Tony Awards 2019

The 73rd Tony Awards, hosted by James Corden, took place on June 9, 2019 at Radio City Hall, New York, New York.

Nominated for Best Musical:

"Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical" is a musical adaptation of the 2010 folk opera by Anais Mitchell.  It premiered on off-Broadway on May 6, 2016.  It tells a version of the ancient Green myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus journeys to the underground to rescue his fiancee Eurydice.

It won: Best Musical, Best Original Score (Anais Mitchell), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Andre De Shields), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Rachel Hauck), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Bradley King), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz), and Best Orchestrations (Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose).

"Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations" is a jukebox music with music and lyrics by The Temptations and the book by Dominique Morisseau.  It is based on the story of the Temptations.  It premiered on August 31, 2017.

It won: Best Choreography (Sergio Trujillo)

"Beetlejuice" is a musical by Eddie Perfect, with book by Scott Brown and Anthony King.  It premiered on October 14, 2018 at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C.  It is based on the 1988 film Beetlejuice about a deceased couple who try to haunt the new inhabitants of their former home with the help of a devious bio-exorcist ghost name Betelgeuse, who is summoned when you call his name three times.

"The Prom" is a musical by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, with a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin.  It is based on an original concept by Jack Viertel.  The musical is about four former famous Broadway actors who travel to Edgewater, Indiana, after reading about a lesbian student who is not allowed to bring her partner to the high school prom.  They want to help, but also get good press for themselves.

"Tootsie" is a musical comedy by David Yazbek and book by Robert Horn.  It is based on the 1982 American comedy film, written by Larry Gelbart, Barry levinson, Elaine May and Murrary Schisgal from the story by Gelbart and Don McGuire.  It premiered at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago on September 11, 2018.  It tells the story of a talented but volatile actor who is difficult to work with and forces him to adopt a new identity as a woman in order to get a job.

It won: Best Book of a Musical (Robert Horn), Best Leading Actor in a musical (Santino Fontana).

Other Awards:

Best Revival of a Musical ("Oklahoma!")

Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Stephanie J. Block) "Oklahoma!"

Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Ali Stroker) "Oklahoma!"

Best Costume Design of a Musical (Bob Mackie) "The Cher Show"

Tony Awards - 2018

The 72nd Annual Tony Awards was held on June 10, 2018 at Radio City Hall in New York City.  Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles served as hosts.



The Band's Visit
Musical about an Egyptian police orchestra stranded for a night in Israel.  From the musical - "Nothing is as beautiful as something you don't expect."


Best Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Tony Shalhoub)
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Katrina Lenk)
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Ari'l Stachle)
Best Book of a Musical in a Musical (Itamar Moses)
Best Original Score of a Musical (David Yazbek)
Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Tyler Micoleau)
Best Direction of a Musical (David Cromer)
Best Orchestrations of a Musical (Iamshied Sharifi)
Best Sound Design of a Musical (Kai Harada)


Once on This Island
Best Revival of a Musical


Carousel
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Lindsay Mendez)
Best Choreography of a Musical (Justin Peck)


SpongeBob SquarePants
Best Scenic Design of a Musical (David Zinn)


My Fair Lady
Best Costume Design of a Musical (Catherine Zuber)


Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2
Best Play


Angels in Heaven
Best Actors (Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane)


Three Tall Women
Best Actresses (Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalf)


Lifetime Achievement
Chita Rivera and Andrew Lloyd Webber

Broadway Lights in Chicago Spring-Fall

Cadillac Palace, Chicago
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (April 27 - May 6)
Dirty Dancing (May 29 - June 3)
Waitress (July 3-22)
Miss Saigon (November 13 - December 8)
Fiddler on the Roof (December 18 - January 6)


Drury Lane, Oakbrook
South Pacific (April 5 - June 17)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (July 5 - August 26)
Little Shop of Horrors (September 6 - October 28)
Disney's Beauty and the Beast (November 9 - January 27)


Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
Oklahoma! (April 11 - June 3)
Murder for Two (July 3 - August 26)
Sweet Charity - September 5 - October 28)
Holiday Inn (November 7 - January 6)


Music Theatre Works, Evanston
The Pirates of Penzance (June 9-17)
Anything Goes (August 18-26)
Into the Woods (December 22-31)


Oriental Theatre, Chicago
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (October 2-21)
Hello, Dolly! (October 23 - November 17)
Book of Mormon - November 20 - December 2)


Private Bank Theatre
Hamilton

Tony Awards – 2017

The 71st Annual Tony Awards were held on June 11, 2017, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2016–17 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and was broadcast live by CBS. 

Dear Evan Hansen was written by Pasek & Paul, with a book by Steven Levenson.  It opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in December 2016.

The title character, Evan Hansen, is a high school senior with a social anxiety disorder who finds himself amid the turmoil that follows a classmate’s death.

Won: Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Music – Ben Platt as Evan Hansen, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – Rachel Bay Jones as Heidi Hansen, Best Book of a Musical – Steven Levenson, Best Original Score – Pasek & Paul, and Best Orchestrations – Alex Lacamoire.

Hello, Dolly! (Revival) is a 1964 musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder’s 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers.  The musical follows the story of Dolly Levi (a matchmaker), as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly Horace Vandergelder.

Won: Best Performance by a Leading Lady in a Musical – Bette Midler as Dolly Gallagher Levi, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – Gavin Creel as Cornelius Hackl, and Best Costume Design – Santo Loquasto.

Come From Away is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.  It is set in the week following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and tells the true story of what transpired when 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland.

Won: Best direction of a Musical – Christopher Ashley.

KB

After BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Try...

Disney's live action remake of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the title characters, won the box office this weekend. Did you go see it? Here are some similar movies to watch either before or after you check out Disney's latest hit:

La Belle et la Bête (1946): Jean Cocteau's classic take on the "tale as old as time" might be different from what you remember, but its magical production design is not to be missed!

King Kong (1933): "It was beauty killed the beast." A very different imagining of the story, but also a classic! And hey, there's also a new King Kong movie in theaters now.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001): While this new Beauty and the Beast is a more traditional retelling of the fairy tale, this Spielberg film is a wildly new take on Pinocchio. 

Big Fish (2003): Seamlessly blending wild fantasy with our everyday world, Big Fish has a big heart and a lot of imagination.

Can't Get Enough Hamilton?--A Reading (and Listening) List

Hamilton fever is about to take over Chicago. With previews of the musical opening last week and the regular run beginning in mid-October, interest in all things Hamilton is spiking.

Those already infected with the Hamilton bug may want to learn more about the play and the period of American history that Hamilton’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, makes come alive on the stage. 

Here are some suggestions to enhance your knowledge of Hamilton:

·         If you are not already hip-hopping to the songs from the musical, you may want to check out the recording from the original Broadway cast:

Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording by Miranda, Lin-Manuel 

·         For even more information on the music, take a look at the complete libretto:

Hamilton, the Revolution: Being the Complete Libretto of the Broadway Musical, with a True Account of Its Creation, and Concise Remarks on Hip-Hop, the Power of Stories, and the New America by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter  

·        

Hamilton was inspired by the following biography:

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 

(The Chernow biography is also available on audio. Settle in for 35.5 hours of leisurely listening by the highly regarded narrator, Scott Brick). Electronic versions of both the book and the audiobook can be checked out through the library’s My Media Mall service.

·         If you are interested in gaining further historical background about early American history, you might start with one of these nonfiction titles:

The Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis

The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789 by Joseph J. Ellis

The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr by H.W. Brands

Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic by Joanne B. Freeman

War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr,and the Duel That Stunned the Nation by John Sedgwick

Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell 

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham

·         For fiction lovers, try:

Burr by Gore Vidal

For even more suggestions, just ask a librarian!

Tony Awards - 2016

 Hamilton is about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.  The show was inspired by the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.


Won: Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr); Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson; Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler Church); Best Book of a Musical - Lin-Manuel Miranda; Best Original Score - Lin-Manuel Miranda; Best Costume Design of a Musical - Paul Tazewell; Best Direction of a Musical - Thomas Kail; Best Orchestrations - Alex Lacamoire; Best Choreography - Andy Blankenbuehler; Best Lighting Design - Howell Binkley.

The Color Purple is based on the novel The Color Purple by AliceWalker, which focuses on the life of African-American women in the southern United States in the 1930s. Music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray; Book by Marsha Norman.

Won: Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Cynthia Erivo as Celie Harris Johnson); Best Revival of a Musical.

She Loves Me is the third adaptation of the play Miklos Laszio about two Budapest shop employees, who are at odds with each other at work, but are unaware that they are each other's secret pen pal. Music - Jerry Bock; Lyrics - Sheldon Harnick; Book - Joe Masteroff.

Won: Best Scenic Design of a Musical - David Rockwell.



Broadway Lights in Chicago - Spring/Summer

Bank of America Theatre, Chicago

Book of Mormon - June 29-August 14

A religious satire musical with book, lyrics and music by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. (First performance - March 24, 2011) 

Cadillac Palace, Chicago

Chicago - May 10-15

American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. (First performance - June 3, 1975)

Disney's Beauty and the Beast - May 24-29

Musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, produced by Disney Theatrical Productions. (First performance - April 18, 1994)

Sound of Music - June 7-19

Musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Cruise.  It is based on the memoir Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.  (First performance - November 16, 1959)

Drury Lane, Oakbrook

Hazel - March 31-May 29

Musical based on the classic comic strips by Ted Kelly, and the subsequent 1960's TV show.  Music by Ron Abel and lyrics by Chuck Steffan.  (First performance - April 6, 2016)

Light Opera Works, Evanston

My Fair Lady - June 4-12

Musical based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe.  (First performance - February 15, 1956)

Mame - August 20-28

Musical with the book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman.  Adapted from Auntie Mame.  (First performance - May 24, 1966)

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire

Evita - April 13-June 5

Musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.  It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Peron, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Peron.  (First performance - June 21, 1978)

Man of La Mancha - June 22-August 16

Musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion, and music by Mitch Leigh. (First performance - November 22, 1965)

Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Disney's Newsies - July 28-August 7

Disney Theatrical Productions stage musical based on the 1992 film Newsies, which in turn was inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City.  (First performance - September 25, 2011)

     

Tony Music Awards - 2015

Fun Home 

Based on Alison Bechdel's best-selling graphic memoir. Fun Home introduces us to Alison at three different ages. We learn of her dysfunctional family, mother, brothers and father. We follow her journey to understand her father, Bruce's closeted life and how it relates to her.

Best Musical

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Michael Cerveris)

Best Book of a  Musical (Lisa Kron)

Best Original Score (Jeanine Tesori - music, Lisa Kron - lyrics)

Best Direction of a Musical (Sam Gold)

The King and I  

Tells the story of Anna, a British governess, who tries to help an Eastern king come to terms with the modern world.

Best Revival of a Musical

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Kelli O'Hara)

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Ruthie Ann Miles)

Best Costume Design of a Musical (Catherine Zuber)

Something Rotten!

Set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom set out to write the world's first musical.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Christian Borle)

An American in Paris

The romantic story of a young American soldier, a beautiful French girl and an European city, Paris, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of war.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Bob Crowley and 50 Productions)

Best Orchestrations (Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky and Bill Elliot)

Best Choreography (Christopher Wheeldon)

Broadway Lights in Chicago (Winter/Spring 2015)

Bank of America Theatre, Chicago

The Book of Mormon - February 20 - May 24

Winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best direction, Best Featured Actress, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design and Best Orchestrations.

Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles - May 20 - May 24

Live multi-media spectacular that takes you on a musical journey through the life and times of the Beatles.

Cadillac Palace, Chicago

Beauty and the Beast - March 25 - March 29

The classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress

Jersey Boys - May 12 - May 24

The Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning hit is a story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.  This is the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time.

Drury Lane, Oakbrook

West Side Story - January 15 - March 22

A modern retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story tells the tale of two star crossed lovers caught between rival gangs.

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire

La cage aux Folles - January 28 - March 22

Set against the glitter of a Saint-Tropez nightclub, a middle-aged gay couple agree to hide their relationship when their son returns home with his fiancee's ultra-conservative parents.

Anything Goes - April 8 - May 31

Winner of three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival.  Madcap fun on the S.S. american with an unusual array of passengers including a gangster, a wealthy debutante, a charismatic nightclub singer and a lovesick stowaway.

Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical - December 1, 2014 - February 21, 2015

Tells the inspiring true story of Carole King's remarkable rise to stardom

First Wives Club - February 17 - March 29

Based on the smash hit 1996 film and Olivia Goldsmith's bestselling.  Three former college friends reunite to find that they have more in common than their alma mater!

Broadway in Chicago - Summer 2014

Bank of America Theatre, Chicago
The Last Ship - Sting - June 10-July 13

Drury Lane, Oakbrook
Les Miserables - Claude-Michel Schonberg - March 29-June 8
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - William Finn - June 19-August 17

Glenview Theatre Guild, Glenview
Into the Woods - Stephen Sondheim - June 27-July 6

Goodman Theatre, Chicago
Brigadoon - Lerner & Loewe - June 27-August 3

Light Opera Works, Evanston
Damn Yankees - Jerry Ross - June 7-15
Fiddler on the Roof - Jerry Bock - August 9-24

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
Godspell - Stephen Schwartz - June 4-August 10

Oriental Theatre, Chicago
Motown: The Musical -  Berry Gordy - Now through August 9

Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago
Carrie: The Musical - Michael Gore - May 29-July 12

Broadway Lights in Chicago 2013

 

Music display can be found in the Audiovisual Room in May. Check out some of these soundtracks at the library!

Bank of America Theatre, Chicago
          The Book of Mormon - Now through September 8

Cadillac Palace, Chicago
          Anything Goes - April 23 - May 5
          Flashdance - August 6-18
          We Will Rock You - October 22-27
          Elk the Musical - November 26 - December 15

Drury Lane, Oakbrook
          Oliver  - April 4
          Next to Normal - Autust 15 - October 6
          Hello, Dolly - October 17 - December 22
         
Light Opera Works, Evanston
          H.M.S. Pinafore - June 8-16
          Cabaret August 10-25
          Annie Get Your Gun - December 21-31

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
          South Pacific - May 3 - June 2
          I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change - June 5 - August 11
          9 to 5 - August 14 - October 13
          Mary Poppins - October 23 - December 29

Oriental Theatre, Chicago
          Big Fish - April 2 - May 5
          West Side Story - June 11-17
          Evita - September 17 - October 6
          Once - October 9-27
          Wicked - October 30 - December 21

Broadway Lights in Chicago

Want to warm up this winter and think spring? Listen to a musical and forget all your troubles! You can soon find materials on these musicals on display at the library.

Bank of America Theatre, Chicago

Come Fly Away - January 10-22
* Jersey Boys - April 5-June 2

Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago
* South Pacific - February 14-26
Bring It On: The Musical - March 6-25

Drury Lane, Oakbrook
* Sound of Music - October 20-January 8
* Gypsy - January 19-March 25

Light Opera Works, Evanston
* Camelot - June 1-10

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
* Legally Blonde: The Musical - January 18-April 1
* The Pirates of Penzance - April 4-June 10
Hero: A New musical - June 20-August 19

Oriental Theatre, Chicago
* In the Heights - January 10-16
* Mamma Mia - January 24-29
* American Idiot - February 7-19
* Fela! - March 27-April 8

Broadway Chicago

What better way to spend a summer day or evening and beat the heat then going to a musical. You can also watch and listen in the comfort of home.

Broadway Playhouse, Chicago

Pinkalicious - July 8-September 3
Colin Quinn: Long Story Short - August 24-September 10

Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago
West Side Story Through August 14
Check out the CD or DVD at the library.

Chicago Tribune Freedom Center North, Chicago
Peter Pan - Through August 21
Check out the CD at the library.

Drury Lane, Oakbrook
Sweeney Todd - August 11-October 9

Ford Center/Oriental Theatre, Chicago
Beauty and the Beast - Through August 7
Check out the CD at the library.

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
Shout! - Through August 14
For the Boys - August 17-October 16

Musicals from Books or Plays

Have you ever wondered where your favorite musical originated? Many musicals began as books or plays and are being performed here in the Chicago area. The Glenview Public Library carries many of the following musicals on CD, DVD and Video. Check out the display in the Audiovisual Room in April.

Broadway Playhouse, Chicago

Working (February 15-May 8)
Music by Stephen Schwartz
Lyrics by Nana Faso

Based on the book by Studs Terkel

Cadillac Palace Theater, Chicago

West Side Story (July 19-August 14)
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Based on idea by Jerome Robbins & Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet


Chicago Tribune Freedom Center North, Chicago

Peter Pan (April 29-June 19)
Music by Moose Charlap and Jule Styne
Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Based on the play by James M. Barrie

Drury Lane, Oak Brook

Aida (March 17-May 29)
Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Based on the opera Aida and the book by Leontyne Price

Sweeney Todd (August 11-October 9)
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Based on a version of Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond

Ford Center/Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Spring Awakening (May 3-May 8)
Music by Duncan Sheib
Lyrics by Steven Sater
Based on the play by Franz Wedekind

Light Opera Works, Evanston

Student Prince (August 18-28)
Music by Sigmund Romberg
Lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly


Marriott Lincolnshire

42nd Street (March 30-May 29)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Based on the novel by Brandford Ropes

Broadway Lights

What better way to beat the winter blahs and spend time after the holidays than to attend a Broadway musical here in the Chicago area in person or in the comfort of your home. Here at the Glenview Public Library we have all the musicals, either on CD or DVD, for your listening pleasure. Check them out in the Audiovisual room!

Bank of America Theatre - Chicago:
Irving Berlin's White Christmas (12/15/10-1/2/11)
9 to 5: The Musical (1/18/11-1/31-11)

Cadillac Palace Theatre - Chicago:
Wicked (12/1/10-1/23/11)
Les Miserables (2/2/11-2/27/11)

Circle Theatre - Oak Park:
Kiss Me Kate (Thru 1/30)

Drury Lane - Oak Brook:
Monty Python's Spamalot (12/30/10-3/6/11)

Light Opera Works - Evanston:
Hello, Dolly! (12/26/10-1/2/11)

Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre:
The Music Man (Thru 1/9/11)
Guys & Dolls (1/26/11-3/27/11)

Spanglish on Broadway

I was going to blog about the Broadway show I saw over the weekend. It was In the Heights, the 2008 Tony Award winner. I was going to say that if you love all things Spanish you will love this musical. Next I would have said that the show takes place in the primarily Latino neighborhood in Manhattan called Washington Heights and how well the set depicts the barrio. I would have rambled on a bit more about the fact that the characters are from all different parts of the Spanish-speaking world; Usnavi is Dominican, Nina is Puerto Rican and Claudia is Cuban. And that my favorite scene and song takes place on a balcony with Nina teaching Sammy, some tender words in Spanish. And finally that the show is fresh, hip and fun.

Only, I didn’t realize I went the last weekend of its run.

However, all is not lost, check out the CD and have a listen. Several libraries have it in their collection.