Da Da Da Da Dum

GREY GARDENS, the newest musical to open on Broadway is quickly creating a new era of catch phrases.
The musical, is based on a film documentary that documents 6 weeks in the lives of Edith Bealle, and daughter Little Edie Bealle in their dilapidated East Hampton mansion Grey Gardens. If you don't recognize the names...I'll give you a little hint...They are the Aunt and Cousin of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and were at one time the cream of society in East Hampton. Later to become well known for being outcasts living in a ruin of the former mansion with many cats.
The musical's first act takes you into a day in their life in their heyday when Little Edie was known as "The body beautiful Bealle" and pre-engaged to Joseph Patrick Kennedy. The second act follows mother and daughter 40 years later as they were filmed in the documentary.
Like the 80's "Wheres the Beef", theatre goers are quickly finding themselves repeating many of the funny lines from the show. As well the ushers at the theatre hand out with your program, buttons containing many of the catch phrases that Edie spouts throughout the show. "They can get you in East Hampton for wearing red shoes on a Thursday", "Jerry likes my corn" "Start a revolution" and "Da Da Da Da Dum" are just a few.
Hurry to see this fascinating new musical and witness the amazing performance from Christine Ebersole (who actually plays the mother in the first act, and daughter in the second act). But beware, as you may soon find yourself wondering around muttering Edie-isms as well.
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TO SCARE or NOT to SCARE...That is the Question

"Temper/Temper" is the contraversial number in Disney's new musical Mary Poppins that is getting all kinds of buzz as to whether it is appropriate or not for children. It couldn't possibly be any more appropriate. Lest we forget, most Disney entertainment is geared to teach us morals and lessons in life. Disney's umbrella flying icon of spiff/spoff has been teaching us all since we were wee high to be neat, respectful, well mannered and to love our family, and thankfully is here to begin with the next generation. The musical number begins after the children profess their anger at their Father and backlash at their Mother. Mary Poppins simply leaves the room and sweetly tells the Mother I will handle this. As they both leave the room, the childrens toys begin to come to life and grow to a larger than life size. They put the children on trial and tell them that children that behave in this manner disappear and never come back.Is it kind of dark, creepy, scary?...Yes, it supposed to be. Forget the "time outs", the next time your child thinks about saying I hate you, I am sure they will remember what happened to the Banks children. As little Michael Banks says, that Mary Poppins is tricky!
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DROWSY CHAPERONE, JERSEY BOYS and HISTORY BOYS Big Winners!

DROWSY CHAPERONE wins 5 TONY AWARDS including Best Score and Book of a Musical
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HISTORY BOYS wins 6 TONY AWARDS including Best New Play
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JERSEY BOYS wins 4 TONY AWARDS Including Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Musical
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Best Musical: Jersey Boys
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Best Play: History Boys
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Best Revival of a Musical: The Pajama Game
Best Revival of a Play: Awake and Sing!
Best Actress in a Musical: LaChanze, The Color Purple
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Best Actor in a Musical: John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys
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Best Actor in a Play: Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
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Best Actress in a Play: Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole
Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys
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Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone
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Best Director of a Musical: John Doyle, Sweeney Todd
Best Director of a Play: Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys
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Best Original Score: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, The Drowsy Chaperone
Best Book of a Musical: Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone
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Best Choreography: Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play: Frances de la Tour, The History Boys
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Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
Best Scenic Design of a Musical: David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone
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Best Scenic Design of a Play: Bob Crowley, The History Boys
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Best Costume Design of a Musical: Greg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone
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Best Costume Design of a Play: Catherine Zuber, Awake and Sing!
Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys
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Best Lighting Design of a Play: Mark Henderson, The History Boys
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Best Orchestrations: Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd

2006 TONY AWARD NOMINEES

Best Play:
The History Boys by Alan Bennett
The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh
Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire
Shining City by Conor McPherson

Best Musical:
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
Jersey Boys
The Wedding Singer

Best Revival of a Play:
Awake and Sing!
The Constant Wife
Seascape
Faith Healer

Best Revival of a Musical:
The Pajama Game
Sweeney Todd
The Threepenny Opera

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play:
Ralph Fiennes, Faith Healer
Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
Željko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Oliver Platt, Shining City
David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play:
Kate Burton, The Constant Wife
Judy Kaye, Souvenir
Lisa Kron, Well
Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole
Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical:
Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd
Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game
Stephen Lynch, The Wedding Singer
Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical:
Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone
LaChanze, The Color Purple
Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game
Chita Rivera, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play:
Samuel Barnett, The History Boys
Domhnall Gleeson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing!
Pablo Schreiber, Awake and Sing!

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play:
Tyne Daly, Rabbit Hole
Frances de la Tour, The History Boys
Jayne Houdyshell, Well
Alison Pill, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Zoë Wanamaker, Awake and Sing!

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical:
Danny Burstein, The Drowsy Chaperone
Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera
Brandon Victor Dixon, The Color Purple
Manoel Felciano, Sweeney Todd
Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical:
Carolee Carmello, Lestat
Felicia P. Fields, The Color Purple
Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game
Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone
Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple

Best Direction of a Play:
Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys
Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing!
Daniel Sullivan, Rabbit Hole

Best Direction of a Musical:
John Doyle, Sweeney Todd
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Choreography:
Rob Ashford, The Wedding Singer
Donald Byrd, The Color Purple
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Book of a Musical:
Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, The Wedding Singer
Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, Jersey Boys
Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone
Marsha Norman, The Color Purple

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre:
Music & Lyrics: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, The Drowsy Chaperone
Music & Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray, The Color Purple
Music: Matthew Sklar; Lyrics: Chad Beguelin, The Wedding Singer
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics: David Zippel, The Woman in White

Best Orchestrations:
Larry Blank, The Drowsy Chaperone
Dick Lieb and Danny Troob, The Pajama Game
Steve Orich, Jersey Boys
Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd

Best Scenic Design of a Play:
John Lee Beatty, Rabbit Hole
Bob Crowley, The History Boys
Santo Loquasto, Three Days of Rain
Michael Yeargan, Awake and Sing!

Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
John Lee Beatty, The Color Purple
David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone
Derek McLane, The Pajama Game
Klara Zieglerova, Jersey Boys

Best Costume Design of a Play:
Michael Krass, The Constant Wife
Santo Loquasto, A Touch of the Poet
Catherine Zuber Awake and Sing!
Catherine Zuber Edward Albee's Seascape

Best Costume Design of a Musical:
Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone
Susan Hilferty, Lestat
Martin Pakledinaz, The Pajama Game
Paul Tazewell, The Color Purple

Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Christopher Akerlind, Awake and Sing!
Paul Gallo, Three Days of Rain
Mark Henderson, Faith Healer
Mark Henderson, The History Boys

Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Ken Billington and Brian Monahan, The Drowsy Chaperone
Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys
Natasha Katz, Tarzan
Brian MacDevitt, The Color Purple

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre:
Harold Prince

Regional Theatre Tony Award:
Intiman Theatre, Seattle, WA

Special Tony Award:
Sarah Jones

2005-2006 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS

Nominees and Winners (winners in bold):
OUTSTANDING BROADWAY PLAY:
Festen/The History Boys/The Lieutenant of Inishmore/Primo
OUTSTANDING BROADWAY MUSICAL:
The Color Purple/The Drowsy Chaperone/Jersey Boys/The Woman in White
OUTSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY PLAY:
Beauty of the Father/In The Continuum/Stuff Happens/Tryst
OUTSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL:
Bernada Alba/Grey Gardens/See What I Wanna See/Thrill Me/ – The Leopold & Loeb Story
OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE:
The Color Purple/The Drowsy Chaperone/Grey Gardens/See What I Wanna See
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY:
Awake and Sing!/The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial/The Constant Wife/The Trip to Bountiful
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL:
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris/The Pajama Game/Sweeney Todd/Two Gentlemen of Verona
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY:
Gabriel Byrne, A Touch of the Poet/Zeljko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial/Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer/David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY:
Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole/Lois Smith, The Trip to Bountiful/Zoë Wanamaker, Awake and Sing!/Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd/Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game/Hugh Panaro, Lestat/John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens/LaChanze, The Color Purple/Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd/Kelli O’Hara, The Pajama Game
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY:
Richard Easton, Entertaining Mr. Sloane/Peter Gerety, The Lieutenant of Inishmore/Richard Griffiths, The History Boys/Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing!
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY:
Frances de la Tour, The History Boys/Hallie Foote, The Trip to Bountiful/Jan Maxwell, Entertaining Mr. Sloane/Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
Michael Ball, The Woman in White/Peter Benson, The Pajama Game/Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera/Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game/Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone/Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens/Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE:
Steven Fales, Confessions of a Mormon Boy/Margo Gomez, Los Big Names/Jack Holmes, RFK/Anthony Sher, Primo
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY:
Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys/Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore/Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing!/Jerry Zaks, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL:
John Doyle, Sweeney Todd/Michael Greif, Grey Gardens/Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game/Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY:
Graciela Daniele, Bernarda Alba/Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game/Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone/Sergio Trujillo, Jersey Boys
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN:
John Lee Beatty, The Color Purple/William Dudley, The Woman in White/David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone/Allen Moyer, Grey Gardens
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN:
Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone/William Dudley, The Woman in White/William Ivey Long, Grey Gardens/Martin Pakledinaz, The Pajama Game
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN:
Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys/Richard G. Jones, Sweeney Todd/Jeff Nellis, Tryst/Paul Pyant, The Woman in White
JOHN GASSNER AWARD(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)Rolin Jones, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow/Danai Gurira & Nikkole Salter, In the Continuum/Adam Rapp, Red Light Winter/Rinne Groff, The Ruby Sunrise
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TARZAN...Visual Must See

Just some of what critics had to say about the visual spectacular TARZAN.

The visual and aural splendors of the production kick in immediately, with a series of dazzling stage images that have a significant "wow" effect. The effects begin with a shipwreck, followed by an underwater sequence in which the onstage figures are seen swimming furiously. Then the action shifts to a beach, which we seem to be viewing through an overhead camera shot.Such lavishly designed images permeate the production, which, along with its surround-sound din, is certainly the most cinematic show ever seen on Broadway. Thankfully, Crowley provides an intense theatricality, much of it seemingly inspired by Cirque du Soleil, to go along with the special effects. Indeed, some of the best moments come from such relatively primitive styles as shadow puppetry.
Frank Scheck/THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Crowley's ape costumes accentuate fuzzy, almost feathery bodies and heads, but the faces remain human. They give the performers room to bound and leap across the jungle setting. That movement is the work of several people, most notably Pichon Baldinu, who did the aerial design and Meryl Tankard, in charge of the athletic choreography. It's exhausting.
Crowley, best known for his Tony-winning sets for the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Carousel and Disney's Aida, gives his all in the design department. And his work is quite eye-popping.
MICHAEL KUCHWARA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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TONY Nominations

May 16, 2006
Broadway performers, the media, and fans everywhere get ready to find out who will receive nominations for this year's Tonys. Broadway celebrities will announce the 2006 nominations at 8:30 a.m. (ET) at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.http://www.applause-tickets.com/newyork/colorpurple.asp

Free Broadway Preview

June 7, 2006
Broadway's annual toast to the season's new shows and celebration of the end of the theatrical season is free and open to the public. Tony nominees and other performers deliver showstoppers from Broadway's new hits and long-running favorites. The concert takes place in Shubert Alley in the heart of Manhattan's Theatre District, beginning at 11:00 a.m., rain or shine. Enter on 44th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.

2006 TONY AWARDS

June 11, 2006
60th Annual Tony Awards
The 2006 Tony Awards ceremony will be telecast nationally from the stage at Radio City Music Hall. Tune into CBS beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. central (repeated at 8:00 p.m. PT) for the live telecast of the 2006 Tony Awards.