Patina Miller News

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's new feature, 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more!

8 of the 2011 Tony Award nominees visited the Empire State Building's world famous Observatory including Colman Domingo (The Scottsboro Boys, 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical'), Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon, 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical'), Judith Light (Lombardi, 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play'), Patina Miller (Sister Act, 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical'), Arian Moayed (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play'), Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon, 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical'), Lily Rabe (Merchant of Venice, 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play') and Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon, 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical').

Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters will host the 13th annual BROADWAY BARKS!, a star-studded dog and cat adopt-a-thon benefiting New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies. The event, produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is sponsored by official charity partner, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) with additional sponsorship by the New York Times. The event will take place on Saturday, July 9 in Shubert Alley (located between 44th and 45th Streets, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue). The festivities begin at 3:30 p.m.; celebrity presentations of pets from citywide animal shelters will take place between 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Casts from some of Broadway's hottest tickets will take the stage at the Tony Awards this year - including the cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert featuring Nick Adams, Tony Sheldon, Will Swenson and special appearances by Paul Shaffer and the legendary Martha Wash. BroadwayWorld has learned that the men of Priscilla will be taking the stage with Wash for a rendition of 'It's Raining Men,' a number written by Paul Shaffer and originally performed by Martha Wash. Click below for Wash singing the hit tune from days past!

The Theatre World Awards presentation were held at Jujamcyn's August Wilson Theatre, 245 West 52nd Street (home of Jersey Boys), in an invitation-only ceremony yesterday, June 7, 2011 from 2:00 to 3:45 p.m. Peter Filichia hosted, Barry Keating directed, Mary K. Botosan and Erin Oestreich were the event's producers. There was also a tribute to John Willis, founder of the Theatre World Awards, who died last summer. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the evening and brings you photo coverage of the arrivals below!

The Tony Awards today announced the line-up of performances for the 65th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 12th. Featuring unforgettable opening and closing numbers and non-stop entertainment throughout the entirety of the show - the evening will include performances by the 2011 Tony-nominated Best Musicals, Anything Goes featuring Sutton Foster; Catch Me If You Can with Norbert Leo Butz and Aaron Tveit; How to Suceed in Business Without Really Trying featuring Daniel Radcliffe and John Laroquette; Sister Act featuring Patina Miller; The Book of Mormon featuring Andrew Rannells and The Scottsboro Boys featuring Joshua Henry.

The Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2010-2011 theatrical season were presented by former Theatre World Award winners, including:Tammy Blanchard (Gypsy, 2003), Gabriel Byrne (A Moon for the Misbegotten, 2000), Zoe Caldwell (Slapstick Tragedy, 1966), Billy Crudup (Arcadia, 1995), Blythe Danner (The Miser, 1969), Edie Falco (Side Man, 1998), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976), Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, 2007), RoseMary Harris (The Climate of Eden, 1953), and Andrea McArdle (Annie, 1977). There will also be performances by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Karen Akers (Nine, 1982), Ernestine Jackson (Raisin, 1974), and John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys, 2006).

The 2010-11 Theatre World Award winners were: Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart; Desmin Borges, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity; Halley Feiffer, The House of Blue Leaves; Grace Gummer, Arcadia; Rose Hemingway, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Heather Lind, The Merchant of Venice; Patina Miller, Sister Act; Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo; Jim Parsons, The Normal Heart; Zachary Quinto, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes; and Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The first annual Lunt-Fontanne Award for Ensemble Excellence will be presented to the cast of The Motherf**cker With a Hat: Bobby Cannavale, Chris Rock, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Annabella Sciorra, and Yul Vázquez. Also presented at the TWA ceremony was the third annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence presented to Seth Numrich of War Horse.

Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2010-2011 theatrical season will be presented by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Tammy Blanchard (Gypsy, 2003), Gabriel Byrne (A Moon for the Misbegotten, 2000), Zoe Caldwell (Slapstick Tragedy, 1966), Billy Crudup (Arcadia, 1995), Blythe Danner (The Miser, 1969), Edie Falco (Side Man, 1998), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976), Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, 2007), Rosemary Harris (The Climate of Eden, 1953), Kevin Kilner (The Glass Menagerie, 1995), and Andrea McArdle (Annie, 1977). There will also be performances by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Karen Akers (Nine, 1982), Ernestine Jackson (Raisin, 1974), and John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys, 2006).

The Oscars have become famous for the galmour. The MTV Video Music Awards for the onstage drama. And then there is the Tony Awards ceremony, the season closer most celebrated for its live performances. Though always full of surprises, BroadwayWorld has gotten the scoop on a number of performances audiences can expect from their favorite Broadway shows this season.

Hundreds of thousands of theatregoers and fans weighed in, breaking site traffic records (including last year's record breaking tally) and further solidifying the BroadwayWorld.com Awards place as the largest and most popular online Broadway polling event of its kind, open to all and with fully visible and audited results. So, who what shows, performers and creative teams were the favorites of the theatregoing public? Let's find out...

The Drama Desk Awards ceremony was hosted by Harvey Fierstein on May 23 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan Center. This year, for the first time, a 90-minute Highlights Special of the Drama Desk Awards Ceremony will be televised nationally on OVATION, the national cable network dedicated to presenting creative arts programming to national TV audiences. The ceremony will be given two primetime broadcasts plus four other airings between June 4 and June 19, 2011.

SISTER ACT features an original score with music by multi-Academy, Grammy and Golden Globe Award-winning composer Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Enchanted), lyrics by Tony and Academy Award-nominee Glenn Slater (The Little Mermaid), and a book by multi-Emmy Award winners Cheri and Bill Steinkellner ('Cheers') with additional book material by Tony and Olivier Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane (Xanadu, The Little Dog Laughed). In the following video, stars fromt he sho Patina Miller and Victoria Clark and playwright Douglas Carter Beane chat about their journeys with the show. Click below to check it out!

Voting opened on May 5, 2011 and runs through June 3, 2011 for the 9th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 6/3

Below, we bring you Patina Miller, Best Lead Actress in a Musical nominee for Sister Act. Miller is best known for originating the role of the disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End run, which she has now transferred to Broadway. She performed in a Central Park production of Hair in the summer of 2008 and was featured in the musical Romantic Poetry at the Manhattan Theatre Club that fall. In 2007, she was cast in All My Children and appeared in 30 episodes of the daytime soap opera.

2010 Jonathan Larson Grant Winners Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond have announced the release of their new album OUT OF OUR HEADS: The Music of Kooman and Dimond, featuring Tony Award nominees Kerry Butler (Catch Me If You Can, Rock of Ages, Xanadu, Little Shop of Horrors), Christopher Sieber (La Cage aux Folles, Shrek, Spamalot) and Patina Miller (Sister Act), as well as Broadway performers Heidi Blickenstaff (The Addams Family, [title of show], The Little Mermaid), Anderson Davis (Les Miserables), Matt Doyle (War Horse, Bye Bye Birdie, Spring Awakening), Chris Mann (TV: Glee), Kyle Dean Massey (Next To Normal, Xanadu, Wicked), Phoebe Strole (Spring Awakening), and Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture). The album will be released digitally on iTunes on Tuesday June 28th, 2011.

Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2010-2011 theatrical season will be presented by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Tammy Blanchard (Gypsy, 2003), Gabriel Byrne (A Moon for the Misbegotten, 2000), Zoe Caldwell (Slapstick Tragedy, 1966), Billy Crudup (Arcadia, 1995), Blythe Danner (The Miser, 1969), Edie Falco (Side Man, 1998), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976), Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, 2007), Rosemary Harris (The Climate of Eden, 1953), Kevin Kilner (The Glass Menagerie, 1995), and Andrea McArdle (Annie, 1977). There will also be performances by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Karen Akers (Nine, 1982), Ernestine Jackson (Raisin, 1974), and John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys, 2006).

Voting opened on May 5, 2011 and runs through June 3, 2011 for the 9th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 5/30

Today, we are talking to GLEE fan favorite - as Jesse St. James - and theatre superstar - from SPRING AWAKENING on Broadway to DEATHTRAP in the West End - the charismatic and magnetic Jonathan Groff. In this world exclusive interview, Jonathan and I discuss all things GLEE and all about working on the second season of the hit show - and, most importantly, everything about the season finale - with GLEE stars Lea Michele, Cheyenne Jackson, and Charice, in addition to working with Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and GLEE creator/show-runner Ryan Murphy. Additionally, in this complete conversation, we take a look back at Groff's many stage roles ranging from HAIR and THE BACCHAE in Central Park for the Public Theater, to SPRING AWAKENING on Broadway, DEATHTRAP in the West End, as well as his debut in IN MY LIFE - a show whose composer/lyricist/writer, Joe Brooks, was just in the news following his apparent suicide this weekend. Jonathan and I also touch on his blazing feature film debut in Ang Lee's TAKING WOODSTOCK co-starring Liev Schreiber, as well as his work on the pilot for Ryan Murphy's PRETTY/HANDSOME, co-starring Joseph Fiennes and Blythe Danner, and his participation in the new independent film TWELVE THIRTY. We also take a look ahead to the future and deduce what is next for one of the brightest talents on Broadway - all of that and much, much more!