June 12, 2006

'History Boys' and 'Jersey Boys' big Tony winners

"The History Boys" and "Jersey Boys" were the big winners at Sunday’s Tony Awards, walking away with the honors for best play and best musical in a record-breaking year at the Broadway box office.

"Jersey Boys," the story of ‘50s pop group Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, also took home the leading actor award for John Lloyd Young, featured actor for Christian Hoff and best lighting for Howell Binkley. The show beat out the “The Drowsy Chaperone” in the big category but won more overall: best book of a musical (Bob Martin and Don McKellar,) best original score (Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison,) best featured actress (Beth Leavel,) best scenic design (David Gallo) and best costume (Gregg Barnes.)

Things were more clear-cut among the plays, and clearly a night for the boys considering all the shows had already closed when you looked at the best actress category, (which was won by former “Sex in the City” actress Cynthia Nixon for her dramatic turn as a mother whose son died an accidental death in “Rabbit Hole.”)

In addition to best play, Alan Bennett’s sharp examination of the British road to Oxbridge, “The History Boys” racked up five more for the night: leading actor, (Richard Griffiths;) featured actress, (Frances de la Tour;) best direction, (Nicholas Hytner;) best scenic design, (Bob Crowley,) and best lighting, (Mark Henderson.)

The critically lauded “The Pajama Game” with Harry Connick Jr. received the most votes for best revival of a musical, beating out “Sweeney Todd,” which had topped many “expected wins” lists. Sweeney’s Patti LuPone was also bypassed in the best actress in a musical, which went to LaChanze for “The Color Purple.” It was the only trophy won by “The Color Purple,” which had the massive star power of co-producer Oprah Winfrey, who appeared in the movie version of the work based on the novel by Alice Walker, (who were both in the audience last night.)

“Sweeney Todd” hardly went home empty-handed though, securing a best director award for John Doyle’s unique and stark staging of the Stephen Sondheim musical, in which the actors are also the orchestra, playing everything from violin to tuba. The show also won for Sarah Travis’ orchestration.

Best revival of a play went to the Depression-era drama “Awake and Sing!,” penned by Clifford Odets, a Communist who, like director Elia Kazan, named names at the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953, placing other artists on a blacklist for decades.

A special Tony was awarded to Sarah Jones, whose one-woman show “Bridge & Tunnel” otherwise would have been placed in the “special theatrical event” category, but Broadway this year didn’t have enough “special events” to draw a full field of nominees.

The lifetime achievement award went to Harold Prince, whose work on Broadway dates to the 1950s, including such legendary shows as "West Side Story", "Cabaret," "Fiddler on the Roof," "The Pajama Game," and "Sweeney Todd." He missed the Tonys on Sunday because he was in Las Vegas preparing for tonight’s opening of "The Phantom of the Opera" at The Venetian.

The final totals of the night leave out much of the titillation of Broadway’s record-breaking year. Two expected powerhouse shows that nearly sold out in pre-sale were panned by critics: Julia Roberts’ Broadway debut in the drama "Three Days of Rain" and the much anticipated regrouping of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in Neil Simon’s "The Odd Couple." Of the two, only "Three Days" drew any nominations - for best lighting and scenic design. Also left out of the awards was Disney’s “Tarzan,” which has music by Phil Collins, and the adaptation of Anne Rice’s vampire chronicle “Lestat,” which had music by Elton John. (‘Tarzan” received one nomination; “Lestat,” already closed, had two.) Another Broadway diva, Chita Rivera, was also left awardless although she was nominated for her performance in her show, “Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life.”

Martin McDonagh’s “The Lieutenant of Inishmore,” an Off-Broadway hit about an Irish terrorist looking to take revenge for his cat’s death, moved to Broadway and grabbed five nominations, including best play. Yet the show took home nothing last night. “Faith Healer,” a three-person series of monologues, was nominated in four categories, including best revival of a play and best leading actor for Ralph Fiennes, but won only best featured actor only for Ian McDiarmid’s portrayal as the faith healer’s manager.

Of all the winning shows, “Rabbit Hole” is the only one that has closed, though a few others have limited runs and are expected to close soon. Long sold-out “The Pajama Game” closes June 17 while “Awake and Sing!” ends June 25. (There is a chance “The Pajama Game” could return in fall, but with a new cast.) “The Faith Healer” has been extended through July 30 while “Bridge & Tunnel” has been extended again, this time through August 6. “The History Boys,” which will come out in fall as a movie with the same cast, is playing Broadway until September 3.

June 12, 2006 02:01 PM in Broadway

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