c-D
the playwright, both nominated for
Tongs, believed otherwise. '1 prefer to
call it passionate and dramatic," Uhry
has said of Parade. The playwright,
also responsible for Driving Miss Daisy
and The Last Night of Ballyhoo, knew
the Leo Frank story well; his great-
uncle owned the pencil factory where
Frank worked.
Parade closed in February, after a
relatively short run; its nine nomina-
tions prove there is life after death on
Broadway.
Although Britain doesn't dominate
the Tongs this year as in past seasons,
there is still a strong British presence.
Dame Judi Dench earned a nomination
for Best Leading Actress in the play
Amy's View, and Corin Redgrave is up
for Best Lead Actor in Not About
Nightingales, which opened in London
before crossing the Atlantic. Other
English hopefuls are The Lonesome West,
set in rural Ireland, and Closer, about
four people in modern-day London.
A glaring snub, say many critics, is
the omission of nominations for
British playwright David Hare, who
wrote three of this year's Broadway hits
— Amy's View, The Blue Room and Via
Dolorosa. The latter is Hare's one-man
show about the Israeli-Arab stalemate _ ,
inspired by the playwright's personal
journey through the Middle East.
In any case, distinctions between
what is. British and what is American
are starting to die off, says Jed
Bernstein of the League of American
Theaters and Producers.
"Next year one of the more highly
anticipated Broadway shows is
Saturday Night Fever, which is very
American in nature but was a huge
smash hit in London this year. Soon,
Carol Burnett will be returning to
Broadway in a Stephen Sondheim
evening. That's American, but it's pro-
duced by Cameron Macintosh, who is
a Brit," says Bernstein.
"Look at Iceman Cometh — it played
in London, has four or five Brits in a
cast of 21, but stars Kevin Spacey, who
is an enormously popular American
actor. And, it was written by one of the
most accomplished American play-
wrights of this century," he adds.
"I think we are getting to the point
where the only thing that matters is
good theater. And that, I think, is the
direction in which we are going." _I
The 53rd Annual Tony Awards airs
Sunday, June 6, from 8-9 p.m. on
PBS stations and from 9-11 p.m.
on CBS. Check your local listings.
Sparkling Witt
"Death of a Salesmans" Howard Witt shares
his excitement about being up for a Tony,
Broadway's most coveted award.
(Sideman).
Witt said from his dressing room just
before a Saturday evening performance.
"I am 67 years old, and I can't
think of anything more exciting. And
even if I don't win, the fact that I am
nominated will give me a longer obit-
uary when I die!"
Although there was some buzz that
Witt would grab the nomination, the
veteran actor was anything but over-
confident. "Some of us from the play
were sitting in a bar near the theater
and heard rumors about Tony nomi-
nations," he said. "But I thought it
probably wouldn't happen, and if it
did, it would be the frosting on the
cake. I am so happy just to be a part
of this production."
Indeed, when Witt began playing
the role of Charlie in Death of a
Salesman last year in Chicago, he never
thought that he or the play would
"I know it's a cliche, but just to be
nominated is an incredible honor,"
WITT on page 84
ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER
Special to the Jewish News
Top: Playwright Arthur Miller,
whose revival of "Death of a
Salesman" has six nominations, will
receive a lifetime achievement award.
Above: Michael Mayer is nominated
for Best Direction of a Musical for
the revival of "You're a Good Man,
Charlie Brown." It previewed in
Detroit last December before
opening on Broadway.
couple of months ago, just
the mention of a Tony
nomination had Howard
Witt raising his fingers to
his mouth, motioning for quiet. He
didn't want to jinx the possibility of
being recognized by the American
Theater Wing's Antoinette Perry
"Tony" Awards committee. But now,
he doesn't have to worry.
Witt, who plays Willie Loman's
neighbor Charlie in Arthur Miller's
Death of a Salesman, earned a nomina-
tion for Best Performance by a Featured
Actor in a Play. He is up against fellow
Salesman actor Kevin Anderson, who
portrays Buff; Finbar Lynch (Not About
Nightingales); and Frank Wood
Nominations In Some Of The Top
Categories Include:
BEST PLAY
Closer
The Lonesome West
Not About Nightingales
Side Man
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING
ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Stockard Charming, The Lion in
BEST MUSICAL
Winter
The Civil War
Fosse
It Ain't Nothin But The Blues
Parade
Judi Dench, Amy's View
Marian Seldes, Ring Round the Moon
Zoe Wanamaker, Electra
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Death of a Salesman
Electra
The Iceman Cometh
Twelfth Night
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Annie Get Your Gun
Little Me
Peter Pan
You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING
ACTOR IN A PLAY
Brian Dennehy, Death of a Salesman
Brian O'Byrne, The Lonesome West
Corin Redgrave, Not About
Nightingales
Kevin Spacey, The Iceman Cometh
O
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED
ACTOR IN A PLAY
Kevin Anderson, Death of a Salesman
Finbar Lynch, Not About Nightingales
Howard Witt, Death of a Salesman
Frank Wood, Side Man
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED
ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Claire Bloom, Electra
Samantha Bond, Amy's- View
Dawn Bradfield, The Lonesome West
Elizabeth Franz, Death of a Salesman
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING
ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Brent Carver, Parade
Adam Cooper, Swan Lake
Martin Short, Little Me
Tom Wopat, Annie Get Your Gun
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING
ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Carolee Carmello, Parade
Dee Hoty, Footloose
Bernadette Peters, Annie Get Your
Gun
Sian Phillips, Marlene
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED
ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Roger Bart, You're A Good Man,
Charlie Brown
Desmond Richardson, Fosse
Ron Taylor, It Ain't Nothin' But The
Blues
Scott Wise, Fosse
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED
ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Gretha Boston, it Ain't Nothin' But
The Blues
Kristin Chenoweth, You're A Good
Man, Charlie Brown
Valarie Pettiford, Fosse
Mary Testa, On The Town
6/4
199
Detroit Jewish News