Period Pieces Coast Through Tony Awards

Would-be best musical leads the pack with 11 Tony Award nominations

(NEWSER) - The rock musical Spring Awakening scored 11 Tony Award nominations today, including best musical, best book, and best original score for Steven Sater and pop musician Duncan Sheik. Tom Stoppard's 9-hour trilogy The Coast of Utopia (a best play competitor) and the musical Grey Gardens scored 10 nods apiece. The winners will be announced June 10. More»

Scarlett Johansson, VIola Davis, Catherine Zeta-Jones Prevail

(NEWSER) - Denzel Washington won his first Tony Award tonight for his performance in August Wilson's Fences, and Scarlett Johansson and Catherine Zeta-Jones joined the Hollywood-to-Tony parade by picking up statuettes of their own. Best play Red and best musical Memphis also enjoyed big nights, the AP reports . More»

But will his performance be convincing enough for 'Newsweek' critic?

(NEWSER) - Sean Hayes is a Broadway newcomer, but he's nominated for a Tony for lead actor in a musical—and he'll be hosting the award ceremony as well. Today's announcement comes in the wake of the controversy over Newsweek critic Ramin Setoodeh's dismissal of the openly gay Hayes' ability to play straight, and co-star Kristin Chenoweth's stinging rebuttal . By tapping Hayes, the Los Angeles Times notes , the Broadway establishment is standing up for an actor best known for his TV work, as dizzy sidekick Jack on Will & Grace. More»

Kristin Chenoweth defends 'Promises, Promises' co-star Sean Hayes

(NEWSER) - Sean Hayes made his Broadway debut shortly after officially coming out , and his performance has drawn mixed reviews, a Tony nomination—and one scathing notice from Ramin Setoodeh of Newsweek . Setoodeh, who is gay, called Hayes "the big pink elephant in the room" and deemed his performance as a lovestruck straight guy "wooden and insincere." That didn't sit well with co-star Kristen Chenoweth, notes Broadway.com . So she pretty much destroys Setoodeh's argument. More»

(AP) - Billy Elliot, the British musical about a coal miner's son who burns to dance, won 10 Tony Awards tonight in New York, including best musical and a unique best actor prize for the three young performers who share the title role. David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish shyly thanked people associated with the show only by their first name. Finally, Kulish told the cheering crowd at Radio City Music Hall: "We want to say to all the kids out there who might want to dance, 'Never give up.'" More»