Fresh Faces of The New York Stage 2013

The 12 winners of the 2013 Theatre World Awards
The Theatre World Award winners for 2013 include, from top row left to right, Yvonne Strahovski (Golden Boy), Valisia LeKae (Motown)< Tom Hanks (Lucky Guy) Rob McClure (Chaplin), Carrie Coon (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf), Keala Settle (Hands on a Hardbody); Conrad Ricamora (Here Lies Love),  Brandon J. Dirden (The Piano Lesson), Bertie Carvel (Matilda); Ruthi Ann Miles (Here Lies Love); Tom Sturridge (Orphans); Shalita Grant (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike)

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. 

2013 Drama Desk Awards nominees: Billy Porter (Kinky Boots), Keith Carradine (Hands on a Hardbody), Keala Settle (Hardbody), Donna Murphy (Into The Woods), Tim Minchin (Matilda), Andrea Martin (Pippin)
2013 Drama Desk Awards nominees: Billy Porter (Kinky Boots), Keith Carradine (Hands on a Hardbody), Keala Settle (Hardbody), Donna Murphy (Into The Woods), Tim Minchin (Matilda), Andrea Martin (Pippin)

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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AugustOsageCountyMerylStreeptJuliaRoberts

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

GoodbyefromSmashIt’s official: Smash has been canceled. Its season 2 finale on May 26th will be the series finale.

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Top 11 songs from Smash

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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

 

Vanya and Sonia, best Broadway play, Kinky Boots, best Broadway musical, best actress Cicely Tyson, best ator, Nathan Lane
Vanya and Sonia, Outer Critics Circle best Broadway play, Kinky Boots, best Broadway musical, best actress Cicely Tyson (The Trip to Bountiful), best actor, Nathan Lane (The Nance)

 

Author: New York Theater

Jonathan Mandell is a 3rd generation NYC journalist, who sees shows, reads plays, writes reviews and sometimes talks with people.

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