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Broadway: Drama Desk Snubs Most Big Name Black Actors Like Audra McDonald, Lupita Nyong’o, Forest Whitaker

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How very odd: in a year with a lot of black actors, stars, and shows, the Drama Desk nominations went very white. “Hamilton” wasn’t eligible since it won last year as an off Broadway show. But the Drama Desk folks pretty much ignored the play “Eclipsed,” with one acting nomination only. Nothing for the playwright Danai Gurira, or her off Broadway play, “Familiar.”

The Drama Desk snubbed Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o. They also skipped the entire cast of “Shuffle Along,” although it was on the list for Best Musical. Forest Whitaker’s turn as “Hughie” was also ignored. “The Color Purple” did a little better, but there was nothing for Jennifer Hudson. Only three non-whites were nominated in the acting categories.

All I can say is, these people are tone deaf. They should not be giving out awards. Last year, haha, they did give “Hamilton” Best Musical and Renee Elise Goldsberry Best Featured Actress in A Musical, which was fine. But nothing in the acting for any of the men including Lin-Manuel Miranda. Embarrassing.

Also snubbed by the Drama Desk– “American Psycho” almost entirely, and “Tuck Everlasting” completely.

Outstanding Play
The Christians, Playwrights Horizons
The Humans, Roundabout Theatre Company
John, Signature Theatre
King Charles III
The Royale, Lincoln Center Theater

Outstanding Musical
First Daughter Suite, Public Theater
Daddy Long Legs
School of Rock
Shuffle Along
Waitress

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Cloud Nine, Atlantic Theater Company
Death of a Salesman, New Yiddish Rep
Henry IV, Donmar Warehouse at St. Ann’s Warehouse
Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Roundabout Theatre Company
A View From the Bridge
Women Without Men, Mint Theater Company

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
The Color Purple
The Golden Bride, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Fiddler on the Roof
She Loves Me, Roundabout Theatre Company
Spring Awakening

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Andrew Garman, The Christians, Playwrights Horizons
Avi Hoffman, Death of a Salesman
Frank Langella, The Father, Manhattan Theatre Club
Tim Pigott-Smith, King Charles III
Mark Strong, A View From the Bridge

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Georgia Engel, John, Signature Theatre
Mamie Gummer, Ugly Lies the Bone, Roundabout Undeground
Marin Ireland, Ironbound, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater/Women’s Project Theater
Jessica Lange, Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Nicola Walker, A View From the Bridge

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Fiddler on the Roof
Robert Creighton, Cagney, York Theatre Company
Michael C. Hall, Lazarus, New York Theatre Workshop
Zachary Levi, She Loves Me
Benjamin Walker, American Psycho

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Laura Benanti, She Loves Me
Carmen Cusack, Bright Star
Cynthia Erivo, The Color Purple
Jessie Mueller, Waitress
Annette O’Toole, Southern Comfort, Public Theater

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Bill Camp, The Crucible
David Furr, Noises Off, Roundabout Theatre Company
Matt McGrath, The Legend of Georgia McBride, MCC Theater
Richard Thomas, Incident at Vichy, Signature Theatre
Michael Shannon, Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Brooke Bloom, Cloud Nine
Megan Hilty, Noises Off
Kellie Overbey, Women Without Men
Saycon Sengbloh, Eclipsed, Public Theater
Jeanine Serralles, Gloria, Vineyard Theatre

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Nicholas Barasch, She Loves Me
Christopher Fitzgerald, Waitress
Baylee Littrell, Disaster!
Paul Alexander Nolan, Bright Star
A.J. Shively, Bright Star

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Alison Fraser, First Daughter Suite
Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen, Second Stage
Jane Krakowski, She Loves Me
Mary Testa, First Daughter Suite

Outstanding Director of a Play
Rachel Chavkin, The Royale
Sam Gold, John
Rupert Goold, King Charles III
Joe Mantello, The Humans
Jenn Thompson, Women Without Men
Ivo van Hove, A View From the Bridge

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Michael Arden, Spring Awakening
John Doyle, The Color Purple
Rupert Goold, American Psycho
Bartlett Sher, Fiddler on the Roof
Bryna Wasserman, Motl Didner, The Golden Bride

Outstanding Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, Cagney
Spencer Liff, Spring Awakening
Lynne Page, American Psycho
Randy Skinner, Dames at Sea
Savion Glover, Shuffle Along

Outstanding Music
Sara Bareilles, Waitress
Michael John LaChiusa, First Daughter Suite
Andrew Lloyd Webber, School of Rock
The Lobbyists, SeaWife, Naked Angels
Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Bright Star

Outstanding Lyrics
Sara Bareilles, Waitress
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Dear Evan Hansen
Glenn Slater, School of Rock
Michael John LaChiusa, First Daughter Suite

Outstanding Orchestrations
August Eriksmoen, Bright Star
Larry Hochman, She Loves Me, Roundabout Theatre Company
Joseph Joubert/Catherine Jayes, The Color Purple
Andrew Lloyd Webber, School of Rock
Michael Starobin/Bruce Coughlin, First Daughter Suite

Outstanding Music in a Play
Billie Joe Armstrong, These Paper Bullets!, Atlantic Theatre Company
Estelle Bajou, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, One Year Lease Theater Company
Shaun Davey, Pericles, Theatre for a New Audience
Philip Glass, The Crucible
Tom Kitt, Cymbeline, New York Shakespeare Festival

Outstanding Set Design for a Play
Riccardo Hernandez, Red Speedo, New York Theatre Workshop
Mimi Lien, John
G.W. Mercier, Head of Passes, Public Theater
Christopher Oram, Hughie
Derek McLane, Fully Committed

Outstanding Set Design for a Musical
Es Devlin, American Psycho
Emily Orling, Matt Saunders, Eric Farber, Futurity, Soho Rep/Ars Nova
David Rockwell, She Loves Me

Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Jessica Ford, These Paper Bullets!
Martha Hally, Women Without Men
Constance Hoffman, Pericles
William Ivey Long, Shows for Days, Lincoln Center Theater
Anita Yavich, The Legend of Georgia McBride

Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Jane Greenwood, Bright Star
Katrina Lindsay, American Psycho
Jeff Mahshie, She Loves Me
Alejo Vietti, Allegiance
Ann Roth, Shuffle Along

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Neil Austin, Hughie
Mark Barton, John
Bradley King, Empanada Loca, Labyrinth Theater Company
Tyler Micoleau, Antlia Pneumatica, Playwrights Horizons
Justin Townsend, The Humans

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
Jane Cox, The Color Purple
Jake DeGroot, SeaWife
Ben Stanton, Spring Awakening
Justin Townsend, American Psycho
Jules Fisher/Peggy Eisenhauer, Shuffle Along

Outstanding Projection Design
Nicholas Hussong, These Paper Bullets!
Darrel Maloney, Tappin’ Thru Life
Peter Nigrini, Dear Evan Hansen
Finn Ross, American Psycho
Tal Yarden, Lazarus

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Fitz Patton, An Act of God
Fitz Patton, The Humans
Miles Polaski, Fulfillment, The Flea Theatre
Bray Poor, John
Ryan Rumery, Empanada Loca

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Mick Potter, School of Rock
Brian Ronan, Lazarus
Nevin Steinberg, Bright Star
Dan Moses Schreier, American Psycho
Scott Lehrer, Shuffle Along

Outstanding Wig and Hair
David Brian Brown, She Loves Me
Jason Hayes, The Legend of Georgia McBride
Robert-Charles Vallance, Women Without Men
Charles G. LaPointe, The School for Scandal, Red Bull Theater
Mia M. Neal, Shuffle Along

Outstanding Solo Performance
Simon Callow, Tuesdays at Tesco’s, 59E59
Kathleen Chalfant, Rose, Nora’s Playhouse
James Lecesne, The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey
Daphne Rubin-Vega, Empanada Loca
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Fully Committed

Unique Theatrical Experience
ADA/AVA, Manual Cinema/3LD/The Tank
Antigona – Soledad Barrio/Noche Flamenca
That Physics Show
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show
YOUARENOWHERE – 3LD/The Tank

Exclusive: Antonio Banderas In the Mix for “Salvador Dali” Movie from “American Psycho” Director

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Lots of talk and buzz last night at the premiere of Matt Brown’s “The Man Who Knew Infinity” starring Jeremy Irons and Dev Patel. The Merchant-Ivory-like story of India’s premiere mathematician opens tomorrow with gorgeous Devika Bhise (graduate of Manhattans’ tony Brearley School and Johns Hopkins, no less) featured prominently. I almost forget I had the pleasure of sitting next to Devika in January at Lynn Hirschberg’s W Magazine “It Girl” lunch in Hollywood. Now she’s a movie star!

Dev Patel, still just 26, has never stopped working after his memorable debut in “Slumdog Millionaire” at age 17. Between “Exotic Hotel” movies and “The Newsroom,” Patel is on a fast track. He plays Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar who went from poverty in India to becoming a Royal fellow at Cambridge University in England during World War I. He died at age 32. Ramanujan is revered in India, director Mira Nair told me last night. “He’s probably second to Gandhi in being a legend.”

The famous producer Ed Pressman, wife Annie and son Sam produced “Infinity” and their next project, fingers crossed, is “American Psycho” director Mary Harron’s take on “Salvador Dali.” Antonio Banderas may play Dali, which sounds like a great idea. (Mark Rylance’s name has been mentioned, too. He’s become an overnight Meryl Streep, but he’s not right for everything.) The Pressmans, by the way, assembled an all star crew to make “Infinity”– you won’t see another movie this sumptuous looking this year.

Also at “Infinity”– the original super model Lauren Hutton, director Simon Curtis, who’s going to make the American version of “The Untouchables,” as well as “Finding Neverland” Broadway star Laura Michelle Kelly, Bob Balaban and wife Lynn, Martha Stewart, and Blaine Trump, ex sister in law of Donald.

Prince’s Unreleased Records Start Coming This Friday with “HitnRun Phase 2”

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Today makes one week since Prince died. Tomorrow, the first of his unreleased albums will be issued as a CD and digital download.

“HitnRun, Phase 2” has been available for streaming on Tidal only. But otherwise it didn’t exist. Tomorrow, the album hits stores physical and virtual on Prince’s label, NPG Records. And yes, someone is actually running NPG since 2013: Trevor Guy.

This evening Trevor posted his own memoriam to Prince on Twitter:

 

NPG could start reissuing or issuing music as it pleases now, and on different labels. “HitnRun Phase One” was distributed by Universal Records. “Phase Two” is coming from Republic/RocNation, which is under the Universal banner and co-owned by Jay Z. It’s already charting at number 7 on Amazon in advance sales of CDs.

NPG also presumably has the rights to a bunch of Prince CDs that are out of stock or out of print and don’t exist anymore. Among them is the “Emancipation” double CD (with “Holy River” and “Betcha By Golly Wow” and Prince’s cover of “One of Us” by Joan Osborne). There’s also “The Gold Experience” with “Most Beautiful Girl in the World” and “I Hate You”; and a bunch of other things including “Crystal Ball”- a 3 CD set of outtakes and B sides that came with a separate CD called “The Truth”– a fourth CD. That whole latter package is a huge archival project. “The Truth” contains the song “3Rd eye” and a great hit called “Dionne.”

And even after all that I count around a dozen or so more NPR albums including “Rave un2 the Joy Fantastic.” I hope Trevor Guy can hire full time archivists as good as the Beatles’ to put all this stuff together properly. I actually recommend Jody Klein and ABKCO or Rhino, each of whom excels at doing packages.

PS There’s also “The Black Album,” Prince’s own bootleg album, which came out on Warner Bros. in November 1994. I have it. It’s not listed in a lot of places.

Exclusive UPDATE: Whitney Houston Official Doc Coming from Oscar Winner Kevin MacDonald and “Sugar Man” Team

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As I surmised the other day, and SCOOPED– the official Whitney Houston documentary will be directed by Kevin MacDonald, Oscar winner for “One Day in September.”

The producers, I am told, are the folks behind “Searching for Sugar Man” Simon and Jonathan Chinn. Distribution in the UK has already been set up with Altitude, the company behind the “Amy” documentary. That’s a lot of Oscar winners involved.

I told you that Showtime is working on their own unauthorized documentary on Whitney, from Nick Broomfield. The Houston insiders on this are asking friends and associates of Whitney to not cooperate with that film. So far most Whitney associates are sticking with the authorized version. Clive Davis is one of them.

The big question is whether the MacDonald film will really get into what happened to Whitney as she descended into drugs. At one point she was living in a crack house in Atlanta with a former pop star. The landlord had to evict them. The summer before she died, she went on an international tour, and lost her voice completely. If MacDonald can get into those crevices, he’ll have a real movie.

Beyonce Will Sell Over 500K Copies of “Lemonade” This Week, But Prince Will Sell That Many Copies Too

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Beyonce is on track to sell over 500,000 copies of “Lemonade” from digital downloads this week. That’s pretty good since the sales week begins on Friday, and “Lemonade” wasn’t really available until Monday morning. Counting in streams, according to hitsdailydouble, “Lemonade” could get up to over 600,000.

But wait! Then there’s Prince. When he died last Thursday, he sold 200,000 CDs and downloads in 24 hours until the cut off for last week’s chart.

This week? Prince is selling well over 500,000 total copies of several albums. The top sellers according to hits:
Prince, The Very Best Of (Warner Bros.) 210-230k
Prince, Purple Rain (Warner Bros.) 115-130k
Prince, The Hits/B-Sides (Warner Bros.) 50-60k
Prince, Ultimate (Warner Bros.) 33-38k
Prince, 1999 (Warner Bros.) 27-30k

Streaming for Prince is another issue. He’s not on Spotify, so he’s losing sales there. But his iTunes downloads are huge. And there are many albums and singles not even available. The future is strong for his catalog. But what a shame!

Oliver Stone’s “Snowden” Trailer Arrives, Film Likely Headed to Toronto Fest

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Oliver Stone’s “Snowden” trailer is here, and it looks very, very good. The film launches on September 16th, which means a Toronto Film Festival premiere is likely. That’s where they will get the biggest bang. Also because it’s in Canada, maybe Eddie Snowden himself will show up! (Unlikely. Look what happened on “The Good Wife.”) Nicolas Cage is featured in his first decent movie in 20 years. Exciting.
 

 

Broadway: “Tuck Everlasting” Hits the Bottom of the Tony Awards Season Barrel

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You know, I’m pretty fair to most Broadway musicals. I wasn’t wild about either “American Psycho” or “Waitress,” but there were excellent things about each that mitigated the problems. Let them live, not everything can be “Hamilton.”

But in a season of “Hamilton,” to see an effort full of cliches, riffs on other shows, ham-fisted treacle– come on, there’s only so much I can take. “Tuck Everlasting” is not very good, it’s just inches from terrible.

The only things that separate it from total disaster are some of the cast. Carole Carmello and Fred Applegate are stars, and they shine even when the material is working against them. Terrence Mann is the A Rod of Broadway musicals.

They barely survive this show. Mann, in particular, seems to have been recycled in scenes from “Pippin” and “Into the Woods.” (Was he also in “Seussical”?) I couldn’t tell sometimes if director Casey Nicholaw, who made “Something Rotten” a fresh show and a send up simultaneously, was trying for some kind of satire.

But I think he’s serious with “Tuck,” based on a novel and two movies about wood nymphs who discover magic water that lets them live forever. This is both a blessing and curse, as they have witnessed a century of friends and family coming and going.

The show felt like a century, what with tired, retreaded songs (some of the worst I’ve ever heard, my least favorite since “The Bridges of Madison County” and “If/Then.”) They’re uninspired, corny, and tuneless.

Some of the performers were wooden than the woods they traipsed around in). (Good sets, I will concede.) I won’t name names. But maybe there are so many shows running that producers can’t find really good singers. I was shocked by the range here from wonderful (Carmello, Michael Park, and newcomer Sarah Charles Lewis) to the other extreme. The actor who plays Tuck– Andrew Keenan Bolger– may be playing Tobias from “Sweeney Todd.” (He’d be very good in that role.) He looks like he’s about to burst into “Not While I’m Around.”

The plot doesn’t help. The non-aging family sets its sights on Lewis’s Winnie, who is 11. (And 11 in real life, too.) You’ve got Tuck, 17 on stage (but 30 in real life, 103 in nymph years) lusting after her. Very very creepy. Michael Park’s Angus also seems inappropriately matched to her. (He’s around 45.)

When Winnie goes missing, her stern recently widowed mother (who looks way too old to have an 11 year old) and her caricature of a nutty grandmother send a detective (Fred Applegate, who steals the show) and his bumbling son to find her. Cliches smack into each other from every direction. It doesn’t help that the choreography looks like summer stock.

Nicholaw’s edgy and sophisticated work is just thrown out the window. Maybe this is the season of homespun, corny, hackneyed material. (God help us.) But these shows cost $150 and up for tickets. You can’t compare this to something like “Hamilton,” work of genius. It’s like three giant steps backward.

Who was there? Ron Howard. Don’t know why. Alfred Molina, with girlfriend Jennifer Lee (“Frozen” the movie and the forthcoming musical). Michael Urie. WABC Radio host Joan Hamburg. The producers didn’t want press at their after party at Tavern on the Green, and I don’t blame them.

Tonight’s New York Times review is by Charles Isherwood, who’s been handing out positive reviews to shows that Ben Brantley would murder if he had the chance. I don’t know what’s going on– is it an advertiser thing? But his review tonight worries me.

One last thought: why can’t Carolee Carmello have a great show, and win a Tony? She’s too good for this stuff.

Michael Strahan Leaving Live with Kelly on May 13– Quickie Divorce for Sake of Audience

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Michael Strahan is out.

He’s leaving “Live with Kelly” on May 13th. They’re getting a quickie divorce for the sake of the audience.

I’ve known Kelly Ripa since she started with Regis. I don’t believe for a minute that she was mean to Strahan or forced him out. Michael Gelman has been a steady force at that show for over two decades. This is not their fault.

I think Strahan probably felt constrained and wanted to do different things. The whole thing has been handled as badly as Ann Curry’s exit from Today, or a dozen other instances. All that PR expertise and no one knows how to take care of these issues. Amazing.

The search for a co-host can go on all summer and into the fall. Ripa can do the show blind-folded. If she were really smart, she’d ask Regis to come back and help out, make a big deal of him. He and Gelman are still very friendly. Getting Regis back even for a bit would be the coup of the century.

Prince: Sister Says There’s No Will (Scooped Here First), Files to Open Probate

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I told you two days ago that Prince had no will. Now CNN Money reports from Minneapolis that Prince’s sister has filed to open probate. She says no there is no will.

It is beyond amazing that Prince had no plan for his estate, his archives, his business. He was incredibly litigious. He sued record companies, he sued fans for downloading, uploading. And all those lawyers who came and went — none of them managed to get a will drawn up.

Prince’s memoir goes into the probate case. The deal he signed with Spiegel and Grau at Random House is now part of his Estate. Until an executor is named, and the estate is settled, there’s no book.

Ditto for everything else. Warner Music and all the other record companies will just make their payments into the Estate until it’s settled. All those crazy clickbait stories you read around the web– ignore them.

Beyonce Has the Top 6 Singles on iTunes, and 8 out of the Top 10 Tracks

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The lemonade is sweet this morning.

Beyonce Knowles can say she has the top 6 singles on iTunes. Two more in the top 10, make 8 out of 10 all together.

Not bad.

The “Lemonade” album finally hit number 1, succeeding Prince’s greatest hits. But Prince still has a bunch of albums in the top 20. And a a dozen or so single tracks.

At this rate, her fans will be able to sing along with the new songs when Beyonce starts her tour tomorrow. I wonder if she’ll bring her bat?

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