Laura Osnes News

Nominations in 26 competitive categories for THE 66th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS® were announced today by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jim Parsons and Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth at the Tony Award Nominations Announcement.

Celia Keenan-Bolger, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for PETER AND THE STARCATCHER 'I'm really excited! I woke up with my husband and weeks ago I said we'd have a staycation so we're in a hotel that of course didn't have NY1- which I think is hysterical. So, we had to watch it on my phone. This is so great, I care about the show so so much and I've worked on it for so long. These past 3 years have been so special and we weren't sure it would even come to Broadway. It's all been a real gift. I'm sure I'll be on the phone all day. I'm so excited to do the show tonight!'

Laura Osnes, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for BONNIE & CLYDE 'I was sound asleep this morning because I didn't expect anything! Then my agent called and I suspected something. As soon as I got the news I just started crying in bed in my pjs. I'm so honored and shocked and grateful and the show is being remembered in some way. I feel like it's a dream and I'm so happy that Jeremy Jordan was nominated for Newsies, too! We've been texting each other this morning. I had plans to have a baking day with a friend, but now it will be sprinkled with extra joy.'

We'll be talking to nominees all day for their reactions!

Esta mañana se han presentado las Nominaciones a los Tony Awards 2012 por Kristin Chenoweth y el televisivo Jim Parsons. La ceremonia de los Premios más importantes del teatro en Broadway se celebrará en el Beacon Theatre, y seretransmitirán a través de la CBS el próximo domingo 10 de junio de 2012.

It took two years, a Pulitzer Prize and an Olivier Award-winning London production before happening, but Bruce Norris' searing satire, Clybourne Park, has finally made the six-block transfer from Off-Broadway's Playwright's Horizon to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre.  The original ensemble of director Pam MacKinnon's excellent 2010 production has been reunited for the playwright's scathing telling of the racial integration of a Chicago neighborhood, as seen through the history of one very significant home.

Stage and screen stars Kristin Chenoweth & Jim Parsons will announce this year's Tony nominees tomorrow morning, May 1, 8:30am EST at New York Public Library. The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, which are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 10, 2012. In preparation for the big announcement, TonyAwards.com has released a Cheat Sheet that reminds you of the eligible shows/people of this season. The full Cheat Sheet is as follows:

Composer-lyricist Scott Alan records his fourth album 'LIVE' at famed New York City Jazz Club, Birdland tonight, April 30th.

Looking for a quick roundup of this week's events in the theatre world? Look no further - here are some of the best articles the week had to offer!

The 2012 Tony Awards Nominations Announcement was co-hosted this morning by Tony winning actress Kristin Chenoweth and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Jim Parsons. The Tony Awards will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 10, 2012.

Last night, April 26, Roudabout Theatre company opened DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the opening night arrivals and brings you photo coverage below!

SPIDER-MAN's Patrick Page celebrated his birthday with cake and a caricature last night at Sardi's, alongside his co-stars and friends. Ann Harada, Joshua Bergasse, Laura Osnes, Melissa Errico and Paige Davis were among those in attendance. See photos from the event below!

Today we are talking to one of the busiest choreographers on Broadway who was recently represented by four shows running on the Great White Way simultaneously (a new record) - the long-running hit JERSEY BOYS, Pulitzer Prize-winner NEXT TO NORMAL, multi-Tony Award-winning MEMPHIS and THE ADDAMS FAMILY. His most recent Broadway credit is the new Alan Menken/Glenn Slater musical adaptation of the 90s hit Steve Martin comedy LEAP OF FAITH featuring Broadway superstar Raul Esparza in the lead. In addition to discussing the unique demands of his involvement with the aforementioned new musicals with a pronounced focus on his current project, Trujillo opens up about the process of collaborating with a director and what musical staging is all about at its core, as well as outlining his experiences working with a number of notable names on his impressive assortment of projects so far and taking a look back at his own career as a performer, having previously appeared in GUYS & DOLLS, FOSSE and the film version of CHICAGO among other illustrious resume entries. Plus, Trujillo shares his infectious enthusiasm and passionate dedication to his art and reveals what he will be taking on next after LEAP OF FAITH's opening night, which is tonight - a tryout tour of a screen-to-stage adaptation of the iconic 80s hit FLASHDANCE and an original dramatic musical included. All of that and much, much more!

Last night, April 24, Carnegie Hall presented its gala benefit performance of The Sound of Music in the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. The cast was led by Laura Osnes (Maria Rainer), Tony Goldwyn (Captain von Trapp), Brooke Shields (Elsa Schraeder), Patrick Page (Max Detweiler), Stephanie Blythe (The Mother Abbess), Mary Michael Patterson (Liesl von Trapp), Nick Spangler (Rolf Gruber), Cotter Smith (Herr Zeller), and Reed Birney (Admiral von Schreiber). They were joined by and Joel Hatch (Franz, The Butler), Joy Hermalyn (Sister Berthe), Linda Mugleston (Sister Margaretta), Faith Sherman (Sister Sophia), and Veanne Cox (Frau Schmidt). BroaadwayWorld was on hand for the exciting evening and brings you photo coverage below!

The original Broadway cast recording of Frank Wildhorn's BONNIE AND CLYDE is set for release today, April 24, 2012.

Carnegie Hall will present The Sound of Music tonight, April 24 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. A gala benefit for Carnegie Hall, this one-night-only concert performance of the beloved musical with a timeless score by Rodgers & Hammerstein will provide support for the music education programs of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute.

Looking for a quick roundup of this week's events? Look no further - here are some of the best articles the week had to offer!

Today we are completing our extensive three-part look at THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Carnegie Hall with an career-spanning chat with one of Broadway biggest rising stars, the amiable and accomplished Laura Osnes. Since her Broadway debut in GREASE - coming after the reality casting competition TV series, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT - in 2007, Osnes has found great success with lead roles in three more Broadway musicals, spelling for Kelli O'Hara in SOUTH PACIFIC at Lincoln Center as Nellie Forbush, as well as taking on the title role in Frank Wildhorn's BONNIE & CLYDE with Jeremy Jordan and playing Hope Harcourt in the Roundabout revival of ANYTHING GOES alongside Sutton Foster and Joel Grey. In addition to outlining her experiences in those shows and her reflections on her time spent on Broadway thus far, Osnes also opens up about her recent essaying of three Rodgers & Hammerstein roles, having just starred with Will Chase in PIPE DREAM at Encores!, her just-confirmed casting in a new Broadway-bound stage adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA that has recently had a workshop production (and will have another in July, again co-starring Santino Fontana) as well as all about the star-studded Carnegie Hall concert presentation of THE SOUND OF MUSIC co-starring Tony Goldwyn and Brooke Shields which she headlines on April 24. Plus, she recounts her experiences participating in the recent Kennedy Center Honors salute to Barbara Cook alongside a dizzying roster of divas and tackling FOLLIES in the spectacular SONDHEIM! THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT presentation now available on DVD - and she also clues us in on her favorite shows, acting influences, plans for the future and much, much more!

Today we are saluting one of the most beloved Broadway scores of all time, created by the formidable show business songwriting dynasty of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein - THE SOUND OF MUSIC. While the original 1959 Broadway production was well-received and won Mary Martin a Tony Award for her winsome Maria, the property has gone on to win over generations the world over thanks in no small part to the 1965 Robert Wise feature film version starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. On Monday, Carnegie Hall will be presenting a special concert version of the family- friendly show starring Laura Osnes, Tony Goldwyn and Brooke Shields. Be sure to check out my comprehensive conversation with Brooke Shields, who will be playing the Baroness, available here, and, also, stay tuned to BroadwayWorld for my upcoming InDepth InterView with the Maria of the concert presentation, rising Broadway superstar Laura Osnes. So, what exactly is it about THE SOUND OF MUSIC that has won over audiences of all ages for more than fifty years and set hearts aflutter and souls stirred? Is it the dramatic story of a family torn apart by death and war only to be brought back together again when least expected by a kindly maternal nun? Is it the slice of life depiction of the family dynamic and how we can all relate to one or many facets of it therein? Is it the ensuing romance between Maria and Captain Von Trapp and their delicately portrayed courtship (particularly when considering the ravishing duet added for the film, "Something Good")? Or, is it that classic Rodgers & Hammerstein score - containing a dizzying assortment of standards that have gone on to become ingrained in our ears, minds and hearts, as well as made a fixture of pop culture itself - "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things", "Edelweiss", "The Lonely Goatherd", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", the title song and beyond. AMC's hit series MAD MEN even featured one of the most beloved SOUND OF MUSIC duets on a recent broadcast as an ironic episode capper all too befitting of the moment (and, given the 60s setting of the series, era) - Betty Draper mischievously sneaking an extra bowl of ice cream set to the strains of "I Am Sixteen Going On Seventeen". Between the MAD MEN song reference, the ongoing SOUND OF MUSIC film singalongs occurring every week (with many patrons coming in costume and with props, ala ROCKY HORROR) around the world and the countless professional and amateur productions that crop up every year, as well as the glitzy Carnegie Hall concert on Monday, THE SOUND OF MUSIC has never gone out of style - it shall forever remain sixteen, even when the show itself is not too far away from hitting sixty.