Latest news with #WendellPierce
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Broadway Community Condemns Patti LuPone's 'Bullying' of Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis in Scathing Open Letter
An open letter signed by over 500 members of the New York theater community is calling out Patti LuPone The actress had made disparaging remarks about fellow Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis in a New Yorker profile The letter asks the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing to disinvite LuPone from the Tony Awards and similar eventsPatti LuPone's recent comments disparaging her fellow Broadway actresses continue to make waves throughout the New York theater community. An open letter reprimanding the Tony winner, 76, over her quotes about Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis in a recent New Yorker interview has been signed by over 500 artists, Playbill reports. Wendell Pierce, Courtney Love and James Monroe Iglehart are among the signatures. The letter pinpoints what it called LuPone's 'deeply inappropriate and unacceptable public comments about two of Broadway's most respected and beloved artists,' McDonald, 54, and Lewis, 59, who are both Black. 'This language is not only degrading and misogynistic — it is a blatant act of racialized disrespect,' reads the letter. 'It constitutes bullying. It constitutes harassment. It is emblematic of the microaggressions and abuse that people in this industry have endured for far too long, too often without consequence,' it continues. While starring in Broadway play The Roommate at the Booth Theatre, LuPone made viral comments about Hell's Kitchen performing next door at the Shubert Theatre, calling it 'too loud.' Lewis, who leads the Alicia Keys musical in her Tony-winning lead role, posted a video last November calling LuPone's words "racially microaggressive," "rude" and "rooted in privilege." Speaking with The New Yorker, LuPone responded, "She calls herself a veteran? Let's find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn't know what the f--- she's talking about… Don't call yourself a vet, bitch!" Asked about McDonald's apparent support via emojis on Lewis' Instagram post, the Agatha All Along star made it clear the record-breaking Tony Award winner is "not a friend," pointedly refusing to answer a question about McDonald's current Tony-nominated run in the Majestic Theatre's Gypsy, a musical LuPone previously starred in. "We write not to shame or isolate, but to speak with honesty, clarity, and care," the open letter states. "To publicly attack a woman who has contributed to this art form with such excellence, leadership, and grace — and to discredit the legacy of Audra McDonald, the most nominated and awarded performer in Tony Award history — is not simply a personal offense. It is a public affront to the values of collaboration, equity, and mutual respect that our theater community claims to uphold." The letter, addressed to the theater community as well as Tony producers the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, calls for those organizations to disinvite LuPone, and anyone using 'their platform to publicly demean, harass, or disparage fellow artists,' from 'industry events, including the Tony Awards, fundraisers, and public programs.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In a CBS Sunday Morning interview with Gayle King, set to air in full next week, McDonald responded to LuPone's remarks, saying, "If there's a rift between us, I don't know what it is." "That's something you'd have to ask Patti about," she continued. "You know, I haven't seen her in about 11 years just because we've been busy just with life. So I don't know what rift she's talking about, but you'd have to ask her." In her New Yorker interview, LuPone also took aim at her ex Kevin Kline, as well as Glenn Close, Ron Duguay and Sarah Palin. Read the original article on People
Observer
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Observer
'Maybe Happy Ending' and 'Death Becomes Her' lead 2025 Tony nominations
Broadway musicals "Maybe Happy Ending," "Buena Vista Social Club" and "Death Becomes Her" led the tally of Tony Award nominations, each with 10, when they were announced on Thursday ahead of the June 8 awards ceremony. The 78th annual Tony Award nominations, celebrating the best in Broadway theater, reflect a season shaped by unique storytelling and genre experimentation with new works that push boundaries in form, subject and perspective. Previous Tony Award winners Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce announced the awards. "Maybe Happy Ending' is a story about obsolete robots in a futuristic Seoul; "Buena Vista Social Club' brings the iconic Cuban musical collective's story to the stage, and "Death Becomes Her' is based on a dark comedy film. In the Best Play category, nominees include "John Proctor Is the Villain,' which draws on "The Crucible' to examine teenage self-discovery in the #MeToo era; "Oh, Mary!,' the much-talked-about satirical reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln's personal life, by Cole Escola, who is also nominated as its star; and "The Hills of California' by Jez Butterworth, a family drama set in a declining British seaside town. Notable revivals nominated are "Gypsy,' "Sunset Blvd.,' and "Our Town.' Some of this season's Hollywood heavyweights were also nominated, including George Clooney in his Broadway debut in "Good Night, and Good Luck'; Sarah Snook, who plays more than two dozen characters in the one-woman reimagination of "The Picture of Dorian Gray' and Sadie Sink in "John Proctor Is the Villain.' But high-priced "Othello,' starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, was completely left out of the nominations. Leading acting nominations in musicals include Jonathan Groff for his performance as Bobby Darin in "Just in Time'; six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald in the legendary role of Mama Rose in the revival of "Gypsy'; and Nicole Scherzinger in a much-lauded performance as fading movie star Norma Desmond in "Sunset Blvd.' Directing nominations for musicals include Michael Arden for "Maybe Happy Ending' and Jamie Lloyd for "Sunset Blvd.' and Sam Mendes for "The Hills of California' and Danya Taymor for "John Proctor Is the Villain.' Special awards have been announced ahead of the ceremony. Harvey Fierstein will receive the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, and Celia Keenan-Bolger will be honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her advocacy work through the arts. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday, June 8, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. This year's awards will be hosted by Oscar-winner "Wicked' star Cynthia Erivo. —Reuters
Express Tribune
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Maybe Happy Ending' leads Tony nominees
Broadway musicals Maybe Happy Ending, Buena Vista Social Club and Death Becomes Her led the tally of Tony Award nominations, each with 10, when they were announced on Thursday ahead of the June 8 awards ceremony. The 78th annual Tony Award nominations, celebrating the best in Broadway theatre, reflect a season shaped by unique storytelling and genre experimentation with new works that push boundaries in form, subject and perspective. Previous Tony Award winners Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce announced the awards. Maybe Happy Ending is a story about obsolete robots in a futuristic Seoul; Buena Vista Social Club brings the iconic Cuban musical collective's story to the stage, and Death Becomes Her is based on a dark comedy film. In the Best Play category, nominees include John Proctor Is the Villain, which draws on The Crucible to examine teenage self-discovery in the #MeToo era; Oh, Mary!, the much-talked-about satirical reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln's personal life, by Cole Escola, who is also nominated as its star; and The Hills of California by Jez Butterworth, a family drama set in a declining British seaside town. Notable revivals nominated are Gypsy, Sunset Blvd., and Our Town. Some of this season's Hollywood heavyweights were also nominated, including George Clooney in his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck, and Sarah Snook, who plays more than two dozen characters in the one-woman reimagination of The Picture of Dorian Gray. But high-priced Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, was completely left out of the nominations. Leading acting nominations in musicals include Jonathan Groff for his performance as Bobby Darin in Just in Time and six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald in the legendary role of Mama Rose in the revival of Gypsy. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday, June 8, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. This year's awards will be hosted by Oscar-winner Wicked star Cynthia Erivo. Reuters
Business Recorder
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Recorder
‘Buena Vista Social Club,' ‘Maybe Happy Ending' and ‘Death Becomes Her' lead 2025 Tony nominations
NEW YORK: Broadway musicals 'Maybe Happy Ending,' 'Buena Vista Social Club' and 'Death Becomes Her' led the tally of Tony Award nominations, each with 10, when they were announced on Thursday ahead of the June 8 awards ceremony. The 78th annual Tony Award nominations, celebrating the best in Broadway theater, reflect a season shaped by unique storytelling and genre experimentation with new works that push boundaries in form, subject and perspective. Previous Tony Award winners Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce announced the awards. 'Maybe Happy Ending' is a story about obsolete robots in a futuristic Seoul; 'Buena Vista Social Club' brings the iconic Cuban musical collective's story to the stage, and 'Death Becomes Her' is based on a dark comedy film. In the best play category, nominees include 'John Proctor is the Villain,' which draws on 'The Crucible' to examine teenage self-discovery in the #MeToo era; 'Oh, Mary!,' the much-talked-about satirical reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln's personal life, by Cole Escola, who is also nominated as its star; and 'The Hills of California' by Jez Butterworth, a family drama set in a declining British seaside town. Notable revivals nominated are 'Gypsy,' 'Sunset Blvd.,' and 'Our Town.' Some of this season's Hollywood heavyweights were also nominated, including George Clooney in his Broadway debut in 'Good Night, and Good Luck'; Sarah Snook, who plays more than two dozen characters in the one-woman reimagination of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and Sadie Sink in 'John Proctor is the Villain.' But high-priced 'Othello,' starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, was completely left out of the nominations. Also snubbed: Kieran Culkin and Robert Downey Jr., in this season's 'Glengarry Glen Ross' and 'McNeal,' respectively. Beyonce delivers a rousing kickoff to her 'Cowboy Carter' tour Leading acting nominations in musicals include Jonathan Groff for his performance as Bobby Darin in 'Just in Time'; six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald in the legendary role of Mama Rose in the revival of 'Gypsy'; and Nicole Scherzinger in a much-lauded performance as fading movie star Norma Desmond in 'Sunset Blvd.' Directing nominations for musicals include Michael Arden for 'Maybe Happy Ending' and Jamie Lloyd for 'Sunset Blvd.' and Sam Mendes for 'The Hills of California' and Danya Taymor for 'John Proctor is the Villain.' Special awards have been announced ahead of the ceremony. Harvey Fierstein will receive the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, and Celia Keenan-Bolger will be honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her advocacy work through the arts. 'I am so excited and happy that the Tony voters recognized the great work the performers in our shows are doing,' said LaChanze of LaChanze Productions, which is behind 'Purpose' and 'Buena Vista Social Club,' both up for multiple nominations including best play and best musical, respectively. 'It just goes to show you there's room for new musicals and new ideas coming to the stage and it inspires me as a producer to do more work like this,' she told Reuters. Tony voters include voting members of The Broadway League and the board of directors and designated members of the advisory committee of the American Theatre Wing, along with members of various theatrical guilds and unions. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday, June 8, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. This year's awards will be hosted by Oscar-winner 'Wicked' star Cynthia Erivo. Read the full list of nominations here.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
All The Snubs And Surprises From 2025's Tony Nominations
Nominations for the 2025 Tony Awards were announced on the morning of Thursday, May 1. Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce announced the nominees for the awards as part of a livve stream. Select nominations were announced on CBS at 8:30 am EDT, while others were streamed on the official Tony Awards YouTube page. The announcements came with few big surprises, but there were some notable omissions from the full list of nominations. With 42 plays, musicals and revivals, this year's pool was large (six more productions than last year's). Some snubs were enviable, but some still loom large. Some of the most notable stubs were against Hollywood favorites. Surprisingly, Jake Gyllenhaal was not nominated for playing Iago in Othello. His co-star Denzel Washington was also not nominated; however, Gyllenhaal has been receiving more buzz in the lead-up to the nominations. This year's nominations also overlooked the stars of another Shakespeare adaptation; Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler were also not nominated for Romeo and Juliet. However, Romeo and Juliet has never been a favorite of the Tonys. Since the awards were established in 1947, there have been six other productions of the classic romance, and none have taken home a Tony for best revival. While the 2025 version was nominated and may break the curse, it will have to beat shows like Eureka Day and Yellowface to win. Kieran Culkin was another Hollywood star to be overlooked. While he won big recently at other award shows, earning an Emmy for Succession and an Oscar for A Real Pain, he failed to receive a Tony nomination for his role in Glengarry Glen Ross. The revival wasn't extremely well-received by critics and did not secure a best revival nod; however, Bob Odenkirk was nominated in the featured actor category for the play. Outside of Hollywood, one of the biggest surprises was Helen J. Shen not being nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Maybe Happy Ending. Her co-star Darren Criss was nominated for Leading Actor. While Shen's lack of nomination was slightly surprising, the category feels exceptionally competitive this year. Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, with Broadway icons Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, was also passed over. However, given Old Friends' tribute/revue nature, it feels a bit of an outlier anyway. The Best Musical-race iced out Real Women Have Curves, Smash and Boop! The Musical. While none felt like a huge omission, it is a testament to how many new musicals were in the running this season. The least surprising news came in the form of a nomination for Audra McDonald for leading actress in Gypsy. It was her 11th nomination, making her the most-nominated performer, breaking a past tie with Chita Rivera and Julie Harris. The 78th Tony Awards are set to take place on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City with host Cynthia Erivo.
