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The curtain rises on an unpredictable Tonys By Jacqueline Cutler © Zap2it The only sure shot going into the 67th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 9, is Neil Patrick Harris hosting for a fourth time. "He understands Broadway and television, and Broadway and television come together one time a year," says Glenn Weiss, director and co-producer of the Tonys. Though Harris was suspended upside down when "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" was a contender in 2012, he's not going to pull similar stunts. "I never find it a successful move when an awards show host dons different ridiculous outfits," Harris says. "As a viewer, I never feel it is funny, and I just think it is difficult for the host. It is a lot of work for not a lot of accolades. You end up with silly pictures of yourself in the trades." "The job of hosting an awards show like the Tonys is to be the ringmaster and barker," Harris says. "It is different from other shows because it is so performance-filled. You have to spend your time honoring the season and honoring the shows." CBS' live three-hour telecast returns to New York's Radio City Music Hall to honor a season that has been incredibly diverse. That included one-person shows on a super agent ("I'll Eat You Later"), Macbeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus ("The Testament of Mary") — though Bette Midler, Alan Cumming and Fiona Shaw, who played them, respectively, were not nominated. This season has Tom Hanks nominated for best actor in his Broadway debut in "Lucky Guy." Nora Ephron's final play, about the late newspaperman Mike McAlary, is up for six Tonys. "There are a lot of things on Broadway this year that don't fit the mold of the Broadway musical," says co-producer Ricky Kirshner. "There are a lot 2 of interesting races. The best musical races are very close, and a lot of the acting categories are very close." It was a surprising season with so many musicals geared toward children, and nominated shows include "A Christmas Story, The Musical," "Matilda The Musical" and "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella." Among the brilliant performances nominated are Nathan Lane's as a conservative gay vaudevillian in "The Nance" and Tracy Letts' as the drunken professor in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "I am kind of blown away by the diversity of the shows," Harris says. "There are lots of children, lots of animals, lots of people in nothing and lots of men in dresses." Young actors were remarkable this season, notably in "Matilda The Musical," in which the four girls who share the title role will be honored with a special Tony. Roald Dahl's timeless story of a brilliant girl raised by imbeciles has music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. It also has a hilarious performance by Bertie Carvel, a large man parading around as the nastiest headmistress. He's up for leading actor in a musical, against, among others, the terrific stars of "Kinky Boots." Billy Porter plays a drag queen, and Stark Sands is the reluctant heir to a shoe factory. "Kinky Boots" leads with 13 nominations, including one for Cyndi Lauper's music and lyrics. She's in the same category as Trey Anastasio of Phish, who co-wrote the music for "Hands on a Hardbody." That musical, about Texans competing to win a truck by keeping their hands on it, didn't last long, but two other plays set in Texas are going strong. Holland Taylor, of "Two and a Half Men" fame, wrote and is spellbinding as "Ann," the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards. Bertie Carvel ("Matilda The Musical") is a nominee at the 67th Annual Tony Awards Sunday on CBS. Wing, designed the gowns originally male winners It's in the middle of Taylor's in terrific company were given money clips, for leading actress in a that seem to magically "Pippin," which garnered and women were given play, which includes Cicely 10 nominations, that pop up out of rags. compacts. Tyson in "The Trip to the season has its one He's creating one just What separates the Bountiful." Set in Houston genuine showstopper, for the Tonys, but that's all Tonys from other awards and a tiny, moribund courtesy of Andrea Martin. Long would allow, for like shows, Weiss says, are town, it stars Tyson as a She proves that 66 is the producers, he's intent the acceptance speeches. woman intent on seeing the perfect age to rock on not spoiling surprises. "The sense of the her childhood home one a bustier leotard and "Keep your eyes open community of the people last time. fishnets while swinging for very familiar characters on Broadway," he says, She shares the stage from a trampoline with a appearing through the "that translates and helps with Condola Rashad, well-muscled young man. night," Weiss says. "After make it a unique feature nominated for the second Though "Pippin" has the show, that will make a of this television show." time in a featured role. sexy costumes, those to lot of sense." "This is a year that you Also up for her second beat are the confections in As the first working can't necessarily make Tony is Patina Miller, "Cinderella." William Ivey artist since Helen Hayes predictions, which makes having a ridiculous Long, who has won five to serve as chair, Long it that much more exciting amount of fun as the on show night," Weiss ringmaster in the revival of Tonys and serves as chair explains that the Tonys says. started off much smaller; of the American Theatre "Pippin." The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • June 10-16, 2013

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