Issue #23: May 18, 1999

• IT’S TONY TIME!!!
  
  It looks like the nominations for this season’s plays will be the highlight of the Tony Awards which will be presented on Sunday, June 6 starting at 8:00PM at the Gershwin Theatre.

  The nominations for best play, revival of a play, musical and revival of a musical are as follows:

  BEST MUSICAL
  Fosse
  The Civil War
  Parade
  It Ain’t nothin but the Blues
  
  BEST PLAY
  Closer
  The Lonesome West
  Not about Nightingales
  Sideman
  
  BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
  Annie Get Your Gun
  Little Me
  You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown
  Peter Pan
  
  BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
  The Iceman Cometh
  Death of a Salesman
  Electra
  Twelfth Night
  
  

• A number of big names have been nominated — if they all show up for the presentation it will be a who’s who of the entertainment world. Look for Dame Judi Dench (Amy’s View), nominated for best lead actress performance in a play along with Zoe Wanamaker (Electra). The men aren’t too shabby either — Kevin Spacey (The Iceman Cometh) and Brian Dennehy (Death of a Salesman) will vie for the best actor’s performance in a play. In the musical category two Canadians, Brent Carver (Parade) and Martin Short (Little Me) will compete for the best lead performance in a musical. Two veterans of the stage could both walk away with a best director Tony — Harold Prince for the musical Parade and Trevor Nunn for Not about Nightingales. David Hare’s The Blue Room that caused quite a stir with Nicole Kidman in the lead didn’t receive any nominations.

• Chicago is the place to be on Nov. 12 when the revamped Disney production of Aida opens at the newly renovated landmark Palace Theater. After mixed reviews at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta it looks like the head honchos went back to the drawing board for the much-anticipated Elton John/Tim Rice musical.

• The Royal Shakespeare Co. is taking advantage of the newly found interest in the Bard’s works. They have just announced their millennium winter season running Nov. 3, 1999 — Mar. 5, 2000. Sir Nigel Hawthorne will play King Lear in a production directed by Japan’s Yukio Ninagawa. The play will open on Sept. 20 at the Saitama Arts Center in Tokyo before the press opening at the Barbican Center on Oct. 28. Next on the Shakespeare love-in is Macbeth directed by George Doran and starring Antony Sher. Opening night is Nov. 11 at the Swan.

• The Tony-award winning play from a few seasons ago has made its way to Sydney, Australia. Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo, is currently playing at the Marian Street Theatre through to June 20.

• Liam Neeson is causing quite a stir lately with his recent interview where he claimed he was getting out of the movie making business and returning to the stage. Apparently it was said in the heat of the moment but I’m sure there a number of theatregoers that would enjoy seeing Neeson back on the boards.