Why Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond Love Sharing the Tony Nominations Spotlight

Colton Ryan is still getting used to spotting his image on street lamp banners throughout the Theater District.“Every time I take a new block home, I’m like, ‘Oh hey, me,'” said Ryan of the nearly 100 flags bearing his likeness. “It’s pretty wild, honestly.”The 27-year-old — who this year was nominated for his first Tony Award for his portrayal of Jimmy Doyle, the leading man in “New York, New York” — was at first unaware of his high-flying honor.“I was asked to approve a photo and I did, but I didn’t know that’s where it was going,” he said of the banners, which feature a shot of him and his costar, Anna Uzele.In the musical, nominated for nine Tonys, he plays the role of Robert De Niro originated in the 1977 film of the same name.

Fat Ham, James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy nominated for five Tony Awards, will add one week of performances to its Broadway run, producers announced today.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor The writers of “Kimberly Akimbo” tell a story about the musical’s creation that feels as if it could be a scene in the show itself. Like the Tony-nominated production, now up for eight awards including best musical, it’s a tale that lands right in the overlap of humor and heartache. In the summer of 2017, just before composer Jeanine Tesori and bookwriter-lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire were scheduled to spend two weeks developing the first act of “Kimberly Akimbo” at the Sundance Theatre Lab, Tesori had a cerebral hemorrhage. She was in the ICU for 11 days, the Tony-winning composer (“Fun Home”) recalled. She missed the entire first week of the show’s time at Sundance.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor When Jessica Chastain explains how she and her collaborators created the standout moments in her Tony-nominated Broadway performance in “A Doll’s House,” one wouldn’t expect to hear her mention the Sam Raimi horror movie “Evil Dead.” Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:

Joel Corry is reportedly dating Love Island's Coco Lodge.The DJ, who performed for the Islanders in the villa last summer, was first spotted partying with Coco in Dubai earlier this year.The star, who has just released new music with TikTok sensation Caity Baser, told The Sun: "I have never been asked about this before... "Coco is lovely and she came out to see me in Las Vegas and, yeah, she had a great time." Coco found fame in the Love Island villa when she entered as a Casa Amor bombshell during Casa Amor last year. During her 12-day stint on the show the graphic designer, 27, had been in the middle of the scandal of the series when she told Tasha Ghouri the antics she got up to in the bedroom with Andrew Le Page.

Victoria Clark and Jessica Stone met in 1996 when both were appearing on Broadway in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying – Clark had originated the revival’s role of Smitty and Stone replaced Megan Mullally as Rosemary. The friendship would prove both lasting and fruitful.

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Last night, the Broadway musical Shucked made history of a sort when cast member Alex Newell delivered a red-hot performance of the musical’s barnburner “Independently Owned” on The Voice, marking the first time a Broadway show has gained entry onto the NBC talent competition.

EXCLUSIVE: The rain in Cannes managed to stop for a few hours on Saturday when Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park International hosted an exclusive event for buyers on the Croisette for its upcoming project Night Boat to Tangier, with Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, director James Marsh and producers Andrew Eaton and Conor McCaughan all in attendance for the intimate event.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are a united front when it comes to their kids. The pair was photographed as they dropped off their kids at their school in Brentwood, Los Angeles, and catched up as Garner climbed inside her car. Jennifer Lopez praises Ben Affleck’s role as a fatherJennifer Garner channels 60s style in red and yellow hairstyles: See picsJennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck celebrated Mother’s Day surrounded by their childrenAffleck wore a grey jacket, a blue plaid shirt, and some jeans that he paired with some white Nike sneakers.

Broadway will dim its marquee lights on June 1 in remembrance of the late Roundabout Theatre Company artistic director Todd Haimes, who died April 19 at age 66.

We’re still reeling from the shocking Vanderpump Rules season finale on Bravo on Wednesday night, y’all.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Sterling K. Brown could be on his way to Broadway. The three-time Emmy winner will star in a reading of a new stage production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on May 18 in New York City, sources exclusively tell me. Brown will play Randle P. McMurphy, a character famously portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the 1975 movie adaptation of Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel. Sources also tell me that Tony winner Laura Benanti will play Nurse Ratched. The team behind the reading have their hopes set on a Broadway run. The reading is directed by Young Vic artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah. Scott Delman produces. Delman is also on board as a producer of the “Thelma & Louise” musical, which has been workshopped with Amanda Seyfried and Evan Rachel Wood starring.

Reba McEntire is asked who would she pick to play her in a biopic quite a lot.

Peabody Awards and unspecified changes to the Tony Awards.

Gordon Cox Theater Editor The recent Broadway revival of “Topdog/Underdog” may have ended its run, but for Corey Hawkins, the actor now nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the play, the experience left him with something that he’s still carrying forward into all his future work: “Fearlessness,” he said on the latest episode of Stagecraft, Variety‘s theater podcast. Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:

Striking members of the Writers Guild of America have said they will not picket next month’s Tony Awards telecast, clearing a thorny issue facing show organizers and opening the door for some sort of Broadway razzle-dazzle on TV.

will not negotiate a waiver or interim deal to allow WGA screenwriters to write a script for the show’s broadcast — leaving theater’s biggest night in limbo. “As has been previously reported, the Writers Guilds of America East and West (WGA) will not negotiate an interim agreement or a waiver for the Tony Awards,” the statement said.

76th Annual Tony Awards will go on without having to cross a picket line.The Writers Guild of America announced on Monday that they will not picket this year's show, which is set for June 11, amid the ongoing writers' strike.«Tony Awards Productions (a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing) has communicated with us that they are altering this year’s show to conform with specific requests from the WGA,» a statement from the guild explained, according to «Therefore the WGA will not be picketing the show.»«As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike,» the statement added.The show will proceed, although in an unspecified altered form, as planned.Kate Shindle, president of Actor Equity, took to Twitter to share her thanks with the WGA for their agreement, «Thank you, @WGAWest and @WGAEast. @ActorsEquity members: time to double down on showing up at their pickets.»«Oh, and because it can’t be said enough: this is still #AMPTP’s fault, and the writers should never have been put in this position,» she added. «We can appreciate the grace AND point at the culprits, right?»Oh, and because it can’t be said enough: this is still #AMPTP’s fault, and the writers should never have been put in this position.

on Friday to denied a waiver to CBS and Paramount+ that would allow the ceremony to be broadcast and streamed. And indeed, WGA specifically blamed CBS, Paramount “and their allies,” for making the changes necessary.“As has been previously reported, the Writers Guilds of America East and West (WGA) will not negotiate an interim agreement or a waiver for the Tony Awards.