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TV Media Weekly | June 10 - 16, 2017 By Kyla Brewer TV Media B roadway is having a mo- ment. While New York's beloved theater district has always been popular, it's been particularly successful this past season, and the city's per- formers are ready to celebrate. Kevin Spacey ("House of Cards") takes the stage of New York's iconic Radio City Music Hall to host the 71st Annual Tony Awards, airing Sunday, June 11, on CBS. Founded in 1947, the awards recognize outstanding achieve- ment in a number of categories, in- cluding acting, writing and chore- ography, as well as more technical aspects of theater production such as costume and lighting design. A Tony, Oscar and Golden Globe winner himself, Spacey is a natural choice to host what is considered by many to be the preeminent the- ater awards ceremony in the world. Still, he had no trouble mak- ing light of the gig when it was an- nounced. "I was their second choice for 'Usual Suspects,' fourth choice for 'American Beauty' and 15th choice to host this year's Tony Awards. I think my career is definitely going in the right direction," Spacey quipped. "Maybe I can get short- listed to host the Oscars if every- one else turns it down." The actor is currently the star and executive producer of the Net- flix series "House of Cards." His role as Frank Underwood has net- ted him a Golden Globe and back- to-back SAG Awards. Before land- ing roles in critically lauded films such as "The Usual Suspects" (1995) and "American Beauty" (1999) — both of which earned him Oscars — Spacey began his career in theater. He gained the at- tention of critics when he starred in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" in the 1980s, and went on to win a Tony Award for his portrayal of Un- cle Louie in "Lost in Yonkers" in 1991. A champion of the theater, Spacey served as the artistic direc- tor of the Old Vic in London from 2004 to 2015, and he has also launched a namesake foundation to support young actors, writers, directors and producers. He takes the helm of the theater community's biggest night to cele- brate the successes of his peers on Broadway. This year's Tony con- tenders face some fierce competi- tion with 13 new musicals in con- tention for awards. Selected by an independent committee of theater professionals, the nominations were announced by actor Chris Jackson ("Bull") and actress Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock") in May. "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812," a musical adapta- tion of Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace," leads the list of nominees with an astounding 12 nomina- tions. Stars Denée Benton ("UnRE- AL"), who plays Natasha, and Josh Groban ("Life in Pieces"), who plays Pierre, are up for Tonys, which is particularly impressive given the fact that the production marks both performers' Broadway de- buts. The show has also been nom- inated for the coveted Best Musical award, but it faces stiff competi- tion from the Canadian show "Come From Away," the teen-cen- tered "Dear Evan Hansen" and the movie-inspired musical comedy "Groundhog Day." Benton finds herself in good company in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical category alongside Bet- te Midler for "Hello Dolly," Patti LuPone for "War Paint," Christine Ebersole for "War Paint" and Eva Noblezada for "Miss Saigon." Groban's fellow Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical nominees include Chris- tian Borle for "Falsettos," Andy Karl for "Groundhog Day," David Hyde Pierce for "Hello Dolly" and Ben Platt for "Dear Evan Hansen." Their non-musical counterparts are equally remarkable. The nomi- nees for Best Play are "A Doll's House, Part 2," "Indecent," "Oslo" and "Sweat." American Theater Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Kline is up for Best Perfor- mance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his work in "Present Laughter," an honor shared by Denis Arndt for "Heisenberg," Chris Cooper for "A Doll's House, Part 2," Corey Hawkins for "Six Degrees of Sepa- ration" and Jefferson Mays for "Oslo." Legendary actress Sally Field leads the list of nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her role in "The Glass Menagerie." Her fellow nominees are Cate Blanchett for "The Present," Jen- nifer Ehle for "Oslo," Laura Linney for "Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes" and Laurie Metcalf for "A Doll's House, Part 2." Fans can access the full list of nominees at www.tonyawards.com, but there are a few other notable awards slated to be given out this year. Two-time Tony winner James Earl Jones ("The Great White Hope," 1970) is set to be honored with this year's Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the The- ater. Widely known for his voice work as Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise and Mufasa from Disney's "The Lion King," Jones is highly regarded for his work on stage. The actor made his Broad- way debut in 1957, and has starred in such shows as "Fenc- es," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Gin Game." Also, director, actress and cho- reographer Baayork Lee is set to receive the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, which is presented to a member of the theater commu- nity who contributes to humani- tarian, social service or charitable organizations. Lee is being recog- nized for her work with the Na- tional Asian Artists Project, which promotes the work of theater art- ists of Asian descent. Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin are set to receive a special Tony Award for outstanding sound de- sign for their work on "The En- counter," a show about a Nation- al Geographic photographer who finds himself lost in Brazil. The work of such artists has made live theater as popular as ever, and CBS is likely hoping to build on the success of last year's Tony's broadcast, which attracted its largest audience in 15 years. Enjoy a taste of Broadway as Kev- in Spacey hosts the 71st Annual Tony Awards, Sunday, June 11, on CBS. Kevin Spacey is set to host the 71st Annual Tony Awards Broadway's banner year The Tonys celebrate the best of the best on CBS 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" 455-2700 3833 S. LaFountain • Kokomo, IN 46902 www.norrisinsurance.com • Home • Auto • Business • Life Call for a FREE Quote! Serving You For Over 50 Years Bill Neher

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