Media Morsels 4.27.12

• Broadway Openings
  In anticipation of the Tony eligibility deadline, which was April 26, a slew of shows opened this week. 
• Sunday, A Streetcar Named Desire came back to Broadway, this time with a multiracial cast. (I haven't seen this yet. I'm hoping TDF can help me out in the next couple of weeks!)
  
  
• Monday saw the opening of both Ghost and The Lyons. 
• Ghost coverage: my review; photos from Playbill; blue carpet arrivals; curtain call (which includes photos of the usually camera shy director, Matthew Warchus); party time
  
  
• I haven't seen the Broadway iteration of The Lyons, but here's my review of the Vineyard production from this past fall. Plus: Ken Fallin's illustration of The Lyons co-stars Linda Lavin and Dick Latessa; photos from Playbill; arrivals; curtain call and party time (Bonus: Broadway.com asked star Michael Esper to talk about some of his obsessions. On the list are The West Wing, Annie Baker's upcoming adaptation of Uncle Vanya and his sister's band, The Echo Friendly. Mr. Esper, you have excellent taste!)
  
  
• Nice Work if You Can Get It, a "new" show full of Gershwin tunes and starring Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara, opened Tuesday night.
  
  
• MTC's production of The Columnist, starring John Lithgow, opened Wednesday.
  
  
• Roundabout's Don't Dress for Dinner, a sequel to Boeing Boeing, opened Thursday.
  
  
• Also opening on Thursday was the fantastic Leap of Faith. Check out these photos from Broadwayworld.com: red carpet arrivals (Newark mayor Cory Booker was there!); curtain call; and opening night party (choreographer Christopher Wheeldon was there!), these from TheaterMania and these from Playbill. (Watch below for a little Leap of Faith preview.) Bonuses: (1) Broadway.com chronicles Leap of Faith's journey from real-life story to the screen and on to the stage; (2) check in with Leap of Faith's leading lady, Jessica Phillips
And now, we wait on tenterhooks until Tuesday, when the Tony nominations will be announced. You can log on to tonyawards.com to watch the announcement at 8:30 am.

• This is 40
  Check out the trailer of the latest from Judd Apatow, a "sort-of-sequel" to Knocked Up:
  

• Theatre Awards Update
• The Outer Critics Circle Awards nominees were announced this week. These will give us a mere hint at what we might expect on Tuesday when Tony nominations are announced.
  
  
• Drama League Awards nominees were also announced. Nominated productions include Peter and the Starcatcher; Venus in Fur; Seminar; The Lyons; The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures; Clybourne Park; Death of a Salesman; The Best Man; How I Learned to Drive; Wit; Ghost; Leap of Faith; and Porgy and Bess. And actors up for the Distinguished Performance Award include: Nina Arianda, Christian Borle, Raul Esparza, Andrew Garfield, Linda Lavin, Jessie Mueller and Jeremy Shamos, among many others. Visit Playbill for details. (Winners will be announced on May 18.)
  
  
• This morning we learned about the Drama Desk Awards Nominees. Also honoring both Broadway and off-Broadway, these seemed to break from award tradition and remember shows and performances from early in the season. Visit my Tumblr for the full list of nominees.
  
  
• Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards
  It's time for you to make your voice heard! Voting is now open in the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards, which is exactly what it sounds like. From now until May 2, you can fill out a ballot to choose the nominees. The final list of nominees will be announced on May 3, after which point you can vote for the winners! Head over to Broadway.com today to cast your vote! (The toughest category in which to whittle it down to five nominees? Best Actor in a Play, since it isn't separated into Leading and Featured. What was the toughest category for you?)
  
  
• Tony Award Committee Meeting
  The Administration Committee met for the final time this season to discuss the eligibility of the last several shows that opened this season. Some rulings: 
• Linda Emond and Andrew Garfield will be eligible in the Featured Actor/Actress categories for Death of a Salesman, though Alex North is not eligible for Best Original Score for the same play
  
  
• Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are not eligible for Best Original Score for Once, presumably because too much of the score was originally written for the film upon which the musical is based, and not for the theatre
  
  
• Candice Bergen, Kerry Butler, Angela Lansbury, Jefferson Mays and Michael McKean will be eligible in the Featured Actor/Actress categories for The Best Man
  
  
• Rick Elice will be eligible for Original Score for Peter and the Starcatcher (the show is a play with music, not a musical)
  
  
  
• Caissie Levy and Richard Fleeshman will be eligible in the Leading Actor/Actress categories for Ghost, and Rob Howell (scenic design) and Jon Driscoll (video and projection designer) will be jointly eligible for Best Scenic Design for the same show
  
  
All other eligibility is consistent with opening night credits. (This means that actors billed above the title, such as Raul Esparza in Leap of Faith, are eligible in the Leading Actor/Actress categories, and all other performers in the Featured Actor/Actress categories.) Broadwayworld.com has more rulings and details.


• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
  The induction ceremony, which was held April 14, will be broadcast (in an abridged format) on HBO on May 5. Here's a sneak peek at what you'll see:

• Bus and Truck News
  The powerful The Normal Heart, which had an acclaimed revival on Broadway last season, will embark on a national tour, set to to launch at DC's Arena Stage this June. Patrick Breen, who appeared in the Broadway production as well as the beautiful Next Fall, will take on the lead role of Ned Weeks. Visit Playbill for details, and head to arenastage.org to purchase tickets for the DC run.
  
  
• Django Unchained
  We saw the first photos of the new Quentin Tarantino film, Django Unchained this week. IMDB describes the new flick as such, "With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner," and shared these photos (like the one at the top of this post). It's Tarantino, which is a good enough start, and has an excellent cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Sacha Baron Cohen. Stay tuned for details on this film, which is due for release this winter.
  
  
• POTUS Slow Jams the News
  In case you missed it:

• Dig This
• Broadway.com checked in with Topher Grace, currently starring in Second Stage's world premiere production of Paul Weitz's Lonely, I'm Not.
  
  
• Casting news: Russell Crowe boards the ark to play Noah, the titular character of Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky's latest film. The Wrap has details.
  
  
• Watch the second installment of Boy's Life, Broadway.com's behind-the-scenes look at Peter and the Starcatcher, hosted by star Adam Chanler-Berat. This week's episode: Meet the Mermaids! (It's hilarious!)
  
  
• Tony winner Mark Rylance (Jerusalem) will read a speech from The Tempest at the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. Broadway.com has details. (It's also rumored that Christopher Wheeldon will choreograph a number for the closing ceremonies, so tune in!)
  
  
• Josh Charles dishes on the season three finale of The Good Wife, which airs this Sunday night.
  
  
• In anticipation of the Tonys, get to know about one of my favorite plays of the season, Venus in Fur. Each week, I'll leave you with an installment of a conversation between playwright David Ives and the New Yorker's John Lahr. Here's part one of five: