Broadway Loves Seattle. The Wedding Singer Receives 5 Tony Nominations!
Seattle's Intiman Theatre, Director Bartlett Sher, Choreographer Donald Byrd Also Honored.
SEATTLE - THE WEDDING SINGER had its pre-Broadway world premiere at The 5th Avenue Theatre in February of this year. Since then, the show has moved to its permanent Broadway home at The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, and yesterday the musical received five Tony Award nominations. Many shows have gotten their start here in Seattle; HAIRSPRAY and A LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA are just two examples. In addition to hosting pre-Broadway world premieres, the role The 5th Avenue Theatre plays as a producer and investor is crucial to ensuring that the musical theater art form will continue to grow and thrive. This year The 5th Avenue Theatre is part of the producing team behind THE COLOR PURPLE (11 nominations) and is an investor in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (13 nominations). That's 29 Tony nominations with a 5th Avenue Theatre connection!
"This just proves that Seattle is one of the great theater towns in the country," remarks David Armstrong, producing artistic director of The 5th Avenue Theatre. "In my view, there's New York, Chicago and Seattle, and nowhere else comes near those cities. We are that vital a theatrical community, and it's something Seattle is just beginning to realize fully." Staff and friends of The 5th Avenue Theatre will be watching enthusiastically as the League of American Theatres and Producers and the American Theatre Wing present the Awards on June 11, 2006, at Radio City Music Hall. The Tony Awards will be broadcast on CBS.
THE WEDDING SINGER nominations are:
- Best Musical - Producers: Margo Lion, New Line Cinema, The Araca Group, Roy Furman, Douglas L. Meyer/James D. Stern, Rick Steiner/The Staton Bell Osher Mayerson Group, Jam Theatricals, Jujamcyn Theaters, Jay Furman, Michael Gill, Dr. Lawrence Horowitz, Rhoda Mayerson, Marisa Sechrest, Gary Winnick, Dancap Productions, Inc., Elan V. McAllister/Allan S. Gordon/Adam Epstein
- Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical - Stephen Lynch
- Best Choreography - Rob Ashford
- Best Book of a Musical - Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy
- Best Original Score Written for the Theatre - Matthew Sklar (Music), Chad Beguelin (Lyrics)
The 5th is not the only Seattle theater to receive national acclaim. Congratulations to Intiman Theatre for receiving the 2006 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Donald Byrd, artistic director of Spectrum Dance Theater, received a Tony nomination for Best Choreography for THE COLOR PURPLE, and Bartlett Sher, artistic director of Intiman Theatre, received a Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Play for AWAKE AND SING!
And there is another Broadway-bound musical on Seattle's horizon: next season The 5th Avenue Theatre will host the world premiere of CRY-BABY, an outrageous new musical based on the John Waters film and set in the hysterical high-throttle world of 1954. CRY-BABY will do for the '50s what HAIRSPRAY did for the '60s and THE WEDDING SINGER did for the '80s, proving once again that the best way to Broadway is via The 5th Avenue.
The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle's premier musical theater showplace. The 2005-2006 season marked the 25th anniversary of the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre which, in 1980, began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of 23,000 and an annual attendance of 200,000 - 300,000. It ranks among the nation's largest and most respected musical theater companies. The theater is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its educational outreach program, which includes: Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Managing Director Marilynn Sheldon and Producing Artistic Director David Armstrong, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.
Please contact Jennifer Rice, Public Relations Manager, at 206-625-1418 with press questions or to schedule individual interviews.