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63rd Annual Tony Awards to Be Presented June 7 at Radio City
By Andrew Gans
Alice or Allison? Billy Elliot The Musical or Next to Normal? Kiril, David or Trent — who will speak first? All these questions and more will be answered during the 63rd Annual Tony Awards, which will be broadcast on CBS beginning at 8 PM ET. Harris has been busy promoting the annual ceremony, with TV appearances on "The View" and "Late Show with David Letterman." In fact, on the latter the former "Doogie Howser" star offered the nightly Top Ten list, which was titled "Top Ten Signs You've Hired a Bad Tony Awards Host." Among the list were such statements as "Spends first 20 minutes tangled in the curtain; Quits after ten minutes, citing 'mercury poisoning from sushi'; Plans to have a bare-assed Angela Lansbury lowered onto Eminem;" and, the number one reason, "He's straight." The evening will begin a few hours earlier than the CBS broadcast: At 6 PM ET TonyAwards.com will offer live Red Carpet coverage of the arrival of the evening's stars. The Creative Arts Awards, which "honor behind-the-scenes excellence on Broadway," will also be webcast at TonyAwards.com beginning at 7 PM. Tony Award winners Laura Benanti and Brian Stokes Mitchell will host the presentation of the Creative Arts Awards, which will likely include Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Play, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Orchestrations and Best Book of a Musical. The Regional Theatre Award will also be presented to the Arlington, VA's Signature Theatre during the pre-telecast segment. The televised ceremony boasts a star-studded list of presenters from the worlds of TV, film and theatre. Those scheduled to present the coveted Tony Awards include Lucie Arnaz, Kate Burton, Kristin Chenoweth, Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Edie Falco, Will Ferrell, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Hallie Foote, James Gandolfini, Lauren Graham, Colin Hanks, Marcia Gay Harden, Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Lange, Frank Langella, Angela Lansbury, Samantha Mathis, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, David Hyde Pierce, Piper Perabo, Oliver Platt, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Spacey, John Stamos and Chandra Wilson. As for entertainment, the CBS broadcast will feature performances by Dolly Parton and the cast of 9 to 5: The Musical; Elton John and the cast of Billy Elliot, The Musical; Liza Minnelli; Stockard Channing; and the band Poison with the cast of Rock of Ages. All of this year's Tony-nominated Best Musicals and Best Musical Revivals will perform, including Billy Elliot, The Musical; Guys and Dolls; Hair; Next to Normal; Pal Joey; Rock of Ages; Shrek the Musical; and West Side Story. Playbill.com has learned that the cast of Next to Normal, led by Tony nominee Alice Ripley, will perform "You Don't Know," while the Billy Elliot performance will feature all three Tony-nominated Billys: Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish and David Alvarez. The Shrek cast will also perform "What's Up, Duloc?" Touring productions will also be represented. Becky Gulsvig, who is on tour as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, The Musical, will perform a song from that musical based on the film of the same name. The Jersey Boys performance will feature several actors currently playing the role of Frankie Valli in various productions: Joseph Leo Bwarie, representing the Toronto company; Rick Faugno, representing the Las Vegas company; Courter Simmons, representing the national tour; and Dominic Scaglione, Jr. representing the Chicago company. And, Michelle Dawson, Kittra Wynn Coomer and Rachel Tyler, who star in the North American tour of Mamma Mia! at the Pioneer Center in Reno, NV, will perform a song from that international hit. For those in the Radio City audience, members of the Chicago hit Million Dollar Quartet will perform during commercial breaks. And, what's new this year? "Ugly Betty" star Mark Indelicato is the official TonyAwards.com Celebrity Tweeter for Tony Awards weekend. The young actor, according to press notes, "will be Tweeting messages and photos about his experiences backstage – his encounters with Tony winners as they first step off-stage, what performers are doing right before they take the stage, and sneak-peek at what happens in the Wings of Radio City Music Hall." TonyAwards.com's Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/TheTonyAwards; to follow Indelicato go to http://twitter.com/markindelicato. Playbill Magazine editor Blake Ross will also be Tweeting during the Tony telecast (at twitter.com/playbillmag), and Playbill.com will provide full coverage backstage in the Tony press room including a Tony Blog. Updated news stories about winners, and exclusive Tony night photos, will also appear on Playbill.com 7-11 PM. The Tony Awards will also be simulcast in Times Square on the Clear Channel Spectacolor HD Screen from 7-11 PM and will feature the pre-telecast Creative Arts Awards and the Tony Awards broadcast; Katie McGee and Irena's Vow star Tovah Feldshuh will co-host. Seating will be provided in Duffy Square. Tony Award winners Cynthia Nixon (Rabbit Hole) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights) announced the nominations for the 63rd Annual Tony Awards May 5. Billy Elliot, The Musical earned 15 nominations, the most of any show of the season. Billy Elliot and Mel Brooks' The Producers are now tied for the most Tony nominations ever received by one show. Other shows that fared well include Next to Normal (11), Hair (8), Shrek the Musical (8), Mary Stuart (7), The Norman Conquests (7), God of Carnage (6) and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (6). The nominees for the 2009 Tony Awards follow:
Dividing the Estate Best Musical
Billy Elliot, The Musical Best Book of a Musical
Billy Elliot, The Musical, Lee Hall Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Billy Elliot, The Musical
Next to Normal
9 to 5: The Musical
Shrek The Musical Best Revival of a Play
Joe Turner's Come and Gone Best Revival of a Musical
Guys and Dolls Best Special Theatrical Event
Liza's at The Palace
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play |
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