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Despite host Neil Patrick Harris' fantastic opening number which promised that "Broadway isn't just for gays anymore," tonight's Tony Awards were extra super gay with lots of gay on the side. Not only did Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart win three awards, the show featured Martha Wash performing It's Raining Men, and there was a lot of thanking of same-sex partners from the stage. Here's the list of winners:
Best Play: "War Horse."
Best Musical: "The Book of Mormon."
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Mark Rylance, "Jerusalem."
Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Play: Frances McDormand, "Good People."
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Ellen Barkin, "The Normal Heart."
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: John Benjamin Hickey, "The Normal Heart."
Best Direction of a Musical: Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, "The Book of Mormon."
Best Direction of a Play: Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, "War Horse."
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Norbert Leo Butz "Catch Me If You Can."
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Sutton Foster, "Anything Goes."
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: John Larroquette, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Nikki M. James, "The Book of Mormon."
Best Book of a Musical: "The Book of Mormon."
Best Revival of a Play: "The Normal Heart."
Best Revival of a Musical: "Anything Goes."
The Book Of Mormon led this morning's Drama Desk nominations with a dozen nods, including for Outstanding Musical. The show also received nominations for music, lyrics, choreography, and for the show's lead, Andrew Rannels. The revival of Anything Goes followed with ten nominations. Legendary playwright, actor, and drag performer Charles Busch received the Best Actor nomination for his performance in his play, The Divine Sister. Also nominated for Outstanding Musical was Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert.
VIDEO: In the clip below, Broadway Speaks OUT's Marti Gould interviews Drama Desk presenters Audra McDonald and Liev Schreiber, followed by the nomination announcements.
The Book Of Mormon is in previews has opened and reviews are coming in.
Andrew Sullivan:
This is an almost classically traditional musical score, each song unique, but united and woven together in show-stopping finales. Their blend is of subversive material filtered through tradition and sincerity. There is no cynicism here. Yes there is General Butt-Fucking Naked. There is an African woman called Neosporin. There is a fantastic send-up of Bono; a lovely dig at Johnnie Cochrane; some rudely sodomized frogs; and a baptism that sounds like sex. But there are also moments of unexpected poignancy, as when an African woman discovers that she has in fact been deceived. It is the best thing they have ever done - musically, theatrically, comicallyNew York Times' Ben Brantley:
This is to all the doubters and deniers out there, the ones who say that heaven on Broadway does not exist, that it’s only some myth our ancestors dreamed up. I am here to report that a newborn, old-fashioned, pleasure-giving musical has arrived at the Eugene O’Neill Theater, the kind our grandparents told us left them walking on air if not on water. So hie thee hence, nonbelievers (and believers too), to “The Book of Mormon,” and feast upon its sweetness.Catholic League's Bill Donohue:
It takes no guts to bash Mormons on Broadway. Real men would rip Muslims. Real men would admit they love bashing Mormons. But the critics are also mere boys. Sullivan praises the musical for its "humaneness." The Los Angeles Times boasts of its "good intentions." AP calls it a "pro-religion musical." Newsday writes that it "seems smitten" to "do good." The reaction of homosexual reviewers is always fun to read. Sullivan justifies the Mormon bashing by saying we should judge "Mormonism by Mormons." Ben Brantley of the New York Times is hot over the scene where there are a "few choice words for the God who let them [AIDS victims] wind up this way." But if we were to judge homosexuals by what they do, we would know who caused them to wind up with AIDS. That would take real guts.
The Ali Forney Center holds its fifth annual Broadway Beauty Pageant this Monday at Manhattan's Symphony Space, where Broadway's hottest and most talented chorus boys compete to win the prized tiara. It's a fun, sweet show hosted by four-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh and the house is always packed with the movers and shakers of musical theater. Highly recommended.
Get tickets here.Judges include Bruce Vilanch (six-time Emmy Award winner/comedy writer, who made his Broadway debut in Hairspray), Rachel Dratch ("Saturday Night Live") and Carson Kressley ("Queer Eye," "How To Look Good Naked," "Carson-Nation"). This year's contestants comprise Matt Anctil, La Cage aux Folles; Mikey Cusamano, Chicago; Ray Lee, Anything Goes; Brandon Rubendall, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark; and James Tabeek, Mary Poppins. Conceived by Jeffery Self and directed by Ryan J. Davis, The Broadway Beauty Pageant is musically directed by Christopher Denny. The evening is produced by Wil Fisher, Ryan J. Davis, Jeffery Self and Matthew Oberstein.
Courtesy of the show's producers, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to the premiere Broadway musical production of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert, which begins previews this week.
Get Ready for THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE! PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT: THE MUSICAL is the feel-good theatrical experience of the year! Based on the smash-hit movie, PRISCILLA is the heart-warming, uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dance-floor favorites, this wildly fresh and funny new musical is a journey to the heart of FABULOUS!Tickets for Priscilla are now on sale and you can follow the show and cast on Twitter and Facebook. Enter to win your tickets by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your entry. If you cannot be in Manhattan to attend the show, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite show queen. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.
Stay out of the comments if you haven't yet seen this week's boozy episode. Otherwise dive in and dish.
With the same title and a similar theme to yesterday's release by Lady Gaga, this track was written by R&B legends Ashford & Simpson for a musical based on a novel by openly gay author E. Lynn Harris, who died unexpectedly in 2009. Harris' untimely death apparently put a hold on the musical, but promoters are recirculating the below clip to capture some of the Born This Way media frenzy. It's a dynamite track with that classic Ashford & Simpson groove. Play it loud, it's a Saturday!
RELATED: Vocalist Terry Lavell is presently one of the Cagelles in the Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles.
The New York Times' Ben Brantley has finally reviewed Spider-Man and yeeowtch, it isn't pretty.
The sheer ineptitude of this show, inspired by the Spider-Man comic books, loses its shock value early. After 15 or 20 minutes, the central question you keep asking yourself is likely to change from “How can $65 million look so cheap?” to “How long before I’m out of here?” Directed by Julie Taymor, who wrote the show’s book with Glen Berger, and featuring songs by U2’s Bono and the Edge, “Spider-Man” is not only the most expensive musical ever to hit Broadway; it may also rank among the worst.The Times and other major papers typically don't review Broadway shows until the end of their preview periods so that readers will see the final version being written about. But with the endless delays in an official opening date for Spider-Man, the Times finally gave up.
(Tipped by JMG reader Bill)
