With Broadway's lights dimmed, actors mull pandemic's impact on their lives

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A week after the bright lights of Broadway theaters in New York City were dimmed for a month to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, two actors weighed in on how the closures were affecting their daily lives.Joel Hatch, who plays real-life mayor Claude Elliott of Gander, Newfoundland in the award-winning “Come From Away,” said he agreed with Broadway’s temporary closure.

The musical is set in tiny Gander, Newfoundland, where dozens of planes were forced to land after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington D.C., stranding thousands of passengers, who were then taken in by the locals.Hatch compared the musical to the coronavirus outbreak in New York.”They thought about, ‘We’re all in this together.’ And so I think that’s a story that’s worth adhering to right now,” he said. “We have to stop thinking about ourselves personally and think about the general common good.”

People should be “doing healthy things, staying distant from each other, staying clean and trying to create less of a disaster for the people on the frontlines in our hospitals,” Hatch said.Roe Hartrampf was making his Broadway debut in the starring role as Prince Charles in “Diana,” a two-act musical chronicling Princess Diana’s courtship and marriage to Charles and their eventual separation.

Speaking of the royals’ outreach to lower-income communities and at-risk youth, Hartrampf said: “I think we can take a cue from that in this moment and make sure that we are thinking about those who are actually at greater risk than we are.”

Broadway was shaken last week when an usher who had worked at two New York theaters tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The venues’ owners said they had ordered deep cleaning, and their shows went ahead on Wednesday.The Broadway League said in a statement that shows would be suspended until April 13.On the temporary closure of theaters, Hartrampf said: “In terms of global public health, it’s really important that we follow directions and commit to the social distancing aspect of it.”Some 14.8 million tickets were sold for Broadway shows in the 2018-2019 season that ended in May, bringing $1.8 billion in box office receipts, according to the Broadway League. More than six out of 10 theatergoers were from outside the United States or outside New York.

Reporting by Roselle Chen; Editing by Bernadette Baum

'Harry Potter,' Andrew Garfield win top Tony Awards

NEW YORK --  "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" won the Tony for best play on Sunday, while "The Band's Visit" swept the musical categories with 10 wins, including the top award best musical at Broadway's annual honors for the best in theater.

Glenda Jackson and Andrew Garfield took home acting prizes and rocker Bruce Springsteen received a special Tony, while a revival of the AIDS drama "Angels in America" was named best play revival and "Once On This Island" won best musical revival.

But the biggest surprise of the night came when Robert De Niro, appearing on stage to introduce Springsteen, used the "F-bomb" against U.S. President Donald Trump.

De Niro's comments brought the cheering crowd at Radio City Music Hall to its feet but were bleeped for U.S. television audiences.

"The Band's Visit," about Egyptian musicians stranded in a small Israeli town, also won acting awards for stars Tony Shaloub, Katrina Lenk and Ari'el Stachel, as well as best book, score, director, orchestration, sound design and lighting.

It lost just one category among its 11 nominations, with its 10 wins just two shy of the record for any show set by "The Producers."

"I avoided so many events with them (his parents) in the past because I pretended that I was not Middle Eastern," said Stachel, whose father is of Yemeni and Israeli heritage.

He also praised "a cast of actors who never believed they would be able to portray their own races."

"Harry Potter," a record-setting $69-million two-part production set 19 years after the last of J.K. Rowling's best-selling novels about the boy wizard, won a total of six Tonys including best new play and best director.

Garfield won best actor in a play for his acclaimed performance in "Angels in America," which also won Nathan Lane his third Tony, as closeted conservative lawyer Roy Cohn, who died of AIDS.

Praising playwright Tony Kushner, an emotional Lane said, "Tony wrote one of the greatest plays of the 20th century, and it is still speaking to us as powerfully as ever in the midst of such political insanity."

Kushner, noting it was 21 weeks until the mid-term congressional elections in the United States, continued the political vein adding, "21 weeks to save our democracy."

Jackson, 82, returning to Broadway after 30 years and a lengthy term as a British politician, was named best actress for her tour-de-force performance in Edward Albee's "Three Tall Women."

Laurie Metcalf won her second Tony, playing a younger version of Jackson's imperious character in "Three Tall Women."

Veteran actress Chita Rivera and British musical impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber received lifetime achievement awards, while actor, writer and comedian John Leguizamo was given a special Tony for his one-man show, "Latin History for Morons."

The Tonys, hosted by singer-songriter-actors Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles, capped another record year on Broadway with $1.7 billion in box office receipts, despite the smallest number of new productions in 20 years.

Following is a list of winners in key categories:

Best play: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Best musical: "The Band's Visit"
Best revival of a play: "Angels in America"
Best revival of a musical: "Once On This Island"
Best actor in a play: Andrew Garfield, "Angels in America"
Best actress in a play: Glenda Jackson, "Three Tall Women"
Best actor in a musical: Tony Shalhoub, "The Band's Visit"
Best actress in a musical: Katrina Lenk, "The Band's Visit"
Best direction of a play: John Tiffany, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Best direction of a musical: David Cromer, "The Band's Visit"
Best book of a musical: "The Band's Visit"
Best original score (music and/or lyrics): "The Band's Visit"
Lifetime achievement: Chita Rivera, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Special award: Bruce Springsteen, John Leguizamo

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Fil-Am designer nominated for another Tony

Nominations for the best of Broadway are out and Filipino-American Tony Award-winning set and costume designer Clint Ramos is up for another Tony.

This time, for best costume design of a musical for "Once On This Island" starring another Tony-winning Filipino, Lea Salonga. 

"Once On This Island" is also up for a Tony for outstanding revival of a musical.

Ramos will be competing with Gregg Barnes of Mean Girls, Ann Roth of Carousel, and David Zinn of Sponge Bob Square Pants.

Ramos is also nominated for drama desk award for outstanding costume design for the same musical.

Competing with the same contenders plus Catherine Zuber of My Fair Lady and Dade Avite Bella of the musical An American Tall Tale.

The following are nominees in key categories for Broadway's 72nd annual Tony awards, to be presented on June 10 at Radio City Music Hall.

Best play:

"The Children," Lucy Kirkwood

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two," Jack Thorne

"Junk," Ayad Akhtar

"Latin History for Morons," John Leguizamo

Best musical:

"The Band's Visit"

"Frozen"

"Mean Girls"

"SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

Best revival of a play:

"Angels in America"

"Edward Albee's Three Tall Women"

"Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh"

"Lobby Hero"

"Travesties"

Best revival of a musical:

"My Fair Lady"

"Once On This Island"

"Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel"

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play:

Andrew Garfield, "Angels in America"

Tom Hollander, "Travesties"

Jamie Parker, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"

Mark Rylance, "Farinelli and The King"

Denzel Washington, "Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh"

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play:

Glenda Jackson, "Edward Albee's Three Tall Women"

Condola Rashad, "Saint Joan"

Lauren Ridloff, "Children of a Lesser God"

Amy Schumer, "Meteor Shower"

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical:

Harry Hadden-Paton, "My Fair Lady"

Joshua Henry, "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel"

Tony Shalhoub, "The Band's Visit"

Ethan Slater, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical:

Lauren Ambrose, "My Fair Lady"

Hailey Kilgore, "Once On This Island"

LaChanze, "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical"

Katrina Lenk, "The Band's Visit"

Taylor Louderman, "Mean Girls"

Jessie Mueller, "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel"

Best direction of a play:

Marianne Elliott, "Angels in America"

Joe Mantello, "Edward Albee's Three Tall Women"

Patrick Marber, "Travesties"

John Tiffany, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"

George C. Wolfe, "Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh"

Best direction of a musical:

Michael Arden, "Once On This Island"

David Cromer, "The Band's Visit"

Tina Landau, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

Casey Nicholaw, "Mean Girls"

Bartlett Sher, "My Fair Lady"

Best book of a musical:

"The Band's Visit"

"Frozen"

"Mean Girls"

"SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

Best original score (music and/or lyrics):

"Angels in America"

"The Band's Visit"

"Frozen"

"Mean Girls"

"SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

- with a report from Reuters

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Japan actor Watanabe returns to Broadway after cancer surgery

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Hollywood star Ken Watanabe left Tokyo Saturday following successful treatment for cancer to return to New York where he is starring in the Broadway musical "The King and I".

Watanabe, star of "Last Samurai" -- for which he received an Academy Award nomination -- "Inception" and Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima", underwent endoscopic surgery for stomach cancer last month and has since recovered well.

"I was in hospital only for four days and have begun working out," a smiling Watanabe told reporters at Tokyo's Narita airport ahead of his departure.

"I caused a lot of worries but now I can move forward and get down to new work and acting," the Oscar-nominated actor said.

"I want to start over by remotivating myself," he added.

The 56-year-old said he would resume his role in "The King and I" on March 17.

Last year, he became the first Japanese actor to be nominated for a Tony Award following his run in the musical.

The actor survived two bouts of leukemia in 1989 and 1994.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

At least 1 dead after construction crane collapses in Manhattan

A construction crane collapsed in downtown Manhattan on Friday morning, killing at least one person and seriously injuring two others.

A massive construction crane collapsed in downtown Manhattan on Friday morning, killing at least one person and seriously injuring two others, a spokesman for the New York City Fire Department said.

There were preliminary reports of additional injuries by some local media, but Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports.

A New York Police Department spokesman said the crane collapse was reported at 8:24 a.m. EST at the intersection of Worth Street and Broadway.

Photographs showed the crane lying on top of several crushed vehicles. It stretched out for more than one city block, according to the New York Department of Transportation.

The two injured persons were transported to a hospital, the fire official said.

Local media reported that several people were trapped inside cars.

The streets around the collapse were shut to vehicular traffic, and a major subway line running the length of Manhattan bypassed a station near the accident.

The fire department said on Twitter that the collapse occurred near 40 Worth St. Pictures released by the department showed the crane flipped upside down.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sting's musical 'The Last Ship' docks on Broadway

NEW YORK -- "The Last Ship," a musical by Grammy-winning rock star Sting based on his childhood in a shipbuilding town in northeastern England, landed on Broadway with a star-studded opening.

Actors Robert De Niro, Liam Neeson, Bill Pullman and Alan Cumming, along with singers Billy Joel and Debbie Harry of Blondie were on hand on Sunday night for Sting's Broadway debut as a composer at the Neil Simon Theater.

Despite winning 16 Grammys, the former frontman of the rock group The Police admitted being nervous before the curtain went up for the show he had been working on for five years.

"I was brought up in a pretty extraordinary place in the shadow of a shipyard and it always had a kind of theatrical feel to it. And I thought - I wanted to honor the community I came from. It was about time," Sting, 63, said.

The musical charts the course of Gideon Fletcher, a shipbuilder's son who leaves his girlfriend, Meg Dawson, and his hometown of Wallsend in search of a better life. He returns 15 years later after his father's death to a town hit by recession, where the shipyard has closed and his lover has moved on.

"Rich score propels 'Ship,'" the New York Daily News said in a headline, while the New York Times called it an "ambitious, earnest musical," adding the seductive score is among the best composed by a rock or pop figure for Broadway.

"The Last Ship" is packed with about 20 songs ranging from sweet, melodic ballads to toe-tapping dance numbers set in the grim shipyard, a local pub and the Catholic Church.

"The varied score draws on the antique sounds of sea chanteys, and often has a heavily Celtic sound - with a little Kurt Weill thrown in for good measure," said the New York Times.

When Gideon returns the shipyard is being sold and the men of Wallsend are left without the only jobs they have ever known. At the urging of local priest the men take over the yard to build one last ship.

Gideon joins them and also tries to woo Meg away from her new love.

Michael Esper ("Frances Ha") is the adult Gideon and Collin Kelly-Sordelet, in his Broadway debut, plays his younger version.

Rachel Tucker, who appeared in "Wicked" in London, is the feisty Meg and Aaron Lazar ("Wolf of Wall Street") is Arthur, the man vying for her heart. British actor Jimmy Nail in the stern shipyard foreman and Fred Applegate is Father O'Brien, the wise, understanding priest who won't say no to a pint and sometimes lapses into profanity.

While critics praised the cast and score, the New York Times said the book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey is unfocused and diffuse.

The New York Daily News concurred, saying the two-pronged story "sometimes sinks this enterprise."

"Fortunately, when the story threatens to capsize, there's another good song by Sting to shore up the show," it added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

McDonald makes Tony history, Cranston wins prize

NEW YORK -- Actress Audra McDonald made Broadway history on Sunday, winning her sixth Tony as Billie Holiday in "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" and Bryan Cranston and Neil Patrick Harris nabbed the top acting prizes at the 68th annual Tony Awards.

"A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder," took home the top musical prize and Jessie Mueller was named best actress for her starring role in "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical."

McDonald, with her best actress prize in a play, became the only woman to win a Tony in all four acting categories. She also tied with the late actress Julie Harris, who had six wins, including a special lifetime achievement award.

With tears streaming down her face, a trembling McDonald acknowledged her parents, family and the women who came before her.

"I want to thank all the shoulders of the strong and brave and courageous women that I am standing on," she said. "And most of all Billie Holiday. You deserve so much more than you were given when you were on this earth."

With four awards including Darko Tresnjak's statuette for best director, the musical satire "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder" tied with "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" with the most Tonys.

Cranston had been a favorite to win in his Broadway debut as U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson in "All the Way," Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan's acclaimed play.

"When you can effect emotional change in the audience it's like a powerful drug. It's as strong as blue crystal meth," he said, referring to his Emmy-winning role as a teacher turned ruthless drug kingpin in TV's "Breaking Bad."

Harris was also a main contender for lead actor in a musical as the transgender rock star in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Lena Hall nabbed her first Tony for her supporting role in the production, which was also named best musical revival.

"Playing Hedwig is an absolute joy.It was a role I was terrified of, in taking it on. It has changed me and challenged me," he said.

Award-winning actor Hugh Jackman hosted the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall for the fourth time. The show included performances by Tony nominee Idina Menzel, music legend Gladys Knight and rock star Sting, who performed a song from his upcoming Broadway debut musical "The Last Ship."

British actor Mark Rylance took home his third Tony, winning for featured actor in a play as the Countess Olivia in the all-male Shakespeare Globe production of "Twelfth Night."

"We would very much like to come back (to Broadway) with some more Shakespeare and we are talking about it but we haven't settled what it will be," said Rylance, who praised the late blacklisted American actor Sam Wanamaker, the force behind the recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.

A flustered and surprised Sophie Okonedo accepted the featured actress prize in her Broadway debut, as Denzel Washington's wife, in the revival of "A Raisin in the Sun."

Lorraine Hansberry's acclaimed 1959 work also won the Tony for best revival of a play, and the best directing prize for Kenny Leon.

"That was shocking and stunning, surprising. But I thought the production was well deserving of a Tony Award," Leon said backstage.

James Monroe Iglehart, who plays the larger-than-life genie in "Aladdin," jumped up and shouted to loud audience applause after winning the featured actor prize in a musical.

The Tony Awards are presented by the theater industry association, The Broadway League, and the American Theater Wing, a not-for-profit organization.

68th Annual Tony Awards will be shown Monday at 8 p.m. on Lifestyle Network (Sky Cable channel 52).

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Disney's 'Aladdin' unleashes genie on Broadway

NEW YORK -- It has a flying carpet, a cave full of treasures and show-stopping songs, but critics said on Friday the Broadway debut of Disney's "Aladdin" lacks the magic of the original Oscar-winning animated film.

The tale of the street urchin Aladdin, who wins the heart of Princess Jasmine, unleashes the Genie from the lamp and battles the evil Jafar, was the top-grossing film of 1992, and picked up Academy Awards for best original score and song for "A Whole New World."

The musical that opened on Thursday night is the latest Disney film to be adapted for the stage, following the long-running and hugely successful "Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid" and others.

Although "Aladdin" includes new songs, elaborate costumes and sets, dance numbers and a magical carpet that mysteriously floats, it left some critics wishing for more.

"This super-costly extravaganza doesn't do justice to the movie, or to the spirit of the late Howard Ashman," trade magazine Variety said, referring to the lyricist who had the original inspiration for the film.

The Hollywood Reporter described the show as "sweet, silly fun," while the New York Daily News found the extravagant production lacking compared to the film.

"Most moving thing in 'Aladdin' is the flying carpet," it said in a headline, adding that the musical was "entertaining but an emotionally sparse adaptation" of the film.

"While burning through wishes, you should ask for a musical with a lot more heart," it said.

But the New York Times' Charles Isherwood, who admitted he was not enthusiastic about the prospect of yet another Disney show on Broadway, said the show defied his dour expectations.

"Aladdin' has an infectious and only mildly syrupy spirit," he wrote. "Not to mention enough baubles, bangles and beading to keep a whole season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' contestants in gear."

Nifty genie

Adam Jacobs ("The Lion King") plays Aladdin in the show directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw ("Elf"). Courtney Reed ("Mama Mia") is the rebellious Princess Jasmine and James Monroe Iglehart ("Memphis") takes on the role of the Genie that was voiced by comic Robin Williams in the film version.

Although less enthusiastic about the musical, the New York Post had high praise for Iglehart's rousing performance.

"Disney's new 'Aladdin' doesn't quite catch lightening in a bottle - but it lets a pretty nifty genie out of a lamp," the newspaper said. "That would be James Monroe Iglehart."

USA Today went a step further, saying Iglehart's rendition of the song "Friend Like Me" topped the version sung by Williams.

"By the end of the number, which includes a game-show segment, a medley of tunes from other Disney musicals, Iglehart's Genie is deliriously huffing and puffing: the audience, which received it at a recent preview with a standing ovation, is just as giddy," the newspaper said.

The Hollywood Reporter found the musical perhaps the most old-school of Disney's screen-to-stage adaptations since "Beauty and the Beast" but added it could still become a family-friendly hit.

"It's not the most sophisticated entertainment, but the target demographic won't mind at all," it said.

Another Disney movie bound for Broadway is "Frozen," this year's Oscar-winning best animated film which has generated $1 billion at the global box office since November.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Wicked' to hit Manila stage in January 2014

MANILA - It's official: the popular Broadway musical "Wicked" is coming to Manila next year.

Months after providing teasers to its Filipino fans online, producers Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Concertus Manila announced in a press launch on Wednesday that "Wicked" will be staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater starting January 22, 2014.

This after another musical, "Dirty Dancing," was cancelled "due to a variety of unforeseen circumstances."



Tickets to "Wicked" will be sold at TicketWorld starting Thursday, August 15, at 10 a.m., with ticket prices ranging from P1,750 to P7,000.

James Cundall, Lunchbox's chief executive officer, expects the Manila tour of “Wicked” to be even bigger than “The Phantom of the Opera,” which was seen by an estimated 100,000 people during its extended run.

“I thought ‘Phantom’ was big until I saw ‘Wicked.’ It’s the mother of all shows,” he said.

In an interview with ABS-CBNnews.com shortly after the press launch, Cundall noted how a lot of Filipinos have already watched “Wicked” in other countries, saying that this is what motivated them to bring the show to Manila.

“It’s amazing how many Filipinos have seen the show before, in Singapore or in Broadway,” he said. “It’s thanks to these people who’ve seen it [as this] gave us the impetus to bring it here.”

Cundall said “Wicked” may run for three to four weeks in Manila. “Then, we’ll see how it sells,” he said.

Fans of the musical, a prequel of sorts to "The Wizard of Oz," started a petition on Facebook early this year so "Wicked" will be staged in Manila.

Dream roles

Some of the cast members of "Wicked" are in town to promote the musical, which they described as one of the “new mega-musicals of our generation.”

Suzie Mathers, who plays Glinda, the “good” witch, said she is thankful to have been given the chance to portray “such an extraordinary role.”

“They’re dream roles,” she said of her role and that of Jemma Rix, who plays the green "wicked" witch Elphaba. “If you want to be in the musical theater industry, these are the two roles you want to play. And for us to play them is a gift. It’s amazing.”

Rix agreed, saying, “She (Elphaba) is a beautiful human being who fights for what she believes in. She has such a heart… The songs [in ‘Wicked’] are so wonderful. We get to have so much fun together.”

The two lead stars of “Wicked” went on to give some advice to aspiring theater actors. For Rix, it is all about exerting extra effort.

“If you really love what you’re doing, you have to work really, really hard. Very, very hard,” she said.

Mathers, on the other hand, stressed the importance of improving one’s craft through education and training.

“I went to drama school. I studied musical theater for three years… you just have to work on your craft,” she said.

For his part, “Wicked” assistant music director David Young said: “Take lessons. Take dance classes, singing classes, acting classes… Because it’s a tough world, a tough industry.”

"Wicked," which premiered on Broadway in 2003, has won 50 major awards, including a Grammy, three Tony Awards and six Helpmann Awards.

The musical, which is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," is known for the songs "Defying Gravity," "Popular" and "For Good," among others.

 Watch the "Wicked" Manila preview of "Defying Gravity" here

 Watch the "Wicked" Manila preview of "Popular" here

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Kinky Boots' wins six Tony awards

"Kinky Boots" won six Tony awards on Sunday including the top award of best musical and a prize for its composer, pop queen Cyndi Lauper, as Broadway presented its top honors.

Lauper won best score for her first Broadway musical, "Kinky Boots," an adaptation of a British film about a struggling shoe factory reinventing itself by making boots for drag queens.

The hit musical topped the nominations with 13 and also won best actor in a musical for Billy Porter, best choreography, orchestrations and sound design.

A tearful Lauper said "I can't say I wasn't practicing in front of the shower curtain for the past couple of days," and went on to "thank Broadway, for welcoming me."

Porter, who as the strong, proud drag queen is at the show's heart, said he first watched the Tony telecast at home at age 11, and recalled a performance from the musical "Dreamgirls" by saying, "That moment has changed my life."

The best play Tony was won by "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike," a crowd-pleasing comic riff on Anton Chekhov's work by veteran playwright Christopher Durang that stars Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce.

Winning his first-ever Tony award, Durang noted that he had written his first play in the second grade in the 1950s, adding "It's been a long road."

In an unexpected win, Tracy Letts, who is also an award- winning playwright ("August: Osage County"), was named best actor in a play for his strongly praised performance in the revival of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," which was widely predicted to go to Tom Hanks making his Broadway debut in the late Nora Ephron's journalism drama, "Lucky Guy."

The Edward Albee classic also won the Tony for best revival of a play.

Cicely Tyson won best actress in a play for her moving portrayal of an elderly woman returning to her former home in the revival of "The Trip to Bountiful," marking her return to Broadway after some 30 years.

Speaking with deliberation and poise, Tyson, 79, noted she had a "burning desire" to do just one more play and remarked a teleprompter was saying "Please wrap it up. Well, that's exactly what you did to me," she continued. "You wrapped me up in your arms after 30 years and now, I can go home with a Tony."

"Matilda the Musical," an Olivier award-winning production based on a story by Roald Dahl about a precocious little girl that received ecstatic reviews and 12 nominations, came away with four awards, including best book of a musical and best featured actor in a musical for Gabriel Ebert.

Veteran television, film and theater actress Andrea Martin won best featured actress in a musical for an acclaimed circus-themed revival of the 1970s hit "Pippin," which won four Tonys including best revival of a musical, best actress in a musical Patina Miller and best director for Diane Paulus.

Women won both the directing honors with Pam MacKinnon taking home the Tony for play direction for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Judith Light, known to television audiences for the sitcom "Who's the Boss" but also an acclaimed stage actress, won her second consecutive Tony, for "The Assembled Parties."

She paid tribute to her fellow nominees, saying "you have made this a celebration, not a competition." Light won the same award last year for "Other Desert Cities."

Courtney B. Vance won best featured actor in a play for "Lucky Guy," saying backstage as his gazed at his award, "It's nice to meet you fella'."

The show at Radio City Music Hall and broadcast on CBS featured appearances by the casts of "Kinky Boots, "Matilda" and "Pippin." It opened with host Neil Patrick Harris leading a lavish, satirical production featuring the casts of those shows as well as "Cinderella," "Spiderman" and even Mike Tyson, who did a one-man show this season and dueted with Harris.

Presenters included Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Cuba Gooding Jr, Jesse Eisenberg, Jon Cryer, Liam Neeson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Kendrick, Zachary Quinto, Sally Field, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Matthew Broderick.

Other highlights included a special tribute to the musical "Phantom of the Opera," Broadway's longest-running show which is still going strong after opening in 1988.

Following are winners for Broadway's highest honors, which were awarded at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Best musical: "Kinky Boots"

Best play: "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" by Christopher Durang

Best revival of a play: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Best revival of a musical: "Pippin"

Best performance by an actor in leading role in a play: Tracy Letts, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play: Cicely Tyson, "The Trip to Bountiful"

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical: Billy Porter, "Kinky Boots"

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical: Patina Miller, "Pippin"

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lea weighs in on Ricky Lo interview with Hathaway

MANILA, Philippines – Tony Award winner Lea Salonga weighed in on the much talked about interview of entertainment editor Ricky Lo with “Les Miserables” actress Anne Hathaway.

While saying she cannot speak for Hathaway, Salonga explained that based on her own experience during press junkets, she has been trained “to expect all kinds of questions, ranging from broadsheet to tabloid, so I try to keep my answers creative.”

“You get a lot of the same questions, and by the end of the day, the brain is so… for lack of a better word, ‘bangag,’” she told journalist Alexy Vergara which was published in his personal blog, In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.

In Lo’s interview with Hathaway, the entertainment columnist asked the actress about her weight loss for the movie: "You lost 25 pounds for Fantine. How did you do it, and how did you gain it back?"

At first laughing, Hathaway said, "I'd rather not talk about the weight loss, please."

Lo also asked her, "For somebody who is perceived to live a life of luxury and privilege, how are you able to identify with Fantine? Have you ever experience to be hungry, be poor... just like the character?"

To which Hathaway answered, "That's a very personal question."

As an actress, Salonga said her job is “to remain professional and pleasant, as I need that reporter to write about and talk about my show, or TV stint, or movie, or whatever.”

“Everyone sees things from his or her own unique perspective. But I can think of a bazillion ways to answer the question, ‘How did you lose 25 pounds in 5 weeks,’ if only for the benefit of entertaining myself,” Salonga added.

In Lo’s interview, Hathaway was all praises for Salonga, who played Fantine on Broadway, saying she adores the Filipina singer and she hopes to meet her one day.

Later in the interview, Lo asked Hathaway again on what she would want to tell Salonga. Hathaway pleasantly declined: "We've already talked about Lea."

This led some netizens to view that interview as "awkward" and "painful to watch."

But Salonga noted that interviews are also about how questions are asked.

Citing The Filipino Channel’s resident film critic Manny the Movie Guy’s interview with Hathaway, Salonga said his delivery “totally relaxed and lightened the atmosphere.”

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Lea Salonga - One Of The Judges in the Miss Universe 2011 Pageant

Filipino singer/actress and Broadway Star Lea Salonga will be one of the judges in the Miss Universe 2011 pageant to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 12.

The announcement was made Wedndeday by the Miss Universe Organization President Paula M. Shugart and NBC Universal Head Donald J. Trump.

Lea Salonga is the 5th Filipino to become a judge in the 60-year history of the world’s most prestigious beauty pageant.

Kristin Chenoweth comes home for country album

NEW YORK - She has played a witch in "Wicked," a lush on "Glee" and a deputy press secretary on "The West Wing," but actress Kristin Chenoweth's latest project is nowhere near a Broadway stage or TV screen. She is returning to her Oklahoma roots, singing country songs.

Due September 13, "Some Lessons Learned," is comprised of 13 songs that cast the pint-sized blonde into a musical genre that makes perfect sense for her signature high pitch voice. Country music, she told Reuters, fits her "naturally."

"It's the closest to home that I could get," she said. "Someone asked me 'why a country record, why now? ' Well, it's because it's been going on since I was about five."

Born in and raised in the Tulsa, Okla. suburb of Broken Arrow, Chenoweth's earliest experiences with country music came from watching her great uncle play bluegrass. From there, she sang country songs in church and at rodeos. She idolized Dolly Parton and even spent a summer when she was 19 years-old at Opryland in Nashville.

Prior to "Some Lessons Learned," Chenoweth dabbled in other genres, including a Christmas album, a Christian album and logically for the Broadway star, a collection of show tunes. But here, she shows more of a variety and flare for the country music's long history.

In doing so, she teamed with veteran songwriter Diane Warren for a handful of songs that show off a pop-country approach. She tackles a Dolly Parton song, "Change," as well pays homage to her idol in the tongue-and-cheek "What Would Dolly Do" -- one of two songs she co-wrote.

Dolly, Madonna, Julie Andrews

Anchoring the set is Chenoweth's high-pitched voice, which flows through different country factions effortlessly. Her stage training lends itself to the ballads "Fathers and Daughters" and the folk-leaning "God and Me."

Her quirky side comes through on "I Didn't," about a break-up stemming from a guy's God complex, as well as the album's first single, "I Want Somebody (Bitch About)" -- a song recalling the country pop of Shania Twain or Trisha Yearwood.

"Growing up in the '80s, I loved Dolly, Madonna, Julie Andrews," she said. "If we had iPods, that would've been on mine. In picking the material, you show who you are. I hope that's what I've done."

Country musicians whose careers start in Nashville and its environs have it easy compared to Chenoweth, who is trying to break into a genre without alienating her fan base.

That is something she experienced firsthand last year, when she took a dramatic role on Broadway in "Promises, Promises," versus the numerous lighthearted and comedic musicals such as "Wicked" that had come before.

"A lot of people didn't want to see me in that role, because it wouldn't make them laugh," she said. "But there's no growth" as an artist.

While TV shows like NBC's "The Voice" have recently shown the crossover potential of country music with other genres like R&B and pop, Chenoweth's ties to acting might have lumped her into a category of actors who just want to make record.

But the Broadway star's long-established voice gives her the bona fides to deflect any criticism and "Some Lessons Learned" holds its own against other country albums.

Chenoweth is cautiously optimistic about her future in the genre, She hopes her fans connect with the music and that she also collects a few new followers along the way.

"I just want more than anything for people to listen to the record and be moved by it or surprised by it in some way," she said. "I think challenging yourself and changing up is what's fun about this business." - Reuters

Source: gmanews.tv