NEW YORK (AP) — Two Broadway shows celebrating the spark of sonic creativity — Alicia Keys’ semi-autobiographical musical “Hell’s Kitchen””, and the piece “Stereophonic” about a 70s rock band recording an album that made stars – each got 13th place Tony Price nominations Tuesday, a list that also saw a record number of women nominated for best director.
“It’s totally crazy. It took me about an hour to get myself together. I couldn’t even form words,” Keys said after a morning where the show loosely based on his life was nominated for best new musical and four acting awards as well as best scenic design, costumes, lighting , sound design, direction, choreography and orchestrations. “I am totally at a loss for words. Don’t ask me to write a song.
A total of 28 Shows Earned a Tony Nod or More, with the musical “The Outsiders,” an adaptation of SE Hinton’s beloved novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s film, earning 12 nominations; a star-studded cover of “Cabaret” with Eddie Redmayne, which scored nine; and “Appropriate,” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ searing play about a family reunion in Arkansas where everyone has competing motivations and grievances, catching eight.
These nominations broke the Tony record for the most female directors nominated in a single season. The 2022 Tony Awards held the record, with four total in both races – musical and fun. Only 10 women have won the director title.
This year, seven women occupied the ten director positions. Three women were nominated for best directing – Lila Neugebauer (“Appropriate”), Anne Kauffman (“Mary Jane”) and Whitney White (“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”), while four were nominated in the musical category —Maria Friedman (“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”). Merrily We Roll Along”), Leigh Silverman (“Suffs”) Jessica Stone (“Water for Elephants”) and Danya Taymor (“The Outsiders”).
“The one thing I feel is it’s starting to seem less remarkable, which is great news,” Stone said after his nomination. “We are directors and not directors. I’m noticing it more and more and it’s a wonderful thing to think about. It’s a wonderful place to live.
“Stereophonic,” which became the most nominated play in Tony history, earned nominations for playwright David Adjmi and for its songs by Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire. It’s the story of a Fleetwood Mac-style band through a life-changing year, with personal rifts that open, close, then reopen. Butler says it’s about the “horror and beauty” of art.
An album of the roots-rock music heard during the play will be available next month, and Butler has high hopes: “We wanted it to stand up to Tom Petty, ‘Rumors,’ and Beyoncé’s new country record,” he said. he declared. “Achieving it was its own reward. »
Rachel McAdams, who made her Broadway debut in “Mary Jane,” earned a nomination for best actress in a play, while “Succession” star Jeremy Strong earned his first-ever nomination for a revival of “An Enemy of the People” and Liev Schreiber. of “Ray Donovan” fame landed one for directing “Doubt.” Jessica Lange in “Mother Play”, Sarah Paulson in “Appropriate” and Amy Ryan, who intervened at the last minute for a revival of “Doubt,” also earned nominations for Best Actress in a Play.
“The Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons earned a nomination for “Mother Play,” and Daniel Radcliffe, for his fifth Broadway show, a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” won his first appointment.
Radcliffe, who was looking after his son the morning of the Tony nominations, said he felt incredibly lucky and called being in the musical alongside Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez – both also nominated – of “one of the most special experiences of my professional career”.
This image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown shows, from left, Alison Luff, Olive Ross-Kline and Adam Jacobs during a performance of “The Who’s Tommy.” (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/Boneau/Bryan-Brown via AP)
“I’ve always wanted to act on stage and, in particular, doing it here has been an important part of my career and it’s a bit like discovering who I was as an actor outside of Harry Potter “, did he declare. “I think that’s kind of what made me who I am.”
Redmayne, in his second Broadway show, was named best leading actor in a musical, as were Brian d’Arcy James for “Days of Wine and Roses,” Brody Grant in “The Outsiders,” Jonathan Groff in “Merrily We Roll Along.” ” and Dorian Harewood, 73, in “Notebook,” the adaptation of Nicholas Sparks romantic tearjerker. Harewood, in his first Broadway show in 46 years, earned his first Tony nomination.
It was one of three nominations for “The Notebook,” but the musical’s composer, Ingrid Michaelson, did not get a nomination, nor Barry Manilow for his show “Harmony”. The revival of “The Wiz” also didn’t garner any nominations, nor did the Huey Lewis jukebox “The Heart of Rock and Roll.”
Gayle Rankin, Redmayne’s co-star in “Cabaret,” was nominated for best actress in a musical, as was Eden Espinosa in “Lempicka,” Maleah Joi Moon in “Hell’s Kitchen,” Kelli O’Hara in “Days.” of Wine and Roses” and Maryann Plunkett, 71, who plays the elderly wife at the heart of “The Notebook.”
Steve Carell, in his Broadway debut in a poorly received revival of the classic play “Uncle Vanya,” and “Sopranos” star Michael Imperioli in “An Enemy of the People” failed to secure nominations, but star producers who have included Keys, Angelina Jolie (for “The Outsiders”) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (for “Suffs”).
The best new musical crown will be a battle between “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Outsiders,” the dance-filled, dialogue-free stage adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 album “Illinois,” “Suffer”, based on early 20th century American suffragettes, and “Water for Elephants,” which combines Sara Green’s 2006 bestseller with circus elements.
Tony’s best new play will pit “Stereophonic” against “Mother Play,” Paula Vogel’s look at a mother and her children from 1964 to the 21st century; “Mary Jane,” Amy Herzog’s humanist portrait of a divorced mother of a young boy with health problems; “Prayer for the French Republic,” Joshua Harmon’s sprawling family comedy-drama that deals with Zionism, religious fervor and anti-Semitism; and “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” Jocelyn Bioh’s comedy about the lives of West African women working in a salon.
Actor-turned-producer Lamar Richardson had plenty of reasons to smile Tuesday. He helped produce the three new covers of “The Wiz”, “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Appropriate”.
“I really think this is Broadway at its best,” he said. ” There is something for every taste. There is the quintessence of the big jukebox musical. There is the niche of three-player games. I think it’s really a smorgasbord of what Broadway can offer, and still showing, of course, is a major player in the arts scene. And it’s here to stay.
A spring barrage of new shows — 14 shows opening in 11 days this year — isn’t unusual these days, as producers hope their work will be fresh in voters’ minds before the Tony Awards ceremony on June 16.
There have been some firsts this season, including “Here lies love” with Broadway’s first all-Filipino cast, which earned four nominations, including Best Original Score for David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim. And seven openly autistic actors starred in “How to Dance in Ohio” a first for Broadway but one that didn’t garner Tony’s love.
Academy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Ariana Debose, which hosted the 2023 and 2022 ceremonies, will return this year and produce and choreograph the opening number.
Like last year, the three-hour main show will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT with a pre-show on Pluto TV and Tony Awards presented there – down.
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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
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News Source : apnews.com
