I am trying to condense some of my Tony posts into one big Tony post since I’ve been a terrible procrastinator and we’re already only 10 days away. To start with, I have included the list of all of the Tony nominees. (Of course.)

I will be working on adding all of the links and my own personal comments between now and next Sunday. I have to admit to you that I’m actually more excited about the plays this year than the musicals. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll still be freaking out every time someone begins to sing or even looks like they’re about to shuffle across the stage, but the plays this year sound so brilliant that I can’t wait to see them. While I’m only about 7/8ths as excited as usual about the new musicals, the revived musicals are amazing! I love all four of them. I’m about 9/8ths as excited as usual about them this year.

Additionally, I wanted to share with you all my fabulous Tony theme. Ready for it? Have you braced yourself? Are you sitting down? It’s a good one….

BI-COASTAL!

Ya see, a lot (and I mean a lot) of the nominees this year are Hollywood folk taking a twirl on the Great White Way. Normally, I’m not really a fan of blending my Hollywood world and my Broadway world. Still, when the actors are good, when the effort is genuine, and when the performance is top notch, I’m going to be a fan. Besides, most of them are actually actors I’ve loved for a while anyway.

You may be asking yourself, “Self, how does one eat ‘bi-coastally’?” I’ll tell you. My menu is a blend of familiar California-inspired foods and New York-inspired foods. Behold:

California:
- Green salad with citrus fruit, avocado, and rasberry vinaigrette dressing
- Lemon tartlets with fresh berries
- Guacamole and tortilla chips
- Perhaps a wine-infused cake as an homage of the Napa Valley

New York:
- Mini reubens on cocktail rye
- New York-style cheesecake
- Cocktail franks wrapped in puff pastry and served with a mustard dipping sauce
- Considering doing mini apple tarts as an homage to The Big Apple.

Doesn’t that sounds divine? I think so, too. Any suggestions or additions?

And now for the really big stuff–the nominees!

Nominations for the 2010 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Play

In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Author: Sarah Ruhl
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten
This show looks fantastic. Not only is it an interesting look at the Victorian era, but it’s a new story that doesn’t often get talked about. Come on! It’s subtitled “the vibrator play.” That’s just awesome.

Next Fall
Author: Geoffrey Nauffts
Producers: Elton John and David Furnish, Barbara Manocherian, Richard Willis, Tom Smedes, Carole L. Haber/Chase Mishkin, Ostar, Anthony Barrile, Michael Palitz, Bob Boyett, James Spry/Catherine Schreiber, Probo Productions, Roy Furman, Naked Angels
They didn’t give much information on this one, but I love most any story about faith and love.

Red
Author: John Logan
Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Stephanie P. McClelland, Matthew Byam Shaw, Neal Street, Fox Theatricals, Ruth Hendel/Barbara Whitman, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, The Donmar Warehouse
It has Alfred Molina. Love him. ‘Nough said.

Time Stands Still
Author: Donald Margulies
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove, Nelle Nugent/Wendy Federman
So many of my favorite broadway stars in this one show! And I’ve met one of them.

Best Musical

American Idiot
Producers: Tom Hulce & Ira Pittelman, Ruth and Steven Hendel, Vivek J. Tiwary and Gary Kaplan, Aged in Wood and Burnt Umber, Scott Delman, Latitude Link, HOP Theatricals and Jeffrey Finn, Larry Welk, Bensinger Filerman and Moellenberg Taylor, Allan S. Gordon/Elan V. McAllister, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Awaken Entertainment, John Pinckard and John Domo
Ok, so I’m all for these fun, “juke box” musicals. I love me some Mamma Mia, I admit it. Still, I’m a little on the fence. Let’s enjoy the moment, but not expect anything too out of this world.

Fela!
Producers: Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, Roy Gabay, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Edward Tyler Nahem, Slava Smolokowski, Chip Meyrelles/Ken Greiner, Douglas G. Smith, Steve Semlitz/Cathy Glaser, Daryl Roth/True Love Productions, Susan Dietz/Mort Swinsky, Knitting Factory Entertainment
A good dance show is important. I actually saw a performance of this show on the Colbert Report and thought it looked outstanding.

Memphis
Producers: Junkyard Dog Productions, Barbara and Buddy Freitag, Marleen and Kenny Alhadeff, Latitude Link, Jim and Susan Blair, Demos Bizar Entertainment, Land Line Productions, Apples and Oranges Productions, Dave Copley, Dancap Productions, Inc., Alex and Katya Lukianov, Tony Ponturo, 2 Guys Productions, Richard Winkler, Lauren Doll, Eric and Marsi Gardiner, Linda and Bill Potter, Broadway Across America, Jocko Productions, Patty Baker, Dan Frishwasser, Bob Bartner/Scott and Kaylin Union, Loraine Boyle/Chase Mishkin, Remmel T. Dickinson/Memphis Orpheum Group, ShadowCatcher Entertainment/Vijay and Sita Vashee
A story of multiracial romance and of rock and roll. Could be awesome.

Million Dollar Quartet
Producers: Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology, Broadway Across America, James L. Nederlander
It’s essentially the story of some of America’s most influential performers. Ever.

Best Book of a Musical

Everyday Rapture
Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott

Fela!
Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones

Memphis
Joe DiPietro

Million Dollar Quartet
Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

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

The Addams Family
Music & Lyrics: Andrew Lippa
I love Andrew Lippa’s lyrics and music. He did Wild Party, which is one of my favorite shows. Still, The Addams Family? Really?

Enron
Music: Adam Cork
Lyrics: Lucy Prebble

Fences
Music: Branford Marsalis

Memphis
Music: David Bryan
Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan

Best Revival of a Play

Fences
Producers: Carole Shorenstein Hays and Scott Rudin
August Wilson should be on Broadway more often.

Lend Me a Tenor
Producers: The Araca Group, Stuart Thompson, Carl Moellenberg, Rodney Rigby, Olympus Theatricals, Broadway Across America, The Shubert Organization, Wendy Federman/Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Lisa Cartwright, Spring Sirkin, Scott and Brian Zeilinger
A madcap romp! Don’t you love those?

The Royal Family
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove
A classic tale of the love of the stage or the love a beau?

A View from the Bridge
Producers: Stuart Thompson, The Araca Group, Jeffrey Finn, Broadway Across America, Olympus Theatricals, Marisa Sechrest, The Weinstein Company, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions/Robert G. Bartner, Mort Swinsky/Joseph Deitch, Adam Zotovich/Ruth Hendel/Orin Wolf, Shelter Island Enterprises, The Shubert Organization
Ok, so I love Arthur Miller and I love Liev Schrieber. Not sure how I feel about Scarlette Johannson.

Best Revival of a Musical

Finian’s Rainbow
Producers: David Richenthal, Jack Viertel, Alan D. Marks, Michael Speyer, Bernard Abrams, David M. Milch, Stephen Moore, Debbie Bisno/Myla Lerner, Jujamcyn Theaters, Melly Garcia, Jamie deRoy, Jon Bierman, Richard Driehaus, Kevin Spirtas, Jay Binder, StageVentures 2009 Limited Partnership
If you can see this movie, you should. Fred Astaire is delightful.

La Cage aux Folles
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Barry and Fran Weissler and Edwin W. Schloss, Bob Bartner/Norman Tulchin, Broadway Across America, Matthew Mitchell, Raise The Roof 4 Richard Winkler/Bensinger Taylor/Laudenslager Bergrère, Arelene Scanlan/John O’Boyle, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Allen Spivak, Jerry Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Inc/Harvey Weinstein, Menier Chocolate Factory
Love this show! I saw it live once and it was breathtaking. Interestingly, this was revived not long ago.

A Little Night Music
Producers: Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, The Menier Chocolate Factory, Roger Berlind, David Babani, Sonia Friedman Productions, Andrew Fell, Daryl Roth/Jane Bergere, Harvey Weinstein/Raise the Roof 3, Beverly Bartner/Dancap Productions, Inc., Nica Burns/Max Weitzenhoffer, Eric Falkenstein/Anna Czekaj, Jerry Frankel/Ronald Frankel, James D. Stern/Douglas L. Meyer
You already know how I feel about Sondheim. And if you don’t, you should.

Ragtime
Producers: Kevin McCollum, Roy Furman, Scott Delman, Roger Berlind, Max Cooper, Tom Kirdahy/Devlin Elliott, Jeffrey A. Sine, Stephanie P. McClelland, Roy Miller, Lams Productions, Jana Robbins, Sharon Karmazin, Eric Falkenstein/Morris Berchard, RialtoGals Productions, Independent Presenters Network, Held-Haffner Productions, HRH Foundation, Emanuel Azenberg, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Kaiser, Max Woodward
The original presentation of this show stole my heart and introduced me to some of my favorite stars of all time.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jude Law, Hamlet
Alfred Molina, Red
Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge
Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane
Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Viola Davis, Fences
Valerie Harper, Looped
Linda Lavin, Collected Stories
Laura Linney, Time Stands Still
Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles
Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises
Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles
Chad Kimball, Memphis
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Kate Baldwin, Finian’s Rainbow
Montego Glover, Memphis
Christiane Noll, Ragtime
Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

David Alan Grier, Race
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences
Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts
Stephen Kunken, Enron
Eddie Redmayne, Red

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family
Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge
Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge
Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family
Robin De Jesús, La Cage aux Folles
Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian’s Rainbow
Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet
Bobby Steggert, Ragtime

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim
Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises
Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music
Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away
Lillias White, Fela!

Best Scenic Design of a Play

John Lee Beatty, The Royal Family
Alexander Dodge, Present Laughter
Santo Loquasto, Fences
Christopher Oram, Red

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Marina Draghici, Fela!
Christine Jones, American Idiot
Derek McLane, Ragtime
Tim Shortall, La Cage aux Folles

Best Costume Design of a Play

Martin Pakledinaz, Lend Me a Tenor
Constanza Romero, Fences
David Zinn, In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Catherine Zuber, The Royal Family

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Marina Draghici, Fela!
Paul Tazewell, Memphis
Matthew Wright, La Cage aux Folles

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Neil Austin, Hamlet
Neil Austin, Red
Mark Henderson, Enron
Brian MacDevitt, Fences

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, American Idiot
Donald Holder, Ragtime
Nick Richings, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Wierzel, Fela!

Best Sound Design of a Play

Acme Sound Partners, Fences
Adam Cork, Enron
Adam Cork, Red
Scott Lehrer, A View from the Bridge

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Jonathan Deans, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Kaplowitz, Fela!
Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen, A Little Night Music
Dan Moses Schreier, Sondheim on Sondheim

Best Direction of a Play

Michael Grandage, Red
Sheryl Kaller, Next Fall
Kenny Leon, Fences
Gregory Mosher, A View from the Bridge

Best Direction of a Musical

Christopher Ashley, Memphis
Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Ragtime
Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles
Bill T. Jones, Fela!

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, Promises, Promises
Bill T. Jones, Fela!
Lynne Page, La Cage aux Folles
Twyla Tharp, Come Fly Away

Best Orchestrations

Jason Carr, La Cage aux Folles
Aaron Johnson, Fela!
Jonathan Tunick, Promises, Promises
Daryl Waters & David Bryan, Memphis

* * *

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Alan Ayckbourn
Marian Seldes

Regional Theatre Tony Award
The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Waterford, Connecticut

Isabelle Stevenson Award
David Hyde Pierce

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York
B.H. Barry
Midtown North & Midtown South New York City Police Precincts
Tom Viola

Tony Nominations by Production

Fela! – 11
La Cage aux Folles – 11
Fences – 10
Memphis – 8
Red – 7
Ragtime – 6
A View from the Bridge – 6
The Royal Family – 5
Enron – 4
A Little Night Music – 4
Promises, Promises – 4
American Idiot – 3
Finian’s Rainbow – 3
In the Next Room or the vibrator play – 3
Lend Me a Tenor – 3
Million Dollar Quartet – 3
The Addams Family – 2
Come Fly Away – 2
Everyday Rapture – 2
Hamlet – 2
Next Fall – 2
Sondheim on Sondheim – 2
Time Stands Still – 2
A Behanding in Spokane – 1
Collected Stories – 1
Looped – 1
Present Laughter – 1
Race – 1
Superior Donuts – 1

www.TonyAwards.com

Don’t get me wrong, 2009 wasn’t all bad. We swore in our new president. (And while he’s had a rough year in his new job, I still think he’s doing alright.) I lived through a musical. I went to Chicago, Illinois; Spokane, Washington; Boston, Massachusetts; and East Haven, Connecticut. A substantial amount of travel for those of us with small pocket books. Speaking of pocket books, I bought my first Coach bag. And, one of my favorite things of the past year, I met my guy. (Insert contented sigh and cartoon hearts here.)

But whether I choose to remember this year as the year I met the man I love or as the year of Fun with Old Testament Punishment, I’m just glad 2009 is over. I think that, while our calendar is a bit wonky in my mind (we really couldn’t have worked out that whole differently numbered months, leap year issue?), I do think that the fellow with the oversized harem and undersized toga who set up the official length of the year did a good job. Perhaps as he was dictating to his memo-taking underwife he didn’t realize that after 364 days of the same year, you start to get antsy. You need a change. Or perhaps as a man with a slew of wives and concubines, he knew the advantage of variety.

Even in a year you enjoy, by the end of it you’re usually a little wiped out. You want to take a minute, catch your breath, and make grand gestures about life changes and new motivation. What I love about New Year’s resolutions is that sometimes the act of making the resolution is enough. Sure, we’ve all started dieting on Janurary 2nd and we’ve all declared we’d be cutting back on television or junk food starting right after the New Year’s marathon of whatever our favorite guilty pleasure TV show is. And more often than not, by January 7th, we’re back in our old habits. What’s fantastic about this, however, is that for a week, we feel in total control of our lives. We are making declarations with all the power and conviction of our calendar-making friend. Our proclamations may not change the world or alter the course of history, but we feel powerful. The start of a new year lets us feel like we have control again. Even at the end of the best years, you need that worldwide encouragement to reclaim your own destiny.

Every country celebrates the start of the new year. Billions of people around the world, over the course of several hours, share the same wishes. How often can you say with certainty that a sheep herder in New Zealand and a cocktail waitress in New York City have the same dream at the same time? Once a year when they both wish for a better year with smarter choices and kinder people and open feelings and cheaper booze.

So remember tonight that everyone around you is wishing you success in your resolutions. And they are cheering you on just as they are cheering for themselves and swearing that this year they really mean it.

Let’s shake the dust of 2009 of our heels, leap into 2010, and try to be better than we were last year.

Click on a show title for more information about the production. When you click on a name, you will get the complete Broadway credits from Internet Broadway Database. Each show link will provide you with the information about the play as well as providing a link (where available) to the show’s official site.

Best Play:
God of Carnage
This show looked pretty fantastic.  Some truly talented artists performed in this piece.  I think I may have to find it and read it soon.

Best Musical:
Billy Elliot, The Musical
This show won a ton of awards.  This is the only time you’ll see it linked, but don’t be surprised when you see it listed about a dozen more times.

Best Book of a Musical:
Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre:
Next to Normal
The performance of this show at the Tonys took my breath away.  I think it looks a little intense, but I must have it.

Best Revival of a Play:
The Norman Conquests
This show actually has three parts.  This link is to the first of the three.

Best Revival of a Musical:
Hair
Somehow this show is always powerful.  I don’t understand it, but it’s moving each and every time. You can’t help but sing along.

Best Special Theatrical Event:
Liza’s at The Palace Winner
Who saw that coming?  What can I say?  In my heart of hearts, even though she weirds me out, I love Liza.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play:
Geoffrey Rush – Exit the King
I loved his speech.  He is a great character actor on screen and I’m delighted to hear that he carried it off on stage.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play:
Marcia Gay Harden – God of Carnage
She strikes me as someone I’d like to get to know.  I know I’ve loved her in several movies over the years.  And she was in Angels in America, Millennium Approaches.  That’s pretty awesome.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical:
David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish – Billy Elliot, The Musical
Yes, the three boys all won.  I think that is a Tony first.  And they were so freaking cute making their speech!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical:
Alice Ripley - Next to Normal
I love her.  I fell for her as a singer when she was in Side Show, a show in which she played a conjoined twin.  Yes, a conjoined twin.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play -
Roger Robinson – Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
This is the show the Obama’s went to see not too long ago.  Excellent taste, apparently.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Angela Lansbury – Blithe Spirit
She is now one of only two women ever to win five Tony Awards.  She just rocks my little theater world.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical:
Gregory Jbara – Billy Elliot, The Musical
He actually brought his wife on stage with him for his speech.  He’s a great actor and you all may have seen him in some cholesterol commercials or as the weird brother in In and Out.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical:
Karen Olivo – West Side Story
She’s been on Broadway a while, but I fell for her last year as Vanessa in In the Heights.

Best Direction of a Play:
Matthew Warchus - God of Carnage
Talk about impressive!  Nominated twice in the same category for directing two shows, one of which actually has three parts.  And while accepting his award for this play, acknowledged the cast of his other as well. Well done, Matthew.

Best Direction of a Musical:
Stephen Daldry - Billy Elliot, The Musical
Seems only fair considering how well the show did.

Best Choreography:
Peter Darling - Billy Elliot, The Musical
Usually the showcase the singing in a show at the Tonys.  Billy Elliot is a dancing show and the choreography I saw that night proved to me that this man certainly earned his Tony.

Best Orchestrations:
Martin Koch - Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt - Next to Normal
Yep. A tie!

Best Scenic Design of a Play:
Derek McLane - 33 Variations
Believe it or not, I’m running out of opinions.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
Ian MacNeil – Billy Elliot, The Musical
Ditto.

Best Costume Design of a Play:
Anthony Ward – Mary Stuart
Pretty impressive show to costume, don’t you think?

Best Costume Design of a Musical:
Tim Hatley – Shrek The Musical
Hats off to the guy who created the Shrek costume.  Not an easy job, I think.

Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Brian MacDevitt – Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Look at this man’s list of credits.  Damn!

Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Rick Fisher - Billy Elliot, The Musical
We expected them to win a lot, but holy cow!

Best Sound Design of a Play:
Gregory Clarke - Equus
I think this is the only thing the show won, but it was very well reviewed.

Best Sound Design of a Musical:
Paul Arditti – Billy Elliot, The Musical
He actually did the sound design for more than one nominated show.  Well done, indeed.

Special Tony Award® for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre:
Jerry Herman
What an illustrious career he has had.  I admire him so much and love his work.  The man rocks.

Regional Theatre Tony Award®:
Signature Theatre, Arlington, Va.

Isabelle Stevenson Award:
Phyllis Newman

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre:
Shirley Herz

And there it is. The year has wrapped up but next year is just a few months away.  Ok, so 12, but I’m looking for the happy.  Thanks for holding up against the crazy again!

The menu this year is focused on favorite foods so it’s an eclecctic spread featuring Kraft mac and cheese, baked brie en croute, and New York cheesecake, just to name a few items. 

The shows look fantastic and I’m putting my bets on Next to Normal and BIlly Elliot for the big musical winners. 

Some of my all-time favorite actors will be presenting and singing for us.  Brian Stokes Mitchell will be co-hosting the pre-Tony awards.  Niel Patrick Harris will be running the show.  Could it get better?  Really?  I don’t think so.

I cannot wait and I will keep you updated on the Kari Tony Crazy as the day progresses.  Helmets on, everyone!

This year, not only did they pick a host, they picked a kick ass host.  This year our guide through the world of the Tony Awards is…

Neil Patrick Harris!

I love him.  I love him so very much.  First of all, he was one of my earliest crushes in the Doogie days.  Secondly, he’s performed on Broadway himself as a singing, dancing assassin.  He was even one of the performers at the Tonys a few years ago when Assassins was nominated as Best Revival of a Musical.

Third, let’s not forget how oddly charming he is on television in How I Met Your Mother.  His obnoxious character is somehow endearing.  And if all of that is not enough, he’s also Dr. Horrible.  Who doesn’t love Dr. Horrible? 

I just have to tell you how incredibly pleased I am with the choice of host this year.  I’m looking forward to a little singing and dancing and swooning in my living room.  Hooray for Tony Season!

(This is actually the most wonderful time of the year!

My point is, thank you for your patience.  Any thoughts on the nominations yet?  I’m curious to see what people think of the lists.  And may I just say that when you’re having a rough day, a little e-mail from the Tony people is sometimes all it takes to brighten things right up.

Haven’t given too much thought to the Tony meal yet, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Last year’s Sondheim Supper was a big hit.  This year I’d like to do something to encapsulate the entire show. 

Keep checking back on the nominations posting.  I promise I’ll have it finished before the broadcast.

Hooray for the Tonys!!

Today is also Cinco de Mayo.  At work we’ve put together a little pot luck to celebrate.  I made a layered dip, someone else made a cake; it’s all very festive.  When someone from another department came in this morning, one of my coworkers said, “Guess what we’re celebrating today.” 

I couldn’t refrain from shouting out, “It’s Tony Nomination Day!”  There was a moment of awkward silence and then I heard, “That’s what Kari’s celebrating today.”  He he he.  That is exactly what Kari is celebrating today.

Below you’ll find the list of nominations.  In keeping with last year’s crazy Tony experience, I thought I’d give you a little information about each and try to add some helpful links.  God, but I do love the Tony Awards.  

Alas, due to work contraints and a crummy computer (loved it when I got it but that was 8 years ago), I have to do this in pieces.  Top shows tonight, the rest to follow.

Nominations for the 2009 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Play

Dividing the Estate
Author: Horton Foote
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, Bernard Gersten, André Bishop, Primary Stages
This comedy by the late Horton Foote depicts a family that must confront its past as it prepares for its future. Dividing the Estate is set in small-town Texas where Stella Gordon’s late husband’s estate must be split up amongst herself, neighborhood friends, and other family members.

God of Carnage
Author: Yasmina Reza
Producers: Robert Fox, David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Jon B. Platt, The Weinstein Company, The Shubert Organization
Yasmina Reza’s “comedy of manners without the manners” deals with the aftermath of a playground altercation between two boys and what happens when their parents meet to talk about it. Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, and James Gandalfini star.

Reasons to Be Pretty
Author: Neil LaBute
Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, MCC Theater, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Ted Snowdon, Doug Nevin/Erica Lynn Schwartz, Ronald Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Kathleen Seidel, Kelpie Arts, LLC, Jam Theatricals, Rachel Helson/Heather Provost
Neil LaBute’s play begins with Greg’s tight-knit social circle thrown into turmoil when his off-hand remarks about a female co-worker get back to his girlfriend.

33 Variations
Author: Moisés Kaufman
Producers: David Binder, Ruth Hendel, Goldberg/Mills, Latitude Link, Arielle Tepper Madover, Bill Resnick, Eric Schnall, Jayne Baron Sherman, Wills/True Love Productions, Tectonic Theater Project, Greg Reiner, Dominick Balletta, Jeffrey LaHoste
Jane Fonda stars in Moisés Kaufman’s play about a woman who races against time to solve the riddle of a composer’s 200-year-old obsession. As she faces her daughter, her past, and Beethoven himself, she must struggle to embrace the legacy of her own life.
(For those who can’t place the name of the playwright, Kaufman also wrote The Laramie Project.  Yeah, he’s that guy.)

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical
Producers: Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions, Weinstein Live Entertainment
This tale of a young boy with a dream, this celebration of his triumph against the odds, is set against the historic British miners’ strike of the 1980s. The story follows Billy’s journey as a boy in a small mining town. After stumbling across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing lesson, he realizes that his future lay not in the boxing ring but on stage as a dancer.

Next to Normal
Producers: David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Second Stage Theatre, Carole Rothman, Ellen Richard
This musical explores how one suburban household copes with crisis, and how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family’s world intact.

Rock of Ages
Producers: Matthew Weaver, Carl Levin, Jeff Davis, Barry Habib, Scott Prisand, Relativity Media, Corner Store Fund, Janet Billig Rich, Hillary Weaver, Toni Habib, Paula Davis, Simon and Stefany Bergson/Jennifer Maloney, Charles Rolecek, Susanne Brook, Israel Wolfson, Sara Katz/Jayson Raitt, Max Gottlieb/John Butler, David Kaufman/Jay Franks, Mike Wittlin, Prospect Pictures, Laura Smith/Bill Bodnar, Happy Walters, Michele Caro, The Araca Group
A legendary rock club faces its demise at the hands of eager developers, and a young rocker, hoping for his big break, falls for a small-town girl chasing big dreams of her own. The score of Rock of Ages features numerous classic rock hits from the 1980s.
(Ok, so while I love all things Broadway, I’m not generally a fan of shows where the songs are from the radio.  It used to be that the songs on the radio were from hit shows.  Jury is out here.)

Shrek The Musical
Producers: Dreamworks Theatricals, Neal Street Productions
Based on William Steig’s book and the Hollywood blockbuster it spawned, Shrek The Musical tells the story of a swamp-dwelling ogre; his wisecracking sidekick, Donkey; Princess Fiona; Lord Farquaad; and a chorus of fractured fairytale creatures.
(Mixed feelings here as well.  I loved the movie – the FIRST movie – and it has some of my absolute favorite stars.  Still, one of their big numbers is about farting.  Then again, if it gets kids to love the theater, I guess I’m ok with it.)

Best Book of a Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical
Lee Hall

Next to Normal
Brian Yorkey

Shrek The Musical
David Lindsay-Abaire
(Believe it or not, this writer who penned such a silly show, also wrote Rabbit Hole, a poignant story about a family’s struggle with the loss of a child.  Seriously.  I was shocked, too.)

[Title of Show]
Hunter Bell
(I love this show.  It makes me smile and I hope he wins.)

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

Billy Elliot, The Musical
Music: Elton John
(Say what you will, but the man knows music.)
Lyrics: Lee Hall

Next to Normal
Music: Tom Kitt
Lyrics: Brian Yorkey

9 to 5: The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton
(Sort of on the fence here as well, but we all enjoyed the movie and let’s hear it for a little girl power.)

Shrek The Musical
Music: Jeanine Tesori
(She’s done the music for some really fantastic shows.  Truly great stuff.)
Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

Best Revival of a Play

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten
Set in Pittsburgh in 1911, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone tells the story of Herald Loomis who, after serving seven years hard labor, has journeyed north with his young daughter and arrives at a Pittsburgh boarding house filled with memorable characters who aid him in his search for his inner freedom.

Mary Stuart
New Version: Peter Oswald
Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Debra Black, Neal Street Productions/Matthew Byam Shaw, Scott Delman, Barbara Whitman, Jean Doumanian/Ruth Hendel, David Binder/CarlWend Productions/Spring Sirkin, Daryl Roth/James L. Nederlander/Chase Mishkin, The Donmar Warehouse
For a Queen to stand, a Queen must fall. Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart is the dramatic account of the extraordinary relationship between England’s Elizabeth I (Harriet Walter) and her rival cousin, Mary Queen of Scots (Janet McTeer).

The Norman Conquests
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Dede Harris, Tulchin/Bartner/Lauren Doll, Jamie deRoy, Eric Falkenstein, Harriet Newman Leve, Probo Productions, Douglas G. Smith, Michael Filerman/Jennifer Manocherian, Richard Winkler, Dan Frishwasser, Pam Laudenslager/Remmel T. Dickinson, Jane Dubin/True Love Productions, Barbara Manocherian/Jennifer Isaacson, The Old Vic Theatre Company
Set in the dining room (Table Manners), living room (Living Together) and garden (Round and Round the Garden) of an English country house, Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy The Norman Conquests follows six characters — assistant librarian Norman, his wife, in-laws and the local vet—from Saturday night through Monday morning. Norman attempts to seduce his sister-in-law Annie, charm his brother-in-law’s wife Sarah and woo his estranged wife Ruth, during a disastrously hilarious weekend of eating, drinking and misunderstanding.

Waiting for Godot
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Elizabeth Ireland McCann
Two seemingly homeless men (Nathan Lane and Bill Irwin) are waiting near a tree on a barren stretch of road for someone—or something—named Godot. The result is a wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes and nonsense, which has been interpreted as a somber summation of mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. John Goodman and John Glover also star in this modernist classic by Samuel Beckett.
(The cast of this show looks amazing.  It has Nathan Lane and I have found that anything with Nathan Lane is worth watching.  I’ve had the good fortune to see him on Broadway twice now and the man has a presence I can’t quite explain.  When he steps onto a stage, you’re bowled over by his energy.  It’s damn impressive.)

Best Revival of a Musical

Guys and Dolls
Producers: Howard Panter and Ambassador Theatre Group, Tulchin/Bartner, Bill Kenwright, Northwater Entertainment, Darren Bagert, Tom Gregory, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., David Mirvish, Michael Jenkins/Dallas Summer Musicals, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Sonia Friedman Productions
This “musical fable of Broadway” tells the tale of two New York couples betting on love despite the odds. Nathan Detroit (Oliver Platt) is looking for a location for his floating crap game; in order to raise cash he bets high-rolling gambler Sky Masterson (Craig Bierko) that Masterson will not be able to take the straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown (Kate Jennings Grant) on a date to Havana. Meanwhile, Detroit’s long-suffering fiancée, Miss Adelaide (Lauren Graham), has caught cold, on account of having to wait 14 years for her wedding day.
(I have loved Oliver Platt since his role as Porthos in the Disney version of the Three Musketeers.  And I love Lauren Graham as Lorelei Gilmore, but I confess to some trepidation about her as a Broadway star.  Then again, we all remember the singing at the end of the series and it was pretty impressive.  Basically, I think this could be amazing.  Besides, it’s Guys and Dolls!  What’s not to love?)

Hair
Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Kathleen K. Johnson, Nederlander Productions, Inc., Fran Kirmser Productions/Jed Bernstein, Marc Frankel, Broadway Across America, Barbara Manocherian/Wencarlar Productions, JK Productions/Terry Schnuck, Andy Sandberg, Jam Theatricals, The Weinstein Company/Norton Herrick, Jujamcyn Theaters, Joey Parnes, Elizabeth Ireland McCannPal Joey
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Marc Platt
This rock musical depicts the the birth of a cultural movement in the 1960s and ‘70s that changed America forever. Hair follows a group of hopeful, free-spirited young people who advocate a lifestyle of pacifism and free-love in a society riddled with intolerance and brutality during the Vietnam War. As they explore sexual identity, challenge racism, experiment with drugs, and burn draft cards, the “tribe” in Hair creates an message of hope.
(This show is oddly just as relevant today as it was the year it was released.  The music is still impressive, and the concept of a torn nation and a generation struggling with its identity is one we can see all too clearly.)

Pal Joey
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Marc Platt  
Set in Chicago in the late 1930s, Pal Joey is the story of Joey Evans (Matthew Risch), a brash, scheming song-and-dance man with dreams of owning his own nightclub. Joey abandons his wholesome girlfriend, Linda English, to charm a rich, married older woman, Vera Simpson (Stockard Channing), in the hope that she’ll set him up in business.
(I love Stockard Channing.  And I love this show.  Frank Sinatra was the original Pal Joey.  His version of the swaggering performer really set a high standard.)

West Side Story
Producers: Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller, Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman/Jill Furman Willis, Freddy DeMann, Robyn Goodman/Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller, The Weinstein Company, Broadway Across America
Two star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria, find themselves caught between the rival street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds, the “Jets” and the “Sharks.”  They struggle to exist together in a world of violence, hate and prejudice.
(Did you know that this was originally called East Side Story?  It was about a Jewish girl and a Catholic boy.  By the time they got the go ahead on the show, the issue had shifted so they re-wrote it towards race issues.)

Best Special Theatrical Event – We will pick up here when my computer isn’t so tired.  Bear with me; I promise to get you the information.  Whether you really want it or not!

Liza’s at The Palace
Producers: John Scher and Metropolitan Talent Presents, LLC; Jubilee Time Productions, LLC

Slava’s Snowshow
Producers: David J. Foster, Jared Geller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Marinoff Cohn, John Pinckard

Soul of Shaolin
Producers: Nederlander Worldwide Productions, LLC; Eastern Shanghai International Culture Film & Television Group; China on Broadway

You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush
Producer: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Steve Traxler, Home Box Office Inc., Gary Sanchez Productions, Bat-Barry Productions, Ken Davenport, Ergo Entertainment, Ronald Frankel, Jon B. Platt, James D. Stern, The Weinstein Company, Tara Smith/b. Swibel, Dede Harris/Sharon Karmazin, Arny Granat

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jeff Daniels, God of Carnage
Raúl Esparza, Speed-the-Plow
James Gandolfini, God of Carnage
Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King
Thomas Sadoski, Reasons to Be Pretty

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Hope Davis, God of Carnage
Jane Fonda, 33 Variations
Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage
Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart
Harriet Walter, Mary Stuart

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish – Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gavin Creel, Hair
Brian d’Arcy James, Shrek The Musical
Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages
J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Stockard Channing, Pal Joey
Sutton Foster, Shrek The Musical
Allison Janney, 9 to 5: The Musical
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

John Glover, Waiting for Godot
Zach Grenier, 33 Variations
Stephen Mangan, The Norman Conquests
Paul Ritter, The Norman Conquests
Roger Robinson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Hallie Foote, Dividing the Estate
Jessica Hynes, The Norman Conquests
Marin Ireland, Reasons to Be Pretty
Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit
Amanda Root, The Norman Conquests

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

David Bologna, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5: The Musical
Christopher Sieber, Shrek The Musical
Will Swenson, Hair

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey
Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson, Exit the King
Rob Howell, The Norman Conquests
Derek McLane, 33 Variations
Michael Yeargan, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Robert Brill, Guys and Dolls
Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Scott Pask, Pal Joey
Mark Wendland, Next to Normal

Best Costume Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson, Exit the King
Jane Greenwood, Waiting for Godot
Martin Pakledinaz, Blithe Spirit
Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregory Gale, Rock of Ages
Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical
Michael McDonald, Hair

Best Lighting Design of a Play

David Hersey, Equus
David Lander, 33 Variations
Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Hugh Vanstone, Mary Stuart

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, Hair
Kevin Adams, Next to Normal
Howell Binkley, West Side Story
Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play

Paul Arditti, Mary Stuart
Gregory Clarke, Equus
Russell Goldsmith, Exit the King
Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners, Hair
Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Peter Hylenski, Rock of Ages
Brian Ronan, Next to Normal

Best Direction of a Play

Phyllida Lloyd, Mary Stuart
Bartlett Sher, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Matthew Warchus, God of Carnage
Matthew Warchus, The Norman Conquests

Best Direction of a Musical

Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Greif, Next to Normal
Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages
Diane Paulus, Hair

Best Choreography

Karole Armitage, Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Best Orchestrations

Larry Blank, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal
Danny Troob and John Clancy, Shrek The Musical

* * *

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Jerry Herman

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Signature Theatre, Arlington, Va.

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Phyllis Newman

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Shirley Herz

* * *

Tony Nominations by Production

Billy Elliot, The Musical – 15
Next to Normal – 11
Hair – 8
Shrek The Musical – 8
Mary Stuart – 7
The Norman Conquests – 7
God of Carnage – 6
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – 6
Rock of Ages – 5
33 Variations – 5
Exit the King – 4
9 to 5: The Musical – 4
Pal Joey – 4
West Side Story – 4
Reasons to Be Pretty – 3
Waiting for Godot – 3
Blithe Spirit – 2
Dividing the Estate – 2
Equus – 2
Guys and Dolls – 2
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas – 2
Liza’s at The Palace – 1
Slava’s Snowshow – 1
Soul of Shaolin – 1
Speed-the-Plow – 1
[Title of Show] – 1
You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush – 1

www.TonyAwards.com

That’s right.  In just a few more hours, Cynthia Nixon (Tony winner, 2006 Rabbit Hole) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Tony winner, 2008 In the Heights) will hold a press conference during which they will announce the lucky and talented folks who have been chosen by the American Theater Wing to be included in the list of nominees. 

As some of you may know, I am a big fan of the Tonys.  I subscribe to their newsletters on three different e-mail addresses.  They are my top “friend” on MySpace.  And between the moment the nominations are announced and the final curtain of the Tony broadcast, my life takes on a definite tilt.  I begin speaking in lyrics, I tap down the halls, and I tear up at the slightest mention.

You know what?  I look forward to this month of anticipation all year long.  So let’s hunker down and prepare for the storm of crazy that’s coming your way.

Happy nearly Tony Day!

Last year’s V-Day was actually surprisingly good.  I was quasi-seeing two guys (but all above-board, thank you very much) and I liked them both.  A gentleman I worked with brought in roses that day for every woman in my office.  I brought in some killer chocolate cookies to share.  And a dear friend of mine sent me a sweet little flowering rose plant. (Which my black thumb promptly killed. It was still a nice gesture, though!)

After work, a coworker and I went out for a cocktail before I headed to my then-evening job when I was still working at the wine bar.  Post-cocktail, I headed to work in a great mood and saw a parade of happy couples buying wine and watching movies. 

A young man I’d never met walked in and presented me with a dozen peach roses because he had them and thought I should instead.  Seriously.

Then one of the two guys I was seeing showed up with a single red rose.  He’d literally come running through the snow on his break at work to see me and tell me I was pretty.  The other guy I was seeing made a less showy gesture, but also presented me with a rose.

By the time I went home that night, I was lousy with romantic stuff and feeling pretty pleased.

This year is a little different.  I’m seeing someone exclusively (I think) which is really new.  I’m still hung up on someone else but I’m taking real steps to get over that.  I’m going to be working all day despite the fact that it’s a weekend.  And the guy I’m seeing won’t even be in town because he’s taking his son out for an outing.  Don’t get wrong – I’m all for father/son bonding.  Just don’t judge me too harshly if I’m a touch jealous.

Though don’t think I’m being neglected.  Last night we were on the phone and I mentioned that my car was acting up.  What did he do?  He instructed me to meet him at the local K-Mart where he promptly bought me motor oil and put in it my car.  Romantic, huh? 

I mean that without sarcasm.  Not many men have ever taken the time to take care of me.  It was a nice gesture.  Of course, he’s a little scaly these days so I’m torn.  (Long story that boils down to the fact that he and I are both really, really busy right now and I’m easily irritated and he’s overly sensitive.  Put it together and half the time I’m still swooney over him and the other half I want to change my number.)

So anyway, just wanted to share a few Valentine’s thoughts.  I will try to have something more entertaining up soon.  Honest.  Have I mentioned how exhausting this project is?  Any mention at all about my oatmeal mentality?  Hmm?

Happy Heart Day, all.