The nominations for the 2013 Tony Awards shaped up into a competition between two popular and well-reviewed musicals, “Kinky Boots” grabbing 13 nominations and “Matilda” landing 12.

Among the musical revivals, “Pippin” took ten and “Cinderella” nabbed nine.

In the play categories, “Golden Boy” was the one to beat with eight nomination, but “Lucky Guy” did well (with six nods including one for Tom Hanks) as did “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” (also taking six).

There were so many stars onstage this season that it seemed inevitable that many of them were left out. Perhaps the most notable absence was Bette Midler, who despite strong reviews for her perf in solo show “I’ll Eat You Last” didn’t get a nom. The entire production, in fact, walked away empty-handed, including Bond scribe John Logan (“Red”) and helmer Joe Mantello (“Wicked”).

Also left out in the cold were well-known thesps including Scarlett Johansson (“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”) and Alec Baldwin, although his co-star in “Orphans,” Tom Sturridge, snagged a place in the lead actor race.

The Tony noms come at the end of a hectic season that started slow and didn’t really yield a strong crop of competitors until the last few weeks before the April 25 eligibility cutoff. Although both “Kinky Boots” and “Matilda” could easily be pegged as the frontrunners even before the nominations were announced, there’s no odds-on favorite this year as there has been in prior years with, for instance, “The Book of Mormon” or “The Producers.”

Aside from “Kinky” and “Matilda,” it was anyone’s guess as to which two other shows would have filled out the category for new musical, generally acknowledged as the only Tony Award to have any real influence on box office. “Motown” seemed a likely candidate, if only because the production proved a box office powerhouse right out of the gate, and a number of observers expected a nod to the short-lived “Hands on a Hardbody,” which had its share of admirers (and took three noms including one for Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green’s score).

Instead the nominators unexpectedly tapped cheerleader tuner “Bring It On” as well as “A Christmas Story,” which earned solid notices and posted strong sales in its limited holiday run.

In the new play race, “Lucky Guy” vies with Richard Greenberg’s warmly received “The Assembled Parties,” Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” (which nabbed four acting nods, including one for David Hyde Pierce) and Colm Toibin’s “The Testament of Mary.” The latter scored also snagged nods for lighting designer Jennifer Tipton and sound designer Mel Mercier, but no nominations for its solo star Fiona Shaw or its helmer Deborah Warner.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2013 TONY AWARDS

PLAY
•“The Assembled Parties” – Author: Richard Greenberg. Producers: Manhattan Theater Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove
•“Lucky Guy” – Author: Nora Ephron. Producers: Colin Callender, Roy Furman, Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger & William Berlind, Stacey Mindich, Robert Cole & Frederick Zollo, David Mirvish, Daryl Roth, James D. Stern/Douglas L. Meyer, Scott & Brian Zeilinger, Sonia Friedman Productions, The Shubert Organization
•“The Testament of Mary” – Author: Colm Toibin. Producers: Scott Rudin, Stuart Thompson, Jon B. Platt, Roger Berlind, Broadway Across America, Scott M. Delman, Jean Doumanian, Roy Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Sonia Friedman Productions/Tulchin Bartner Productions, The Araca Group, Heni Koenigsberg, Daryl Roth, Eli Bush
•“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” – Author: Christopher Durang. Producers: Joey Parnes, Larry Hirschhorn, Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino, Martin Platt & David Elliott, Pat Flicker Addiss, Catherine Adler, John O’Boyle, Joshua Goodman, Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Cricket Hooper Jiranek/Michael Palitz, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Radio Mouse Entertainment, ShadowCatcher Entertainment, Mary Cossette/Barbara Manocherian, Megan Savage/Meredith Lynsey Schade, Hugh Hysell/Richard Jordan, Cheryl Wiesenfeld/Ron Simons, S.D. Wagner, John Johnson, MacCarter Theater Center, Lincoln Center Theater

MUSICAL
“Bring It On: The Musical” – Producers: Universal Pictures Stage Productions/Glenn Ross, Beacon Communications/Armyan Bernstein & Charlie Lyons, Kristin Caskey & Mike Isaacson

“A Christmas Story, The Musical” – Producers: Gerald Goehring, Roy Miller, Michael F. Mitri, Pat Flicker Addiss, Peter Billingsley, Timothy Laczynski, Mariano Tolentino, Jr., Louise H. Beard, Michael Filerman, Scott Hart, Alison Eckert, Bob Bartner, Michael Jenkins, Angela Milonas, Bradford W. Smith

“Kinky Boots” – Producers: Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just for Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Yasuhiro Kawana, Jane Bergère, Allan S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy & Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein & Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom & Connie Walsh, Warren Trepp, Jujamcyn Theaters

“Matilda The Musical” – Producers: The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Dodgers

REVIVAL OF A PLAY
“Golden Boy” – Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, Andre Bishop, Bernard Gersten

“Orphans” – Producers: Frederick Zollo, Robert Cole, The Shubert Organization, Orin Wolf, Lucky VIII, Scott M. Delman, James P. MacGilvray, StylesFour Productions

“The Trip to Bountiful” – Producers: Nelle Nugent, Kevin Liles, Paula Marie Black, David R. Weinreb, Stephen C. Byrd, Alia M. Jones, Kenneth Teaton, Carole L. Haber/Philip Geier, Wendy Federman/Carl Moellenberg/Ricardo Hornos, Fifty Church Street Productions/Hallie Foote/Tyson and Kimberly Chandler, Joseph Sirola, Howard and Janet Kagan/Charles Salameno, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Raymond Gaspard/Andrea M. Price, Willette Murphy Klausner/Reginald M. Browne

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” – Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Susan Quint Gallin, Mary Lu Roffe, Kit Seidel, Amy Danis & Mark Johannes, Patty Baker, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Richard Gross, Jam Theatricals, Cheryl Lachowicz, Michael Palitz, Dramatic Forces/Angelina Fiordellisi, Luigi & Rose Caiola, Ken Greiner, Kathleen K. Johnson, Kirmser Ponturo Fund, Will Trice, GFour Productions, Steppenwolf Theatre Company

REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

“Annie” – Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger Horchow, Sally Horchow, Roger Berlind, Roy Furman, Debbie Bisno, Stacey Mindich, James M. Nederlander, Jane Bergère/Daryl Roth, Eva Price/Christina Papagjika

“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” – Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy

“Pippin” – Producers: Barry and Fran Weissler, Howard and Janet Kagan, Lisa Matlin, Kyodo Tokyo, A&A Gordon/Brunish Trinchero, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak, Rebecca Gold, Joshua Goodman, Stephen E. McManus, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Jim Kierstead/Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Hugh Hayes/Jamie Cesa/Jonathan Reinis, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Ben Feldman, Square 1 Theatrics, Wendy Federman/Carl Moellenberg, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, Michael A. Alden/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney, American Repertory Theater

“Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” – Producers: Robyn Goodman, Jill Furman, Stephen Kocis, Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions, The Araca Group, Luigi Caiola & Rose Caiola, Roy Furman, Walt Grossman, Peter May/Sanford Robertson, Glass Slipper Productions LLC/Eric Schmidt, Ted Liebowitz/James Spry, Blanket Fort Productions, Center Theatre Group

BOOK OF A MUSICAL
•“A Christmas Story, The Musical” (Joseph Robinette)
•“Kinky Boots” (Harvey Fierstein)
•“Matilda The Musical” (Dennis Kelly)
•“Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (Douglas Carter Beane)

ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATER
•“A Christmas Story, The Musical” – Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
•“Hands on a Hardbody” – Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green; Lyrics: Amanda Green
•“Kinky Boots” – Music & Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper
•“Matilda The Musical” – Music and Lyrics: Tim Minchin

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

•Tom Hanks, “Lucky Guy”
•Nathan Lane, “The Nance”
•Tracy Letts, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
•David Hyde Pierce, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
•Tom Sturridge, “Orphans”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

•Laurie Metcalf, “The Other Place”
•Amy Morton, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
•Kristine Nielsen, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
•Holland Taylor, “Ann”
•Cicely Tyson, “The Trip to Bountiful”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

•Bertie Carvel, “Matilda The Musical”
•Santino Fontana, “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
•Rob McClure, “Chaplin”
•Billy Porter, “Kinky Boots”
•Stark Sands, “Kinky Boots”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
•Stephanie J. Block, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
•Carolee Carmello, “Scandalous”
•Valisia LeKae, “Motown The Musical”
•Patina Miller, “Pippin”
•Laura Osnes, “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

•Danny Burstein, “Golden Boy”
•Richard Kind, “The Big Knife”
•Billy Magnussen, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
•Tony Shalhoub, “Golden Boy”
•Courtney B. Vance, “Lucky Guy”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

•Carrie Coon, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
•Shalita Grant, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
•Judith Ivey, “The Heiress”
•Judith Light, “The Assembled Parties”
•Condola Rashad, “The Trip to Bountiful”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
•Charl Brown, “Motown The Musical”
•Keith Carradine, “Hands on a Hardbody”
•Will Chase, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
•Gabriel Ebert, “Matilda The Musical”
•Terrence Mann, “Pippin”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
•Annaleigh Ashford, “Kinky Boots”
•Victoria Clark, “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
•Andrea Martin, “Pippin”
•Keala Settle, “Hands on a Hardbody”
•Lauren Ward, “Matilda The Musical”

SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
•John Lee Beatty, “The Nance”
•Santo Loquasto, “The Assembled Parties”
•David Rockwell, “Lucky Guy”
•Michael Yeargan, “Golden Boy”

SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
•Rob Howell, “Matilda The Musical”
•Anna Louizos, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
•Scott Pask, “Pippin”
•David Rockwell, “Kinky Boots”

COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
•Soutra Gilmour, “Cyrano de Bergerac”
•Ann Roth, “The Nance”
•Albert Wolsky, “The Heiress”
•Catherine Zuber, “Golden Boy”

COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
•Gregg Barnes, “Kinky Boots”
•Rob Howell, “Matilda The Musical”
•Dominique Lemieux, “Pippin”
•William Ivey Long, “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”

LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
•Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, “Lucky Guy”
•Donald Holder, “Golden Boy”
•Jennifer Tipton, “The Testament of Mary”
•Japhy Weideman, “The Nance”

LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
•Kenneth Posner, “Kinky Boots”
•Kenneth Posner, “Pippin”
•Kenneth Posner, “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
•Hugh Vanstone, “Matilda The Musical”

SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
•John Gromada, “The Trip to Bountiful”
•Mel Mercier, “The Testament of Mary”
•Leon Rothenberg, “The Nance”
•Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, “Golden Boy”

SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
•Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm, “Pippin”
•Peter Hylenski, “Motown The Musical”
•John Shivers, “Kinky Boots”
•Nevin Steinberg, “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”

DIRECTION OF A PLAY
•Pam MacKinnon, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
•Nicholas Martin, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
•Bartlett Sher, “Golden Boy”
•George C. Wolfe, “Lucky Guy”

DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
•Scott Ellis, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
•Jerry Mitchell, “Kinky Boots”
•Diane Paulus, “Pippin”
•Matthew Warchus, “Matilda The Musical”

CHOREOGRAPHY
•Andy Blankenbuehler, “Bring It On: The Musical”
•Peter Darling, “Matilda The Musical”
•Jerry Mitchell, “Kinky Boots”
•Chet Walker, “Pippin”

ORCHESTRATIONS
•Chris Nightingale, “Matilda The Musical”
•Stephen Oremus, “Kinky Boots”
•Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook, “Motown The Musical”
•Danny Troob, “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
•Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATER
•Bernard Gersten
•Paul Libin
•Ming Cho Lee

REGIONAL THEATER AWARD
Huntington Theater Company, Boston, MA

ISABELLE STEVENSON AWARD
Larry Kramer

TONY HONOR FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE THEATER
Career Transition For Dancers
William Craver
Peter Lawrence
The Lost Colony
The four actresses who created the title role of “Matilda The Musical” on Broadway – Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro

TONY NOMINATIONS BY PRODUCTION
“Kinky Boots” 13
“Matilda The Musical” 12
“Pippin” 10
“Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” 9
“Golden Boy” 8
“Lucky Guy” 6
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” 6
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” 5
“The Nance” 5
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” 5
“Motown The Musical” 4
“The Trip to Bountiful” 4
“The Assembled Parties” 3
“A Christmas Story, The Musical” 3
“Hands on a Hardbody” 3
“The Testament of Mary” 3
“Bring It On: The Musical” 2
“The Heiress” 2
Orphans 2
“Ann” 1
“Annie” 1
“The Big Knife” 1
“Chaplin” 1
“Cyrano de Bergerac” 1
“The Other Place” 1
“Scandalous” 1

March 26, 2013–The National Theater and Chichester Festival Theater emerged as the producer front-runners in the nominations for this year’s Society of London Theater Olivier awards with 13 and 12 nominations apiece.

The NT’s impressive haul included eight for its world-premiere production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” (pictured), whose West End transfer has opened to rave reviews and regular “House Full” notices. Its other nominations include nods for Billie Piper and Anastasia Hille for their performances in Lucy Prebble’s play “The Effect,” which is already eyeing a West End berth in the fall.

Regional producing powerhouse Chichester’s noms are spread across a range of West End transfers, with its productions of “Sweeney Todd” (six noms) and “Kiss Me, Kate” (five) up against each other for musical revival, battling it out with revival of “A Chorus Line” and “Cabaret.”

In a thin year for new tuners, “Top Hat” dominates the field with seven noms. Its only serious rival is “The Bodyguard,” which notched up four nods, including one for leading lady Heather Headley. She faces stiff competition from the much-fancied Imelda Staunton, whose double-act opposite Michael Ball in “Sweeney Todd” exhausted critical superlatives. The Spice Girls musical “Viva Forever” failed to manage a single nod.

“Sweeney Todd” West End producer Matthew Byam Shaw also notched up five noms for “The Audience,” including director for Stephen Daldry and actress for Helen Mirren, building on her Oscar-winning perf as Queen Elizabeth. Mirren’s category will be hard to call with powerful perfs from rivals Hattie Morahan in “A Doll’s House,” Billie Piper in “The Effect” and Kristin Scott Thomas for “Old Times.” Scott Thomas switches roles nightly in “Old Times” with Lia Williams, who missed out on a nom, but the show as a whole is up for best revival.

The Royal Court also achieved six noms, its production of Nick Payne’s “Constellations” including best play and actor, the latter also being a hotly contested category with Rafe Spall up against Rupert Everett as Oscar Wilde in “The Judas Kiss,” James McAvoy in the title role of “Macbeth,” Mark Rylance’s show-stealing turn as Olivia in “Twelfth Night” and Luke Treadaway in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Its year-round SRO-season of world preems in its smaller Theater Upstairs, which included “Choir Boy” (a major hit from U.S. dramatist Tarell Alvin McCraney) and “The River,” the latest from Jez Butterworth (“Jerusalem”) is the runaway favorite for outstanding achievement in an affiliate theater.

The Court’s production of Caryl Churchill’s ground-breaking “Love and Information” was surprisingly overlooked. That may be a reflection of the fact that, although the theater judges admired it, inclusion on the nominations list is in the hands of the approximately 150 Society of London Theaters members. It is unlikely that all of them will have seen the production, which only played a limited run and did not transfer.

Although the nine theater judges saw a record 103 shows in contention, this year they will not be in charge of voting for the winners. As previously revealed by Variety, for the first time, their votes will be

dwarfed by those of the approximately 150 members of the Society of London Theaters.

The Oliviers will take place on April 28 at the Royal Opera House with already announced lifetime achievement awards going to choreographer Gillian Lynne (“Cats”) and Michael Frayn (“Copenhagen,” ” Noises Off.”)

And the nominees are

ACTOR
Rupert Everett – “The Judas Kiss,” Hampstead Theater at the Duke of York’s
James McAvoy – “Macbeth,” Trafalgar Studios
Mark Rylance – “Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare’s Globe at the Apollo Theater
Rafe Spall – “Constellations,” Royal Court at the Duke of York’s
Luke Treadaway – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

ACTRESS
Helen Mirren – “The Audience,” The Gielgud
Hattie Morahan – “A Doll’s House,” Young Vic
Billie Piper – “The Effect,” NT
Kristin Scott Thomas – “Old Times,” Harold Pinter Theater

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Paul Chahidi – “Twelfth Night”
Richard McCabe – “The Audience”
Adrian Scarborough – “Hedda Gabler,” The Old Vic
Kyle Soller – “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” Apollo

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Janie Dee – “NSFW,” Royal Court
Anastasia Hille – “The Effect,” NT
Cush Jumbo – “Julius Caesar,” Donmar Warehouse
Helen McCrory – “The Last of the Haussmans,” NT
Nicola Walker – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

MASTERCARD BEST NEW PLAY
“Constellations”
“The Audience”
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
“This House,” NT

DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry – “The Audience”
Marianne Elliott – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
Jeremy Herrin – “This House”
Simon McBurney – “The Master And Margarita,” The Barbican

ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Ball – “Sweeney Todd,” Adelphi
Alex Bourne – “Kiss Me, Kate,” The Old Vic
Tom Chambers – “Top Hat,” Aldwych
Will Young – “Cabaret,” Savoy

ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Heather Headley – “The Bodyguard,” Adelphi
Imelda Staunton – “Sweeney Todd”
Summer Strallen – “Top Hat”
Hannah Waddingham – “Kiss Me, Kate”

PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Adam Garcia – “Kiss Me, Kate”
Debbie Kurup – “The Bodyguard”
Sian Phillips – “Cabaret”
Leigh Zimmerman – “A Chorus Line,” London Palladium

NEW MUSICAL
“Loserville,” Garrick
“Soul Sister,” Savoy
The Bodyguard
Top Hat

REVIVAL
Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Macbeth
Old Times
Twelfth Night

MUSICAL REVIVAL
A Chorus Line
Cabaret
Kiss Me, Kate
Sweeney Todd

ENTERTAINMENT/FAMILY SHOW
“Cinderella,” St. James Theater
“Goodnight Mister Tom,” Phoenix
“Hansel and Gretel,” NT
“Room On The Broom,” Lyric

WHITE LIGHT AWARD FOR BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Paul Anderson – “The Master and Margarita”
Paule Constable – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
Lee Curran – “Constellations”
Mark Henderson – “Sweeney Todd”

SOUND DESIGN
Ian Dickinson – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
Paul Groothuis – “Sweeney Todd”
David McSeveney – “Constellations”
Gareth Owen – “Top Hat”

COSTUME DESIGN
Bob Crowley – “The Audience”
Jon Morrell – “Top Hat”
Jenny Tiramani – “Twelfth Night”
Anthony Ward – “Sweeney Todd”

XL VIDEO AWARD FOR BEST SET DESIGN
Hildegard Bechtler – “Top Hat”
Miriam Buether and Wang Gongxin –”Wild Swans,” Young Vic
Bunny Christie and Finn Ross – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
Tim Hatley – “The Bodyguard”

THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
Scott Ambler – “Chariots Of Fire,” Hampstead Theater at the Gielgud
Bill Deamer – “Top Hat”
Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
Stephen Mear – “Kiss Me, Kate”

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Caroline Horton for “You’re Not Like The Other Girls, Chrissy” at the Bush Theater
The production of “Red Velvet” at the Tricycle Theater
The season of new writing at the Royal Court Upstairs
Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd for “You Me Bum Bum Train,” presented by Theater Royal Stratford East

NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
“Aeternum” – the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
“Cacti” – Nederlands Dans Theatre 2 at Sadler’s Wells, choreographed by Alexander Ekman
“A Streetcar Named Desire” – Scottish Ballet at Sadler’s Wells

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Lez Brotherston for the set and costumes for Matthew Bourne’s “Sleeping Beauty,” New Adventures at Sadler’s Wells
ILL-Abilities company “Breakin’ Convention,” Sadler’s Wells
Marianela Nunez for “Aeternum,” “Diana and Actaeon” and “Viscera,” the Royal Ballet

NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
“Billy Budd” – English National Opera
“Caligula” – English National Opera
“Einstein on the Beach” – The Barbican
“La Traviata” – English National Opera

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA

Edward Gardner for his conducting of “The Flying Dutchman” and Billy Budd at the English National Opera

Bryan Hymel for his performances in “Les Troyens,” “Robert Le Diable” and “Rusalka” at the Royal Opera House
Music Theatre Wales for “In the Locked Room”/”Ghost Patrol” – Linbury Theater, the Royal Opera House
The Stage Management teams at English National Opera and the Royal Opera House

BBC RADIO 2 AUDIENCE AWARD
“Billy Elliot – The Musical”
“Matilda – The Musical”
“The Phantom of the Opera”
“Wicked”

SPECIAL AWARD
Gillian Lynne
Michael Frayn

How to Survive a Plague” won outstanding documentary during a ceremony also honoring Anderson Cooper and Brett Ratner.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation honored NBC’s Smash and CBS’ The Amazing Race during a ceremony Saturday.

The New York chapter of the watchdog group’s 24th annual Media Awards series also honored the documentary How to Survive a Plague, and saw Madonna present Anderson Cooper with GLAAD’s Vito Russo Award, which honors openly gay media professionals who have made a difference in promoting equality.

Director Brett Ratner received GLAAD’s inaugural Ally Award for his work in launching the “Coming Out for Equality” PSA campaign along with Comcast. The event was hosted by Good Morning America anchors Lara Spencer, Josh Elliott and Sam Champion.

The GLAAD Media Awards fund the organization’s work of bringing stories of LGBT people and issues to the U.S. public. The events have raised nearly $3.5 million for the group annually. The awards series continues in Los Angeles April 20. Find Saturday’s winners below, and a complete list of nominees here.

- Vito Russo Award: Anderson Cooper

- Ally Award: Brett Ratner

- Outstanding Drama Series: Smash (NBC)

- Outstanding Documentary: How to Survive a Plague (Sundance Selects)

- Outstanding Reality Program: The Amazing Race (CBS)

- Outstanding Newspaper Article: “Game Changer” by Andy Mannix (City Pages [Minneapolis, Minn.])

- Outstanding Newspaper Columnist: Frank Bruni (The New York Times)

- Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage: The Boston Globe

- Outstanding Magazine Article: “School of Hate” by Sabrina Rubin Erdely (Rolling Stone)

- Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage: The Advocate/Out

- Outstanding New York Theatre: Broadway & Off Broadway: The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter

- Outstanding New York Theatre: Off-Off Broadway: From White Plains written by Michael Perlman in collaboration with Fault Line Theatre

- Outstanding Talk Show Interview: “Entrevista con Orlando Cruz” Titulares Telemundo (Telemundo)

- Outstanding Magazine Article: “Amor genuino” by Cristina Saralegui (People en Español)

- Outstanding Digital Journalism Article: “Operación tolerancia: la lucha contra la homofobia en los medios hispanos” by Lilia Luciano (voces.huffingtonpost.com)

- Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia: “2013: Año clave para la comunidad gay” by Ramón Frisneda (ElDiarioNY.com)

HBO’s Liberace biopicture, Behind the Candelabra, was many years in the making.

Director Steven Soderbergh first discussed the idea with star Michael Douglas while the duo was working on the movie Traffic in the late 1990s, which won Soderbergh the Best Director Oscar. “Somewhere earlier in that shoot, Soderbergh said, ‘Have you ever thought about Liberace?’” Douglas recalled during a Television Critics Association winter press tour panel Friday. More than a decade later, he assumed the role of the flamboyant entertainer, which he plays opposite Matt Damon, as his lover Scott Thorson, along with supporting cast members Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe and Paul Reiser.

With buzz starting to build ahead of the film’s May premiere, Soderbergh insists he set out to tell the story of a “real” relationship. Despite the over-the-top nature of the two men, as well as their relationship, he says he never wanted to do caricatures of either of the characters. “We take the relationship seriously,” Soderbergh noted, with Damon echoing that thought: “We weren’t giggling about it. These were people’s lives. We wanted to get it right.”

Douglas used the TCA platform to praise Damon for taking on the buzzworthy, if controversial, role. “I don’t think I would have had the courage at that point in my career to take this on,” Douglas said of his considerably younger co-star. To hear Damon tell it, it was an opportunity — from the script to the director — too rich to pass up, and he did nothing but rave about the process of putting the film together. Even the wacky wardrobe and the many fittings were enjoyable, he said, joking: “I probably spent more time in the wardrobe fittings than I have on the previous 15 projects.”

Though Thorson’s book, Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace, served as source material, he was not involved in the filmmaking process, nor has he seen the finished product. In fact, producer Jerry Weintraub was the only one working on the film with any sort of relationship with Thorson, whom he says he did speak to earlier on in the process. (Weintraub noted that Thorson has been unresponsive in recent months, likely due to his poor health.)

Douglas acknowledged that he had met Liberace a handful of times– his father had a home in Palm Springs near Douglas’–but he hardly knew him the way Weintraub did. The producer noted that he had a close relationship with Liberace, whom he described as a “nice” man, a “gracious” host and a “pretty wild guy.”

Les Misérables is the screen motion-picture adaptation of the global stage sensation seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries and in 21 languages around the world that is still breaking box-office records everywhere in its 28th year.

Helmed by The King’s Speech’s Oscar-winning director, TOM HOOPER, the Working Title Films/CAMERON MACKINTOSH production stars HUGH JACKMAN, Oscar- winner RUSSELL CROWE, ANNE HATHAWAY, AMANDA SEYFRIED, EDDIE REDMAYNE, AARON TVEIT, SAMANTHA BARKS, HELENA BONHAM CARTER, and SACHA BARON COHEN.

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption—a timeless testament to the endurance of the human spirit. Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

With its story’s bands of the disenfranchised joining together to challenge corruption and demand change, Victor Hugo’s 150-year-old tale that inspired the world’s longest-running musical has never been timelier. Now, Les Misérables brings its power to the big screen in Hooper’s sweeping and spectacular interpretation of this classic epic. With international superstars and beloved songs—including “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More” and “On My Own”—the show of shows is reborn as the cinematic musical experience of a lifetime.

1815, Toulon/Digne:
After 19 years on the chain gang (“Look Down”), Jean Valjean (Jackman)—prisoner 24601—is released by Javert (Crowe), the officer in charge of the convict workforce. As Valjean struggles to make his way from Toulon to Digne (“Freedom Is Mine”) in search of food, lodging and work, he discovers he is an outcast, shunned by everyone. Only Bishop Myriel of Digne (COLM WILKINSON, who originated the role of Valjean in London and on Broadway) treats him kindly, but Valjean, embittered by years of hardship, repays him by stealing the church’s silver candlesticks. Valjean is soon caught and returned, but is astonished when the bishop denies the theft to the police to save him. Henceforth, Valjean decides to start his life anew (“What Have I Done?”).

1823, Montreuil-sur-Mer:
Eight years have passed, and Valjean, having broken his parole and vanished, has used the money made from selling the bishop’s silver to reinvent himself as Monsieur Madeleine—a respected town mayor and factory owner. One of his workers, Fantine (Hathaway), has a secret illegitimate child named Cosette to whose guardians she must send every franc she earns. The other women have discovered this, and when they think Fantine is behaving above her station by refuffing the factory foreman because of his advances, they demand her dismissal (“At the End of the Day”). She is thrown out without mercy. Fantine pleads with Valjean to help her, but his attention is elsewhere.

Javert, now the inspector of police, has appeared at the factory to see Madeleine. Although Javert thinks they may have met before, Valjean quickly informs him he is mistaken. They are interrupted by a crash from outside, and they hurry out. There, Javert watches in amazement as Valjean lifts a cart, which has toppled onto a driver named Fauchelevent (STEPHEN TATE, a London stage Thénardier for several years). The extraordinary show of strength reminds Javert of the convict Valjean, but he is not confident enough to say so.

Desperate for money to pay for her daughter’s medicine, Fantine goes to the red-light district (“Lovely Ladies”), where she sells her beloved locket, her hair and her teeth, then joins the whores in selling herself (“I Dreamed a Dream”). Utterly degraded, she gets into a fight with a violent customer and is about to be arrested by Javert when the mayor arrives and demands she be taken to the hospital instead. Fantine tells Valjean that she was thrown out by his foreman, that Valjean did nothing to help her, and that her daughter is close to dying. Stunned, he promises to go to the inn in Montfermeil, where her daughter is living, and reunite her with her mother.

Later, Javert hears that the convict Valjean—whom he has been hunting for eight years—has been recaptured, and he goes to see Madeleine to apologize for his suspicions. Valjean conceals his shock and hurries home, preparing to leave before the mistake is discovered. Unable to see an innocent man go to prison, Valjean bursts into the courtroom to confess that he is in the fact the real Valjean, prisoner 24601 (“Who Am I?”). Valjean then goes to the hospital, where he promises the dying Fantine that he will find and raise Cosette as his own (“Take My Hand”). Just as Fantine dies, Javert arrives to arrest Valjean. The two men fight (“The Confrontation”), but Valjean manages to escape.

In Montfermeil, Young Cosette (newcomer ISABELLE ALLEN) has been living (“Castle on a Cloud”) with Monsieur and Madame Thénardier (Baron Cohen and Bonham Carter), who horribly abuse her while spoiling their own daughter, young Éponine (newcomer NATALYA WALLACE). Keepers of an inn, they run a bawdy business, where they frequently pick the pockets of their customers (“Master of the House”). Valjean finds Cosette freezing in the woods by the inn and takes her back to her guardians, whereupon he pays the Thénardiers to let him take her away to Paris (“The Bargain”).

Just after Valjean and Cosette leave, Javert arrives, cursing the fact that Valjean has eluded him once more. As they make their way to Paris, Valjean is overwhelmed by the love he has for Cosette (“Suddenly,” written for the screen), but there is no time for him to indulge in his paternal feelings. Javert is hot on their heels, and when they arrive in Paris, Valjean and Cosette seek sanctuary in a convent. They find it when they run straight into the very man whom Valjean rescued from certain death, Fauchelevent. That night, Javert pledges to the sleeping city that he will hunt Valjean until he is back behind bars (“Stars”).

1832, Paris:
Nine years later, the unrest in the city has been simmering because of the imminent death of the popular leader General Lamarque, the only man in government who has shown sympathy for the poor citizens who are dying in the streets. We follow the indomitable street urchin Gavroche (DANIEL HUTTLESTONE, West End production of Les Misérables) as he jumps from coach to coach, literally dancing over the heads of the elite (“Look Down”), and a group of politically minded students led by Marius (Redmayne) and Enjolras (Tveit) as they gather in the streets. Enjolras rallies the crowd for support, and a pretty young street girl, the now-grown Éponine (Barks), gazes longingly at Marius, clearly and desperately in love with him.

Later the same day, a street gang led by M. and Mme. Thénardier sets upon Valjean and a beautiful young woman, the grown Cosette (Seyfried), who are giving alms to the beggars. Marius catches sight of Cosette, and he cannot take his eyes off her. It is simply love at first sight. Just then, Javert arrives and breaks up the brawl but fails to recognize Valjean until the former prisoner has vanished. For her part, Éponine reluctantly agrees to help Marius find Cosette, for whom he only has eyes.

As news of Lamarque’s death spreads throughout Paris, the students gather again to rally support for a revolution (“Red and Black”). However, Marius is distracted by thoughts of Cosette, as is Cosette of Marius (“In My Life”). Éponine guides Marius to Cosette (“In My Life”/“A Heart Full of Love”), while her scurrilous father tries to rob Valjean’s house. Valjean, convinced it is Javert who has come after him, tells Cosette they must flee the country. Cosette hastily scribbles a letter to Marius so that he will know where to find her. She sees Éponine and asks her to give the note to Marius. Éponine takes the letter and walks despondently through the lonely streets of Paris (“On My Own”), arriving at the apartment where Marius lives. Heartbroken, she keeps the letter but tells him that Cosette has gone to England.

Set to the ensemble song “One Day More,” we follow the many threads of the story: Valjean and Cosette as they flee, while Marius pines for Cosette and Éponine grieves for a love she’ll never know; Enjolras and the students prepare ammunition for the uprising, while Javert rouses his forces and promises to suppress it. Marius leads the students to the streets, and bolstered by the crowd, they ambush Lamarque’s funeral (“Do You Hear the People Sing?”) and make their call for the people to rise up. A soldier lets off a round of ammunition, and the funeral explodes into a riot. The students break away and race off to their home base, where they prepare to build a barricade and to make their final stand. Disguised as a boy, Éponine decides to rejoin Marius there, and Javert, who has been operating undercover throughout the funeral, also arrives at the growing barricade. Gavroche soon unmasks Javert’s true identity, and the spy is taken hostage by the students.

The barricade continues to grow, and the revolutionaries defy the warning by soldiers to give up. Éponine is killed while protecting Marius (“A Little Fall of Rain”), but she just manages to give him Cosette’s note before she dies. Marius asks Gavroche to take a letter to Cosette, which is intercepted by Valjean. He understands now that Marius and Cosette have fallen in love, and knowing that the students won’t stand a chance, he goes in search of Marius. Valjean gains entry to the barricade and soon sees Javert held captive. Warning the students of snipers and proving his allegiance, Valjean asks Enjolras to release Javert into his custody. Valjean is given the chance to kill Javert but shows him the mercy denied himself. The students settle down for a long night on the barricade (“Drink With Me”), and in the deadly quiet, Valjean prays to God to spare Marius (“Bring Him Home”).

The next day, as Gavroche volunteers to go for more ammunition (“Little People”), the little boy is killed by a soldier. The rebels now face a bombardment by the army, and in the onslaught, Marius is shot. Valjean carries the unconscious Marius away from the carnage, escaping into the sewers. Enjolras and the few remaining rebels are killed. Javert walks through the bodies, grimly surveying the victory of law over rebellion, but the official does not find Valjean until he sees a drain has been lifted…

Valjean pulls Marius through the sewers, and after he meets Thénardier robbing the corpses of the rebels, he emerges from the gutter only to find Javert waiting for him once more. Valjean pleads for time to deliver Marius to the hospital, but Javert threatens to kill him if he attempts to escape. Valjean continues to walk on, but Javert cannot pull the trigger. Javert lets Valjean go, but unable to live knowing that his immutable principles of justice have been broken, he leaps from a bridge to his death.

Marius, unaware of the identity of his rescuer, awakes from the nightmare in his grandfather Gillenormand’s (PATRICK GODFREY, The Remains of the Day) home. Still weak, Marius returns to the café where the students plotted their uprising and grieves for his comrades who died for the cause (“Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”). As he turns to leave, he finds Cosette awaiting him. Back at his grandfather’s house, Marius recovers in Cosette’s care and goes to Valjean to hear his rescuer’s confession of his past. Knowing that he must flee so as not to disgrace Cosette in case he is caught (“Who Am I?”), Valjean makes Marius swear that Cosette will never know of his true history.

Marius and Cosette are married, and at the wedding banquet, the Thénardiers try to blackmail Marius in exchange for their silence on Valjean’s identity. However, when Marius sees that the ring Thénardier stole that night in the sewer is his own, Marius understands that it was Valjean who rescued him. He fells Thénardier with a blow, and the Thénardiers are thrown out singing in protest as they go (“Beggars at the Feast”). Cosette joins Marius as they rush to the convent so she may learn her true history. They stay with Valjean as he dies, joined by the ghost of Fantine and the bishop (“Take My Hand”).

Many years later, the people of Paris have risen in their thousands, and a new Republic is born. An immense barricade is populated by thousands of people (“Do You Hear the People Sing?”). We see amongst them the ghosts of Enjolras and the students, Gavroche and Éponine, Fantine and Valjean—all singing together in triumph.

Interest in the presidential debates remained high Tuesday.  According to Nielsen, Tuesday’s debate in New York and hosted by CNN’s Candy Crowley averaged 65.63 million viewers across 12 networks from 9 to 10:45 p.m. ET. (Ten networks aired it live, while Univision and Telemundo showed it on tape delay).

This is down from the surprisingly large audience for the first debate on Oct. 3 (67.19 million) but up from the second McCain-Obama debate four years ago (63.23 million).

Compared to that first debate two weeks ago, viewership Tuesday dipped a bit among adults 35-54 and 55-plus and fell off more among the 18-34 crowd; the 11.2 million in this age group was down about 900,000 from the first debate (12.1 million).

NBC drew the biggest audience for the debate (13.8 million), followed by ABC (12.5 million), Fox News (11.1 million) and CBS (8.9 million), according to Nielsen. The network also led all categories in post-debate analysis.

The viewership for Fox News Channel matched an all-time network high, set four years ago by the Palin-Biden VP debate. On Tuesday, the net drew more viewers than CNN (5.8 million) and MSNBC (4.9 million) combined.

The Primetime Emmy Awards telecast ained in overall viewership from last year while slipping among young adults.

Sunday’s Emmys telecast, in which Showtime’s “Homeland” and ABC’s “Modern Family” emerged the big series winners, averaged a 3.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 13.2 million viewers overall, according to preliminary Nielsen estimates adjusted for time-zone differences.

The demographic score is down about 10% from last year’s 4.2 on Fox and matches the 2008 show on ABC as the lowest-rated Emmy telecast on record among young adults. Holding up better among older viewers, though, this year’s kudocast gained about 800,000 total viewers from last year (12.4 million on Fox) and topped three of the previous five Emmy shows.

ABC estimates that roughly 31 million people watched at least six minutes of the Primetime Emmys kudocast, which was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

Reliable half-hour numbers weren’t available Monday, but prelims suggest that the show appears to have peaked in the opening half, which featured awards for populist comedy and reality programs; the second half was dominated by awards for lesser-watched dramas and movies.

This is the third straight year that the Emmys benefited from airing on the West Coast both live at 5 p.m. and tape-delayed at 8. Because the commercial inventory remained the same in both showings, Nielsen produced a cume number of unique viewers for Los Angeles, San Francisco and other Western cities.

The Emmycast pulled a national overnight household rating/share of 9.3/15, including a 14.1/20 in New York, a 13.8/21 in Chicago and a 9.7/18 in Los Angeles.

“Homeland” by Showtime was the big winner last night..

Showtime hit it big Sunday when first-year series “Homeland” had a stupendous night at the Emmys with wins for its writers, leads Damian Lewis and Claire Danes” and for top drama series.

The kudos boost the network received was perhaps unthinkable only a year ago, even though the skein, based on the Israeli series “Hatufim” (“Prisoners of War”), immediately became a critics darling when it debuted in October.

The awards bouquet “Homeland” received at the Emmycast will go a long way toward bringing new subscribers to the network as well as satisfying the ones who are already on board  –  it’s the business model that Showtime, HBO and Starz are based upon.

“Homeland” has been the signature series for Showtime since the arrival of David Nevins as programming topper.

As for the acting categories, and against some of the top lead performances on broadcast and cable  –  including Bryan Cranston, Jon Hamm, Julianna Margulies and Elisabeth Moss  –  “Homeland” made its mark.

While many believed Claire Danes, who won a few years ago for the HBO telepic “Temple Grandin,” would take home the lead actress trophy, Damian Lewis’ win surprised many. And it gave “Homeland” the kind of deeper kudos credibility that doesn’t often come along.

The Brit has made a nice living playing American characters  –  from a World War II hero in “Band of Brothers” to a Los Angeles cop in “Life,” and now a former prisoner of war involved in a plot against his own country in “Homeland.”

“I have been coming to America since I was a 6-year-old boy and have been very connected,” Lewis said Sunday after his win. “My view hasn’t changed. I have great friends here and love being here.”

It wasn’t the first time that a drama has taken the top acting Emmys for a drama  –  James Gandolfini and Edie Falco captured those slots for “The Sopranos” a few times  –  but the achievement is significant, especially as Showtime has seen its kudos count rise in recent years.

Sunday night marked the first time Showtime has won the lead actor and actress in a drama category, further validation for a business model built upon landing new subscribers and keeping the ones already onboard.

Danes’ CIA character suffers from bipolar disorder, and the actress’ portrayal of Grandin was of a woman with autism. The actress said she doesn’t specifically look for roles that incorporate some sort of mental illness, but that she enjoys the challenge of giving a true account of what, and how, her characters endure.

“I’m just working my way through the DSM-V (the hefty manual of of mental disorders),” Danes said. “I find these conditions incredibly fascinating. It’s just a coincidence they came up in succession. I hopefully treated them in a realistic way. They often haven’t been talked about on such a big stage. It’s been a privilige to participate in that.”

As for ‘Homeland” writers and exec producers Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, who previously worked together on Fox’s seminal series “24,” the subject of terrorism has given them a national stage, and auds something to ponder in a time when Mideast tension are extremely high. (Gideon Raff was the writer on “Hatufim.”)

When Gordon was asked whether “Homeland” could succeed on a broadcast net, he responded: “(Fox president) Kevin Reilly asks himself that.”

And in describing his relationship with Showtime, Gordon added, “We are grateful to be on Showtime. They gave us the patience from the top, and (our characters) didn’t have to be naked or use swear words. They let us take our time and let the stories breathe.”

“Homeland” begins its second season Sunday.

President Obama’s re-election nomination address on Thursday, Sep 6, on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention brought in 35.7 million viewers across 13 networks that offered live coverage of the speech from 10-11:15 p.m. That compared to the turnout of 30.3 million for Romney’s address on August 30.

But President Obama’s crowd was smaller this time around than four years ago, when his nom acceptance speech on the clincher of the 2008 DNC brought in 38.4 million viewers across 10 networks.

NBC had the largest audience with 7.4 million, followed by CNN (5.6 mil), MSNBC (4.5 mil), ABC (4 mil), CBS (3.3 mil) and Fox News Channel (2.9 mil).

One night after the music world lost one of its biggest stars, Whitney Houston, audiences flocked to the Grammy Awards on CBS, which drew in the neighborhood of 40 million viewers – a 28-year high for the show and a larger audience than four of the last six Academy Awards telecasts.

Viewership was high at the outset with about 40.1 million, according to Nielsen, and peaked in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour with 43.1 million. The opening half-hour included the planned opening number by Bruce Springsteen as well as a prayer for the late Whitney Houston, read by host LL Cool J.

The preliminary primetime scores for the Grammy Awards (14.4 rating/32 share in adults 18-49, 41.1 million viewers overall) are expected to go down when full-duration averages are revealed later this morning; the show didn’t conclude until 11:30 and the final half-hour is traditionally the least-watched. Last year, the full show averaged a 10.0/27 in 18-49 and 26.7 million viewers overall.

Last year’s Oscars telecast on ABC did an 11.8/30 in adults 18-49 and 37.9 million viewers overall.

The largest audience ever for the Grammys was the 43.9 million who watched in 1984 as Michael Jackson moonwalked his way to a sweep of the major awards.