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Posts Tagged ‘You Can’t Take It With You’

Tony Awards 2015 – Best Revival of a Play / Best Play

Posted on: June 2nd, 2015 by B.I. C. No Comments

These are the productions nominated for Best Revival of a Play:

Best Play Revival - Twitter

Here are a few fun facts:

– There’s no wonder why this production of “The Elephant Man” has been so successful, because it’s produced by Jimmy Nederlander who has made Broadway In Chicago thrive so vibrantly in the Chicago theatre community.

– “Skylight” has apparently already made back it’s investment.  Although the producers didn’t confirm the full costs of the production, Broadway plays usually are around $3 million.

– The original production of “You Can’t Take It With You” premiered on Broadway in 1936, and transferred 3 different times from the Booth Theatre to the Imperial Theatre and then the Ambassador Theatre, playing a total of 838 performances.

– “This Is Our Youth” has progressed many young actors careers over the years.  In 2002, a production in London included Hayden Christensen, Matt Damon and Colin Hanks as Dennis, Jake Gyllenhaal, Casey Affleck and Kieran Culkin as Warren and Anna Paquin, Summer Phoenix and Alison Lohman as Jessica.

 

These are the productions nominated for Best Play:

Best Play - Twitter

Here are a few more fun facts:

– “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” got its title from a Sherlock Holmes quote in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1892 short story “Silver Blaze.”

– “Disgraced” premiered at the American Theatre Company in Chicago January 30, 2012 — Mar 11, 2012.  The production received four Joseph Jefferson Awards nominations.

– The role of Thomas Cromwell in the beginning stages of “Wolf Hall” was played by James McAvoy, but Ben Miles then took over the part.

– The lead producer of “Hand to God” is also the producer of “Avenue Q.”  Apparently they like to keep it all in the puppet family!

 

Tony Awards 2015 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play / Musical

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

Here are the women nominated for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical”:

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Annaleigh Ashford, “You Can’t Take It With You”

Patricia Clarkson, “The Elephant Man”

Lydia Leonard, “Wolf Hall Parts One & Two”

Sarah Stiles, “Hand to God”

Julie White, “Airline Highway”

 

Here are a few fun facts:

– Nathan Peck, currently in the Broadway production of “Kinky Boots,” helped Annaleigh Ashford create all of her choreography in “You Can’t Take It With You.”

– The last time Patricia Clarkson was on Broadway was in 1986 when she debuted in “The House of Blue Leaves.”

– The last time you saw Julie White was as the Masha replacement in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” from July 30, 2013 – August 25, 2013.

 

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Victoria Clark, “Gigi”

Judy Kuhn, “Fun Home”

Sydney Lucas, “Fun Home”

Ruthie Ann Miles, “The King and I”

Emily Skeggs, “Fun Home”

 

Here are a few more fun facts:

– Victoria Clark joined “Gigi” after director Eric Schaeffer asked her and because she had always admired Heidi Thomas’ writing from “Call the Midwife” and “Upstairs, Downstairs.”

– Judy Kuhn was seen last season as the ill-fated Fosca in the critically acclaimed, much-extended Classic Stage Company production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Passion.”

– Ruthie Ann Miles recently played Imelda Marcos in “Here Lies Love,”  which she was won the 2014 Lucille Lortel Award and the 2013 Theatre World Award.

 

Tony Awards 2015 – Best Direction of a Play / Best Direction of a Musical

Posted on: May 13th, 2015 by B.I. C. No Comments

Here are the 10 phenomenal directors nominated for Best Direction of a Play and Best Direction of a Musical:

Best Direction of a Play

Stephen Daldry, “Skylight”

Marianne Elliott, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

Scott Ellis, “You Can’t Take It With You”

Jeremy Herrin, “Wolf Hall Parts One & Two”

Moritz von Stuelpnagel, “Hand to God”

 

Here’s a few fun facts:

– Stephen Daldry made his feature film directorial debut in 2000 with “Billy Elliot” and then went on to win Best Direction of a Musical for the stage version in 2009.  “Billy Elliot” also played here in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre from March 18, 2010 – November 28, 2010.

– In 2011, Marianne Elliott won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for the Broadway production of “War Horse,” along with co-director Tom Morris.  The production toured through Chicago December 18, 2012 – January 5, 2013 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

– Scott Ellis attended the Chicago Goodman School of Drama.

 

Best Direction of a Musical

Sam Gold, “Fun Home”

Casey Nicholaw, “Something Rotten!”

John Rando, “On the Town”

Bartlett Sher, “The King and I”

Christopher Wheeldon, “An American in Paris”

 

Here’s a few more fun facts:

– Sam Gold started out as an actor, appearing as a replacement understudy in “The Diary of Anne Frank” on Broadway in 1997-1998.

– John Rando won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for “Urinetown the Musical” in 2002.  He also directed “The Wedding Singer” on Broadway in 2006.

– In 2014, Bartlett Sher directed the beautiful musical, “The Bridges of Madison County” which unfortunately only ran for 100 performances from February 2014 to May 2014.

 

Tony Awards 2015 – Best Scenic Design

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

Here are the incredible designers nominated this year for Best Scenic Design:

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

Bob Crowley, “Skylight”

Christopher Oram, “Wolf Hall Parts One & Two”

David Rockwell, “You Can’t Take It With You”

 

Here’s a few fun facts:

– “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” has received much acclaim, and Ben Brantley of The New York Times, wrote: “As directed by Marianne Elliott, working with an inspired set of designers, Christopher’s maiden voyage into an alien metropolis becomes a virtuoso study in sensory overload. Those lights, noises, street signs, road maps, random words that spell themselves into being, and, oh yes, that moving staircase that materializes out of nowhere: it all keeps coming at you”.

– Bob Crowley was quite busy this season designing for three Broadway shows: “The Audience,” “An American in Paris,” and “Skylight.”

– David Rockwell is a native Chicagoan and was the set designer for the hit musical “Legally Blonde” which played at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre from May 12, 2009 – June 7, 2009.

 

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, “An American in Paris”

David Rockwell, “On the Twentieth Century”

Michael Yeargan, “The King and I”

David Zinn, “Fun Home”

 

Here’s a few more fun facts:

– Michael Yeargan was the set designer for the beautiful musical “The Light in the Piazza” at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University from July 10, 2007 to July 22, 2007.

– “Fun Home” has a quite interesting scenic design because, “It’s like going from Google Street View to Google Maps,” says scenic designer David Zinn, who has filled the set with objects that speak to the real Alison and to authenticity’s sake. In the show, she’s played as a young girl, a college coed and an adult by three actresses.

 

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.