Arts & Entertainment
Tony Award nominations 2019 announced
‘Hadestown, ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg’ lead the pack
The 2019 Tony Award nominations were unveiled by Brandon Victor Dixon, Bebe Neuwirth and Gayle King on Tuesday.
“Hadestown,” the folk-opera that sets the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice during the Great Depression era, earned the most nominations with 14. “Ain’t Too Proud,” a musical based on the story of The Temptations, came in second with 12 nominations.
“The Prom,” the musical about a teenage girl whose high school refuses to let her take her girlfriend to prom, received seven nominations including Best Musical. Caitlin Kinnunen, who recently came out that she is dating a woman, was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role in “The Prom.”
Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song” and “The Boys in the Band” by Matt Crowley were both nominated for Best Revival of a Play.
Out playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, who penned the play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” which he also adapted into the Academy Award-winning “Moonlight,” also scored a nomination for Best Play for his play “Choir Boy.”
Actress Judith Light will also be honored with the 2019 Isabelle Stevenson Award for her LGBTQ rights activism and advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The 73rd annual Tony Awards, hosted by James Corden, will air from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 9 on CBS.
Best Musical
“Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations”
“Beetlejuice”
“Hadestown”
“The Prom”
“Tootsie”
Best Play
“Choir Boy” by Tarell Alvin McCraney
“The Ferryman” by Jez Butterworth
“Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus” by Taylor Mac
“Ink” by James Graham
“What the Constitution Means to Me” by Heidi Schreck
Best Revival of a Musical
“Kiss Me, Kate”
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!”
Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”
“The Boys in the Band” by Mart Crowley
“Burn This”
“Torch Song” by Harvey Fierstein
“The Waverly Gallery” by Kenneth Lonergan
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas- “The Prom”
Derrick Baskin- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Alex Brightman- “Beetlejuice”
Damon Daunno- “Oklahoma!”
Santino Fontana- “Tootsie”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block- “The Cher Show”
Caitlin Kinnunen- “The Prom”
Beth Leavel- “The Prom”
Eva Noblezada- “Hadestown”
Kelli O’Hara- “Kiss Me, Kate”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Paddy Considine- “The Ferryman”
Bryan Cranston- “Network”
Jeff Daniels- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Adam Driver- “Burn This”
Jeremy Pope- “Choir Boy”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Annette Bening- Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”
Laura Donnelly- “The Ferryman”
Elaine May- “The Waverly Gallery”
Janet McTeer- “Bernhardt/Hamlet”
Laurie Metcalf- “Hillary and Clinton”
Heidi Schreck -“What the Constitution Means to Me”
Best Book of a Musical
“Ain’t Too Proud”- Dominique Morisseau
“Beetlejuice”- Scott Brown and Anthony King
“Hadestown”- Anaïs Mitchell
“The Prom” – Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin
“Tootsie” -Robert Horn
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater
“Be More Chill” -Joe Iconis
“Beetlejuice” – Eddie Perfect
“Hadestown”- Anaïs Mitchell
“The Prom”- Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin
“To Kill a Mockingbird”- Adam Guettel
“Tootsie” -David Yazbek
Best Direction of a Musical
Rachel Chavkin- “Hadestown”
Scott Ellis- “Tootsie”
Daniel Fish- “Oklahoma!”
Des McAnuff- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Casey Nicholaw- “The Prom”
Best Direction of a Play
Rupert Goold- “Ink”
Sam Mendes- “The Ferryman”
Bartlett Sher- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Ivo van Hove- “Network”
George C. Wolfe- “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Andre De Shields- “Hadestown”
Andy Grotelueschen- “Tootsie”
Patrick Page- “Hadestown”
Jeremy Pope- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Ephraim Sykes- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lilli Cooper- “Tootsie”
Amber Gray- “Hadestown”
Sarah Stiles- “Tootsie”
Ali Stroker- “Oklahoma!”
Mary Testa- “Oklahoma!”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Bertie Carvel- “Ink”
Robin De Jesús- “The Boys in the Band”
Gideon Glick- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Brandon Uranowitz- “Burn This”
Benjamin Walker- Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Fionnula Flanagan- “The Ferryman”
Celia Keenan-Bolger- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Kristine Nielsen- “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Julie White- “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Ruth Wilson- “King Lear”
Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown- “Choir Boy”
Warren Carlyle- “Kiss Me, Kate”
Denis Jones- “Tootsie”
David Neumann- “Hadestown”
Sergio Trujillo- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Best Orchestrations
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose- “Hadestown”
Larry Hochman- “Kiss Me, Kate”
Daniel Kluger- “Oklahoma!”
Simon Hale- “Tootsie”
Harold Wheeler- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Peter England- “King Kong”
Rachel Hauck- “Hadestown”
Laura Jellinek- “Oklahoma!”
David Korins- “Beetlejuice”
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Bunny Christie- “Ink”
Rob Howell- “The Ferryman”
Santo Loquasto- “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Jan Versweyveld- “Network”
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Michael Krass- “Hadestown”
William Ivey Long- “Beetlejuice”
William Ivey Long- “Tootsie”
Bob Mackie- “The Cher Show”
Paul Tazewell- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell- “The Ferryman”
Toni-Leslie James- “Bernhardt/Hamlet”
Clint Ramos- “Torch Song”
Ann Roth- “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Ann Roth- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski- “Beetlejuice”
Peter Hylenski- “King Kong”
Steve Canyon Kennedy- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Drew Levy- “Oklahoma!”
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz- “Hadestown”
Best Sound Design of a Play
Adam Cork- “Ink”
Scott Lehrer- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Fitz Patton- “Choir Boy”
Nick Powell- “The Ferryman”
Eric Sleichim- “Network”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams- “The Cher Show”
Howell Binkley- “Ain’t Too Proud”
Bradley King- “Hadestown”
Peter Mumford- “King Kong”
Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini- “Beetlejuice”
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin- “Ink”
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer- “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Peter Mumford- “The Ferryman”
Jennifer Tipton- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden- “Network”
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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