UK stars and shows set to shine at Tony Awards

Published Tuesday 13 May 2008 at 15:45 by Alistair Smith

UK shows look set to dominate this year’s Tony Awards - Broadway’s most prestigious prizes - with productions which originated in Britain picking up a third of all possible nominations.

Sunday in the Park with George, which started life in south London fringe venue The Menier Chocolate Factory received nine nominations - the most of all the UK-originated productions, while UK producer Sonia Friedman received a total of ten nods for her two shows - Boeing Boeing and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Other UK productions receiving nominations were Macbeth and the 39 Steps (both with six) and The Seafarer (with four). Elsewhere UK performers Ben Daniels and Eve Best were nominated for their performances in US productions, while Paul Nicholas and David Ian’s US revival of Grease was also recognised.

Patrick Stewart, who was nominated for his performance in the lead role of Macbeth, which started life at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre, said: “This is my first Tony nomination after performing on Broadway for more than 30 years and it has certainly been worth waiting for - I couldn’t be happier. It’s been an extraordinary journey from the Minerva Theatre to Broadway and I congratulate Chichester Festival Theatre - we all share in this success.”

The nominations in full are:

Best Play

August: Osage County by Tracy Letts

Rock ‘n’ Roll by Tom Stoppard

The Seafarer by Conor McPherson

The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow

Best Musical

Cry-Baby

In The Heights

Passing Strange

Xanadu

Best Book of a Musical

Cry-Baby by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan

In The Heights by Quiara Alegria Hudes

Passing Strange by Stew

Xanadu by Douglas Carter Beane

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Cry-Baby - Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger

In The Heights - Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda

The Little Mermaid -Music: Alan Menken, Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater

Passing Strange - Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Lyrics: Stew

Best Revival of a Play

Boeing-Boeing

The Homecoming

Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Macbeth

Best Revival of a Musical

Grease

Gypsy

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Sunday in the Park with George

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood

Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing

Rufus Sewell, Rock ‘n’ Roll

Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Eve Best, The Homecoming

Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County

Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth

S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba

Amy Morton, August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George

Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights

Stew, Passing Strange

Paulo Szot, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Kerry Butler, Xanadu

Patti LuPone, Gypsy

Kelli O’Hara, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Faith Prince, A Catered Affair

Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius

Raul Esparza, The Homecoming

Conleth Hill, The Seafarer

Jim Norton, The Seafarer

David Pittu, Is He Dead?

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Sinead Cusack, Rock ‘n’ Roll

Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing

Laurie Metcalf, November

Martha Plimpton, Top Girls

Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange

Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Robin De Jesus, In The Heights

Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein

Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

de’Adre Aziza, Passing Strange

Laura Benanti, Gypsy

Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein

Olga Merediz, In The Heights

Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps

Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County

Anthony Ward, Macbeth

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George

Anna Louizos, In The Heights

Robin Wagner, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein

Michael Yeargan, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Costume Design of a Play

Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac

Rob Howell, Boeing-Boeing

Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps

Best Costume Design of a Musical

David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George

Martin Pakledinaz, Gypsy

Paul Tazewell, In The Heights

Catherine Zuber, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps

Howard Harrison, Macbeth

Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George

Howell Binkley, In The Heights

Donald Holder, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid

Best Sound Design of a Play

Simon Baker, Boeing-Boeing

Adam Cork, Macbeth

Ian Dickson, Rock ‘n’ Roll

Mic Pool, The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners, In The Heights

Sebastian Frost, Sunday in the Park with George

Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Dan Moses Schreier, Gypsy

Best Direction of a Play

Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps

Conor McPherson, The Seafarer

Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County

Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing

Best Direction of a Musical

Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George

Thomas Kail, In The Heights

Arthur Laurents, Gypsy

Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby

Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights

Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Dan Knechtges, Xanadu

Best Orchestrations

Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George

Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights

Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange

Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

Regional Theatre Tony Award

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Special Tony Award

Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981), in recognition of his historic contribution to American musical theatre in the field of orchestrations, as represented on Broadway this season by Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific.

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Stephen Sondheim