Latest news with #Tony-winner
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Oprah seemingly threw shade at Patti LuPone during the Tony Awards
Oprah seemingly threw shade at Patti LuPone during the Tony Awards The 2025 Tony Awards paid very little mind to the recent Patti LuPone controversy that made waves in the Broadway community recently, but Oprah Winfrey was seemingly the only one to make reference to it during Sunday night's show. In the lead-up to this year's Tony Awards, LuPone made incredibly disparaging remarks about six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and fellow Tony-winner Kecia Lewis in a New Yorker profile. The Broadway community was furious at the slight, so much so that LuPone eventually apologized for the comments, stating "I regret my flippant and emotional responses during this interview, which were inappropriate, and I am devastated that my behavior has offended others and has run counter to what we hold dear in this community". Broadway actors such as James Monroe Iglehart and others were asked about the controversy on the Tonys' red carpet, but the show itself steered pretty clear of the topic for the majority of the night. That is until Oprah took the stage to announce the winners of Best Actress in a Musical, where McDonald was nominated. In the lead-up to announcing the winner, Oprah seemingly threw shade at LuPone and the "lively conversations among theater fans" that ensued. "Lotta talking going on" indeed!
Winnipeg Free Press
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Harvey Fierstein to be awarded special Tony Award for lifetime in the theater
NEW YORK (AP) — Actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein needs to find room for another award. He's going to be honored with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. The four-time Tony-winner behind 'Torch Song Trilogy' and 'Kinky Boots' will get the award June 8 at Radio City Music Hall. The telecast will be hosted by Cynthia Erivo. 'Harvey Fierstein's contributions to the American theatre, both as an artist and activist, represent an extraordinary legacy,' Heather Hitchens, president & CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League, said in a statement. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. Fierstein joins an impressive group who have earned the special Tony, including Carol Channing, Joel Gray, James Earl Jones, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Stephen Sondheim, Tommy Tune, Andrew Lloyd Webber and George C. Wolfe. Fierstein won two Tonys for 'Torch Song Trilogy' — best play and best actor in a play — as well as Tonys for best book of a musical for 'La Cage Aux Folles' and best actor in a musical for 'Hairspray.' His other works include 'Newsies,' 'Casa Valentina' and 'A Catered Affair.'
Associated Press
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Harvey Fierstein to be awarded special Tony Award for lifetime in the theater
NEW YORK (AP) — Actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein needs to find room for another award. He's going to be honored with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. The four-time Tony-winner behind 'Torch Song Trilogy' and 'Kinky Boots' will get the award June 8 at Radio City Music Hall. The telecast will be hosted by Cynthia Erivo. 'Harvey Fierstein's contributions to the American theatre, both as an artist and activist, represent an extraordinary legacy,' Heather Hitchens, president & CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League, said in a statement. Fierstein joins an impressive group who have earned the special Tony, including Carol Channing, Joel Gray, James Earl Jones, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Stephen Sondheim, Tommy Tune, Andrew Lloyd Webber and George C. Wolfe. Fierstein won two Tonys for 'Torch Song Trilogy' — best play and best actor in a play — as well as Tonys for best book of a musical for 'La Cage Aux Folles' and best actor in a musical for 'Hairspray.' His other works include 'Newsies,' 'Casa Valentina' and 'A Catered Affair.'
Forbes
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Alana Arenas Finds Her Purpose On Broadway In Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Newest Play
Some playwrights are as musical with their words as jazz musicians. Maestros of rhythm and tone, their sharp dialogue is full of surprises. They build, they riff and their silences between the words are just as riveting. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is one of those playwrights. A Tony-winner last season for his play Appropriate, Jacobs-Jenkins also was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his plays Gloria and Everybody. His three-dimensional characters can easily inspire empathy and frustration at the same time. Add to that a ferocious sense of comic timing. When Alana Arenas heard about his newest play, Purpose, she ached to be part of the world and, as she says, 'bask in the miracle' of his writing. Even though the play was just 49 pages at that point, she saw how good it was. Purpose centers around the influential and revered Jasper family, who were forces in the Civil Rights movement with deep ties to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Patriarch and pastor, Solomon Jasper (Harry Lennix) and matriarch/sharp-minded lawyer Claudine (LaTanya Richardson Jackson) worked hard to instill a sense of purpose, faith, and legacy in their two sons, Junior (Glenn Davis) and Naz (Jon Michael Hill). But this family is seriously fractured with lurking secrets, scandals, and lies. And over and over the sons have failed to live up to the ideals that parents fought for, in quiet and not-so-quiet ways. Then there's Junior's wife, Morgan, who gets embroiled in the drama. She is doing all she can to hold herself, and her family, together. And Naz's friend (Kara Young) also stumbles into the fray. 'The play is a beautiful expression of well-intentioned familial heartbreak,' says Arenas, who originated the role of Morgan at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which commissioned the Purpose and had its world premiere there last year. Directed by Phylicia Rashad, Purpose is currently playing on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theater. And what does Arenas hope that people come away from Purpose after seeing the play? 'I read a quote that is attributed to Mother Teresa,' shares Arenas. 'It says: 'What can you do to create world peace? Go home and love your family.' Alana Arenas Courtesy Alana Arenas Jeryl Brunner: Morgan has tough edges yet you also feel sympathy for her and all she is facing. How are you able to give her that humanity? Alana Arenas: Morgan is at a point in her life where the many things one could stand to lose have been lost. And that takes away a level of pretense she may have once entertained. Her last efforts to fight for herself and her children require audacity. And the facts of it all are quite disheartening. But if anything can endear her to the audience or any potential allies in the play, I think it would be her tenacity and unwillingness to go down without a fight. Brunner: What did you love about working with Phylicia Rashad? Arenas: Ms. Phylicia is truly a servant of the human spirit. She is really after the truth of the work. I find her to be very collaborative and interested in actors' impulses and then she guides you into a deeper exploration. Brunner: You have a long history performing with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where the play made its world premiere with you playing Morgan. Why do you love performing with the company? Arenas: Steppenwolf feels like family. I am very thankful to call it an artistic home. I have been afforded much growth and development, not just as an artist, but as a human being, because of my relationship with Steppenwolf. And I attribute that to the many incredible artists I have had the pleasure to meet and work with; especially repeated relationships with ensemble members. Purpose is playing at the Helen Hayes Theater Marc J. Franklin
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Nathan Lane claims he missed out on big film role because of his sexuality
Nathan Lane has claimed he missed out on a role in Space Jam because of his sexuality. The Tony-winner, 69, who shot to fame in The Birdcage – a 1996 comedy about a queer couple forced back in the closet for the sake of their son – was 'terrified' to be outed and didn't come out until 1999. Lane said he had been hosting the Tony Awards in 1996 when Space Jam's director, Joe Pytka, observed he was 'too gay' to play Michael Jordan 's assistant in the film and cast Wayne Knight instead. Speaking to Vanity Fair, he said: 'I was up for that part…Apparently the director saw me hosting the Tony Awards and thought that suggested I was too gay to play the part.' However, Lane claimed he 'didn't really care about' losing out on the role, adding: 'So thank God, I didn't have to do Space Jam.' He added: 'But I don't know. I'll never know what people say. Homophobia is alive and well, still.' The Independent has contacted Pytka's representatives for comment. Elsewhere in the interview, Lane detailed the challenges The Birdcage brought to his career. 'I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, but I can't help but think that it played a part,' he said. Lane's agent at the time even warned against the actor coming out in case it impacted his chance of scoring roles. 'In the beginning, I never really pursued film,' he said. 'I always thought theatre was a more interesting place to be, because you learn more about acting that way. 'Movies were just to pay the bills so I could keep doing theatre. Then The Birdcage came along. I thought perhaps because of the success of that, it'd lead to other films, but then it didn't. It really didn't.' He recalled: 'I said to my agent, 'I thought more would happen after The Birdcage. He said, 'Maybe if you weren't so open about your lifestyle, it would have.'' Lane continued: 'And he was an old queen telling me this. So I left him. […] There weren't a lot of opportunities.' The Birdcage director Mike Nichols then helped Lane to find new representation at CAA. However, the star admitted he still struggled to reach the success he wanted: 'Hollywood figured out nothing when it comes to me,' he said. 'I wish they'd figured out what to do with me.' Back in 2023, Lane revealed how Robin Williams, who starred alongside him in The Birdcage, had protected him from questions about his sexuality at the time of the film's release. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lane was asked whether he was afraid of being 'typecast' for the role, at which point Williams jumped in and distracted the talk show host. Lane described the comedian as a 'saint' for the way he'd helped him navigate media attention. 'Robin was just the greatest person,' he said. 'Such a beautiful, sensitive soul and so kind and generous to me.'
