THEATRE/OPERA NEWS: 'Mormon' tops Tony Award noms; remembering Domini; Actors' Fund benefit; Pieczonka returns
3 MAY/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

While the comedic The Book of Mormon dominated the nominations for the 2011 Tony Awards announced yesterday in New York, there also proved to be a few seriously exciting nominations with a Canadian connection.

That would include at least one of Mormon's 14 nominations, with Nikki M. James, nominated for best supporting actress -- best known to Canadian audiences for her work opposite Christopher Plummer in the Stratford Festival production of Caesar and Cleopatra.

And then there is Brian Bedford's revival of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, which garnered a total of three nominations including best revival, best actor/play (for Bedford's performance as Lady Bracknell) and best costumes for Desmond Heeley, who designed the production in its original Stratford iteration as well.

Other names familiar to Canadian audiences include Winnipeg-born Joshua Henry, nominated for a best actor/musical Tony for his work in The Scottsboro Boys (one of 12 nominations for the musical), in competition with Australia's Tony Sheldon, currently reprising his Toronto-honed performance in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which earned his nod.

And while there are plenty of other names familiar to Toronto theatre audiences -- everyone from the legendary Vanessa Redgrave, nominated for best actress/play for Driving Miss Daisy and Patty Lupone (supporting actress/musical for Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown) to one-time Dora nominee Norbert Leo Butz (best actor/musical for Catch Me if You Can) and playwright Athol Fugard, who will receive a special lifetime achievement award --  there's also more than a few nominees who will be giving Toronto audiences a look at their work in the year ahead.

Featured in the forthcoming Mirvish season, War Horse, has earned a special Tony Award slated to be awarded to South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, who brought the title character to life on stage. War Horse is also nominated for best play, best direction/play (Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris), best scenery (Rae Smith), best lighting (Paule Constable) and best sound design (Christopher Shutt).

The Tony Awards will take place at the Beacon Theatre in New York on Sunday, June 12.

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BLYTHE SPIRIT: Actress Domini Blythe, who passed away late last year, will be remembered by family and friends at a memorial to be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, in the lobby of the Stratford Festival Theatre. Remarks at 4:30 p.m.

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ART FOR ARTISTS' SAKE: Nicholas Carrière, J. Anthony Crane and Ben Lipitz -- three actors currently appearing in the touring production of Disney's The Lion King --  will take to the stage of the Factory Theatre on Monday, May 16 to present a single performance of Yasmina Reza's thought-provoking play, Art. Tickets are priced at $25 and all proceeds will go to the Actors Fund of Canada. For tix and further info, call the Factory box office at 416-504-9971 or visit www.factorytheatre.ca

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ADRIENNE AUF NAXOS, AT LAST: After being sidelined by ill health for Saturday's opening performance of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Four Seasons Centre, local favourite Adrienne Pieczonka was not only recovered but raring to go for the second performance of the Canadian Opera Company's production of the work last night, according to opera sources.