'Book Of Mormon' To Battle 'Catch Me If You Can'
Nominations for the 2011 Tony Awards, presented June 12 on CBS, came out Tuesday.
At the risk of sounding like Bill Murray on the old Saturday Night Live bit about Oscar nominations ("didn't see it, don't care"), I've gotta admit there are a few performances I have yet to see this season.
But wow -- 14 nominations for Book of Mormon. That's the big story of the Tony nominations this year. The outlandish yet traditional musical is a shoe-in for the most coveted Tony award.
Perhaps most surprising this year: the dozen nominations for The Scottsboro Boys, Kander and Ebb's final collaboration -- controversial to be sure. But as one friend says: the song and dance with the little black boy and the electric chair just didn't work for him. It came and went quickly, and Tony doesn't like that.
The other nominations for best musical are for a couple of shows that are re-worked from film: Catch Me if You Can and Sister Act.
But make no mistake: this is the year of Book of Mormon. It has something to offend everyone, and yet is presented in the most traditional Broadway musical style -- a true homage to the art.
For all of the 2011 Tony Award nominees, click here.
