Keepingitreal

THE TONY AWARDS

NEW YORK -- In the tossup of this year's Tony Awards, a Latino story trumped an unusual African American coming-of-age tale Sunday as Tony voters gave their best new musical prize and three others to "In the Heights," about Caribbean immigrant families struggling to reach for the American dream in New York's Washington Heights barrio. The show's major competitor, "Passing Strange," didn't go away empty-handed in ceremonies telecast from Radio City Music Hall. But it received just one Tony, for best book of a musical. The award went to Stew (Mark Stewart) and Heidi Rodewald, longtime L.A. underground rock collaborators in the band the Negro Problem, for the semiautobiographical story of a black kid growing up solidly middle-class in late '70s L.A. and then playing to gangsta stereotypes to win acceptance on the avant-garde performance scene in early '80s West Berlin. As expected, "August: Osage County" dominated the awards for nonmusical shows. Having won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in April, Tracy Letts' dark but humorously barbed story about an Oklahoma family groping its way through the suicide of a drunken-poet paterfamilias won in five of the six categories in which it was nominated: best play (the first American play to win the Tony since "Doubt" in 2005), director (Anna D. Shapiro), lead and featured actresses (Deanna Dunagan as the lacerating mother and Rondi Reed as her Southern belle sister), and scenic design (Todd Rosenthal).In the musical category, all four performance awards went to actors appearing in revivals. Patti LuPone, celebrating her 35th year on Broadway, won her second Tony as best actress in a musical playing one of the genre's greatest parts -- Momma Rose in "Gypsy."LuPone said afterward that "if you lose for this one, it's like you didn't do a good job."Broadway stalwart Boyd Gaines was named best featured actor for his performance as LuPone's love interest -- his fourth Tony -- and Laura Benanti won as best featured actress as her daughter Louise, who winds up attaining stardom in burlesque as Gypsy Rose Lee. The award for best actor in a musical went to Brazilian opera star Paulo Szot for the Lincoln Center production of "South Pacific."SOURCE:LATIMES.COM

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

Get ready for what will surely be one of the most fabulous events in recent African American theatre history. Previews begin February 12th, 2008 at Times Square's Broadhurst Theatre for the extraordinary Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by black theatre and dance legend Debbie Allen.Often regarded as one of the great gems of the American theater, Tin Roof is a Tony-nominated masterpiece by Tennessee Williams (Winner of the 1955 Pulitizer Prize in Drama). Cat , which has traditionally been cast with all white actors, tells the tale of a southern family in crisis. The play features some of the most memorable characters in American theatre history, such as the larger-than-life Maggie 'the Cat,' her alcoholic husband, Brick, and the dominating family patriarch, Big Daddy. But America has never seen at a cast quite like this: this incredible, all black line up includes Academy Award® nominee TERRENCE HOWARD, the handsome and talented GIANCARLO ESPOSITO (Fresh), LOU MEYERS (A Different World) (Dr Tony Award® winner ANIKA NONI ROSE (DREAMGIRLS, CAROLINE OR CHANGE), Academy Award® nominee and two-time Tony winner JAMES EARL JONES. The legendary PHYLICIA RASHAD, the queen of black drama stars as "Big Mama." This is going to be a disgustingly monumental event, trust me. Expect cast appearances on Oprah and probably a few black magazine coverspreads. But dont blink, or you'll miss the show: Cat will only be up for a strict six week engagement. Buy tickets today by visiting http://www.cat2008onbroadway.com/index.html.