The Tonys proved last night that women can direct too and win for it. In a move that hasn’t yet been mirrored by the film industry, August: Osage County took the top prizes. This wasn’t much of a surprise, apparently. The Money Times wrote:
The Tonys proved last night that women can direct too and win for it. In a move that hasn’t yet been mirrored by the film industry, August: Osage County took the top prizes and proved that even the Tonys know a good one when they see one. This wasn’t much of a surprise, apparently. The Money Times wrote:
Sticking to expectations August: Osage County finally managed to sweep away the coveted Tony award for Best Play. Despite their overwhelmed state the cast and the crew of the hugely popular production admitted that the win was not completely unanticipated, given that ‘August’ has managed to rake up almost all significant theatre awards this year.
Apart from the five trophies the play managed to pick up at the Tonys ‘August’ has also taken home this years Pulitzer prize for Drama and even the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award.
‘August‚Äô was also awarded for Best Direction of a Musical (Anna D. Shapiro), Best Scenic Design, Best Featured Actress in a Play (Rondi Reed) and Best Actress (Deanna Dunagan). Taking a swing at the prevalent commercialization of Broadway Theater Playwright Tracy Letts gave a big thumbs up to the producers of the play simply for their gall to ‚Äúdo something amazing: (by) staging an American play on roadway with theater artists.”
hey Matt! What am I? Chopped liver? (comment#2) 😎
[“RRA bets Oscar would beat up Tony”
Emmy stands by, thinking they’re fighting over her, wondering which one will win. (Doesn’t matter; she thinks they’re both hawt). Grammy sits on the porch in her rocking chair yelling, “You riffraff quit your roughhousing and get away from my petunias!” Annie and Eddie in the backseat of Oscar’s car, making out.]
I’m amazed that no one has mentioned the imminent transformation of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY into a film.
Could provide some meaty, Oscar-worthy parts (especially the oldest daughter, played on Broadway by Amy Morton, and the pill-popping mother, now played by Estelle Parsons).
Oh man Ryan, BUG! Never saw the play, but I’m sure its pretty cool…like the movie.
Seriously, where the fuck were the goddamn geeks on BUG last year anyway? Damn good movie from William SORCERER* Friedkin, and yeah Judd should have gotten an Oscar nod.
*=Cool movie too, despite known simply as a box-office flop. Then again, I also liked CRUISING too, though in retrospect its pretty homophobic.
It should also be noted that the Tony-winning producers of both best play and best musical were also women.
First, I am being nitpicky…Anna Shapiro did not win Best Direction of a Musical, she won Best Direction of a Play.
That aside, August was the BEST piece of theater I have seen since I saw Six Degrees of Separation at the Beaumont Theater back in 1991. The show, the crew and the cast deserve every award they get. It was a truly transcendent evening in the theater.
August: Osage County playwright, Tracy Letts has already had one of his plays produced, the highly underrated Bug that should’ve won Ashly Judd an Oscar nomination. With Pulitzer Prize pedigree and now a trunkfull of Tony’s, hard to imagine that a film adaptation of August: Osage Country can be far behind. At 3 1/2 hours, it easy to understand how it’s being compared to Long Days Journey Into Night, and I hope the film version maintains as much “staginess” as possible. It would be criminal to cut a single word, and ridiculous to “open it up.” Sounds like an excellent project for HBO.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, the pride of Chicago Theatre, was the best piece of theatre in Manhattan this year, and it provided my wife Lucille and I with the most consumate night at the theatre this year.
Women have really made their mark in theatre directing (as opposed to film) and Anna D. Shapiro’s win was most worthy. Anyone who saw or heard her last night may well have noticed that she “looked” like a timid supporter actor, and not one who barks out orders. Here is proof that nothing is what it seems! In any case, the pacing, staging and cohesion of this production can in large part be attributed to Shapiro’s vision. Bravo!