- Title: USA: TONY AWARDS ARE HELD IN NEW YORK
- Date: 4th May 1998
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MAY 4, 1998) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) BROADWAY STREET SCENE SARDI'S EXTERIOR ROSIE O'DONNELL, PETER GALLAGHER AND BERNADETTE PETERS LINED UP FOR ANNOUNCEMENT OF NOMINATIONS O'DONNEL SAYING, (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) "I THINK IT'S HUGE, JUST LIKE THE OSCAR DOES FOR MOVIES, IT INCREASES THE BOX OFFICE. WINNING THE TONY DEFINITELY INCREASES THE AM
- Embargoed: 19th May 1998 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA8CHPDQ8JNZRR5XMD4HE73J5PN
- Story Text: The musical "Ragtime" and the stage version of Disney's "The Lion King" dominated nominations for the this year's Tony Awards -- Broadway's answer to Hollywood's Oscars.
Nominations for the 52nd annual awards were announced on Monday (May 4) at Sardi's restaurant in the heart of New York's theatre district by talk show host Rosie O'Donnell and actors Bernadette Peters and Peter Gallagher.
Clinching a Tony as good as guarantees box office success, O'Donnel declared.
"After 'Titanic' (the musical version) won the Tony, sales shot up and it's still running and sold out," she said.
"Ragtime", an epic musical based on E.L.Doctorow's historical novel of the same name and set in early 20th century New York, was nominated in virtually every possible category including best musical, best book and score and best direction.
Its stars, Peter Friedman, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie, were also among the 13 nominations garnered by the show.
Disney's stage adaptation of the animated feature film "The Lion King" picked up 11 nominations, including best musical, best book and score and best director.
Pop star Elton John was among the seven nominees for "Lion King's" score.
"Cabaret" won 10 nominations, notably for stars Natasha Richardson, as Sally Bowles and Alan Cumming who plays the master of ceremonies, as well as best revival of a musical.
Other best musical nominees were "The Scarlet Pimpernel," and "Sideshow," a production about Siamese twins in vaudeville which received strong reviews but was disappointing at the box office.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music", on Broadway again for the first time since its original premiere in 1959, won a nomination for best revival of a musical.
The Paul Simon musical "The Capeman," an 11 million U.S.
dollar flop which closed after a brief run, managed a handful of nominations, including one for Simon's score.
Among noteworthy omissions were plays by major playwrights David Hare and David Mamet.Hare's "The Judas Kiss," starring Liam Neeson as Oscar Wilde and Mamet's "The Old Neighborhood" were both shut out.
A lavish production of "High Society" featuring Cole Porter tunes failed to win a best musical nomination, managing only nods for featured players John McMartin and Anna Kendrick.
The Tonys will be presented on June 7 in a live three-hour telecast from Radio City Music Hall.They will be hosted by O'Donnell. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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