2015 Tony Award Nominees: Complete List!

The 2015 Tony Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on Sunday, June 7th. An American in Paris and Fun Home lead in the best musical category with 12 nominations each. For Best Play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night and Wolf Hall are setting the pace.

Here is the complete list of nominees:

Best Play!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Author: Simon Stephens
Disgraced, Author: Ayad Akhtar
Hand to God, Author: Robert Askins
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two, Co-Authors: Hilary Mantel and Mike Poulton

Best Musical
An American in Paris
Fun Home
Something Rotten
The Visit

Best Revival of a Play
The Elephant Man
Skylight
This Is Our Youth
You Can't Take it With You

Best Revival of a Musical
The King and I
On the Town
On the 20th Century

Best Book of a Musical
An American in Paris, Craig Lucas
Fun Home, Lisa Kron
Something Rotten! Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell
The Visit, Terrence McNally

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Fun Home, Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: Lisa Kron
The Last Ship, Music & Lyrics: Sting
Something Rotten! Music & Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
The Visit, Music: John Kander, Lyrics: Fred Ebb

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It's Only a Play

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take It with You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can't Take It with You

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home

Best Costume Design of a Play
Bob Crowley, The Audience
Jane Greenwood, You Can't Take It with You
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Zinn, Airline Highway

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Catherine Zuber, The King and I

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Natasha Katz, Skylight
Japhy Weideman, Airline Highway

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Donald Holder, The King and I
Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Ben Stanton, Fun Home
Japhy Weideman, The Visit

Best Direction of a Play
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis, You Can't Take It with You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Christopher Gattelli, The King and I
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship

By Show
An American in Paris - 12
Fun Home - 12
Something Rotten! - 10
The King and I - 9
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two - 8
Skylight - 7
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - 6
Hand to God - 5
On the Twentieth Century - 5
The Visit - 5
You Can't Take It with You - 5
Airline Highway - 4
The Elephant Man - 4
On the Town - 4
The Audience - 3
The Last Ship - 2
Constellations - 1
Disgraced - 1
Gigi - 1
The Heidi Chronicles - 1
It's Only a Play - 1
This Is Our Youth - 1


Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre - Tommy Tune
Regional Theatre Award - Cleveland Play House in Cleveland, OH
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre - Scenic Artist Arnold Abramson, Press Agent Adrian Bryan-Brown, and Technical Director Gene O'Donovan

Drama League Nominations Announced

It's awards season on Broadway and now the Drama League has announced its nominees for top honors from the 2014-15 season just ending.The League is a nonprofit dedicated to theater development, support and education. It has been handing out awards since 1935, making them the oldest theater awards in the country. The 2015 winners will be announces at a ceremony on May 15.

The 2015 Drama League Award nominees are:

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY PLAY

The Audience

Between Riverside and Crazy

Bootycandy

Constellations

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Hand to God

An Octoroon

Punk Rock

Scenes from a Marriage

Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY PLAY

Big Love

The Elephant Man

The Heidi Chronicles

The Iceman Cometh

It’s Only a Play

Skylight

Tamburlaine, Parts I and II

This Is Our Youth

You Can’t Take It with You 

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL

An American in Paris

Finding Neverland

Fun Home

Ghost Quartet

Hamilton

It Shoulda Been You

Something Rotten!

The Visit

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL

Allegro

Into the Woods

The King and I

On The Town 

On The Twentieth Century

NOMINEES FOR THE DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD

One winner is selected from this category. The recipient can only receive this award once during his or her career.

Usman Ally, The Invisible Hand

Christian Borle, Something Rotten!

Steven Boyer, Hand to God

Sterling K. Brown, Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3

Michael Cerveris, Fun Home

Kristin Chenoweth, On The Twentieth Century

Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man

Leanne Cope, An American in Paris

Jim Dale, Just Jim Dale

Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You

Daveed Diggs, Hamilton

Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris

Renee Fleming, Living on Love

Kelsey Grammer, Finding Neverland

Jake Gyllenhaal, Constellations

Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy

Lisa Howard, It Shoulda Been You

Brian D’Arcy James, Something Rotten!

Rebecca Naomi Jones, Big Love

Cush Jumbo, Josephine and I, The River

Andy Karl, On The Twentieth Century

Judy Kuhn, Fun Homec

Lesley Manville, Ghosts

Jan Maxwell, The City of Conversation

Richard McCabe, The Audience

Rob McClure, Honeymoon in Vegas

Ewan McGregor, The Real Thing

Ben Miles, Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two

Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

Helen Mirren, The Audience

Matthew Morrison, Finding Neverland

Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles

Carey Mulligan, Skylight

Tam Mutu, Doctor Zhivago

Bill Nighy, Skylight

Kelli O’Hara, The King and I

Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two

Bryce Pinkham, The Heidi Chronicles

Roger Rees, The Visit

Chita Rivera, The Visit

Alexander Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Douglas Sills, Living on Love

John Douglas Thompson, Tamburlaine, Parts I and II, The Iceman Cometh

Julie White, Airline Highway

Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Tony Yazbeck, On The Town

The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in New York productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer’s lifetime, they are ineligible this season. Their exemplary work, however, is recognized and applauded.

Kathleen Chalfant, A Walk in the Woods

Stockard Channing, It’s Only A Play

Glenn Close, A Delicate Balance

Rosemary Harris, Indian Ink

Hugh Jackman, The River

Cherry Jones, When We Were Young and Unafraid

James Earl Jones, You Can’t Take It With You

Nathan Lane, The Iceman Cometh, It’s Only A Play

John Lithgow, A Delicate Balance, King Lear

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL THEATER

Joel Grey

UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATER

WNET: Neal Shapiro and David Horn

FOUNDERS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING

Stephen Daldry

Drama Desk Nominations - Complete List

It's awards season on Broadway (and off-Broadway) and now the Drama Desk awards nominations have been announced. Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York City theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway compete against each other in the same category. Formed in 1949 by a group of New York City theater critics, editors, reporters, and publishers, the organization was created to educate the community on vital issues concerning the theater.

Here are the nominees for the 2014-15 season:

Outstanding Play
Clare Barron, You Got Older
Lisa D’Amour, Airline Highway
Anthony Giardina, The City of Conversation
Stephen Adly Guirgis, Between Riverside and Crazy
Elizabeth Irwin, My Manãna Comes
Simon Stephens, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jack Thorne, Let the Right One In

Outstanding Musical
An American in Paris
Hamilton
Fly by Night
Pretty Filthy
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
Ghosts
The Iceman Cometh
Tamburlaine the Great
The Wayside Motor Inn

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Pageant
Side Show

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Bill Pullman, Sticks and Bones
Alexander Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Brooke Bloom, You Got Older
Kathleen Chalfant, A Walk in the Woods
Kristin Griffith, The Fatal Weakness
Jan Maxwell, The City of Conversation
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Tonya Pinkins, Rasheeda Speaking

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Jeremy Kushnier, Atomic
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Matthew Morrison, Finding Neverland
Ryan Silverman, Side Show

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, John & Jen
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Erin Davie, Side Show
Lisa Howard, It Shoulda Been You
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
F. Murray Abraham, It’s Only a Play
Reed Birney, You Got Older
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Jonathan Hadary, Rocket to the Moon
Jason Butler Harner, The Village Bike
Jonathan Hogan, Pocatello
José Joaquin Perez, My Mañana Comes

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It With You
Beth Dixon, The City of Conversation
Julie Halston, You Can’t Take It With You
Paola Lázaro-Muñoz, To the Bone
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Julie White, Airline Highway

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Peter Friedman, Fly by Night
Josh Grisetti, It Shoulda Been You
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Carolee Carmello, Finding Neverland
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Elizabeth A. Davis, Allegro
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Luba Mason, Pretty Filthy
Nancy Opel, Honeymoon in Vegas
Elizabeth Stanley, On the Town

Outstanding Director of a Play
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Anne Kauffman, You Got Older
Lila Neugebauer, The Wayside Motor Inn
Austin Pendleton, Between Riverside and Crazy
Joe Tantalo, Deliverance
John Tiffany, Let the Right One In

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Carolyn Cantor, Fly by Night
Bill Condon, Side Show
John Doyle, The Visit
Thomas Kail, Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Outstanding Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Warren Carlyle, On the Twentieth Century
Steven Hoggett, The Last Ship
Austin McCormick, Rococo Rouge
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Outstanding Music
Jason Robert Brown, Honeymoon in Vegas
Michael Friedman, The Fortress of Solitude
John Kander, The Visit
Dave Malloy, Ghost Quartet
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Sting, The Last Ship

Outstanding Lyrics
Jason Robert Brown, Honeymoon in Vegas
Fred Ebb, The Visit
Michael Friedman, The Fortress of Solitude
Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten!
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Hunter Bell & Lee Overtree, Found
Karey Kirkpatrick & John O’Farrell, Something Rotten!
Craig Lucas, An American in Paris
Terence McNally, The Visit
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, & Michael Mitnick, Fly by Night

Outstanding Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, An American in Paris
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Allegro
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship
Don Sebesky, Larry Blank, Jason Robert Brown, & Charlie Rosen, Honeymoon in Vegas

Outstanding Music in a Play
Cesar Alvarez, An Octoroon
Danny Blackburn & Bryce Hodgson, Deliverance
Sean Cronin, Kill Me Like You Mean It
Bongi Duma, Generations
Freddi Price, The Pigeoning
Arthur Solari & Jane Shaw, Tamburlaine the Great

Outstanding Revue
Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging!
Just Jim Dale
Lennon: Through a Glass Onion
Lonesome Traveler

Outstanding Set Design
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
Christine Jones, Let the Right One In
David Korins, Hamilton
Mimi Lien, An Octoroon
Scott Pask, The Visit
Daniel Zimmerman, Fashions for Men

Outstanding Costume Design
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
Bob Crowley, The Audience
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Paul Tazewell, Hamilton
Andrea Varga, The Fatal Weakness
Catherine Zuber, Gigi

Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley, Hamilton
Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable & David Plater, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Maruti Evans, Deliverance
Natasha Katz, The Iceman Cometh
Ben Stanton, Our Lady of Kibeho

Outstanding Projection Design 
59 Productions, An American in Paris
Roger Hanna & Price Johnston, Donogoo
Darrel Maloney, Found
Peter Nigrini, Our Lady of Kibeho
Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Austin Switser, Big Love

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Side Show
Scott Lehrer, The King and I
Scott Lehrer & Drew Levy, Honeymoon in Vegas
Brian Ronan, The Last Ship
Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton
Jon Weston, An American in Paris

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Nathan Davis, The Other Mozart
Ien Denio, Deliverance
Ian Dickinson (for Autograph), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Gareth Fry, Let the Right One In
John Gromada, Lives of the Saints
Matt Tierney, Our Lady of Kibeho

Outstanding Solo Performance
Christina Bianco, Application Pending
Jonny Donahoe, Every Brilliant Thing
Tom Dugan, Wiesenthal
Mona Golabek, The Pianist of Willesden Lane
Joely Richardson, The Belle of Amherst
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

Unique Theatrical Experience
Catch Me!
Everybody Gets Cake
The Human Symphony
Queen of the Night
A Rap Guide to Religion

Special Awards: Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater.

For 2014-15, these awards include the following:

This year the nominators chose to bestow a special award for outstanding ensemble to the actors who so brilliantly shared a room in the world of A.R. Gurney’s The Wayside Motor Inn: Kelly AuCoin, Jon DeVries, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Rebecca Henderson, Marc Kudisch, Jenn Lyon, Lizbeth Mackay, David McElwee, Ismenia Mendes, and Will Pullen.

To Bess Wohl, the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award: For establishing herself as an important voice in New York theater, and having a breakthrough year with the eclectic American Hero,Pretty Filthy, and Small Mouth Sounds. Her writing expresses sensitivity, compassion, and humor with a sure hand.

To John Douglas Thompson: For invigorating theater in New York through his commanding presence, classical expertise, and vocal prowess. This season he demonstrated exceptional versatility in Tamburlaine the Great and The Iceman Cometh.

To Ensemble Studio Theatre: For its unwavering commitment to producing new works by American playwrights since 1968, and enriching this season with productions of When January Feels Like Summer, Winners, and Five Times in One Night. EST’s Youngblood program fostered and nurtured Hand to God, setting Tyrone off on his devilish path to Broadway.

To Andy Blankenbuehler: For his inspired and heart-stopping choreography in Hamilton, which is indispensible to the musical’s storytelling. His body of work is versatile, yet a dynamic and fluid style is consistently evident. When it’s time to “take his shot,” Blankenbuehler hits the bull’s-eye.

Tommy Tune Cited For Lifetime Achievement

Earlier this month, the Tony Awards® Administration Committee announced nine-time Tony Award winner and Broadway icon Tommy Tune as this year’s recipient for the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

The Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be presented at the 2015 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7th. The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

“It is our honor to present the legendary Tommy Tune with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding dedication to theatre and iconic achievements over the span of his more than 50 years in the business. He has succeeded in multiple facets of the industry – both on stage and off – and is a shining example of the magical experience that live performance brings. We are proud to celebrate his triumphs with the Lifetime Achievement honor this year,” commented Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing, and Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, in a statement.

Tommy Tune is one of the country’s most prolific performer/director/choreographers and is celebrating his golden decade on the great American stage. He has received 9 Tony Awards, The National Medal of Arts, 8 Drama Desk Awards, 3 Astaire Awards, and multiple Life Time Achievement Awards including the Society of Directors and Choreographers’ George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement.


Nine Tonys on the Mantel

A native Texan, Tune began his career as a dancer in the Broadway shows Baker Street, A Joyful Noise and How Now Dow Jones.

He has received nine competitive Tony Awards to date, for:
The Will Rogers Follies (Direction and Choreography)
Grand Hotel (Direction and Choreography)
My One and Only (Actor in a Musical and Choreography)
Nine (Direction)
A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (Choreography)
Seesaw (Featured Actor in a Musical).

He was nominated four additional times for his work on My One and Only (Direction), A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (Direction), and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Direction and Choreography)—making 13 Tony nominations in total.

More Credits and Honors

Tommy Tune’s film credits include Hello, Dolly!; The Boy Friend; and Mimi Bluette…fiore del mio giardino, and in 1999, he made his Las Vegas debut as the star of EFX at the MGM Grand Hotel.

Tune is the recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor for artistic achievement given by the President of the United States, and he has been honored with his own star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame by Gwen Verdon. In 2009 the New York Landmarks Conservancy designated Mr. Tune as a Living Landmark.

In early 2015 Tune received rave reviews for his tap dancing and singing role in the Encores! production of Lady, Be Good! at New York City Center. He is currently touring the country in his one-man show, Taps, Tunes and Tall Tales.

The American Theatre Wing’s 69th Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards, which are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on Sunday, June 7th, 2015 (8:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT time delay) on the CBS Television Network, live from the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Tony Awards, which honors theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been broadcast on CBS since 1978. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

Finding Neverland Finally Finds Its Way

Broadway has long indulged a fascination with the cherished tale of Peter Pan.
But the truth is that Peter scored its greatest successes in this country through television and the movies.
It was the landmark 1950s live musical presentation of Peter Pan on NBC-TV (with the legendary Broadway star Mary Martin in the title role) that put Peter Pan on the map for Americans. Then, of course there was the animated Walt Disney telling of Peter and his lost boys. You can add to this the less-successful Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams 1991 movie Hook (which focused on the story's villain) and the most recent live TV Peter Pan (again on NBC) starring Allison Williams which proved to be an impressive triumph.
There's money in Peter Pan, lots of it.
And Harvey Weinstein knew this when in 2004 he gave us the movie Finding Neverland, based on the play, The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee.
Finding Neverland is really the story of the playwright J. M. Barrie and his personal and creative journey -- a story which culminates in the writing of Peter Pan. Liking many successful vehicles of this sort, it's the story behind the story.
Now, Finding Neverland has come to Broadway as a new musical (again produced by Weinstein) and starring Matthew Morrison as Barrie, Kelsey Grammer as his producer (who becomes the model for Captain Hook), Teal Wicks as his wife, Laure Michelle Kelly as the "other" woman that he falls in love with and Carolee Carmello as his future mother-in-law.
Finding Neverland operates on two levels. One level involves the nature of creativity -- the blessing and the curse -- and the ongoing struggles of a creative person as he searches to find his way, to be understood, to be faithful to his craft, to be successful but still accepted and respected as an artist --and to balance all this with the everyday demands of his personal life.
On Broadway, this is a story that has best been told in the unforgettable play, Amadeus (the tale of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) and the musical Sunday In The Park With George (the story of painter George Seurat) which garnered a Pulitzer Prize.
In Amadeus, we knew that the protagonist would write great music that would withstand the test of time. After all, he was a child prodigy. In "Sunday," we knew that the show would culminate in the great painting that gave the story its name. Yet, through music, drama, excellent casting and inventive devices both these shows were able to more than retain our interest and envelope us in the story.
The story of creative struggle is a tough one to dramatize because it is an internal story -- a story of the mind.
In Finding Neverland, we know that the tale will lead us to Peter Pan but we're not sure how all the pieces will fit together. As the story unfolds, Barrie gets to know four children who have no father. These are the children of the widow who he falls in love with; who he leaves his wife for. Drawing from his time with these boys, he writes a story about children who don't want to grow up.
And so, on another level the show is a love story -- a story of love reinvented, shared, deeply held and eventually treasured in perpetuity. This is a story of the heart, an easier story to tell, a more enticing story.
But the show takes a long, sometimes shrill and sometimes noisy first act to set the story up and get us to the point where Peter Pan is ready to come to life. At times, it seems like everybody is screaming at one another. And this isn't helped by the 13-piece pit band which doesn't seem up to the task -- maybe it's the sound and/or the acoustics, who knows?
Yet, there are some standout moments, most notably in the imaginary "Dinner Party" number, the poignant "Neverland" and the vivid "Circus of Your Mind" which focuses on the frustrating effects of an imaginative, nimble mind on all those who are exposed to it. Still, the grand, closing first act number "Stronger' can seem cacophonous and over-produced at times.
Then, in the second act Finding Neverland really finds its way. And suddenly, delightful tinges of redemption alight, sorta like Tinker Bell casting a spell over the whole business.
In the whimsical number "Play" we discover the real essence of creativity -- retaining a childlike wonder and a lively sense of play. And poignant, beautiful, revealing moments unfold in the numbers "The World Is Upside Down, What You Mean To Me, We're All Made of Stars, When Your Feet Don't Touch The Ground" and "Something About This Night."
The show turns tender, nuanced and heartfelt, opening itself up with really magical moments and alluring stagecraft. There's whimsy and imagination here and it's beautiful, sensitive and inspiring without being the least bit maudlin. There's a depth and gentleness to it. And there are important life lessons intertwined with the music, the story, the characters and their journeys.
Finding Neverland flows into port like a dreamboat and delivers a powerful sense of wonderment, tying up loose ends and bringing us full circle.
Special kudos to Matthew Morrison, Kelsey Grammer, Carolee Carmello and Aidan Gemme who played the real-life Peter in version that we saw.
This is an emotional, heart-tugging, multi-generational show and if you're patient and willing to dream again, Finding Neverland will amply reward you.

A Musical Triumph Worthy Of Its Namesake

When Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein first considered the idea of a musical of the film Anna and the King of Siam (based on the novel of the same name) they weren't sure they wanted to tackle the assignment.
For one thing, they didn't know that it would work. They'd already completed a hugely successful musical (South Pacific) centered on the same part of the world and also involving an east/west culture clash. Dare they go there again?
Second, they weren't keen on building a musical around the talents of a single star -- in this case, Getrude Lawrence, a great British stage actress best know for her work in Noel Coward's light, drawing-room comedies. R&H were suspicious of star vehicles. And Richard Rodgers felt that Lawrence's voice might not be able to handle a wide range of notes. In fact, he felt "she had a tendency to sing flat."
But, after they saw the film, the project became more appealing and they felt they could give it a go.
This was how one of the great American musicals was born -- as a showpiece for Gertrude Lawrence and a co-star, probably Rex Harrison or Alfred Drake.
Well, R&H could not come to terms with either Harrison or Drake and auditions were scheduled for the role of the king. The first person to try out for the role won it.
And from that day forward, The King and I was forever transformed.
At the 1951 Tony Awards, Gertrude Lawrence took home best actress in a leading role honors and her king, an exotic-looking, bald newcomer named Yul Brynner won the award for best actor in a featured role. So long as Lawrence was the star, Brynner took second-billing.
Still, the show was titled The King and I, not Me and the King.
So, over time it was the king who came to dominate the show and guarantee its success and Yul Brynner made this role his trademark, playing it not only in the film version (for which the won best actor in a leading role Oscar) but reviving it on stage for the rest of his life.
Everybody wanted to see Yul Brynner in The King and I and, if you were lucky enough to get a ticket, you saw a performance that could only be described as majestic. We were fortunate enough to see it twice -- once when he revived it in New York in 1977 and later, on the road in Philadelphia.

Now, The King and I is back on Broadway and this time it returns as a star vehicle for a true Broadway diva, the great Kelli O'Hara. At Lincoln Center's Vivien Beaumot Theater, this is a sumptuous production featuring 53 players and a 29-piece orchestra. It's as rich and grand as you could possibly imagine, under the direction of Bartlett Sher and with stunning costumes by Catherine Zuber and evocative, cleverly adaptive sets by Michael Yeargan.
From the very first moment as the vessel carrying Anna and her son arrives in Bangkok, you will be overwhelmed by the scope and grandeur of this production which shifts the focus ever-so-slightly to stress Anna's self-reliance, independence and keen instincts. She is a woman who seems ready to take on almost any challenge and, when she matches wits with the king (as the chosen teacher of his many children) she brings every ounce of energy she has to the fore.
O'Hara is given some great scenes to play and some choice songs to sing and (make no mistake about it) there are no flat notes here. She delivers I Whistle A Happy Tune; Hello, Young Lovers; Getting To Know You and Shall I Tell You What I Thing of You (her soliloquy) flawlessly. She is that rare combination: a great singer who is also an extraordinary actress in song. She knows the difference between singing and fully inhabiting a character in song.
This show seems destined to give O'Hara a well-deserved Tony award after five well-earned nominations and that alone makes this production more than noteworthy.
Still, thanks to Yul Brynner, the question which faces every production of The King and I is: Who plays the king?
This time around it's screen actor Ken Wantanabe in his American stage debut.
Thankfully, Wantanabe doesn't even attempt to replicate Brynner in any way. He plays the role in a more human, 21st century fashion. Here, the king is a bit more vulnerable, less imposing and even funny at times. This is a slightly more approachable king -- not less defensive or less willing to cede ground but still a bit more three-dimensional and maybe even likable in his own way. This is a big challenge for Wanatabe and in most respects, he's up to it. Just one warning: there will be times when his heavy accent makes it difficult for you to understand him. You have to listen very closely or know the story very well. But when Wantanabe performs A Puzzlement, he makes a believer of the most hardened skeptic and he truly seems to relish the role.
The lesser roles are also perfectly cast in this production. Ruthie Ann Miles shines as Lady Thiang and Ashley Park and Conrad Ricamora are extraordinary as the star-crossed young lovers who sing the haunting We Kiss in a Shadow and the lushly romantic I Have Dreamed. Perfect voices!
Kudos as well to young Jake Lucas who plays Anna's son, Louis and to the irresistible young actors who play the king's many offspring.
Of course, no Rodgers and Hammerstein musical would be complete without a show within a show and here the choreographer Christopher Gattelli recreates Jerome Robbins' ballet, The Small House of Uncle Thomas with dazzling results.
The King and I is a story of power and the inevitable changes in the balance of power over time. It's the story of great and small influences clashing; the story of traditions and how they must eventually give way to the new; the story of cultures changing and adapting to survive; the story of young and old and the dawn of each new day, each new era. But above all, this is a love story - a love story on many levels and with many nuances.
Richard Rodgers' biographer Meryl Secrest described it all this way:

The King and I is really a celebration of love in all its guises, from the love of Anna for her dead husband; the love of the King's official wife, Lady Thiang, for a man she knows is flawed and also unfaithful; the desperation of forbidden love; and a love that is barely recognized and can never be acted upon.

The King and I is a spectacle - a lavish spectacle that, at its core retains a timeless intimacy. The yearnings that roil just under the surface throughout this story and the lives of its characters build to a crescendo. The secret is all in the holding back - the suppression. Without one iota of preachiness, R&H teach us a powerful lesson about tolerance, understanding and love -- a lesson they fashioned 64 years ago as they kept the golden age of American musicals alive. They did this long before any government tried to impose any notion of diversity or political correctness. They did it through story and song, through graceful movement and dance, through careful attention to detail and theater that speaks convincingly to our minds and hearts.
As the story builds, we not only bond with the characters but we connect the dots -- we finish off the details ourselves and come to understand necessary truths.
When the king reaches out and touches Anna's waist to lead her in Shall We Dance, we experience a moment of sheer exhilaration that is unparalleled on the musical stage. It's pure bliss -- a joyous reason to be alive.
You're unlikely to see anything like this again for a long, long time, if at all.
Get online, call, go to the box office -- do whatever you have to do. But, by all means get your tickets for The King and I. Hurry! This is a sure sellout!

'Rotten' Leads Outer Critics Circle Nominees

On Broadway, the Outer critics Circle Award nominations for the 2014-2015 season just ending have been announced. Outer Critics Circle is the official organization of writers on the New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media beyond Broadway.
Among musicals, the new show 'Something Rotten' leads the pack. Among plays, the leader is 'Wolf Hall.'
Here is the complete list of nominees:

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
The Audience
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wolf Hall

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
An American in Paris
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Between Riverside and Crazy
The City of Conversation
The Nether
Rasheeda Speaking
The Village Bike

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
A Christmas Memory
Disenchanted
The Fortress of Solitude
Hamilton
Lonesome Traveler

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
The Heidi Chronicles
Skylight
You Can’t Take It With You

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Stephen Daldry The Audience
Marianne Elliott The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis The Elephant Man
Scott Ellis You Can’t Take It With You
Jeremy Herrin Wolf Hall

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Scott Ellis On the Twentieth Century
Thomas Kail Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw Something Rotten!
David Hyde Pierce It Shoulda Been You
Christopher Wheeldon An American in Paris

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Joshua Bergasse On the Town
Andy Blankenbuehler Hamilton
Warren Carlyle On the Twentieth Century
Casey Nicholaw Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon An American in Paris

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Bunny Christie The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley An American in Paris
Scott Pask Something Rotten!
David Rockwell On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan The King and I

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Gregg Barnes Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley The Audience
William Ivey Long On the Twentieth Century
Christopher Oram Wolf Hall
Catherine Zuber The King and I

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Paule Constable The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jeff Croiter Something Rotten!
Rick Fisher The Audience
Natasha Katz An American in Paris
Japhy Weideman The Visit

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Reed Birney I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Bradley Cooper The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles Wolf Hall
Alex Sharp The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Greta Gerwig The Village Bike
Jan Maxwell The City of Conversation
Helen Mirren The Audience
Elisabeth Moss The Heidi Chronicles
Tonya Pinkins Rasheeda Speaking

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Christian Borle Something Rotten!
Brian d’Arcy James Something Rotten!
Robert Fairchild An American in Paris
Peter Gallagher On the Twentieth Century
Tony Yazbeck On the Town

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kristin Chenoweth On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope An American in Paris
Tyne Daly It Shoulda Been You
Kelli O’Hara The King and I
Chita Rivera The Visit

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Paul Jesson Wolf Hall
Richard McCabe The Audience
Alessandro Nivola The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker Wolf Hall
Bryce Pinkham The Heidi Chronicles 

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Annaleigh Ashford You Can’t Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson The Elephant Man
Francesca Faridany The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Julie Halston You Can’t Take It With You
Lydia Leonard Wolf Hall

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
John Cariani Something Rotten!
Josh Grisetti It Shoulda Been You
Andy Karl On the Twentieth Century
Paul Alexander Nolan Doctor Zhivago
Max von Essen An American in Paris

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Heidi Blickenstaff Something Rotten!
Victoria Clark Gigi
Megan Fairchild On the Town
Ruthie Ann Miles The King and I 
Mary Louise Wilson On the Twentieth Century

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Joe Assadourian The Bullpen
Jim Dale Just Jim Dale
Tom Dugan Wiesenthal
Cush Jumbo Josephine and I
Benjamin Scheuer The Lion

JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Ayad Akhtar The Invisible Hand
Halley Feiffer I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Elizabeth Irwin My Mañana Comes
Markus Potter Stalking the Bogeyman
Benjamin Scheuer The Lion

Nominations Talley for 3 or more:

Something Rotten! 12; On the Twentieth Century 9; An American in Paris 8; Wolf Hall 7; It Shoulda Been You 6; The Audience 6; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 6; Hamilton 5; The Elephant Man 5; The King and I 5; The Visit 5; On The Town 4; You Can’t Take It With You 4; The Heidi Chronicles 3; The Last Ship 3

***Please note: Disgraced, Fun Home and Hand to God received nominations and or awards from Outer Critics Circle in previous seasons and therefore were not considered for this year.