awards ceremony in 1949. They named the award for an actress, director, producer, and co founder of The American Theatre Wing who had recently passed away. The first awards ceremony was held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel which was in New York City on April 6, 1947. After 1997 the award ceremony began to be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York in June. The Tony Awards have been broadcast on television since 1967.In 2008, the Tiny Awards had 6.2 million viewers.

The nominees for this year’s Tony Awards have been released this morning, and they are as follows:

Best Play: In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play; Next Fall; Red; Time Stands Still

Best Musical: American Idiot; Fela!; Memphis; Million Dollar Quartet

Best Book of a Musical: Everyday Rapture – Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Fela! – Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones; Memphis – Joe DiPietro; Million Dollar Quartet – Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre: The Addams Family – Music & Lyrics: Andrew Lippa; Enron – Music: Adam Cork, Lyrics: Lucy Prebble; Fences – Music: Branford Marsalis; Memphis – Music: David Bryan, Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan

Best Revival of a Play: Fences; Lend Me a Tenor; The Royal Family; A View from the Bridge

Best Revival of a Musical: Finian’s Rainbow; La Cage aux Folles; A Little Night Music; Ragtime

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Jude Law, Hamlet; Alfred Molina, Red; Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge; Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane; Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play: Viola Davis, Fences; Valerie Harper, Looped; Linda Lavin, Collected Stories; Laura Linney, Time Stands Still; Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles; Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises; Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles; Chad Kimball, Memphis; Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Kate Baldwin, Finian’s Rainbow; Montego Glover, Memphis; Christiane Noll, Ragtime; Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture; Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: David Alan Grier, Race; Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences; Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts; Stephen Kunken, Enron; Eddie Redmayne, Red

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play: Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play; Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family; Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge; Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge; Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical: Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family; Robin De Jesús, La Cage aux Folles; Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian’s Rainbow; Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet; Bobby Steggert, Ragtime

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical: Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim; Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises; Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music; Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away; Lillias White, Fela!

Best Scenic Design of a Play: John Lee Beatty, The Royal Family; Alexander Dodge, Present Laughter; Santo Loquasto, Fences; Christopher Oram, Red

Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Marina Draghici, Fela!; Christine Jones, American Idiot; Derek McLane, Ragtime; Tim Shortall, La Cage aux Folles

Best Costume Design of a Play: Martin Pakledinaz, Lend Me a Tenor; Constanza Romero, Fences; David Zinn, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play; Catherine Zuber, The Royal Family

Best Costume Design of a Musical: Marina Draghici, Fela!; Santo Loquasto, Ragtime; Paul Tazewell, Memphis; Matthew Wright, La Cage aux Folles

Best Lighting Design of a Play: Neil Austin, Hamlet; Neil Austin, Red; Mark Henderson, Enron; Brian MacDevitt, Fences

Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Kevin Adams, American Idiot; Donald Holder, Ragtime; Nick Richings, La Cage aux Folles; Robert Wierzel, Fela!

Best Sound Design of a Play: Acme Sound Partners, Fences; Adam Cork, Enron; Adam Cork, Red; Scott Lehrer, A View from the Bridge

Best Sound Design of a Musical: Jonathan Deans, La Cage aux Folles; Robert Kaplowitz, Fela!; Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen, A Little Night Music; Dan Moses Schreier, Sondheim on Sondheim

Best Direction of a Play: Michael Grandage, Red; Sheryl Kaller, Next Fall; Kenny Leon, Fences; Gregory Mosher, A View from the Bridge

Best Direction of a Musical: Christopher Ashley, Memphis; Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Ragtime; Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles; Bill T. Jones, Fela!

Best Choreography: Rob Ashford, Promises, Promises; Bill T. Jones, Fela!; Lynne Page, La Cage aux Folles; Twyla Tharp, Come Fly Away

Best Orchestrations: Jason Carr, La Cage aux Folles; Aaron Johnson, Fela!; Jonathan Tunick, Promises, Promises; Daryl Waters & David Bryan, Memphis

Tony Nominations by the Numbers
Fela! – 11
La Cage aux Folles – 11
Fences – 10
Memphis – 8
Ragtime – 7
Red – 7
A View from the Bridge – 6
The Royal Family – 5
Enron – 4
A Little Night Music – 4
Promises, Promises – 4
American Idiot – 3
Finian’s Rainbow – 3
In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play – 3
Lend Me a Tenor – 3
Million Dollar Quartet – 3
The Addams Family – 2
Come Fly Away – 2
Everyday Rapture – 2
Hamlet – 2
Next Fall – 2
Time Stands Still – 2
A Behanding in Spokane – 1
Collected Stories – 1
Looped – 1
Present Laughter – 1
Race – 1
Superior Donuts – 1