Off-Broadway NewsNew Musical Between the Lines Begins Previews Off-Broadway June 15
Based on the Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer novel, the show plays at Tony Kiser Theatre.
Between The Lines begins performances at Off-Broadway’s Tony Kiser Theater June 15, ahead of a June 26 opening for the strictly limited engagement. The production was initially scheduled to begin June 14 but canceled the first preview. No reason was given for the delay.
Starring are Arielle Jacobs as Delilah, Jake David Smith as Prince Oliver, Vicki Lewis as Ms. Winx/Jessamyn Jacobs/Mrs. Brown/Kyrie, Hillary Fisher as Allie/Princess Seraphima, Will Burton as Frump/Ryan, Jerusha Cavazos as Janice/Marina, John Rapson as Dr. Ducharme/Rapskulio, Wren Rivera as Jules/Ondine, Sean Stack as Martin/Troll/Dad/Delivery Person, and Julia Murney as Grace/Queen Maureen. Heather Ayers, Dan Hoy, Martin Landry, and Aubrey Matalon serve as understudies.
The new musical follows Delilah, an outsider in a new school who seeks comfort in her favorite book where she feels heard and understood. But, the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur, and she has to confront whether she has the power to rewrite her own story.
Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, the musical had its world premiere in 2017 at Kansas City Rep, followed by a concert presentation at NYC’s 92Y. The work features a book by Timothy Allen McDonald (James and the Giant Peach), and a score by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (Central Park).
Two-time Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun (Newsies) directs, with orchestrations and arrangements by Tony nominee Gregory Rassen (Bandstand). The creative team also features choreographer Paul McGill (The Legend of Georgia McBride), music director Daniel Green (Almost Famous), scenic designer Tony nominee Tobin Ost (Newsies), two-time Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes (Mean Girls), lighting design by Jason Lyons (Rock of Ages), sound design by Ken Travis (Aladdin), projection designer Caite Hevner (In Transit), and hair and makeup designer J. Jared Janas (Jagged Little Pill).
Between the Lines is co-produced by Columbia Live Stage, Elizabeth Armstrong, Andrew Paradis, Kevin Sullivan, Tom Tuft, and Writers’ Cage.
Julia Murney, Hillary Fisher, Martin Landry, Vicki Lewis, John Rapson, Sean Stack, Jake David Smith, Dan Hoy, Aubrey Matalon, Arielle Jacobs, Wren Rivera, Jerusha Cavazos, and Heather Ayers
Heather Gershonowitz
Darryl Roth, Julia Murney, Hillary Fisher, Martin Landry, Vicki Lewis, John Rapson, Sean Stack, Jake David Smith, Dan Hoy, Aubrey Matalon, Arielle Jacobs, Wren Rivera, Jerusha Cavazos, and Heather Ayers
Heather Gershonowitz
Arielle Jacobs and Jake David Smith
Heather Gershonowitz
Arielle Jacobs and Jake David Smith
Heather Gershonowitz
Arielle Jacobs and Jake David Smith
Heather Gershonowitz
Wren Rivera and Arielle Jacobs
Heather Gershonowitz
Martin Landry, Aubrey Matalon, Heather Ayers, and Dan Hoy
Heather Gershonowitz
Vicki Lewis and Julia Murney
Heather Gershonowitz
Vicki Lewis and Julia Murney
Heather Gershonowitz
Vicki Lewis and Julia Murney
Heather Gershonowitz
Hillary Fisher and Will Burton
Heather Gershonowitz
Hillary Fisher and Will Burton
Heather Gershonowitz
Jerusha Cavazos and John Rapson
Heather Gershonowitz
Jerusha Cavazos and John Rapson
Heather Gershonowitz
Heather Gershonowitz
Sean Stack and Wren Rivera
Heather Gershonowitz
Wren Rivera and Jerusha Cavazos
Heather Gershonowitz
Wren Rivera and Jerusha Cavazos
Heather Gershonowitz
Wren Rivera and Jerusha Cavazos
Heather Gershonowitz
Wren Rivera and Jerusha Cavazos
Heather Gershonowitz
Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel
Heather Gershonowitz
Jeff Calhoun, Jodi Picoult, Samantha van Leer, Kate Anderson, Darryl Roth, Timothy Allen McDonald, Elyssa Samsel, and Paul McGill
Heather Gershonowitz
Samantha van Leer, Kate Anderson, Jodi Picoult, Darryl Roth, Timothy Allen McDonald, Elyssa Samsel, Jeff Calhoun, and Paul McGill
Heather Gershonowitz
Samantha van Leer, Jodi Picoult, and Timothy Allen McDonald
Another Tonys has come and gone The American Theatre Wing’s 75th Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Ariana DeBose, aired live from Radio City Music Hall last night, honoring theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway and wrapping up the 2021-22 awards season.
Tony AwardsCompany and The Lehman Trilogy Led Tony Night, But No Show Swept the Awards
With several shows winning one or two trophies, “Broadway’s Biggest Night” didn’t have a biggest winner this year.
Last season, Moulin Rouge! ended the 74th Annual Tony Awards with 10 awards to its name. In recent years, Hamilton has claimed 11 top honors, The Band’s Visit went home with 10 Tonys, and Hadestown eight. The 2021–2022 season played out a little differently at the 75th Annual Tony Awards, held June 12 at Radio City Music Hall. While there were a quite a few shut-outs at Broadway’s Biggest Night, there wasn’t a singular big winner sweeping the awards. For that matter, there weren’t even any mini-sweeps that are often seen in the design, creative, or performance categories.
A Strange Loop entered the race Sunday night with the most nominations at 11, followed by Paradise Square and MJ each boasting 10, Company with nine, and The Lehman Trilogy and SIX each with eight. Twenty-three other shows received 1–7 nominations, but the bulk of winners came from that first group, with the West End transfers Company and The Lehman Trilogy
leading the trophy tally with five awards each.
The Tonys often see a hot new musical taking Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score in a single evening. This year, only A Strange Loop, Paradise Square, and Mr. Saturday Night
were nominated in all three categories. A Strange Loop took Best Musical, and Best Book went to its writer Michael R. Jackson. Best Score ended up in the hands of SIX writers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, who were also nominated for Best Musical, but not for book. Best Musical, Best Play, and both Revival categories often also see nods for direction and choreography. That was true this year, with the Best Musical Revival winner Company also garnering a win for its director Marianne Elliott, but Best Choreography went to Christopher Wheeldon for MJ.
It’s also not uncommon to see a single play or musical take home all four design awards: Best Costume, Sound, Lighting, and Scenic Design. That was not at all true this year, with awards in those eight categories going all over the place. For musicals, MJ took two (sound and lighting), with SIX winning for costume and Company for scenic design. In the play categories, The Skin of Our Teeth won its sole award of the night for costume design, Dana H. won for sound design, and The Lehman Trilogy took Best Lighting and Scenic Design.
It is far more rare to sweep all four performance categories (Best Lead and Best Featured Actor and Actress). In fact, it’s actually only happened once, with South Pacific in 1950. However, there certainly have been shows where three performers from a single show went home Tony winners (Hamilton, Hairspray, and The Producers for example), but this year didn’t see any show dominating. To the contrary, only Company even won more than one performance award, with Best Featured Actor and Actress going to Matt Doyle and Patti LuPone, respectively.
Billy Aberle and Chris Sabol’s Straight Forward is an original musical inspired by an article by Mike Iamele that went viral on social media in 2014, explaining how he began developing romantic and sexual feelings for his male best friend Garrett Lech, despite them both identifying as straight.
It was a Broadway season like no other. Following the pandemic-related shutdown, the 2021-2022 season saw marquees once again shine brightly up and down the Main Stem as curtains rose to houses filled with enthusiastic (but masked) theatregoers, eager to once again enjoy the thrill that only a live performance can bring—and did Broadway performers bring it!
With a more diverse slate of productions than ever before, Broadway demonstrated once again that no one tells a story like Broadway playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists, and no one brings these stories to full life better than the skilled designers and the multitalented artists who delve deep into their souls eight times a week. And, in a season where a virus and its variants hid around every corner, no one may have been more important than the understudies and standbys who helped production after production keep its doors open and audiences entertained.
TV watchers around the world celebrate the remarkable season June 12 during the two-part, four-hour 75th Annual Tony Awards. TheTonyAwards:ActOne—hosted by Emmy winners Darren Criss and Julianne Hough—kicks off the evening at 7 PM ET with an hour of exclusive content streaming live on Paramount+ that features performances and the presentation of several honors. The three-hourThe 75th Annual Tony Awards—hosted by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose—will follow at 8 PM ET on CBS, also streaming live (for premium-level subscribers) and on demand on Paramount+, making this year’s ceremony the first in Tony Awards history to be available live nationwide.
Live-updating coverage about all things Tony Awards will be available throughout the evening on Playbill. Check in tonight for the latest in Tony wins, live coverage from the Tony red carpet on Instagram, a live blog of commentary from both the broadcast and backstage, and more. Find all of our Tony Awards coverage at Playbill.com/Tonys.
The season celebrated its first opening August 22, 2021, with Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s Pass Over, which marked the playwright’s Broadway debut and concerned two young Black men who dream of an existence beyond their street corner. Nearly 40 other productions followed, with critics penning their final review of the season for the Sam Gold-directed revival of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, co-starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga.
Nominations for the 2022 Tony Awards were announced May 9 by Broadway favorites Adrienne Warren and Joshua Henry with A Strange Loop becoming the most-nominated production of the season, earning 11 nominations including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book of a Musical. Also leading the pack of nominees: MJ The Musical and Paradise Square, each with 10 nominations. The most nominated play of the season is the recent limited engagement of The Lehman Trilogy. (Scroll down to view the complete list of nominees.)
L Morgan Lee, Toby Marlow, and Camille A. Brown
This year’s ceremony has the chance to make LGBTQIA+ Tony history should SIX‘s Toby Marlow (the first openly Non-binary composer Tony-nominated), A Strange Loop‘s L Morgan Lee (the first openly Trans artist nominated), or The Skin of Our Teeth‘s Adam Rigg (the first openly agender artist to be nominated) win in their respective categories of Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, or Best Scenic Design of a Play. In terms of BIPOC representation, should Camille A. Brown win the Best Choreography Tony for her work on the acclaimed revival of for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, she would become the first Black woman to win the prize. Brown, it should be noted, is also nominated for Best Direction of a Play for Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem. A win for Brown or The Skin of Our Teeth‘s Lileana Blain-Cruz in that category would mark the first time a Black female director has nabbed the prize.
Bernadette Peters and Billy Porter
Viewers can expect special performances from Tony winners Bernadette Peters and Billy Porter as well as The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus and original cast members from Broadway’s Spring Awakening. The ceremony will also feature performances from Tony-nominated productions A Strange Loop, Company, Girl From the North Country, MJ, Mr. Saturday Night, The Music Man, Paradise Square, and SIX: The Musical.
Also set to make appearances during the ceremony are Utkarsh Ambudkar, Skylar Astin, Zach Braff, Danielle Brooks, Danny Burstein, Len Cariou, RuPaul Charles, Jessica Chastain, Lilli Cooper, Bryan Cranston, Wilson Cruz, Colman Domingo, Anthony Edwards, Cynthia Erivo, Raúl Esparza, Laurence Fishburne, Andrew Garfield, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tony Goldwyn, David Alan Grier, Marcia Gay Harden, Vanessa Hudgens, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson, Nathan Lane, Telly Leung, Judith Light, Josh Lucas, Gaten Matarazzo, Ruthie Ann Miles, Patina Miller, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, Sarah Paulson, Jeremy Pope, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Chita Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Phillipa Soo, Sarah Silverman, George Takei, Aaron Tveit, Adrienne Warren, Patrick Wilson, and Bowen Yang.
Angela Lansbury in Mame, Blithe Spirit, and Sweeney Todd
2022 Tony honorees include Angela Lansbury, who will receive the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre; Robert E. Wankel, receiving the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award; James C. Nicola, receiving a Special Tony Award; Chicago’s Court Theatre, receiving the Regional Theatre Tony Award; and Asian American Performers Action Coalition, Broadway For All, Emily Grishman, Feinstein’s/54 Below, and United Scenic Artists Local 829, each receiving a Tony Honor.
The complete list of nominees for the 75th Annual Tony Awards follows:
Best Play Clyde’s, by Lynn Nottage Hangmen, by Martin McDonagh The Lehman Trilogy, by Stefano Massini and Ben Power The Minutes, by Tracy Letts Skeleton Crew, by Dominique Morisseau
Best Musical Girl From The North Country MJ Mr. Saturday Night Paradise Square SIX: The Musical A Strange Loop
Best Revival of a Play American Buffalo for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf How I Learned to Drive, by Paula Vogel Take Me Out Trouble in Mind, by Alice Childress
Best Revival of a Musical Caroline, or Change Company The Music Man
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Billy Crystal, Mr. Saturday Night Myles Frost, MJ Hugh Jackman, The Music Man Rob McClure, Mrs. Doubtfire Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Sharon D Clarke, Caroline, or Change Carmen Cusack, Flying Over Sunset Sutton Foster, The Music Man Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square Mare Winningham, Girl From The North Country
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical Matt Doyle, Company Sidney DuPont, Paradise Square Jared Grimes, Funny Girl John-Andrew Morrison, A Strange Loop A.J. Shively, Paradise Square
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Simon Russell Beale, The Lehman Trilogy Adam Godley, The Lehman Trilogy Adrian Lester, The Lehman Trilogy David Morse, How I Learned to Drive Sam Rockwell, American Buffalo Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues David Threlfall, Hangmen
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Gabby Beans, The Skin of Our Teeth LaChanze, Trouble in Mind Ruth Negga, Macbeth Deirdre O’Connell, Dana H. Mary-Louise Parker, How I Learned to Drive
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Jeannette Bayardelle, Girl From The North Country Shoshana Bean, Mr. Saturday Night Jayne Houdyshell, The Music Man L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop Patti LuPone, Company Jennifer Simard, Company
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Alfie Allen, Hangmen Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde’s Michael Oberholtzer, Take Me Out Jesse Williams, Take Me Out
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s Rachel Dratch, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Kenita R. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew Julie White, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Kara Young, Clyde’s
Best Book of a Musical Girl From The North Country, Conor McPherson MJ, Lynn Nottage Mr. Saturday Night, Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel Paradise Square, Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan A Strange Loop, Michael R. Jackson
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre Flying Over Sunset; Music by Tom Kitt, Lyrics by Michael Korie Mr. Saturday Night; Music by Jason Robert Brown, Lyrics by Amanda Green Paradise Square; Music by Jason Howland, Lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare SIX: The Musical, Music and Lyrics by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss A Strange Loop, Music and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
Best Scenic Design of a Play Beowulf Boritt, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong, Skeleton Crew Es Devlin, The Lehman Trilogy Anna Fleischle, Hangmen Scott Pask, American Buffalo Adam Rigg, The Skin of Our Teeth
Best Scenic Design of a Musical Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions, Flying Over Sunset Bunny Christie, Company Arnulfo Maldonado, A Strange Loop Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini, MJ Allen Moyer, Paradise Square
Best Costume Design of a Play Montana Levi Blanco, The Skin of Our Teeth Sarafina Bush, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf Emilio Sosa, Trouble in Mind Jane Greenwood, Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite Jennifer Moeller, Clyde’s
Best Costume Design of a Musical Fly Davis, Caroline, or Change Toni-Leslie James, Paradise Square William Ivey Long, Diana, The Musical Santo Loquasto, The Music Man Gabriella Slade, SIX: The Musical Paul Tazewell, MJ
Best Lighting Design of a Play Joshua Carr, Hangmen Jiyoun Chang, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf Jon Clark, The Lehman Trilogy Jane Cox, Macbeth Yi Zhao, The Skin of Our Teeth
Best Lighting Design of a Musical Neil Austin, Company Tim Deiling, SIX: The Musical Donald Holder, Paradise Square Natasha Katz, MJ Bradley King, Flying Over Sunset Jen Schriever, A Strange Loop
Best Sound Design of a Play Justin Ellington, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H. Palmer Hefferan, The Skin of Our Teeth Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey, The Lehman Trilogy Mikaal Sulaiman, Macbeth
Best Sound Design of a Musical Simon Baker, Girl From The North Country Paul Gatehouse, SIX: The Musical Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Company Drew Levy, A Strange Loop Gareth Owen, MJ
Best Direction of a Play Lileana Blain-Cruz, The Skin of Our Teeth Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf Sam Mendes, The Lehman Trilogy Neil Pepe, American Buffalo Les Waters, Dana H.
Best Direction of a Musical Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop Marianne Elliott, Company Conor McPherson, Girl From The North Country Lucy Moss & Jamie Armitage, SIX: The Musical Christopher Wheeldon, MJ
Best Choreography Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf Warren Carlyle, The Music Man Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, SIX: The Musical Bill T. Jones, Paradise Square Christopher Wheeldon, MJ
Best Orchestrations David Cullen, Company Tom Curran, SIX: The Musical Simon Hale, Girl From The North Country Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg, MJ Charlie Rosen, A Strange Loop
The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss will serve as director.
