The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the United States, announces Emmy Award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris as the recipient of its 2014 Man of the Year Award. Harris joins Dame Helen Mirren, who was recently announced as their 2014 Woman of the Year.
The Man and Woman of the Year Awards are presented annually to performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. Established in 1951, the Woman of the Year Award has been given to many notable and talented entertainers, including
Meryl Streep,
Katharine Hepburn,
Julia Roberts,
Jodie Foster,
Elizabeth Taylor,
Anne Hathaway,
Claire Danes, and
Marion Cotillard. The Man of the Year award was established in 1963. Its past recipients include
Clint Eastwood,
Tom Cruise,
Robert De Niro,
Steven Spielberg,
Harrison Ford,
Anthony Hopkins,
Bruce Willis,
Justin Timberlake,
Jason Segel, and
Kiefer Sutherland.
The Man of the Year festivities, presented by The Related Companies, will take place on Friday, February 7, 2014. The Hasty Pudding Theatricals will host a celebratory roast for the actor and present him with his Pudding Pot at Farkas Hall, the Hasty Pudding's historic home in the heart of Harvard Square since 1888. A press conference will be held at 8:30 p.m. following the roast. Afterward, the Pudding will present the opening night performance of its 166th production, Victorian Secrets. Mr. Harris will also receive a tour of the new Hasty Pudding Headquarters, which recently relocated to the historic Hyde-Taylor House in Harvard Square.
"I assume this is for that pudding wrestling competition I won last April...right?" said
Neil Patrick Harris. "It was dark and seemed quite seedy at the time - I'm stoked that it's connected with Harvard. Fancy! Can't wait!"
"We are pleased to present Mr. Harris with our Man of the Year Award honoring his distinguished contributions to the arts and entertainment industry," said Tony Oblen, '14, President of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. "With his enviable reputation as a host and showman, we look forward to hosting Mr. Harris for an entertaining and unforgettable evening to recognize his achievements."
Equally successful on stage and screen,
Neil Patrick Harris currently stars as Barney Stinson in the hit CBS television series, "How I Met Your Mother," a role which has garnered him multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations. Harris is a four-time Emmy Award winner for his guest-starring role on "Glee," and as host of the 63(rd), 65(th) and 66(th) Annual Tony Awards. He also served as host and producer of the 61(st) and 65(th) Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the 67(th) Annual Tony Awards.
From his film debut opposite
Whoopi Goldberg in Clara's Heart and his seminal role as the beloved titular character in "Doogie Howser, M.D.," to his roles in the Harold & Kumar and The Smurfs franchise films, Harris has enjoyed a successful career spanning more than 25 years in the industry. He is currently in production on
David Fincher's highly-anticipated feature film, Gone Girl, opposite
Ben Affleck and
Rosamund Pike, based on the hugely successful novel by Gillian Flynn. He recently wrapped filming on the upcoming comedy feature, A Million Ways to Die in the West, starring
Seth MacFarlane,
Charlize Theron,
Liam Neeson,
Amanda Seyfried, and
Sarah Silverman.
In addition to his numerous film and television credits, Harris has also enjoyed success in the theater. He will make his return to Broadway in spring 2014 as the star of
John Cameron Mitchell and
Stephen Trask's landmark 1998 musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Previously, he tackled the leading role of Bobby in the
New York Philharmonic's recent concert staging of
Stephen Sondheim's Company. Harris has also starred in three Broadway productions, including the dual role of The Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald in the Tony Award-winning production of Assassins. Harris made his Broadway debut as
Anne Heche's unexpected suitor in Proof, and he later starred as the exuberant emcee in Cabaret at Studio 54. Among Harris' other theatrical credits include Amadeus (LA Philharmonic), All My Sons (Geffen Theater), tick, tick...BOOM! (
Menier Chocolate Factory), The Paris Letter (
Kirk Douglas Theater), Sweeney Todd (San Francisco Symphony Orchestra), Romeo and Juliet (Old Globe Theater), and Rent (Los Angeles touring production).
Harris most recently mixed his love of magic and theater in directing Nothing to Hide, an unconventional magic show at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York, following its lauded run at the Geffen Theater in Los Angeles.He made his musical directorial debut with a production of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl, and also served as director of I Am Grock (El Portal Theater) and The Expert at the Card Table (Ediburgh Fringe Festival and Broad Stage Theater).
Press credentialing is now open for the Man of the Year event. Press information and an online application form can be found at http://hastypudding.org/media-room and completed forms may be submitted to press@hastypudding.org.
To purchase tickets to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' 166(th) production, Victorian Secrets, contact the HPT Box Office at 617.495.5205, or order online at the Pudding's newly revamped website, www.hastypudding.org. It will be performed at Harvard University's historic Farkas Hall, located at 12 Holyoke Street. The show continues in Cambridge until March 9. The company then travels to New York to perform at Hunter College's Kaye Playhouse on March 14 and March 15 (call 212.772.4448 for tickets). The tour continues to the Hamilton City Hall in Bermuda for performances on March 19-21.
The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770's philanthropic mission is to promote freedom of expression in all aspects of the performing arts, to encourage satire, comedy and the cultivation of young talent, not just at Harvard but around the world. The Institute is comprised of The Hasty Pudding Club (the oldest social club in the United States), The Hasty Pudding Theatricals (the third oldest theater group in the world, after the Comedie Francaise and the Oberammergau Passion Players) and the Harvard Krokodiloes (the foremost collegiate a cappella group in the United States). Over the last two centuries, it has grown into a premiere performing arts organization, a patron of the arts and comedy, and an advocate for satire and discourse as tools for change worldwide.
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