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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 Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play / Musical

Posted on: May 27th, 2015 by B.I. C. No Comments

Here are the men nominated for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical”:

 

Best Actor Play - Twitter(Left to Right: Steven Boyer, Bradley Cooper, Ben Miles, Bill Nighy, Alex Sharp)

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Steven Boyer, “Hand to God”

Bradley Cooper, “The Elephant Man”

Ben Miles, “Wolf Hall Parts One & Two”

Bill Nighy, “Skylight”

Alex Sharp, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

 

Here are a few fun facts:

– Steven Boyer and Alex Sharp are both Juilliard School alumni, and equally credit their performances to the help of movement instructor, Moni Yakim.

– Bradley Cooper made his Broadway debut in 2006 in “Three Days of Rain” with Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd.

– Ben Miles was last seen as Tom in the Tony-winning revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s “The Norman Conquests.”

– Some films that you would recognize Bill Nighy in are “Love Actually,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Underworld.”

 

Best Actor Musical - Twitter(Left to Right: Michael Cerveris, Robert Fairchild, Brian d”Arcy James, Ken Watanabe, Tony Yazbeck)

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Michael Cerveris, “Fun Home”

Robert Fairchild, “An American in Paris”

Brian d’Arcy James, “Something Rotten!”

Ken Watanabe, “The King and I”

Tony Yazbeck, “On the Town”

 

Here are a few more fun facts:

– Michael Cerveris has performed in many Stephen Sondheim musicals such as “Assassins,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Road Show,” and “Passion.” He then won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for “Assassins.”

– Robert Fairchild’s sister is NYCB Principal Dancer Megan Fairchild, who is currently starring in Broadway’s “On the Town.”

– Brian d’Arcy James originated the role of Frederick Barrett in the musical “Titanic” and also originated the role of Sidney in “Sweet Smell of Success in 2002 for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

– You know actor Ken Watanabe from many films such as “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “The Last Samurai,” “Inception,” and “The Unbroken.”

– Some of Tony Yazbeck’s Broadway credits include Tulsa in “Gypsy” starring Patti LuPone, Billy Flynn in “Chicago,” Phil Davis in “White Christmas,” and Al Deluca in “A Chorus Line.”