Broadway’s fresh faces this year include Tom Hanks, one of the world’s most familiar faces, and Yvonne Strahovski, who has a dedicated following for her roles in “Chuck” and “Dexter.” These are two of the 12 winners this past week of the 2013 Theatre World Awards, given to a dozen performers making their New York stage debuts. Two of the winners actually had made their debuts in previous seasons, but nobody is complaining in a season when 88-year-old Cicely Tyson can count as a fresh face — and a welcome one: This week Tyson won the Outer Critics Circle Award for best actress in a play, likely to be only the first for her.
This week “Smash” was canceled, “Orphans” announced it would close early, and “Jekyll and Hyde” did close early. But it’s awards season and so that’s where most of us focused our attention: We learned the winners of the Theatre World Awards and the Outer Critics Circle Awards this week, and will find out the winners of the Drama Desk Awards on May 19 and the Tonys June 9. Meanwhile, we revel in the excitement of discovering exciting new talent on the stage — even those whom the world discovered in another medium long ago.
This Week in New York Theater
Monday, May 6, 2013
Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley join Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in Pinter’s No Man’s Land and Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, opening November 24 at the Cort Theater
“Orphans” will close May 19, after 27 previews and 37 regular performances. It was scheduled to close June 30th. It received two Tony nominations, for best best revival and for Tom Sturridge as best leading actor, but that apparently was not enough to bring in the audience.
How does a theater recover from embezzlement, founder’s suicide,near-bankruptcy? Ask the Ensemble Studio Theatre
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12 winners of Theatre World Awards
The award is given to six men and six women making their New York stage debuts.
Dame Helen Mirren dressed as the Queen left The Audience to “cuss out” some drummers outside the theater. The drummers were “very sweet & stopped the minute they knew I wasn’t just a batty old woman haranguing them on the street”
“How Broadway Has Changed” is title of Huffington Post piece by Alec Baldwin. But much of its contents show ho much it hasn’t changed: Baldwin wants the Times to fire its chief drama critic Ben Brantley. Its contents: Fire Ben Brantley.
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There will be another Broadway Beatles concert show: Let It Be, July 16 – December 29, at the St James Theater.
The Trip to Bountiful extends to September 1
My review of Surviving Mommie Dearest, opening tonight
The Pirates of Penzance with gasp! Kevin Kline, Glenn Close,Eric Idle, Martin Short. Catch? One night only, June 10, The Public Theater gala, with tickets priced in the gazillions of dollars.
Director Julie Taymor will be given an award for breaking gender barriers, and then chat with Gloria Steinem at the Brooklyn Museum June 13th.
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To nobody’s surprise, Neil Patrick Harris will serve as host for the fourth time, and a producer, of the Tony Awards.
14 Broadway and Off-Broadway theater artists (Drama Desk Award nominees) talk about their first time — the performer or show that convinced them to become theater artists.
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August: Osage County movie peek
Me: What play convinced you to become a playwright?
Tracy Letts: Killer Joe.
Me: But you wrote that play.
Melissa Errico (@melissa_errico) Best you hear it from me first. I am going to have a laser procedure to repair a blood vessel on my vocal cord
It’s official: Smash has been canceled. Its season 2 finale on May 26th will be the series finale.
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Ending today: “Jekyll and Hyde,” “Tally’s Folly, ”
“Buyer & Cellar” (starting at Barrow Street Theater June 18)
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Outer Critics Circle Awards 2013
