Thomas Sadoski News

There's a moment in Show Boat where a woman sings that her true love, 'just plain Bill,' is 'an ordinary man' who 'isn't half as handsome as dozens of men' and is, on the whole, kinda stupid. This is considered by many to be one of the most romantic love songs of the 20th Century. In Neil LaBute's somewhat revised (like this review) Off-Broadway to Broadway transfer of reasons to be pretty, the main character, reacting to his buddy's ravings about how hot another woman is, says that his girlfriend of four years may be 'regular' looking, but he wouldn't trade her for a million bucks. This will not be considered one of the most romantic sentiments of the 21st Century.

Awards were handed out for 14 categories and 2 special awards are announced by the Off-Broadway League for the Lucille Lortel Awards recognizing Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. This year?s ceremony benefits The Actors Fund. A list of nominees follows below.

Drama Desk nominees received their official nomination certificates at a cocktail reception on May 1st at IL Bastardo Restaurant and BroadwayWorld.com was there!

The 23rd ANNUAL EASTER BONNET COMPETITION was a great success with $3,402,147 being raised this year by the 58 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tour companies to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. Since it began in 1987, 23 editions of the Annual Easter Bonnet Competition have raised nearly $39 million for BC/EFA.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met today for the fifth and final time this season to decide the eligibility of 17 Broadway productions for the 2009 American Theatre Wing?s Tony Awards®, presented by The Broadway League and The American Theatre Wing.

Audiences at Neil LaBute's smash hit, reasons to be pretty, now have an unprecedented way to interact with the best new Broadway play of the season. Running counter to conventional wisdom, audiences are encouraged to turn ON their cell phones prior to the performance to participate in a social experiment by texting ?pretty' to a special phone number. They are then given the opportunity to rate themselves - and the person sitting next to them - on a scale of 1 to 10 (from Carrot Top to Angelina Jolie). Results from that performance's participants are texted back at intermission and are posted online. Check www.reasonstobepretty.com to find how last night's audience rated themselves... and each other.

The 23rd ANNUAL EASTER BONNET COMPETITION was a great success with $3,402,147 being raised this year by the participating Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tour companies to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. Since it began in 1987, 23 editions of the Annual Easter Bonnet Competition have raised nearly $38 million for BC/EFA.

Nominations for the 54th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced this morning at the New York Friars Club by Faith Prince and Jim Dale, multi-award winning stage stars. They were joined for the announcement by William Wolf, Drama Desk President, Barbara Siegel, Chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee, Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards ceremony, and Randie Levine-Miller, Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will present the 23rd Annual Easter Bonnet Competition on Monday, April 27 (4:30 PM) and Tuesday, April 28 (2 PM) at the Minskoff Theatre (200 West 45th Street). The proceeds from the event will benefit BC/EFA.

Catch scenes from Neil LaBute's new play, reasons to be pretty starring Marin Ireland, Steven Pasquale, Piper Perabo and Thomas Sadoski.

The Drama League (Jano Herbosch, President; Gabriel Shanks, Executive Director) proudly announces nominations for the 2008-09 Drama League Awards, to be awarded at The 75th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Friday, May 15, 2009 (noon) in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square (1535 Broadway at 46th Street). The event will be co-hosted by Jeremy Irons (Impressionism) and Cynthia Nixon (Distracted).

Based on a recommendation by the OCC Executive Committee, Special Achievement Awards will be given to David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish for their performances in 'Billy Elliot the Musical' and an Outstanding Ensemble Performance Award will be bestowed to the full cast of 'The Norman Conquests' (Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root).

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Friday, April 17, 2009.

Neil LaBute made his long-awaited Broadway debut with the new American play, reasons to be pretty, under the direction of Terry Kinney last week, and it's a smash hit. But that doesn't mean that young audiences can't get in to see the hippest, hottest and sexiest show on Broadway.

PThe New York Times reports that a spokesman for the Broadway production of Neil LaBute's 'reasons to be pretty' revealed Sunday that the show's producers had beefed up the security detail at the Lyceum Theater following an incident at the Saturday evening performance.

Preview performances began, Friday, March 13, 2009 at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street) with an official opening night celebrated on Thursday, April 2, 2009. BroadwayWorld.com's cameras were there for all the opening night fun.

Preview performances began, Friday, March 13, 2009 at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street) with an official opening night celebrated on Thursday, April 2, 2009. BroadwayWorld.com's cameras were there to cheer the 'reasons' gang on!

Nominations in 14 categories and 2 special awards are nnounced by the Off-Broadway League for the Lucille Lortel Awards recognizing Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. This year's ceremony will benefit The Actors Fund.

Preview performances began Friday, March 13, 2009 at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street) with an official opening night scheduled for Thursday, April 2, 2009.

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) has announced the line-up for their spring 2009 PlayLab play readings of new plays by members of the company's Playwrights' Coalition.