Media Morsels 3.22.13

Tony Awards News

Big news: the Tony Awards will take place on Sunday, June 9, and will return to Radio City Music Hall! You may recall that due to scheduling conflicts, for the last two years theatre's biggest night was held at the Beacon Theatre. But this year, "Broadway's Night of Nights" (as it's called in the official press release), will return to the famed movie theater. (Note: because of the larger venue, this year theatre lovers will be able to purchase tickets to the big game.) Other important Tony dates: nominations will be announced on Tuesday, April 30, following the Thursday, April 25 Tony eligibility cut-off date.

In other Tony news, the Tony administration committee met again to determine shows' eligibility. The two shows under consideration were Cinderella and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The committee ruled that Cinderella's Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana (Cinderella and Prince Charming, respectively), will be eligible in the Lead Actor/Actress in a Musical categories; the new book for Cinderella will be eligible in the Book of  Musical category, though the show itself will be considered eligible in the Musical Revival category. All other eligibility determinations are consistent with opening night credits. (That means, for example, that Scarlett Johansson, Benjamin Walker and Ciaran Hinds will all be eligible in the Lead Actor/Actress in a Play category, since their names are billed above the title.)


Pink Floyd and South Pacific Head to Library of Congress

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced the 25 new additions to the National Recording Registry. (No New Edition in the mix.) Recordings in the registry are chosen for their cultural, historical or aesthetic significance. This year's class includes Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, the original Broadway cast recording of South Pacific (one of only eight musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama), Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and cuts from Simon and Garfunkel, Big Brother and the Holding Company and The Ramones. Visit the Library of Congress to see the full list of new entries. 

New York City Ballet Screen Test: Chase Finlay

In this installment of City Ballet's new video series, which gives us a peek into the Company members' personalities, we get to know newly-promoted principal dancer Chase Finlay.




Dig This

  • Hands on a Hardbody just opened this week, and star Jay Armstrong Johnson filled out the Playbill Cue + A. My favorite answer is his comment about the arts. Finishing the sentence "I'll never understand why...," Johnson says, "funding for the arts is the first thing to get cut. Music is math. Theatre is English. Tech is science. Dance is physical education. The arts are everything." Amen, Johnson!

  • While I had mixed feelings about Once, I find it totally diggable that fellow UCF Theatre alumni Ben Hope will be the new "Guy," beginning March 26! The show is also getting a new "Girl." Playbill has details.

  • The immensely talented Annie Baker (Circle Mirror Transformation, Uncle Vanya) won the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her latest work, The Flick, which is enjoying an extended run at Playwrights Horizons. Playbill had more.

  • Justin Timberlake might be Daddy Warbucks in the upcoming film adaptation of Annie, led by Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) in the title role. You can catch Annie on stage right now, though, at the Palace Theatre.

  • Broadway veteran and Glee star Matthew Morrison is releasing a second album, and this one, as the title—Where it All Began—suggests, is an album of Broadway standards. The album will be released June 4. Playbill has the full track list.

  • Check out these beautiful productions stills from Second Stage's glorious production of The Last Five Years, written and directed by Jason Robert Brown and starring Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor. The show officially opens on April 2 - look for my review. (And check Broadway.com over the weekend for an "Ask the Stars" video with Wolfe and Kantor. I'll bring you the link in next week's post.)

  • The venerable off-Broadway theatre company Playwrights Horizons has announced five of the six works comprising its 2013-2014 season, and it includes two musicals, including one co-written by Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson songwriter, Michael Friedman. Visit the company's website for details.

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