2011 Tony Awards

Best Play

Good People: David Lindsay-Abaire

Jerusalem: Jez Butterworth

The Motherf**ker with the Hat: Stephen Adly Guirgis

** War Horse: Nick Stafford **

Best Musical

** The Book of Mormon **

Catch Me If You Can

The Scottsboro Boys

Sister Act

Best Book of a Musical

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Alex Timbers

** The Book of Mormon Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone **

The Scottsboro Boys David Thompson

Sister Act Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane

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

** The Book of Mormon Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone **

The Scottsboro Boys Music & Lyrics: John Kander & Fred Ebb

Sister Act Music: Alan Menken; Lyrics: Glenn Slater

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

Best Revival of a Play

Arcadia

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Merchant of Venice

** The Normal Heart **

Best Revival of a Musical

** Anything Goes **

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
** Mark Rylance, Jerusalem **

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
** Frances McDormand, Good People **
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

** Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can **
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

** Sutton Foster, Anything Goes **
Beth Leavel, Baby It's You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
** John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart **
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

** Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart **
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
** John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying **
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
** Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon **
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
** Rae Smith, War Horse **
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
** Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon **
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Best Costume Design of a Play

Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
** Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest **
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born Yesterday

Best Costume Design of a Musical

** Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert **
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Best Lighting Design of a Play

** Paule Constable, War Horse **
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Jerusalem

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
** Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon **

Best Sound Design of a Play

Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
** Christopher Shutt, War Horse ** 

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
** Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon **

Best Direction of a Play

** Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse **
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice

Best Direction of a Musical

Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
** Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon **
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
** Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes **
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Orchestrations

Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys

** Larry Hochman & Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon **
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can

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Please Vist Playbill.com & Broadway.com for a complete list of winners from some of Broadway's other leading awards - including The Drama Desk Awards, Critics' Circle Awards, and more . . .

     

Anything Goes @ Stephen Sondheim Theatre

ALL ABOARD! Cole Porter’s classic high seas tale is back on the Great White Way and dazzling audiences night after night with high comedy, stunning voices, and outstanding choreography. Anything Goes, which has taken dock at the newly named Stephen Sondheim Theatre, now features Sutton Foster as the sassy Reno Sweeney and Joel Grey as Public Enemy Number 13, Moonface Martin. This hilarious musical is back and bigger than ever!

 While aboard the S.S. American, a cast of beautiful characters all mix, mingle, and intertwine in a trip filled with dance, disguises, and love. Rather than taking care of business, Billy Crocker decides to jump aboard a cruise ship, under a false name of course, to follow the woman that he loves, Hope Harcourt. Love does not come easy, however, when his assumed name turns out to belong to Public Enemy Number 1 and Hope is engaged to another man. In order to stop the wedding and win over his love, Billy must team up with long time friend Reno Sweeney, a famous lounge singer, and Moonface Martin, a less than famous gangster. Together, the three of them all scheme to bring Billy and Hope together and let their love shine through. Along the way, their lives twist with the lives of a colorful cast of characters, including gambling Japanese converts, a businessman who is blind without his glasses, a sailor loving gangster girl, and a British tourist just learning the slangs of American culture. Confused yet? Yes. Good because that is half of the fun of this brilliantly funny musical, Anything Goes.

Led by two of Broadways biggest stars, Cole Porter’s master piece is stronger than ever. Sutton Foster (Tony Award winner for Thoroughly Modern Millie) plays the sexy Reno Sweeny. Filling the shoes of past Reno’s like Ethel Merman and Patti Lupone, Foster makes the part all her own. She breathes youth into a part that is normally portrayed slightly older woman. Her sassiness, wit, and sophistication come together wonderfully for this role – not to mention her voice and dance chops. Her brilliant performance is matched by the adorable Joel Grey (Tony and Academy Award winner for Cabaret), who portrays the clever Moonface Martin. Grey gives a stunning performance. He is the grandfather that everyone wants – funny, exciting, and loveable. Together, Foster and Grey have the audience in stitches for most of the show, especially after their wonderfully realized duet “Friendship.” Colin Donnell (of Broadway’s Jersey Boys) and Laura Osnes (of Broadway’s South Pacific and Grease) portray the two young lovers Billy and Hope. Their chemistry together is spot on; and their solo work is just as strong. Donnell does a masterful job at being leading man – his charm and cleverness really shine through. He moves the entire show forward with such ease; it is just wonderful to watch. Joining the chaos on stage is: John McMartin (of Broadway’s Into the Woods) as the not-so-savvy business man Elisha Whitney, Jessica Walter (of television’s Arrested Development) as the greedy mother to Hope Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt, Adam Godley (a regular face on the London stage) as the crazy foreigner Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, and Jessica Stone (of Broadway’s The Odd Couple) as the mobster girl Erma. In this truly ensemble piece, the cast comes together beautifully to create the perfect night out at the theatre.

This high seas adventure shines thanks to the stunning direction and choreography of Broadway great Kathleen Marshall (whose past credits include The Pajama Game and Kiss Me, Kate on Broadway). Marshall delivers some of the best choreography to hit the Great White Way in years. Featuring a mix of tap, jazz, modern, and more, Anything Goes delivers enough dances to please all theatre goers. The Act I finally, the song “Anything Goes,” features a full cast tap dance number that fills the theatre with such joy and awe that audience members are left clapping for minutes after the curtain has already come down. Marshall has greatly out-done herself with this jaw dropping revival. Also making this production dazzle is a great design team – from set to lighting to costumes, Anything Goes is a visual pleasure. The workings of the S.S. America sail in onto the stage thanks to the clever scenic design of Derek McLane (current designs on Broadway include How to Succeed . . . and Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo). The three leveled ship is designed beautifully – full sized rooms, jail cells, and lounges move on and off effortlessly in this stunning design. To add to the wonderfulness, Peter Kaczorowski (current designs on Broadway include Born Yesterday and Driving Miss Daisy) provides a masterful lighting design. The bright and colorful scheme brightens up the entire theatre and truly lets the laugh-out-loud comedy sparkle. Also adding the overall picture of Anything Goes is costume designer Martin Pakledinaz (past designs include The Wild Party and Lend Me A Tenor). Pakledinaz’s designs transport the audience back to the glitz and glam years of the 1930s. Sutton Foster sports a new lavish dress decked out with sparkles and beads every time she renters onto the stage – it is a joy to watch. This creative team masterfully brings this old-school musical back to Broadway with tons of razzle and dazzle.

Thanks to the Roundabout Theatre Company, Cole Porter’s Anything Goes is revived with true excellence. This hilarious song and dance show is the perfect escape from reality. An absolute must see!

Review By: Ryan Oliveti