43
‘The Book of Mormon’ leads Tony nominees
AP
Photo
In this theater publicity image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Andrew Rannells, center, performs with an ensemble cast in "The Book of Mormon" at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York. "The Book of Mormon" nabbed a leading 14 Tony Award nominations Tuesday morning, earning the profane musical nods for best musical, best book of a musical, best original score, two leading actor spots and two featured actor nominations.
Los Angeles Times
“The Book of Mormon,” the equal-opportunity- offending Broadway musical from the creators of “South Park,” led the Tony Award nominations Tuesday with 14 nods. The musical “The Scottsboro Boys,” which closed earlier this season, received 12 nominations, and the revival of “Anything Goes” had nine.
The nominees for best play included “Good People,” “The Mother[expletive] With the Hat,” “Jerusalem” and “War Horse.”
This year’s acting nominees include Al Pacino in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” Edie Falco in “The House of Blue Leaves,” Frances McDormand in “Good People,” Mark Rylance in “Jerusalem,” Ellen Barkin in “The Normal Heart” and Vanessa Redgrave in “Driving Miss Daisy.”
The awards, organized by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, honor Broadway productions during the 2010-11 season. This year’s ceremony will take place June 12 at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The show will be broadcast live on CBS, with a delay for the West Coast.
“The Book of Mormon,” at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, is the creation of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the duo behind the popular animated series “South Park.” The musical comedy, which was co-created by Robert Lopez, tells the story of Mormon missionaries who travel to Africa.
The show’s 14 nominations fell just shy of the record 15 nominations earned by “The Producers” in 2001 and “Billy Elliot” in 2009.
“War Horse,” adapted by Nick Stafford from the book by Michael Morpurgo, was first produced at the National Theatre in London before moving to the West End. The play, which uses life-size puppets to represent the equine characters, will come to the Ahmanson Theatre in 2012. A film version directed by Steven Spielberg is scheduled to open in December.
The year’s most talked-about show, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” was ineligible for awards consideration this season because its opening date has been delayed until June 14.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Nominations for the 2011 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards, announced Tuesday:
Best Play: “Good People,” “Jerusalem,” “The Motherf---- With the Hat,” “War Horse.”
Best Musical: “The Book of Mormon,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Scottsboro Boys,” “Sister Act.”
Best Book of a Musical: “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” “The Book of Mormon,” “The Scottsboro Boys,” “Sister Act.”
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre: “The Book of Mormon,” “The Scottsboro Boys,” “Sister Act,” “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.”
Best Revival of a Play: “Arcadia,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “The Normal Heart.”
Best Revival of a Musical: “Anything Goes,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Brian Bedford, “The Importance of Being Earnest”; Bobby Cannavale, “The Motherf---- With the Hat”; Joe Mantello, “The Normal Heart”; Al Pacino, “The Merchant of Venice”; Mark Rylance, “Jerusalem.”
Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Play: Nina Arianda, “Born Yesterday”; Frances McDormand, “Good People”; Lily Rabe, “The Merchant of Venice”; Vanessa Redgrave, “Driving Miss Daisy”; Hannah Yelland, “Brief Encounter.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Norbert Leo Butz, “Catch Me If You Can”; Josh Gad, “The Book of Mormon”; Joshua Henry, “The Scottsboro Boys”; Andrew Rannells, “The Book of Mormon”; Tony Sheldon, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical.”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Sutton Foster, “Anything Goes”; Beth Leavel, “Baby It’s You!”; Patina Miller, “Sister Act”; Donna Murphy, “The People in the Picture.”
Best Direction of a Play: Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, “War Horse”; Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, “The Normal Heart”; Anna D. Shapiro, “The Motherf---- With the Hat”; Daniel Sullivan, “The Merchant of Venice.”
Best Direction of a Musical: Rob Ashford, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”; Kathleen Marshall, “Anything Goes”; Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, “The Book of Mormon”; Susan Stroman, “The Scottsboro Boys.”