Tony Nominees 2013 Archives - Broadway Black

Get Ready Cause Here I Come: Motown the Musical Hits The Road

Broadway Black — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 15:25:01 +0000

Broadway’s latest smash hit, Motown The Musical, will be hitting the road starting April 2014 according to its website. That’s right the show that hasn’t had a non sold out show since beginning previews will have you doing the watusi and the boogaloo in a theatre near you. Its first stop will be the Oriental Theatre in Chicago.

It’s billed as the following: “Motown The Musical is the real story of the one-of-a-kind sound that hit the airwaves in 1959 and changed our culture forever. This exhilarating show charts Motown founder Berry Gordy’s incredible journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and so many more. Featuring all the classics you love, Motown The Musical tells the story behind the hits as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack that changed America. Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. Now, it finally comes to the Broadway stage in the world premiere of Motown The Musical“.

No additional dates or stops have been announced as of yet. If this sells like the New York production, tickets will sell out faster than you can say ABC. As soon as we find out any additional tour dates, we will let you know.

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NY Times Captures Tony Nominees Shalita Grant Courtney B Vance & Kinky Boots In Performance

Drew Shade — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 13:20:46 +0000

We just LOVE the “In Performance” videos that the NY Times does. They capture actors on video doing short excerpts from their current show. This time around they invited Tony nominees to do scenes on location in an environment that would resemeble the world in which their character would dwell. Take a look at Tony nominees Shalita Grant and Courtney B. Vance’s scenes below.

Shalita Grant plays a doom-predicting waitress in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Courtney B. Vance, who plays a newspaper editor in Lucky Guy,rants about the columnist Mike McAlary.

This one’s our favorite
Billy Porter and Stark Sands sing “Not My Father’s Son” from “Kinky Boots” at the shoemaker T. O. Dey.

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Meet 2013 Tony Nominee: Cicely Tyson “What A Joy To Watch”

Drew Shade — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:05:44 +0000

What all can you say about a legend like Cicely Tyson that hasn’t been said already. She is a consummate actress on stage and film. She has left a mark on this profession and anyone who gets the chance to see her and and her process in A Trip To Bountiful is privilged to witness such a milestone in her career. She is such a joy to watch. She walks around with an audience in the palm of her hand every night. Her performance on Broadway this year, after nearly 30 years away, screamed “Give me a Tony!” and she’s half way there. Tyson is nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play. Only two African American women in the entire Tony Award history have won this award, Phylicia Rashad A Raisin In The Sun(2005) and Viola Davis Fences(2010). We think its time to add Cicely Tyson to that list.

http://youtu.be/IJNhE_lQMDA?t=1m17s

Other Honors for Cicely Tyson in A Trip To Bountiful:

—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play
—Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play
—2013 Drama League Nomination for the Distinguished Performance Award

Hear what Vanessa Williams had to say about working on A Trip To Bountiful with the legend that is Cicely Tyson while she was a on the Today show

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Meet 2013 Tony Nominee: Courtney B. Vance “He’s Back!”

Drew Shade — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:03:33 +0000

He’s worked with Whitney Houston in the movie the Preacher’s wife, and James Earl Jones on Broadway in August Wilson’s Fences. He recently returned back to Broadway after over 20 years. It seems as if he followed in the path of his wife, Angela Bassett, who returned to Broadway last season in The Mountaintop after many years. Only difference between the two is Vance has earned yet another Tony nomination for his work. Having been nominated 2 other times previously. For Nominee for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, Vance works alongside another big box office name, Tom Hanks. He plays Hap Hairston the editor of the impulsive tabloid columnist Mike McAlary (Hanks). He holds his own ground but will it be enough to have him walk with the Tony? We can only hope. After all these years he deserves it.

http://youtu.be/aBcCCmZwN4E

Other Awards For Courntey B. Vance in Lucky Guy

-2013 Drama League Nomination for the Distinguished Performance Award

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Meet 2013 Tony Nominee: Valisia LeKae “Supremely Sensational She Is!”

Drew Shade — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:02:20 +0000

Valisia LeKae started out in the church and made her way to Broadway. She’s had more than a little practice on Broadway with Motown being her 5th Broadway show. She has been seen previously in shows like Three Penny Oprea and Book of Mormon. In the new hit musical Motown she truly is Diana Ross. From the inflections in her voice to the gracefulness of her walk. It’s truly amazing to see someone just fall right into someone else’s skin so effortlessly. However, make no mistake, she is her own woman; Truly a star. Learn more about her in the Broadway.com video below.

She’s reaching and out and touching so many lives with the musical journey that is Motown. She was born to play this role. All of her practice and patience has finally paid off. LeKae has to hear a symphony as she walks down the street (especially when she’s wearing ESOSA Fashions) now that she’s nominated for a 2013 Tony Award in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical.

Other Awards For Valisia LeKae in Motown: The Musical:

-2013 Theatre World Award Winner
-2013 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Actress In A Musical
-2013 Drama League Nomination for the Distinguished Performance Award

TUNE IN FOR THE TONY AWARDS! JUNE 9TH ON CBS 8/7c! LIVE TWEET WITH US! @BROADWAYBLACK

http://youtu.be/0wXEW3rThuA

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Meet 2013 Tony Nominee: Condola Rashad “She Has Arrived!”

Drew Shade — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:01:11 +0000

For the 2nd year in a row, Condola Rashad is nominated for the Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play Tony Award. Last year it was for the Alicia Keys produced Stick Fly and this year she is nominated for her role as Thelma in The Trip To Bountiful. Her work is recognized in this work over her Broadway veteran castmate Vanessa Williams who surprisingly did not receive a nomination. This could very well be her year to win. We think its safe to say she’s no longer up and coming. She’s here and her passion is clear. You can even hear it in her music.

She is the daughter of the phenomenal Phylicia Rashad, so, naturally she was raised in the theatre and it seems as though that’s where she’s going to be for a while. Rashad will return to Broadway in the fall.Orlando Bloom will join her in Romeo & Juliet

TUNE IN FOR THE TONY AWARDS! JUNE 9TH ON CBS 8/7c! LIVE TWEET WITH US! @BROADWAYBLACK

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Meet 2013 Tony Nominee: Patina Miller “How Does She Do That?”

Drew Shade — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:00:48 +0000

Patina Miller has totally switched things up with her take on The Leading Player in Pippin. She is carrying this show in a way Ben Vereen, who originally created the role, would be proud of. Commanding the stage in her own way Patina Miller has earned her 2nd Tony nomination. Back in 2011 she made her Broadway debut in Sister Act which earned her the 1st. A graduate of Carnegie Melon University, it seems as thought Ms. Miller just popped up out nowhere with tons of great talent. She is the example of a triple threat in this show.

Other Awards For Patina Miller in Pippin:

—Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
—Drama League Distinguished Performance nomination
—Fred and Adele Astaire Award nomination for Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show
—Broadway.com Audience Choice Award nomination for Favorite Actress in a Musical

TUNE IN FOR THE TONY AWARDS! JUNE 9TH ON CBS 8/7c! LIVE TWEET WITH US! @BROADWAYBLACK

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Meet 2013 Tony Nominee: Charl Brown “Motown’s Smokey Is Spot On!”

Drew Shade — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:00:17 +0000

We can say we told you so but we won’t. We’ll just point you in the direction of the feature we did with The man behind the smokey voice of Motown. It’s Charl Brown and he is nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. He portrays Berry Gordy’s right hand man, Smokey Robinson, in Motown: The Musical. This being his 3rd Broadway show (Jersey Boys, Sister Act) and his 1st Tony Award nomination has got to mean something special since 3+1=4 and Brown is a lover of Beyonce.

He’s charming audiences 8 shows a week and is thrilled to do so, sharing the Broadway season with his college best friend, Stark Sands (Kinky Boots), who is also nominated. Check out his interview on PLAY BY PLAY with Patrick Pacheco and Frank DiLella to get more insight on Charl and to hear him sing a little Smokey.

TUNE IN FOR THE TONY AWARDS! JUNE 9TH ON CBS 8/7c! LIVE TWEET WITH US! @BROADWAYBLACK

[SOURCE]

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Meet 2013 Tony Nominee: George C. Wolfe “Here We Go Again!”

Drew Shade — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:59:27 +0000

George C. Wolfe is Broadway. Period. He has been working as a director and a writer on the Great White Way for more nearly 20 years. He made his debut with the unforgettable Jelly’s Last Jam and his last appearance was in 2011’s The Normal Heart. Since then he’s gone on to win 5 Tony Award and be nominated for 5 times that many. He has returned to the Broadway stage directing Tom Hanks and Courtney B Vance, both Tony nominees as well, in the play Lucky Guy. One of our favorite works by him happens to be The Colored Museum which never made it to Broadway. At the beginning of the following video George reads the Topsy monologue from that piece as well find out more about him and his thought process.

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Meet 2013 Tony Nominee: Shalita Grant “It Happened!”

Drew Shade — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:57:45 +0000

Shalita Grant has made Broadway debut as the breakout star in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. She plays Cassandra, Sonia and Vanya’s maid, who can see into the future and practices voodoo. The show is super funny and stars David Hyde Pierce (Frasier, Spamalot). It is no surprise that this naturally funny actress is a nominee for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, along with Condola Rashad, even though she didn’t think it was going to happen. Get a feel for her humor and personality below as well as see an excerpt from the show she’s nominated for.

Other Awards For Shalita Grant in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike:

-2013 Theatre World Award Winner

“Every year, there is something new that I’m experiencing, that I’m experimenting with, because I don’t want to be afraid in my life. I want to really live.” — Shalita

TUNE IN FOR THE TONY AWARDS! JUNE 9TH ON CBS 8/7c! LIVE TWEET WITH US! @BROADWAYBLACK

[SOURCE]

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