Week in Review 5.6.16

Lucille Lortel Award Winners
The Lortels honor excellence in off-Broadway, and winners were announced on Sunday, May 1. Rajiv Joseph's Guards at the Taj was a big winner, taking home the Outstanding Play, Outstanding Scenic Design (Timothy R. Mackabee), Outstanding Lighting Design (David Weiner), and Outstanding Sound Design (Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen) awards. The Robber Bridegroom also won multiple awards: Outstanding Revival, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical (Steven Pasquale), and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Leslie Kritzer). Other winners include: Liesl Tommy, Outstanding Director, Eclipsed, and Phylicia Rashad, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play, Head of Passes. Visit Theater Mania for the full list of winners.

Theatre World Awards
The Theatre World Award recipients have been announced. (These awards honor performers making their Broadway or off-Broadway debut.) The honorees, who'll be celebrated May 23, are Danielle Brooks and Cynthia Erivo, The Color Purple; Carmen Cusack, Bright Star; Khris Davis, The Royale; Daniel Durant and Austin P. McKenzie, Spring Awakening; John Krasinski, Dry Powder; Sarah Charles Lewis, Tuck Everlasting; Lupita Nyong'o, Eclipsed; Mark Strong, A View from the Bridge; Ana Villafane, On Your Feet; and Ben Whishaw, The Crucible. Visit Broadway.com for more.

Tonys and Other Awards
The biggest theatre news this week, of course, was the announcement of Tony Award nominations. I have the full list of nominees (including Hamilton's record-making 16 nominations), and Playbill has reactions of Tony nominees. It was also announced the Drama Desk Awards reinstated the Outstanding Book of a Musical category. As such, the nominees are John Caird, Daddy Long Legs; Michael John LaChiusa, First Daughter Suite; and Jessie Nelson, Waitress. Visit Theater Mania for more. Nominees for the Astaire Awards, which honor excellence in dance, were announced. Nominees include Jane Krakowski, She Loves Me; Curtis Holland, Kendrick Jones, and Savion Glover, Shuffle Along...; and Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton. Visit Theater Mania for the full list of nominees.

The Broadway.com Audience Choice Award winners were announced, and, surprise surprise, Hamilton dominated, winning 11 awards. One of this fan's favorites, John Gallagher, Jr., won for Favorite Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Long Day's Journey into Night. Visit Broadway.com to see the full list of winners. The New York Drama Critics' Circle has named The Humans Best Play and Shuffle Along... Best Musical. Special citations were awarded to Lois Smith (Marjorie Prime), Oskar Eustis, and collaborators Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld (A View from the Bridge). Theater Mania has more. Actors' Equity has named Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) and Alana Arenas (Head of Passes) recipients of the Clarence Derwent Award, which identifies the most promising performers, and they've named Lois Smith (John, Marjorie Prime) and Bill Camp recipients of the Richard Seff Award, which honors veteran actors in supporting roles. Broadway.com has more.

Casting News
  • Boardwalk Empire's Jack Huston and Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke will co-star in Above Suspicion, a screen adaptation of Joe Sharkey's novel. Deadline has details.

  • Rumor has it that Patti Murin (Fly by Night) will play Anna in the Broadway adaptation of Frozen. Disney's official word is that no casting has been announced. Theater Mania has more.

  • Tony nominee Brian d'Arcy James will conclude his run with Something Rotten, playing his final performance May 29. Waiting in the wings is Tony nominee Rob McClure, recently seen in Noises Off, who'll begin performances the first week of June. Broadway.com has more.
Talking to Tony Nominees
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  • Dear Evan Hansen, the sensational musical that just opened off-Broadway at Second Stage, has been extended, and will run through May 29. The show's composers, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, filled out Playbill's questionnaire, Put It In Writing. Visit 2st.com for information and tickets.

  • Steven Pasquale teased (on Twitter) that a The Robber Bridegroom cast recording is in the works. The Roundabout revival, directed by Alex Timbers, is playing through the end of the month.

  • The seating chart for the Broadway run of The Great Comet (nee, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812) has been released. The interior of the Imperial Theatre is being totally revamped to allow for an interactive playing/seating space. The musical stars Josh Groban; previews begin October 18, and tickets go on sale May 22. See the sketches on Playbill.

  • Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted) will star in a new, live-action hour-long dramedy series he created. The show is set to hit Fox airwaves during the 2017-2018 season. Deadline has details.

  • The Mindy Project will return to Hulu for a fifth season, the show's creator and star, Mindy Kaling, confirmed on Twitter. Her co-star, Chris Messina, spoke to Glamour about the show, and called Kaling "the Elaine May of this generation." Deservedly high praise!

  • The first post-Tony nomination casualty is Disaster, which will conclude its Broadway run this Sunday, May 8, rather than the originally scheduled July 3. Theater Mania has more.

  • Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild talked to Elle about married life, and the relationship challenges that come with being together 24/7 and being apart.

  • Finding Neverland will conclude its Broadway run on August 21. Theater Mania has more.

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