10 Lessons From '11 Noms
10 Lessons From '11 Noms
#110 Lessons From '11 Noms
Posted: 5/3/11 at 7:35pm
I love the reference to the "Give The Tony's Back To Broadway".
And the Yazbek love is nice.
Harry Potter Is Powerless Here
He sings, he dances, he leaps John Larroquette in a single bound! Daniel Radcliffe was poised to win the leading actor in a musical Tony — just as previous J. Pierrepont Finches Matthew Broderick and Robert Morse had. So why was the boy wizard snubbed? The 6 out of 10 from frustrated Dancing With the Stars judge — er, New York Times critic — Ben Brantley couldn't have helped. But the 'Give the Tonys back to Broadway' backlash that ensued after Denzel Washington, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Scarlett Johansson took home trophies in 2010 was the more likely culprit. Still, Radcliffe is no sore loser; expect to see him performing his magical moves along with the rest of the How to Succeed cast on the June 12 telecast.
Dressing in Drag Is a Great Way to Get Nominated
The quickest way to a Tony nom? Dressing in drag! Just ask Douglas Hodge (La Cage aux Folles), Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray)... we could go on and on. This year, Brian Bedford (pictured) gets a nod for his delightfully droll Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Tony Sheldon for the beautifully understated Bernadette in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Being British? Also a Big Plus
Broadway loves its British imports: Jerusalem, War Horse, Arcadia, Brian Bedford (The Importance of Being Earnest), Mark Rylance (pictured, Jerusalem), Hannah Yelland (Brief Encounter), Mackenzie Crook (Jerusalem), Joanna Lumley (La Bête), Adam Godley (Anything Goes)... And I'm not even getting into the creative arts categories! At least one — Rylance — will emerge victorious come June 12
The Priscilla Bus Ran Out of Petrol
Even a big name producer like Bette Midler wasn't enough to snag this screen-to-stage show a Best Musical nomination. In fact, Priscilla Queen of the Desert got just two noms — Best Actor for frontman/woman Tony Sheldon and Best Costumes for Oscar winners Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner (a.k.a. she of the AmEx Academy Awards dress).
The Scottsboro Boys: 49 Performances, 12 Nominations
Pretty impressive for a show that closed before the end of 2010. Apparently Tony nominators have better memories than we think.
Robin Williams Did Everything Right
He picked a sizable but not mammoth role in a Pulitzer-finalist play by an up-and-coming American writer; he got killer reviews; he played a tiger, for Pete's sake. What does a guy have to do to get a Tony nomination? Do it all in a less-crowded year. There were a whopping 24 men eligible in the leading actor in a play category. Among Williams' fellow also-rans — all of whom gave very fine performances: James Earl Jones (Driving Miss Daisy), Dan Lauria (Lombardi), John Leguizamo (Ghetto Klown), David Hyde Pierce (La Bête), Patrick Stewart (A Life in the Theatre), Jeffrey Wright (A Free Man of Color).
Women on the Verge Finally Gets Some Respect
Did someone put something in the gazpacho? Apparently Tony nominators liked Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown more than pretty much every critic in town — rewarding the Lincoln Center Theater show with not only two featured-actress nods (for the sublime Laura Benanti and the always amazing Patti LuPone) but also a Best Score nom for the perennially underrated David Yazbek (whose score for The Full Monty should have beaten Mel Brooks' Producers music — I'm sorry!).
The Motherf----er With No Nomination
Though three of his costars got noms, we weren't surprised that Chris Rock wasn't recognized for a credible but frankly not terrific Broadway debut. We're also not surprised to hear he won't be hosting the June 12 ceremony. But we hope he shows up to present an award, and to banter with a host, perhaps someone like...
Whoopi Goldberg! Why not?
We know Whoopi, as a producer of Best Musical nominee Sister Act, would plug the hell out of the ceremony on The View. Plus, she's done it before, and done it well: In 2008, she proved a terrific mistress of ceremonies, and a master of the quick costume-change. We particularly liked her Mary Poppins. 'I can watch the kids,' she quipped, 'but I won't be cleaning your house.'
Or Perhaps Kathy Griffin
About a month before her show Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony! opened, we asked Griffin if she'd be interested in hosting the Tonys — perhaps with her good friend (and Tony winner) Kristin Chenoweth. Her reply: 'I think Kristin and I would be fantastic hosts for the Tony Awards: number 1, because Kristin is extremely talented; number 2, she's so darn petite she can totally fit in the egg with me. I hear Lady Gaga's egg is on sale and Cheno and I are going to split it or crack it. Get it, people???' Just putting it out there, folks!
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