Tommy Tune to Receive 30th Anniversary Elliot Norton Lifetime Achievement Award

The Boston Theater Critics Association today announced that legendary song and dance man Tommy Tune will be the recipient of The 30th Anniversary Elliot Norton Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Known as one of the most prolific director/choreographer/performers of the twentieth century, TommyTune (tommytune.com) has enchanted audiences over the past 50 years with his charisma, vision, and innovation. According to Joyce Kulhawik, President of the BTCA, “Not only are we delighted to honor this iconic Tony Award- winning performer (yes,nine), but Tommy will honor the entire theater community by performing onstage that night as part of our 30th anniversary celebration!”

The 30th Annual Elliot Norton Awards, which recognize excellence in Greater Boston Theater, will be presented on Monday, May 21, at 7 p.m. at the Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston. Tickets are $30 (including post-party) and are available by phone at 617-824-8000 or online at http://www.aestages.org. For updates and information, visit nortonawardsboston.com.

A native Texan, Mr. Tune began his career as a dancer in the Broadway shows Baker Street, A Joyful Noise and How Now Dow Jones. He would soon step out of the chorus and into a principal role in the Broadway musical Seesaw, which won him his first Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His first Broadway directing and choreography credits were for the original production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Tune has been honored with nine Tony Awards celebrating him as a performer, choreographer and director (Best Actor in a Musical for My One and Only, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Seesaw, Best Choreography for A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, My One and Only, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies, and Best Direction of a Musical for Nine, Grand Hoteland The Will Rogers Follies. In addition, Tune has been awarded eight Drama Desk Awards, three Astaire Awards and the Society of Directors and Choreographers’ George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement. Film credits include “Hello Dolly,” “The Boyfriend,” “Mimi Bluette… fiore del mio giardino,” and in 1999, he made his Las Vegas debut as the star of EFX at the MGM Grand Hotel. Tune is the recipient of The National Medal of Arts (http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html), the highest honor for artistic achievement given by the President of the United States, and he has been honored with his own star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2009, Mr. Tune was designated as a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, and this year Mr. Tune marks his 50th year in show business with his latest work, Steps In Time, A Broadway Biography in Song and Dance. In his spare time, Mr. Tune enjoys painting in his Manhattan Tower studio.

The Elliot Norton Awards are named in honor of the distinguished Boston theater critic Elliot Norton, who for many years served on the selection committee and who remained an engaged supporter of the drama, both locally and nationally, until his death in 2003 at the age of 100. For 48 years Mr. Norton was a drama critic for Boston newspapers; concurrently, from 1958 until his retirement in 1982, he was moderator of Elliot Norton Reviews on WGBH television. The Norton Medal was first bestowed in 1983. Since then, the awards have grown to include, in addition to the Prize for Sustained Excellence, almost two dozen awards presented annually to outstanding productions, performers, directors, and designers. 

In addition, the event has become a memorable evening, attended over the years by such luminaries as Julie Harris, Elaine Stritch, Irene Worth, and Al Pacino. Starlight aside, it is treasured for the atmosphere of camaraderie it generates in the theater community.

The Boston Theater Critics Association, which presents the Elliot Norton Awards, is proud to have been part of the remarkable growth, over the past 30 years, of exemplary theater in Boston. This year’s selection committee comprises Don Aucoin, Jared Bowen, Terry Byrne, Carolyn Clay, Nick Dussault, Iris Fanger, Joyce Kulhawik, Sandy MacDonald, Robert Nesti, Jenna Scherer, and Ed Siegel.

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