Category Archives: Tony Awards

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Judy Kaye

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Rock the TonysJudyKayeJUDY KAYE

Little Rock connection: Performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

Tony Awards connection: Won the Tony for Featured Actress in a Musical for The Phantom of the Opera in 1988 and Nice Work If You Can Get It in 2012. She has also been nominated for her performances in Mamma Mia (2002 Featured Actress in a Musical) and Souvenir (2006 Actress in a Play).  In addition to performing on the Tonys with the cast of Mamma Mia, she has appeared on the telecasts with the casts of On the Twentieth Century (1978) and Ragtime (1998).

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Mary Steenburgen

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Rock the TonysMarySteenburgenDec09MARY STEENBURGEN

Little Rock connection: Grew up in Central Arkansas, maintains a residence in Little Rock and is a co-owner of South on Main restaurant.

Tony Awards connection: Starred on Broadway in the Tony nominated revival of Candida.  She is affiliated with the Atlantic Theatre Company which has presented and produced the Tony winning The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Jay Johnson: The Two and Only, Spring Awakening and the Tony-nominated The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Talk Radio and A Behanding in Spokane.

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Clinton Library Opening with Spacey, Streisand and Hipp

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Rock the Tonys KS BS PHKevin Spacey, Barbra Streisand, Paul Hipp

Little Rock connection: All three were in attendance in Little Rock for the opening of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in November 2004.

Tony Awards connection: Spacey has a Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Play for 1991’s Lost in Yonkers. He has also been nominated for Actor in a Play in 1999 for The Iceman Cometh.

Streisand was nominated for Tony Awards in 1962 (Featured Actress in a Musical – I Can Get It for You Wholesale) and 1964 (Actress in a Musical – Funny Girl) and received a Special Tony in 1970.

Hipp was nominated for Actor in a Musical in 1991 for Buddy- The Buddy Holly Story.

While Bono and The Edge played at the Clinton Presidential Center opening and also penned the score for Spiderman, they failed to win a Tony nomination.

(The Culture Vulture met Spacey at a reception at the Arkansas Arts Center and had a conversation with Hipp and his girlfriend at a reception hosted by the Downtown Little Rock Partnership.)

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Ben Piazza

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Rock the TonyspiazzaBEN PIAZZA

Little Rock connection: Born in Little Rock and valedictorian of Little Rock High School class of 1951.  Family members are still in Little Rock and Central Arkansas.  He later wrote a fictional account of growing up in Little Rock in the book The Exact and Very Strange Truth.

Tony Awards connection: Starred in cast of original Tony winning production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? longer than anyone else in original run or subsequent revivals.  Participated in workshops and readings with the author Edward Albee during the development of the play as well.  Also shared the stage with many other Tony winning and Tony nominated actors including James Whitmore, Shirley Booth, Jane Fonda, Claudia McNeil, Sandra Church, Alfred Drake, Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, fellow Arkansan Melinda Dillon, Mercedes McCambridge, Nancy Kelly, Carrie Nye, Rosemary Murphy and William Daniels.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? closing on Broadway.

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Cleavant Derricks

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Rock the TonysCleavant Derricks webCLEAVANT DERRICKS

Little Rock connection: Starred in the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s production of the new musical Treasure Island.

Tony Awards connection: Won the 1982 Featured Actor in a Musical Tony for his performance as James “Thunder” Early in the original cast of Dreamgirls.  In 1986, he was nominated for a Tony for Actor in a Musical for his performance in Big Deal.

Today is Derrick’s birthday.

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy

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Rock the TonysJones CassidyShirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy

Little Rock connection: Academy Award winner Jones has appeared with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. She and Cassidy, her son, will star in a production of The Music Man which Celebrity Attractions is bringing to Central Arkansas next year.

Tony Awards connection: Jones and Cassidy co-starred in the Tony winning revival of 42nd Street.  Cassidy also starred in the Tony nominated Best Musical Leader of the Pack and was featured at the 1985 Tony ceremony with that production.  Jones’ first husband (and Cassidy’s father) Jack Cassidy was a Tony winning actor.

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Harry Belafonte

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Rock the Tonysharry-belafonteHARRY BELAFONTE

Little Rock connection: Was honored guest at Little Rock Film Festival’s Reel Civil Rights Film Festival in September 2012.

Tony Awards connection: Won the Featured Actor in a Musical Tony Award in 1954 for John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.  He became first African American male to win a Tony Award. He has subsequently appeared as a presenter at Tony Awards ceremonies.