TONYS 2000
"KISS ME, KATE" LED THE TONY'S WITH 5 WINS!!!!!:
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Best Director of a Musical
Michael Blakemore (note: Congrat's Michael for your Best Director of a Play win for "Copenhagen" as well!!!)
Best Costume Design
Martin Pakledinaz
Best Orchestrations
Don Sebesky, Kiss Me, Kate
“I’m all verklempt.”
-Brian Stokes Mitchell accepting the award for Best Actor in a Musical for
Kiss Me, Kate
10:34PM
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Brian Stokes
Mitchell, Kiss Me, Kate
Mitchell, who was a fan favorite when he was nominated for Ragtime in
1998, is known to be one of the nicest men in town and he seemed like a
genuinely nice guy when he accepted his award. Not only did he praise all
his costars but he also used his acceptance speech to send a message.
“To the teachers who share the stage with me every night. Please people
support the arts in your schools because it is through the arts that we
realize we are all one.” Backstage he spoke about what it was like to go
from Ragtime to Kiss Me, Kate, "[It's like going from] the prince of darkness
to the prince of light. Both of those shows kick my ass!"
See pictures of Marins search for the Perfect Tony Dress!
Marin and Stokes being interviewed before the ceremony
Where the reviewers on target? Here's what their predictions were!:
Best Revival of a Musical
The New York Times: Kiss Me, Kate
The New York Post: Kiss Me, Kate
Time Out New York: The Music Man (doesn't he feel foolish? ;-))
USA Today: Kiss Me, Kate
Associated Press: Kiss Me, Kate
Reuters: Kiss Me, Kate
Back Stage: Kiss Me, Kate
Show Business: Kiss Me, Kate
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
The New York Times: Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate)
The New York Post: Mitchell
Time Out New York: Craig Bierko (The Music Man) (this man's a rebel ;-))
USA Today: Mitchell
Associated Press: Mitchell
Reuters: Mitchell
Back Stage: Mitchell
Show Business: Mitchell
Best Leading Actress in a Musical
The New York Times: Heather Headley (Aida)
The New York Post: Headley
Time Out New York: Marin Mazzie (Kiss Me, Kate)(ok, we love him now)
USA Today: Toss-up--Rebecca Luker (The Music Man) or Mazzie(good choice)
Associated Press: Headley
Reuters: Headley
Back Stage: Headley
Show Business: Headley
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
The New York Times: Boyd Gaines (Contact)
The New York Post: Gaines
Time Out New York: Michael Berresse (Kiss Me, Kate)(I'm starting to like him...)
USA Today: Gaines
Back Stage: Stephen Spinella (James Joyce's The Dead)
Show Business: Gaines
Best Director of a Musical
The New York Times: Susan Stroman, but toss-up on which show
The New York Post: Stroman (Contact)
Time Out New York: Stroman (The Music Man)
USA Today: Stroman, but toss-up on which show.
Associated Press: Toss-up--Stroman (Contact) or Blakemore
Back Stage: Blakemore (Kiss Me, Kate)
Show Business: Blakemore (Kiss Me, Kate)
Best Scenic Design
The New York Post: Bob Crowley (Aida)
Back Stage: Robin Wagner (Kiss Me, Kate)
Show Business: Wagner
Best Costume Design
The New York Post: Martin Pakledinaz (Kiss Me, Kate)
Back Stage: Constance Hoffman (The Green Bird)
Show Business: Bob Crowley (Aida)
Best Orchestrations
The New York Post: Doug Besterman (The Music Man)
Back Stage: Don Sebesky (Kiss Me, Kate)
Show Business: Harold Wheeler (Swing!)
The Jury:
Jesse McKinley, The New York Times
Michael Riedel, The New York Post
Sam Whitehead, Time Out New York
Elysa Gardner, USA Today
Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press
Christopher Michaud, Reuters
David Sheward, Back Stage
Hildy Johnson, Show Business
Thank you Broadway.com for this info!
Michael before the Ceremony
Lee on the red carpet
TONY AWARDS OFFER FEW SURPRISES
The Tony Awards brought
out the glamorous side of
Broadway—nominee Marin
Mazzie likened the event to
“going to the prom.”
Although the big night
turned out a galaxy of
Broadway stars, there was
surprisingly little drama.
There were virtually no shockers at the 54th annual ceremony. All of the
winners were more or less expected, and although Kiss Me, Kate weighed
in with twelve nominations, when the votes were tallied, the awards were
distributed rather evenly among the favorites. Kate walked away with five
awards. Meanwhile, the critically denounced Aida won just as many Tonys
(four) as the unanimously acclaimed Best Musical winner, Contact.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the awards was how many
nominated shows walked away empty-handed. Amadeus, Dirty Blonde, The
Green Bird, Jesus Christ Superstar, Marie Christine, The Music Man, The
Price, Putting It Together, The Rainmaker, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan,
Swing!, Tango Argentino, True West, Uncle Vanya, Waiting in the Wings,
The Wild Party, Wrong Mountain were all shut out of the awards. Rumors
suggest that the lack of awards for The Wild Party will cause it to close by
the end of the week.
Two-time winner Michael Blakemore made Tony history as the first person
to ever win Best Director of a Play and Best Director of a Musical in the
same year. He won for Copenhagen (which won all three of the awards it
was nominated for) and Kiss Me, Kate, which both won in their
categories--Best Play and Best Revival of a Musical. Blakemore was
nominated twice in 1990 (for Lettice and Lovage and City of Angels), but he
walked away Tony-free that year.
Brian Stokes Mitchell won in the Best Actor in a Musical category for Kate.
After losing for his critically acclaimed performance in Ragtime in 1998,
Mitchell won an enthusiastic response when he ascended to the podium to
pick up his award. Later, he proclaimed that moving from the demanding role
in Ragtime to Kiss Me, Kate was “like going from the Prince of Darkness to
the Prince of Light.”
In addition to the Best
Musical Award, Contact
can boast winners in the
Featured Actor and Actress
in a Musical categories,
with Karen Ziemba winning
her first Tony and Boyd
Gaines took home his third,
admitting that "the Tonys have been very good to me."
Another big winner was the Donmar Warehouse revival of Tom Stoppard’s
The Real Thing. “It’s a play about love that is not cynical and therefore is a
courageous play,” said David Leveaux, the director of The Real Thing. The
play’s stars took home the two top acting awards, with co-stars Stephen
Dillane and Jennifer Ehle (beating out mum Rosemary Harris) winning Best
Actor and Actress respectively.
A sad side note: Before the ceremony, it became painfully obvious that even
the entertainment journalists do not know Broadway stars. We were
standing outside Radio City Music Hall next to a long line of entertainment
journalists, television personalities and photographers (including outlets
such as Access Hollywood, E!, Entertainment Tonight etc) who had
absolutely no idea who they were interviewing—many of them kept asking
the reporters from Broadway.com who major Broadway stars were.
Among this year's presenters were Al Pacino, Matthew Broderick, Patrick
Stewart, Susan Lucci, Kathie Lee Gifford, Jack Wagner, Bebe Neuwirth,
Carol Burnett, Kristin Chenoweth and Kelsey Grammer. Grammer will open
in “the Scottish Play” on June 15.
Backstage, Grammer waved away comments about damaging reviews in the
Boston try-out of Macbeth saying the production was, “savaged by the
ignorant.” He laughed at questions about the tough New York critics and
said, “I may be the largest target to present itself in some time.” Just
moments after the culmination of this season, speculation on the next
season of theater has begun.
~Broadway.com
The four leading acting winners celebrated their
wins:
Brian Stokes Mitchell, Heather Headley, Jennifer
Ehle
and Stephen Dillane.
Michael Blakemore shows off his historic double
win.
Martin Pakledinaz won for his Kiss Me, Kate
costumes.
Two of the Michaels
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