Media Morsels 5.13.11

  • Tony and Theatre Award Season Update
    The Tony Awards have a host, and it's a good one. Neil Patrick Harris will once again serve as host for Broadway's biggest night. (He (successfully, in my opinion) hosted the Tonys in 2009.) According to Playbill.com, Harris said of the gig, "I'm honored and stoked...we've got a fantastic mix of live performances, a few secret surprises and, since they're closed for retooling, we're using all the rigging equipment from Spider-Man. What could possibly go wrong?" Yes, dear readers, it's going to be a good show! (Although, I should note, that Spider-Man just resumed previews this week.)

    New York Drama Critics' Circle: The NYDCC announced their winners this week. They've named Good People best play; Jerusalem best foreign play (it's imported from London); and The Book of Mormon best musical. They have also bestowed special citations upon The Normal Heart; Mark Rylance for his work in both La Bete and Jerusalem; and the direction, design and puppetry of War Horse. Visit Broadwayworld.com to learn which critics voted for what!

    Theatre World Awards: These awards honor actors making their New York stage debuts, whether on or off-Broadway. Among the honorees are Ellen Barkin (The Normal Heart), Arian Moayed (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) and Demin Borges (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity), who had a guest spot on this week's The Good Wife. Visit Playbill.com for the full list of honorees.

  • Play Ball!
    This week, the Broadway softball league opened, dear readers! What a wonderful time of year. For 57 years, theatre folks have gathered during the season to play ball. In recent years, the games were (and continue to be) held in Central Park every Thursday for about six weeks in the spring. NY1 caught up with several players, including Edie Falco, on opening day. Broadwayworld.com has photo coverage. And below, you can watch the amazing Aaron Tveit singing the national anthem. I love the Francis Scott Key Key.


  • Catching Up with Broadway's Leading Men
    Two of Broadway's leading recently caught up with two media outlets each. First up, Jerusalem's Mark Rylance was profiled by a New Jersey website and then was interviewed by Time Out New York's David Cote. Next, the dashing Colin Donnell, currently starring as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes, caught up with Paper magazine and Broadway.com. Both men do fantastic work in their respective shows, and both profiles offer a little insight into their process and life as a Broadway star. (And in case you missed it last week, check out what Rylance's Jerusalem co-star, John Gallagher, Jr., had to say when he caught up with Playbill.com.)

    Speaking of Mark Rylance, watch as he talks about wanting to give up acting. (Don't do it, Mark!)

  • Tony Season Casualties
    Wonderland, which did not receive any Tony love, will close this Sunday, May 15. (Apparently it did not receive any audience love, either.) I saw the show last week (I reviewed it briefly in last week's Morsels) and while I didn't care for it and I'm glad that it opens up a theatre for some other show, it's still sad because it means all the people working on the show - actors, designers, technicians - are out of work. When the show closes it will have played 31 previews and 33 regular performances.

  • Anything Goes...Backstage
    Apparently, the backstage antics of a professional Broadway show are no different than those of my high school productions. Check out this behind-the-scenes video from aboard Anything Goes, and visit Playbill.com for more video.


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