'Aida' Leads Pack
Crockrock
Announced; 'Aida' Leads Pack
Tue May 7, 3:50 PM ET
Andrew Gans and Robert Simonson, Playbill On-Line
The 2002 National Broadway Theatre Awards Finalists were announced
May 6.
Created by the League of American Theatres and
Producers to honor
performances and productions
on the road, the voting for the NBTAs is
audience-oriented and done by
theatregoers via the internet
or by mailing in ballots distributed in the lobbies
of participating theatres around
the country. Elton John
and Tim Rice's Aida leads the pack this year with
nine nominations, including
those for Best Musical,
Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical
(nominations for both its
leading ladies), Best Song
in a Musical, Best Score, Best Direction, Best
Visual Presentation and Best
Costumes.
Louise Pitre, who earned a Tony nomination for her role in the
Broadway production of
Mamma Mia!, won last year's
National Broadway Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her
work in the tour
of the ABBA musical. Her
replacement in the tour, former Footloose star Dee Hoty, is nominated
this season.
The awards will be announced at a soon-to-be-named New York City
venue on May 20.
The complete list of winners will also
be available on that date on the NBTA website at
www.nationalbroadwayawards.com.
In related news: The Actors' Equity Council has passed a resolution
asking its union's
members to boycott the National
Broadway Touring Awards. A spokesman for Equity said the boycott is a
reaction to
producers' increasing use of non-union
personnel in national tours of Equity Broadway shows.
The complete list of nominees for the National Broadway Theatre
Awards follows:
Best Musical
Blast!
Aida
Kiss Me, Kate
Les Misérables
Mamma Mia!
The Phantom of the Opera
Best Play
Copenhagen
The Odd Couple (Female Version)
Stones in His Pockets
Best Actor in a Musical
Patrick Cassidy as "Radames" in Aida
Theodore Bikel as "Tevye" in Fiddler on the Roof
Rex Smith as "Fred Graham/Petruchio" in Kiss Me, Kate
Randal Keith as "Jean Valjean" in Les Misérables
Ted Keegan as "The Phantom of the Opera" in The Phantom of the Opera
Best Actress in a Musical
Holly Cruikshank as "Girl in the Yellow Dress" in Contact
Simone as "Aida" in Aida
Kelli Fournier as "Amneris" in Aida
Rachel York as "Lilli Vanessi/Katharine" in Kiss Me, Kate
Dee Hoty as "Donna Sheridan" in Mamma Mia!
Best Actor in a Play
Len Cariou as "Niels Bohr" in Copenhagen
Hank Stratton as "Werner Heisenberg" in Copenhagen
Christopher Burns as "Jake Quinn" in Stones in His Pockets
Bronson Pinchot as "Charlie Conlon" in Stones in His Pockets
Best Actress in a Play
Mariette Hartley as "Margrethe Bohr" in Copenhagen
Barbara Eden as "Florence Unger" in The Odd Couple (Female Version)
Rita McKenzie as "Olive Madison" in The Odd Couple (Female Version)
Best Song in a Musical
"Be Our Guest" from Disney¹s Beauty and the Beast (Music: Alan
Menken, Lyrics: Howard
Ashman)
"I Know The Truth" from Aida (Music: Elton John, Lyrics: Tim Rice)
"Big Spender" from Fosse (Music: Cy Coleman, Lyrics: Dorothy Fields)
"Bring Him Home" from Les Misérables (Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg,
Lyrics: Alain
Boublil, English Lyrics: Herbert
Kretzmer)
"Dancing Queen" from Mamma Mia! (Music and Lyrics: Benny Andersson &
Björn
Ulvaeus)
"The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera (Music: Andrew
Lloyd Webber,
Lyrics: Charles Hart, Additional
Lyrics: Richard Stilgoe)
Best Score
Aida (Music: Elton John, Lyrics: Tim Rice, Orchestrations: Steve
Margoshes, Guy Babylon
& Paul Bogaev)
Kiss Me, Kate (Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter, Orchestrations: Don
Sebesky)
Les Misérables (Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyrics: Alain
Boublil, English Lyrics:
Herbert Kretzmer, Orchestrations:
John Cameron)
Mamma Mia! (Music and Lyrics: Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus)
The Phantom of the Opera (Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics: Charles
Hart, Additional
Lyrics: Richard Stilgoe,
Orchestrations: David Cullen & Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Best Direction
Blast!, James Mason
Contact , Susan Stroman
Aida , Robert Falls
Fosse , Richard Maltby, Jr. & Ann Reinking
Kiss Me, Kate , Michael Blakemore
Les Misérables , John Caird & Trevor Nunn
Best Choreography
Blast!, Jim Moore, George Pinney & Jonathan Vanderkolff
Contact , Susan Stroman
Fosse , Bob Fosse
Mamma Mia!, Anthony Van Laast
Saturday Night Fever, Arlene Phillips
Best Visual Presentation (Scenic and Lighting Design)
Blast! (Scenic Design: Mark Thompson, Lighting Design: Hugh Vanstone)
Disney¹s Beauty and the Beast (Scenic Design: Stanley A. Meyer,
Lighting Design:
Natasha Katz)
Aida (Scenic Design: Bob Crowley, Lighting Design: Natasha Katz)
Les Misérables (Scenic Design: John Napier, Lighting Design: David
Hersey)
The Phantom of the Opera (Scenic Design: Maria Björnson, Lighting
Design: Andrew
Bridge)
Best Costumes
Disney¹s Beauty and the Beast, Ann Hould-Ward
Aida, Bob Crowley
Kiss Me, Kate, Martin Pakledinaz
Les Misérables, Andreane Neofitou
The Phantom of the Opera, Maria Björnson
Shubes61
nominations, including those for Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best
Actress in a Musical
(nominations for both its leading ladies), Best Song in a Musical, Best Score,
Best Direction, Best Visual Presentation and Best Costumes. >>
EXCELLENT!!!
this justifies my decision to bring my mom, my two aunts and my cousin to see
AIDA for mother's day... i was afraid they were going to say "oh, of COURSE
de's taking us to see AIDA! it's elton john!"... like it was a present to ME
instead of mom. but it's obviously a wonderful show, and now i know they'll
enjoy it. :D
(and i finally get to see it too! lol)
denice
eltonfanRI
I saw it for the first time two weeks ago here in Providence, RI (the
traveling Broadway series). Just had to say, even exclusive of the fact that
Elton had anything to do with it...the play was just INCREDIBLE! I'd have to
go as far as to say this was the best Broadway show I've ever attended. We
met my sister's friends from Boston at the show, and they had seen it in
Boston a couple of weeks before and loved it so much they drove to
Providence to see it again while it was still in the area. My sister, who is
NOT an Elton fan, even purchased the cast recording as did her friends.
You are going to LOVE it (especially towards the beginning the topless male
dancers...wooohooo! oooops, getting OT now..heehee) It truly is a beautiful
story, and there were not many dry eyes at the end. I'm so glad I didn't let
the opportunity to see it pass while it was in town....cause I did go on the
very last night it was here!
Anyways...my bet is EVERYONE will enjoy it, big Elton fan or not :o)
Shira :o)
"Shubes61" <shub...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020508104532...@mb-fi.aol.com...
Shubes61
thank you so much for the review... i'm glad to hear that you and your friends
enjoyed the show so much... i'm feeling better about it every second... and i'm
especially grateful for the warning about the end... now i'll know to bring
tissues and use waterproof mascara. ;)
denice