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2017 Tony Award Nominations – Chicago Connections!

Posted on: May 22nd, 2017 by B.I. C.

The Tony Awards are always the most anticipated theatre event of the year, and we always love discovering if there are any nominees that have connections to Chicago to share in their excitement.  This year we have quite a few to celebrate!

One of these connections involve Laurie Metcalf, a veteran Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member, who was nominated for her portrayal of Nora Helmer in A Doll’s House, Part 2. The show, currently nominated for 8 Tony Awards, is playwright Lucas Hnath’s take on what happened to Nora Helmer, 20 years later from where Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House left off.

The musical War Paint, which premiered here in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre last July 2016, is also being showcased in the Tony Award nominations.  Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole, who originated the roles of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, are both nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.  The show also features several Chicago actors in supporting roles, including Mary Ernster and David Girolmo.

Ben Platt, who is currently leading the company of Dear Evan Hansen, was nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.  He’s no stranger to the Chicago theatre scene since you may remember him as Elder Cunningham in the First National Tour of the hit musical The Book of Mormon from December 2012 – October 2013 at the Bank of America Theatre (now known as The PrivateBank Theatre).

Kate Baldwin, a Northwestern University graduate who was last seen in Chicago as Sandra Bloom in the Chicago premiere of Big Fish at the Oriental Theatre April – May 2013, will be competing for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Irene Molloy in Hello, Dolly.

Stephanie J. Block, who is also nominated for Best Featured Actress in a musical for her work in Falsettos, has spent a good amount of time in Chicago herself.  She played Elphaba in the Chicago premiere of Wicked at the Oriental Theatre back in June 2005, which ended up running until January 2009.  She also played Grace O’Malley in The Pirate Queen at the Cadillac Palace Theatre October – November 2006.

Lynn Nottage, the playwright of Sweat, which is now nominated for Best Play, has also recently received this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  You may recognize her work from the play Ruined, which premiered at the Goodman Theater in 2007.  Nottage won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2009 for Ruined, making her the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice!

Come From Away, the new musical which has landed 7 Tony Award nominations, has nominees for Best Director of a Musical Christopher Ashley and Best Choreography Kelly Devine, who will also be a part of the Escape To Margaritaville creative team set to premiere here in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre beginning November 9, 2017!

Make sure to tune in to the 71st annual Tony Awards hosted by CBS on Sunday, June 11, 2017  beginning at  7 p.m. CT!

 

Tony Awards 2015 – Best Orchestrations

Posted on: May 20th, 2015 by B.I. C. No Comments

Here are the musicians and composers nominated for this year’s Best Orchestrations Tony Award:

Best Orchestrations

Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, “An American in Paris”

John Clancy, “Fun Home”

Larry Hochman, “Something Rotten!”

Rob Mathes, “The Last Ship”

 

Here are a few fun facts:

– Don Sebesky won the 2000 Tony award for Best Orchestrations for the revival of “Kiss Me, Kate,” has been nominated for 31 Grammy Awards (winning 3 of them), and has arranged for hundreds of artists including Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Michael Buble, Liza Minnelli, Seal, and Prince.

– Bill Elliott worked additional orchestrations for “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” which just recently toured through Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre December 16, 2014 – January 4, 2015.

– Before working on orchestrations, John Clancy played the drums/percussion for Broadway’s revival of the musical “Grease” from August 19, 2007 – January 4, 2009.

– Larry Hochman co-orchestrated “The Book of Mormon” with Stephen Oremus which was just here playing at the Bank of American Theatre February 25, 2015 – May 17,  2015.

 

Tony Awards 2015 – Best Original Score

Posted on: May 18th, 2015 by B.I. C. No Comments

Here are the individuals nominated for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre:

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

“Fun Home” – Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: Lisa Kron

“The Last Ship” – Music & Lyrics: Sting

“Something Rotten!” – Music & Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick

“The Visit” – Music: John Kander, Lyrics: Fred Ebb

Here are a few fun facts:

-We’re extremely happy for Sting being nominated for “The Last Ship” since it premiered here in Chicago at the Bank of America Theatre June 10, 2014 – July 13, 2014 before moving to Broadway.

– Jeanine Tesori wrote the music for “Shrek the Musical,” which opened on Broadway in 2008 and earned her both Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations.  “Shrek the Musical” toured through Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre July 25, 2010 – September 5, 2010.

-John Kander and Fred Ebb are one of the most successful songwriting teams in history.  If you know shows such as “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” “Kiss of the Spiderwoman,” “Curtains,” “The Scottsboro Boys,” etc., then you definitely know Kander and Ebb.  Another fun fact is that Liza Minnelli became strongly associated with Kander and Ebb, with Ebb producing Minnelli’s Emmy-winning television special “Liza with a Z.”

 

Tony Awards 2015 – Best Costume Design

Posted on: May 6th, 2015 by B.I. C. No Comments

Costumes set the tone and time period of a play or musical as soon as an actor walks out on stage.  They’re also able to make an immediate time lapse believable when actors have costume quick changes.  Here are the brilliant designers nominated for this year’s Best Costume Design Tony Awards:

 

costume-d1(Left to Right: Bob Crowley, Jane Greenwood, Christopher Oram, David Zinn)

 

Best Costume Design of a Play

Bob Crowley, “The Audience”

Jane Greenwood, “You Can’t Take It With You”

Christopher Oram, “Wolf Hall Parts One & Two”

David Zinn, “Airline Highway”

 

Here’s a few fun facts:

– Bob Crowley designed set and costume for “Mary Poppins,” which played in both the West End, on Broadway, and toured through Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from March 11, 2009 – July 12, 2009.

– David Zinn designed the costumes for the Broadway production of “Xanadu” that toured through Chicago at the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place from January 16, 2009 – March 29, 2009.

 

costume-d2(Left to Right: Gregg Barnes, Bob Crowley, William Ivey Long, Catherine Zuber)

 

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, “Something Rotten!”

Bob Crowley, “An American in Paris”

William Ivey Long, “On the Twentieth Century”

Catherine Zuber, “The King and I”

 

Here’s a few more fun facts:

– Gregg Barnes was nominated for Best Costume Design in 2013 for “Kinky Boots,” which will be returning to Chicago this summer at the Cadillac Palace Theatre July 7 – 26, 2015.

– William Ivey Long has costume designed over 60 Broadway shows, including previous Broadway In Chicago touring companies such as “9 to 5,” “Big Fish,” “Cinderella,” and the upcoming “Cabaret” which will play at the Bank of America Theatre February 9 – 21, 2016.

– Catherine Zuber costume designed “South Pacific” that toured through the Cadillac Palace Theatre February 14 – 26, 2012.

 

THE LAST SHIP sails to Broadway!

Posted on: July 13th, 2014 by B.I. C. No Comments

The Last Ship will finish its pre-Broadway run in Chicago today as the cast and crew prepare to sail over to New York.  The entire creative team, including Sting, John Logan, Joe Mantello and Steven Hoggett, and cast have been a pleasure to host. We have loved having them here in Chicago and wish them all the best on Broadway! We’ve put together some of their fun moments around town and on opening night as a look back upon a fantastic experience in Chicago.

last ship collage

Photo credits: Amy Boyle and Stephen Green

Sting and cast members at Wrigley Field and during Opening Night curtain call 

“Driven by Sting’s ravishing score, this beautiful show magnifies the human heartbeat and captures a genuine sense of the yearning that keeps people going. In an age of empty spectacle, this show stands out for its magnificent authenticity. With THE LAST SHIP, Sting will leave an indelible imprint on that most American of art forms, the Broadway musical.”- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

 “Beautiful. With this heartfelt tribute to the men of the lost shipbuilding industry, Sting proves that his formidable songwriting skills can translate to the Broadway stage.”- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

 “Inspiring, deeply moving- absolutely superb. THE LAST SHIP is truly a must-see.”-  Bill Zwecker, FOX TV

“Sting takes us on a spectacular voyage of music, humor, and passion.”- Janet Davies, ABC 7 Chicago

“THE LAST SHIP wraps its emotional arms around you from the first note and never lets go. An inventive, emotional, gripping production.”- Roy Leonard, Chicago Now

last ship collage 2

Photo credits: Amy Boyle and Joan Marcus