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2016 Tony Award Nominations – Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical/Play

Posted on: June 7th, 2016 by B.I. C. No Comments

Broadway In Chicago is beyond excited for the 2016 Tony Awards on Sunday June 12th 7-10PM CT! We’ll be highlighting the nominees in each category and filling you in on some fun facts each week leading up to the award ceremony.

Here are the actors and actresses in musicals and plays nominated for Best Performance in a Leading Role:

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Alex Brightman – “School of Rock – The Musical”

Danny Burstein – “Fiddler on the Roof”

Zachary Levi – “She Loves Me”

Lin-Manuel Miranda – “Hamilton”

Leslie Odom, Jr. – “Hamilton”

Fun Facts:

-Alex Brightman played “Zacky Price” in the original cast of Big Fish which originated here in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre April 2 – May 5, 2013.

-Although Lin-Manuel Miranda has gained so much recognition for his creation of Hamilton, he was well known before that as well for writing the music and lyrics for both In the Heights and Bring It On: The Musical, both which have toured through Chicago.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Laura Benanti – “She Loves Me”

Carmen Cusack – “Bright Star”

Cynthia Erivo – “The Color Purple”

Jessie Mueller – “Waitress”

Phillipa Soo – “Hamilton”

Fun Facts:

-Carmen Cusack was just recently in Chicago premiering the First Wives Club musical at the Oriental Theatre February 17 – March 29, 2015.

-Jessie Mueller won the 2014 Tony Award for her portrayal of Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical which was last seen at the Oriental Theatre December 1, 2015 – February 21, 2016 and will be returning to Chicago in the upcoming 2017 holiday season.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Gabriel Byrne – “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”

Jeff Daniels – “Blackbird”

Frank Langella – “The Father”

Tim Pigott-Smith – “King Charles III”

Mark Strong – “A View from the Bridge”

Fun facts:

-You may recognize Jeff Daniels from movies such as The Martian, Steve Jobs and also the classic 1994 comedy, Dumb and Dumber.

-Both Frank Langella and Anthony Hopkins received Oscar nominations for portraying Richard Nixon: Hopkins for Nixon in 1995 and Langella for Frost/Nixon in 2008.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Jessica Lange – “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”

Laurie Metcalf – “Misery”

Lupita Nyong’o – “Eclipsed”

Sophie Okonedo – “The Crucible”

Michelle Williams – “Blackbird”

Fun Facts:

-You’ll recognize Jessica Lange from movies such as Big Fish, Tootsie or Cape Fear, but most recently because of her work in the hit TV show American Horror Story.

-Lupita Nyong’o won an Oscar in 2014 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in the movie 12 Years a Slave.

-Michelle Williams starred as Sally Bowles in the Cabaret revival on Broadway, which then toured through Chicago recently at The PrivateBank Theatre February 9 – 21, 2016 with Andrea Goss in the leading role.

 

2016 Tony Award Nominations – Best Book of a Musical / Best Original Score / Best Orchestrations

Posted on: May 20th, 2016 by B.I. C. No Comments

Broadway In Chicago is beyond excited for the 2016 Tony Awards on Sunday June 12th 7-10PM CT! We’ll be highlighting the nominees in each category and filling you in on some fun facts each week leading up to the award ceremony.

Here are the 4 writers nominated for Best Book of a Musical:

 

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

“Bright Star” – Steve Martin

“Hamilton” – Lin-Manuel Miranda

“School of Rock – The Musical” – Julian Fellowes

“Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed” – George C. Wolfe

Here are some fun facts:

-Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the book for “Hamilton” after reading Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton.  Miranda then read Hamilton’s letters and works and visited sites important to the American Revolution in New York City to add further factual information into the core of the show’s book.

-Julian Fellows who wrote the book for “School of Rock – The Musical” is also famously well known for being the creator, writer and executive producer of the multiple award-winning British television series “Downton Abbey” from 2010 – 2015.

 

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

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATER

“Bright Star” – Music: Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Lyrics: Edie Brickell

“Hamilton” – Music and lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda

“School of Rock – The Musical” – Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics: Glenn Slater

“Waitress” – Music and lyrics: Sara Bareilles

Some more fun facts:

-In 2014, Steve Martin and Edie Brickell won a Grammy for the title track to their Bluegrass album Love Has Come for You. It was that album that inspired them to write the music together for “Bright Star.”

-The first song Sara Bareilles wrote for “Waitress” was She Used to Be Mine being inspired by the main character Jenna and her character arc after viewing the film.  That song then served as her portal into the world of writing the rest of the music for the show.

 

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

 

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS

August Eriksmoen – “Bright Star”

Larry Hochman – “She Loves Me”

Alex Lacamoire – “Hamilton”

Daryl Waters – “Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”

Here are some more fun facts:

-Larry Hochman provided orchestrations for “The Addams Family” which last played Chicago November 13, 2009 – January 10, 2010 at the Oriental Theatre.  He also is known for his Tony Award winning orchestrations for “The Book of Mormon.”

-Daryl Waters won the 2010 Best Orchestrations Tony Award for “Memphis” which played at the Cadillac Palace Theatre November 22 – December 4, 2011.

 

2016 Tony Award Nominations – Chicago Connections!

Posted on: May 3rd, 2016 by B.I. C. No Comments

Broadway In Chicago couldn’t be more thrilled for the announcement of this year’s Tony Award nominations!  Here are a few of the amazing local ties this year:

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” received a record-setting 16 nominations including Best Musical, which makes us even more thrilled that it will be premiering at The Private Bank Theatre this coming September!  Phillipa Soo, an Illinois native herself from Libertyville, was nominated in Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Eliza Hamilton. For more information about the upcoming Chicago production visit: http://broadwayinchicago.com/show/hamilton/

Sara Bareilles’ “Waitress” has been nominated for Best Original Score. She is one of the many artists whose music will be featured in the upcoming world premiere of “The SpongeBob Musical” beginning performances at the Oriental Theatre June 7th!  For more information visit: http://broadwayinchicago.com/show/the-spongebob-musical/

Sergio Trujillo was nominated for Best Choreography in “On Your Feet!” which had its start here in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre on June 2nd – July 5th, 2015 before transferring to Broadway.

David Zinn was nominated for Best Scenic Design for “The Humans,” and is currently working on the design for the world premiere of “The SpongeBob Musical.”  He was also nominated last year for his design of the musical, “Fun Home,” which will also play the Oriental Theatre this fall starting November 2nd.

Chicago native Jessie Mueller was nominated for the second time in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her spectacular work in “Waitress.”  She won this category’s Tony Award in 2014 for her performance as Carole King in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” which was last seen at the Oriental Theatre December 1, 2015 – February 21, 2016 and will be returning to Chicago in the 2017 holiday season.

You may remember Carmen Cusack from her performance in “First Wives Club” which premiered here February 17th – March 29th, 2015 at the Oriental Theatre.  She was just nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical in “Bright Star.”

Michael Shannon, whom you might recognize as an ensemble member from A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago’s Old Town area, was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”

Stephen Karam’s “The Humans,” which was nominated for Best Play originated at the American Theater Company and played November 14, 2014 – February 1, 2015 before moving to Broadway.

“Eclipsed” by Danai Gurira, which is also nominated for Best Play, was first seen in Chicago as well at the Northlight Theatre January 13 – February 20, 2011.

Laurie Metcalf who was nominated in the category Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for “Misery,” is remembered well in Chicago as a Steppenwolf ensemble member.

Be sure to check out Chris Jones’ Chicago Tribune article for the full list of nominations! – See more at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/news/ct-tony-award-nominations-hamilton-2016-20160502-story.html

 

HAMILTON coming to The PrivateBank Theatre

Posted on: December 8th, 2015 by B.I. C. No Comments

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Producer Jeffrey Seller today announced the blockbuster Broadway musical HAMILTON – with book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda – will play its first engagement outside New York this fall in Chicago. Performances begin September 27, 2016, at Broadway In Chicago’s newly named The PrivateBank Theatre (18 W. Monroe).

HAMILTON will anchor the Broadway In Chicago subscription season that will be sold in the Spring of 2016. Group tickets for 20 or more for HAMILTON at The PrivateBank Theatre will go on sale on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Single ticket on-sale for HAMILTON will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, directed by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical direction and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. A thoroughly inventive, wildly entertaining musical about the birth of our nation – with a score that blends hip-hop, pop, blues, jazz and Broadway –HAMILTON opened on Broadway earlier this year to enthusiastic reception from critics and audiences of all ages.

HAMILTON’s creative team previously collaborated on the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS. HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe and casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA.

The new musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater. HAMILTON (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING) is available everywhere nationwide. The HAMILTON Original Broadway Cast Recording received a 2016 GRAMMY® nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album. The album made a stunning arrival on the charts upon its digital release in August, coming in at #1 on the “Top Broadway Albums” chart, #3 on the “Top Rap Albums” chart, #5 on “Top Digital Albums” chart and #9 on the “Top Current Albums” chart. The cast recording was recently selected as #8 on Rolling Stone’s TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2015. The album’s debut stands as the second biggest first week sales ever for a cast recording, behind only RENT in the Nielsen SoundScan era.

For more information on HAMILTON, visit www.hamiltononbroadway.com, www.facebook.com/HamiltonMusical, www.instagram.com/HamiltonMusical and www.twitter.com/HamiltonMusical.