Tony Awards Nominations 2019

   Nominations in 26 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing’s 73rd Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards® were announced today.  

   Marking 73 years of excellence on Broadway, The Tony Awards, hosted by James Corden, will be broadcast live from the Radio City Music Hall on CBS, on Sunday, June 9 at 8 p.m.  

   Nominations for the 2019 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® are:

Best Play: 
Choir Boy
The Ferryman
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ink
What the Constitution Means to Me 

Best Musical:
Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie

Best Revival of a Play:
Arthur Miller's All My Sons
The Boys in the Band
Burn This
Torch Song
The Waverly Gallery

Best Revival of a Musical:
Kiss Me, Kate
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

Best Book of a Musical:
Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre:
Be More Chill
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
To Kill a Mockingbird
Tootsie

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play:
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, Network
Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play:
Annette Bening, Arthur Miller's All My Sons
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical:
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Derrick Baskin, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical:
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
Beth Leavel, The Prom
Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
Kelli O'Hara, Kiss Me, Kate

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play:
Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, Arthur Miller's All My Sons

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play:
Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical:
André De Shields, Hadestown
Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Jeremy Pope, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Ephraim Sykes, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical:
Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

Best Scenic Design of a Play:
Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird
Bunny Christie, Ink
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Santo Loquasto, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Jan Versweyveld, Network

Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Peter England, King Kong
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
David Korins, Beetlejuice

Best Costume Design of a Play:
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Clint Ramos, Torch Song
Ann Roth, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ann Roth, To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Costume Design of a Musical:
Michael Krass, Hadestown
William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
William Ivey Long, Tootsie
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Paul Tazewell, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Neil Austin, Ink
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Peter Mumford, The Ferryman
Jennifer Tipton, To Kill a Mockingbird
Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden, Network

Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Kevin Adams, The Cher Show
Howell Binkley, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Bradley King, Hadestown
Peter Mumford, King Kong
Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice

Best Sound Design of a Play:
Adam Cork, Ink
Scott Lehrer, To Kill a Mockingbird
Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
Nick Powell, The Ferryman
Eric Sleichim, Network

Best Sound Design of a Musical:
Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice
Peter Hylenski, King Kong
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Drew Levy, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown

Best Direction of a Play:
Rupert Goold, Ink
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ivo van Hove, Network
George C. Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Best Direction of a Musical:
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Des McAnuff, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Casey Nicholaw, The Prom

Best Choreography:
Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
David Neumann, Hadestown
Sergio Trujillo, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Best Orchestrations:
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown
Simon Hale, Tootsie
Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate
Daniel Kluger, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
Harold Wheeler, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

  The 2019 Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be presented to Rosemary Harris, Terrence McNally and Harold Wheeler. 

  The 2019 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Broadway Inspirational Voices founded by Michael McElroy; long time Vice President of Theatre Operations for The Shubert Organization, Peter Entin; Founder and President, Scenic Art Studios, Inc. Joseph Blakely Forbes and FDNY Engine 54 / Ladder 4 / Battalion 9. 

   The Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award will be presented to Judith Light for her advocacy work for HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+. 

  The 2019 Special Tony Awards will be presented to Sonny Tilders and Creature Technology Company the creators of the character/puppet “Kong” for King Kong; musical director and arranger Jason Michael Webb and the late actress and advocate Marin Mazzie. 

   Each year, the Tony Awards Administration Committee presents a Tony Award to a regional theatre on the recommendation of the American Theatre Critics Association. The 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award will be presented to the TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, in Palo Alto, California. 

Summer Theatre Camp in Huntington

   I'll try to compile a list of upcoming summer theatre camps and classes (since it's one of the things I get asked about all the time).

   So here's one: St. Peter's summer theater camp has two camping opportunities! 

   Camp Wonder is designed for children ages 5-11. This year we will be performing Winnie The Pooh: Kids. Camp begins June 10 and goes through June 28 with performances on Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29. Camp runs 9 to noon Monday through Friday for those three weeks. 

   Camp Hope is designed for children 11-18 and they will be performing Mary Poppins, Jr.  It begins July 8 and runs through July 26 with performances on Friday, July 26 and Saturday, July 27. It will also run from 9 to noon Monday through Friday for those three weeks. 

   Cost for both camps is $300 which covers the cost of all materials, script, T-shirt, cast picture, individual picture in costume and Attendance Certificate. Camp is open and inclusive to all children so children with disabilities are welcome to attend. 

   During camp, children will learn lines and choreography as well as build set and props and help with costumes. Both camps will be held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Huntington. 

   To register, you can go to www.stpeterswv.com and download the registration form. To hold a place in camp, applicants must send in $25 along with nonrefundable registration fee. Space is limited to only 15 children per camp and no spaces will be held until the form and deposit have been received. Some scholarships are available but all applicants must pay the $25 registration fee. 

   For more information, please contact Eddie Harbert at 304-360-2749. 

On Stage This Week

   Here’s the show lineup for the week beginning Wednesday, April 24, 2019. Upcoming shows and auditions are also listed. If I've missed anything, please let me know. 

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ONSTAGE THIS WEEK:

- “Tartuffe” - Marshall University’s School of Theatre presents the play by Moliere, translated by Richard Wilbur, on April 24, 25, 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Playhouse of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. The story takes place in the home of the wealthy Orgon, where Tartuffe - a fraud and a pious impostor - has insinuated himself. His duplicity is finally exposed and punished. But not before the author has mercilessly examined the evil that men can commit in the guise of religious fervor and the dangers that imperil those who would believe only what they choose to believe despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary.

- “Chicago the Musical” – The Clay Center at 1 Clay Square in Charleston will present the touring Broadway hit on April 24 at 7:30 p.m.

- “Sylvia” - The Alban Arts Center at 65 Olde Main Plaza in St. Albans, W.Va., presents the play April 26, 27, and May 3, 4 at 8 p.m., and April 28 and May 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for Seniors and Students. Greg is a man of middle age, a restless empty-nester, tired of his job in finance, looking for meaning in his life. Sylvia is an exuberant and beautiful lab/poodle mix, astray in Central Park, looking for a new home. When they meet, it is love at first sight. But his wife Kate, a busy rising star in the public school system, is looking forward to some independence now that the couple no longer has children to care for, and is less than thrilled by the clever and coquettish canine who jumps, slobbers, sits on her couch, and takes Greg’s attention away from his marriage. A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia is a smart, silly, sophisticated, and occasionally salty comedy about relationships, nature, and growing older.

- “Greater Tuna” - Jenny Wiley Theatre presents the hilarious comedy about Texas' third smallest town, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, making this satire on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna -- men, women, children and animals. The play will be presented at the at the Jenny Wiley Mainstage at 218 2nd Street in Pikeville, Ky., on April 25, 26, 27 and May 2, 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m.

- “42nd Street” - Charleston Light Opera Guild presents the singing and dancing classic atd the Little Theatre at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center on April 26, 27 and May 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11, 2019. Set in 1933, it follows the story of a young woman who rises to stardom on the Broadway stage. The show features a score by Al Dubin and Harry Warren and features hits like “Lullaby of Broadway” and “Shuffle Off to Buffalo.”

"Peter Pan" Photo Gallery

   Huntington High School wrapped its excellent production of the beloved musical Peter Pan this evening - the show received rave reviews!

   You can catch a photo gallery of shots from the show by Ryan Fischer on the Herald-Dispatch's website at this link.

On Stage This Weekend

   Here’s the show lineup for the week, beginning Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Upcoming shows are also listed. If I've missed anything, please let me know. 

__________________________

ONSTAGE THIS WEEK:

- “Peter Pan” - Huntington High School presents the high-flying musical on April 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m.

- Murder and Merriment (Interactive Murder Dinner Parties) For a complete list of upcoming murder parties, visit www.murderandmerriment.com.

_____________________________

UPCOMING LIVE THEATRE

- “Tartuffe” - Marshall University’s School of Theatre presents the play by Moliere, translated by Richard Wilbur, on April 24, 25, 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Playhouse of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. The story takes place in the home of the wealthy Orgon, where Tartuffe - a fraud and a pious impostor - has insinuated himself. His duplicity is finally exposed and punished. But not before the author has mercilessly examined the evil that men can commit in the guise of religious fervor and the dangers that imperil those who would believe only what they choose to believe despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary.

- “Chicago the Musical” – The Clay Center at 1 Clay Square in Charleston will present the touring Broadway hit on April 24 at 7:30 p.m.

- “Sylvia” - The Alban Arts Center at 65 Olde Main Plaza in St. Albans, W.Va., presents the play April 26, 27, and May 3, 4 at 8 p.m., and April 28 and May 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for Seniors and Students. Greg is a man of middle age, a restless empty-nester, tired of his job in finance, looking for meaning in his life. Sylvia is an exuberant and beautiful lab/poodle mix, astray in Central Park, looking for a new home. When they meet, it is love at first sight. But his wife Kate, a busy rising star in the public school system, is looking forward to some independence now that the couple no longer has children to care for, and is less than thrilled by the clever and coquettish canine who jumps, slobbers, sits on her couch, and takes Greg’s attention away from his marriage. A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia is a smart, silly, sophisticated, and occasionally salty comedy about relationships, nature, and growing older.

- “Greater Tuna” - Jenny Wiley Theatre presents the hilarious comedy about Texas' third smallest town, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, making this satire on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna -- men, women, children and animals. The play will be presented at the at the Jenny Wiley Mainstage at 218 2nd Street in Pikeville, Ky., on April 25, 26, 27 and May 2, 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m.

- “42nd Street” - Charleston Light Opera Guild presents the singing and dancing classic atd the Little Theatre at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center on April 26, 27 and May 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11, 2019. Set in 1933, it follows the story of a young woman who rises to stardom on the Broadway stage. The show features a score by Al Dubin and Harry Warren and features hits like “Lullaby of Broadway” and “Shuffle Off to Buffalo.” 

- “Anne of Green Gables” - written and directed by Lawrence Burgess. The play will be performed at The Capitol Theater of Resurrection Church at 123 Summers Street in Charleston on April 26-28, and May 3-5.

- “Something Rotten!” – The Clay Center at 1 Clay Square in Charleston will present the touring Broadway musical hit on Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.

- “William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night” - Alchemy Theatre will present the play in conjunction with The Second Annual West Virginia Shakespeare Festival. It will be performed at Barboursville Park in Barboursville, WV, on May 31, June 1, June 7 and June 8.

- “Bright Star” - The Charleston Light Opera Guild will present the Appalachian style musical at the Light Opera Guild Theatre before and during FestivALL Charleston on June 14-16, 21-23 and 28-30, 2019. From Grammy, Emmy and Academy Award winning actor Steve Martin and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Edie Brickell, Bright Star is the five-time Tony-nominated Broadway musical that "The New York Times" called a "shining achievement.”

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Interview with Mike Murdock from "Picasso at the Lapin Agile"

   Alchemy Theatre is offering one last chance to catch their latest play, the very funny Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and it all happens this evening! 

   (I saw the show last night and loved it!)

   Today’s interview is with the amazingly talented director of the play, Mike Murdock, who’s just returned to Huntington:

Q: Welcome back to Huntington! Did you miss us?

Mike: I would love to play it up like I didn't miss this place and that it was an accident that I ended up back here - like, my car broke down on the way to Chicago and I just had to stay and direct a show - but, truth be told, I did miss this place and a lot of the people here. My contract was up with Greenbrier Valley Theatre - The State Professional Theatre of West Virginia - where I had been working the past couple of years in Lewisburg as an actor and the Props Master, and both my wife and I had some sick family members and some other personal stuff going on that we felt needed our attention, so we came back to our house and are currently jobless and penniless, so if anyone knows of anything, let a fella know, huh?

Q: Your first show back in town is Picasso at the Lapin Agile - why did you want to tackle this one?

Mike: I've always loved this show.  I played Einstein in it about 10 years ago with Free Spirit Productions when Jon Joy directed it, and I fell in love with it.  I've always been a huge Steve Martin fan and just recently got to check off seeing him live from my bucket list. I think it's a very funny, very poignant play, and those are the kinds of shows I love the most. It's also a great ensemble show, which I also love, so I got to work with a lot of my favorite actors again.

Q: Talk about your cast.

Mike: This is a truly great cast. We have some very, very experienced people as well as some fresh faces, and it's exciting to work with both. It's been great to have the support of a lot of folks that I've missed over the last several years to help make this first show back such a success. It's really such an ensemble piece, and the cast has really blended together seamlessly to form a very strong cohesive unit. That kind of thing is magical to me. But also, they're silly and ridiculous and we laugh a lot as we rehearse and that's what makes it all worthwhile.

Q: Alchemy is still getting up and running - what challenges does that present?

Mike: The biggest challenge is not having a home.  We don't have the luxury of having a space to consistently perform so that people can get used to us being there, and we don't have the capital to rent places either, so we're slowly growing, but that slowness of it is hard to swallow. We all want to be able to do a big blowout production RIGHT NOW, but we can't, and that's humbling. So we will keep doing smaller shows until we can. Mayor Williams and his wife Mary, of Huntington, found the current space we're performing this show in by getting into contact with Phil Nelson. He happened to have a space to accommodate us and generously donated the space to us for the run of the production. We literally couldn't have done this show without that kindness. We don't even have a place for all of our stuff, but thankfully First Stage Children's Theatre has let us share their storage space, and we're very grateful for all of their help and for having our backs. The Village of Barboursville has also come through big time for us, and is supporting our summer and winter gigs there, both at the Barboursville Park Amphitheater and at the Make Art Gallery. We'll be doing Twelfth Night as part of the West Virginia Shakespeare Festival, May 30 - June 8 at Barboursville Park, then the Appalachian Folk Tale Dark of the Moon there in October and then ART by Yasmina Reza at the Make Art Gallery in November. They hooked us up with those spaces last year and we're very thankful for that. We also performed our cabarets at The Union in downtown Huntington, as well. So we're currently all over the place. I just hope that audiences don't get confused about what we're doing and where to go. We have such a dedicated audience that has stuck with us, and we always want that to keep growing.

Q: Tell us about the unusual stage / theatre where you're presenting this show.

Mike: The space we're in for this show used to be the old WOWK new studio. At some point they left and a few other things took over that space, most recently Crossfit Huntington. Then they moved out as well, and Mr. Nelson offered the space to us to play in. It's a giant, cavernous, concrete room.  Which is at times perfect and troublesome. The first thing we had to do was cut the space in half with pipe and drape to help cut all of the crazy echo in the place. Then, once we had our “walls," we built the set and put in the risers and we had ourselves a little black box theater. It's really come a long way, for sure, and it's a fantastic space to play in. There are so many ways to use the space and set it up. It's really fantastic and perfect for what we wanted to do.

Q: Why would you recommend this play to our readers?

Mike: This play is funny, smart and full of heart. If you're looking for a good time, I can assure you that you'll have one at this show. Even if you aren't a fan of Steve Martin's quirky comedy, there's a lot to love about this play and the performances that this incredibly talented group of actors are putting out there every night. It's great work, but most importantly, it's FUN. Don't miss it!

   Thanks, Mike!

Picasso at the Lapin Agile is being presented by Alchemy Theatre Troupe tonight (Saturday) at 8 p.m. at the Kindred Communications Building at 555 5th Avenue in Huntington (enter by the lower parking lot). Tickets are general admission and are $15 each.