By Canadian Press

‘Hadestown’ jumps to lead of pack before Tonys really start

Jun 9, 2019 | 6:05 PM

NEW YORK — The arty and original “Hadestown,” which takes place in the underworld of Greek mythology, began its night at the Tony Awards with four wins before the telecast even started.

Rachel Hauck took home the award for scenic design and Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz won for sound design of a musical. The lighting design was won by Bradley King and orchestrations were won by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose.

Ten of the technical awards were handed out before host James Corden kicked off the telecast on CBS. “The Ferryman’s” Rob Howell took home two Tonys — for best play set designs and costumes. Robert Horn won for best book of a musical for “Tootsie.”

Legendary designer Bob Mackie won the Tony for best costume designs for a musical for “The Cher Show,” getting laughs for saying “This is very encouraging for an 80-year-old.”

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“Hadestown,” has a leading 14 Tony nominations going into Sunday night’s CBS telecast. That’s followed by the jukebox musical “Ain’t Too Proud,” built around songs by The Temptations; it received a dozen nominations. The other best musical nominees are the stage adaptations of the hit movies “Tootsie” and “Beetlejuice,” and the giddy, heartwarming “The Prom.”

Among the stars from stage and screen attending were Bryan Cranston, who wore an ACLU ribbon to show his support for women’s reproductive freedom. Kelli O’Hara honoured her late friend and Broadway veteran Marin Mazzie, who is being given special Tony for lifetime achievement.

Billy Porter wore a bright red look crafted out of the velvet curtain used during his Tony-winning run as Lola in “Kinky Boots.” The bedazzled Elizabethan-inspired outfit came with pants and pink tulle on the sides of a skirt.

The Tony Awards dress rehearsal earlier Sunday morning — normally with few actual stars in attendance — got a shock of A-listers this year, including Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, LaTanya Richardson, Tina Fey, Jane Krakowski, Samira Wiley, Danai Gurira, Christopher Jackson, Lucy Liu and Marisa Tomei.

Shirley Jones, 85, was on hand to practice introducing the musical “Oklahoma!” — the same show she starred in on film back in 1955. Catherine O’Hara was doing the same for “Beetlejuice,” the 1988 film she starred in.

Some of the Broadway stars who practiced included Porter, Ben Platt, Andrew Rannells, Darren Criss, Kristin Chenoweth, Laura Benanti and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. David Byrne of the Talking Heads and Vanessa Carlton also got up early to attend.

The best-play nominees are the Northern Irish drama “The Ferryman,” from Jez Butterworth; James Graham’s “Ink,” about Rupert Murdoch; Taylor Mac’s Broadway debut, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”; Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “Choir Boy”; and Heidi Schreck’s “What the Constitution Means to Me,” a personal tour of the landmark document at the heart of so many American divisions.

In addition to the best play and musical races, there are some intriguing and potentially history-making moments.

Will Heidi Schreck, nominated for best actress in a play and with her “What the Constitution Mean to Me” also up for best play, be the first to win both awards in a single year? Will “Tootsie” songwriter David Yazbek supply the music and lyrics to a second straight Tony Award-winning best musical? (Last year, his “The Band’s Visit” won.)

Will three-time Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf become the first actress to win an acting Tony back-to-back-to-back? Can Jeremy Pope, in his Broadway debut, win two Tonys for his two roles in the shows “Choir Boy” and “Ain’t Too Proud”? Will Ali Stroker make history as the first person in a wheelchair to win a Tony Award?

Whatever happens Sunday, Broadway is in good shape. The shows this season reported a record $1.8 billion in sales, up 7.8 per cent from last season. Attendance was 14.8 million — up 7.1 per cent — and has risen steadily for decades.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press