The Tony Awards are Broadway’s biggest and most celebrated night in theatre every single season. Beginning in 1947, The American Theatre Wing annual presents awards to those who have done their best in theatre in a variety of categories from technical aspects to performers to overall productions. The ceremony is hosted by a celebrity, this year Neil Patrick Harris for the third time now, and celebrates Broadways brightest and darkest moments while poking fun at all of it. While there are plenty of awards in the theatre community in New York City in one season, the Tony Awards are not only the most important but the biggest and highest honors.

Listed below is the Full List for 2012 Tony Awards Nominations:

Best Play

Clybourne Park
Author: Bruce Norris

Other Desert Cities
Author: Jon Robin Baitz

Peter and the Starcatcher
Author: Rick Elice

Venus in Fur
Author: David Ives

Best Musical
Leap of Faith
Newsies
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Once

Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
Master Class
Wit

Best Revival of a Musical
Evita
Follies
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Book of a Musical

Lysistrata Jones
Douglas Carter Beane

Newsies
Harvey Fierstein

Nice Work If You Can Get It
Joe DiPietro

Once
Enda Walsh

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Bonnie & Clyde
Music: Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics: Don Black

Newsies
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Jack Feldman

One Man, Two Guvnors
Music & Lyrics: Grant Olding

Peter and the Starcatcher
Music: Wayne Barker
Lyrics: Rick Elice

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
James Earl Jones, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
Frank Langella, Man and Boy
John Lithgow, The Columnist

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Linda Lavin, The Lyons
Cynthia Nixon, Wit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Follies
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies
Steve Kazee, Once
Norm Lewis, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Ron Raines, Follies

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jan Maxwell, Follies
Audra McDonald, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Cristin Milioti, Once
Kelli O’Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Laura Osnes, Bonnie & Clyde

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Michael Cumpsty, End of the Rainbow
Tom Edden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Andrew Garfield, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Linda Emond, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Spencer Kayden, Don’t Dress for Dinner
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher
Judith Light, Other Desert Cities
Condola Rashad, Stick Fly

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Phillip Boykin, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Michael Cerveris, Evita
David Alan Grier, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Michael McGrath, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Elizabeth A. Davis, Once
Jayne Houdyshell, Follies
Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost the Musical

Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, Other Desert Cities
Daniel Ostling, Clybourne Park
Mark Thompson, One Man, Two Guvnors
Donyale Werle, Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley, Once
Rob Howell and Jon Driscoll, Ghost the Musical
Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel, Newsies
George Tsypin, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark

Best Costume Design of a Play
William Ivey Long, Don’t Dress for Dinner
Paul Tazewell, A Streetcar Named Desire
Mark Thompson, One Man, Two Guvnors
Paloma Young, Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Follies
ESosa, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Eiko Ishioka, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark
Martin Pakledinaz, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jeff Croiter, Peter and the Starcatcher
Peter Kaczorowski, The Road to Mecca
Brian MacDevitt, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Kenneth Posner, Other Desert Cities

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Christopher Akerlind, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Natasha Katz, Follies
Natasha Katz, Once
Hugh Vanstone, Ghost the Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti, One Man, Two Guvnors
Scott Lehrer, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Gareth Owen, End of the Rainbow
Darron L. West, Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Acme Sound Partners, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Clive Goodwin, Once
Kai Harada, Follies
Brian Ronan, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Evita
Christopher Gattelli, Newsies
Steven Hoggett, Once
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Direction of a Play
Nicholas Hytner, One Man, Two Guvnors
Pam MacKinnon, Clybourne Park
Mike Nichols, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Direction of a Musical
Jeff Calhoun, Newsies
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Diane Paulus, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
John Tiffany, Once

Best Orchestrations
William David Brohn and Christopher Jahnke, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Bill Elliott, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Martin Lowe, Once
Danny Troob, Newsies

Congratulations to Everyone who received a Tony Award Nomination for the 2012 Broadway Season! Once is in first right now with 11 Tony Award nominations closely followed by Porgy and Bess as well as Nice Work If You Can Get It with 10 Nominations! Peter and the Starcatcher has 9 nominations while Follies and Newsies are right behind with 8 nominations each!

Luner on Theatre is launching sweeping coverage of the 2012 Tony Award Season beginning today! Tony Time we like to call it! We will be bringing your articles like it is our job (technically it is) about everything and anything! Things you never thought about when it comes to the Tony Awards will be brought up on this blog! Are you ready? We only hope so! For more, check out The Tony Awards Official Website. And of course, Check out the entire Luner on Theatre Page dedicated to the Tony Awards. And check out the rest of Luner on Theatre for all your theatre news you don’t only need but want to know and so much more!

Once leads with 11 Tony Nominations

The associated press first broke the news yesterday and then Disney Theatricals proudly confirmed the news. Disney’s The Lion King has now produced a cumulative gross of $853,846,062 while The Phantom of the Opera comes in just below at $853,122,847. The Lion King is upcoming its 15th year on Broadway while The Phantom of the Opera is upcoming its 25th. So how exactly did the Broadway jungle get a new king?

Disney’s The Lion King is currently playing at The Minskoff Theatre which seats a total of 1,677 people while The Majestic Theatre where The Phantom of the Opera is playing only seats 1,605. Also, Disney is also currently able to charge more for their tickets without being unreasonable. Last week, the average ticket price for The Lion King was $155.09 while the average price for The Phantom of the Opera was $98.97. What pushed it over the top was last week’s gross income for both productions with The Lion King’s at $2,081,189 and The Phantom of the Opera bringing in $1,262,881. However, despite all this, don’t worry – neither shows are likely to close anytime soon.

When asked about the high honors for the Broadway production, President of Disney Theatricals Thomas Schumacher had nothing but bright words for both productions involved.

“Naturally we’re humbled by this milestone, a feat that can be explained in two words: Julie Taymor. Her vision, continued commitment to the show and uncommon artistry account for this extraordinary success. We also salute Andrew Lloyd Webber and our Mary Poppins partner Cameron Mackintosh on Phantom of the Opera, a global phenomenon of historic proportions. Above all, this accomplishment belongs to our audiences, millions of whom are experiencing their first Broadway show at The Lion King. Surely, introducing so many to the splendor of live theatre is our show’s greatest legacy.”

For all you Phantom fans currently feeling down, have no fear! Despite the fact that both musicals are known and can be seen around the world, The Phantom of the Opera still reigns supreme in that category.

When it comes to worldwide gross, The Phantom of the Opera has pulled in $5.6 billion dollars internationally while The Lion King has pulled in $4.8 billion. Both shows also currently holding and breaking records on Broadway with their total performance count. The Phantom of the Opera is currently the #1 longest running Broadway show in history while The Lion King is currently the #6 longest running show in Broadway history. Truly high honors all around for both productions.

So if you get the chance, check out either The Phantom of the Opera or The Lion King on Broadway! Both productions are absolutely fabulous and true theatrical events to be seen. For more information, check out The Phantom of the Opera or The Lion King’s Official Broadway Website. You can also check out the Phantom Facebook Page or The Lion King Facebook Page for more! And of course, check out the rest of Luner on Theatre for all your theatre news you don’t only want but need to know and more!

It hasn’t yet opened but it has just been confirmed that the cast of Newsies, will record the show’s original cast album March 3-5. The recording will be available in the spring from Ghostlight Records.  The show begins previews at the Nederlander Theatre on March 15 with opening night set for March 29.

The musical, produced by Disney Theatrical Productions features a score by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Sister Act) and Jack Feldman and a book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy).  Newsies is directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun (Big Riverrevival) and choreographed by Tony nominee Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific revival).

Newsies is inspired by the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, when newsboy Kid Blink led a band of orphan and runaway newsies on a two-week-long action against Pulitzer, Hearst and other powerful newspaper publishers.

This is a limited run and tickets are sure to go fast.  Don’t miss out…click here to get your group tickets today!

Photo by Monica Simoes

The new show Smash debuted last night on NBC.  The show chronicles a naïve Broadway hopeful (American Idol’s Katherine McPhee) as she auditions for a role in a Marilyn Monroe musical.  Broadway’s Megan Hilty of Wicked and 9-5 fame is cast as McPhee’s competition.  Broadway songwriters Julia Houston and Tom Levitts (Debra Messing and Christian Borle) and Angelica Houston as the money-troubled producer round out the cast.

The behind the scenes cast includes producers Steven Spielberg, Neil Meron, Craig Azdan, and Hairspray songwriters Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. 

The critics agree; the acting is better than expected as are the musical numbers.  If you ever wonder what it’s like ‘behind-the-scenes’ of a Broadway musical you should definitely check out Smash. 

Smash is on NBC on Monday at 10:00 pm after The Voice. 

While it is already the longest-running show on Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera will celebrate another milestone tonight…24 years on Broadway.

In 1988, The Phantom of the Opera won a total of 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical and became the longest-running show in Broadway history on Jan. 9, 2006, with its 7,486th performance.  Surpassing the previous record-holder, another Andrew Lloyd Webber classic Cats.  The musical has grossed $845 million since its debut on Broadway Jan. 26, 1988 making it the highest-grossing show in Broadway history.

The Phantom of the Opera is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux.  It tells the story of the hideously deformed Phantom who lurks beneath the stage of the Paris Opera, exercising a reign of terror over its occupants. The phantom falls in love with the young Soprano devoting himself to creating a new star for the Opera by nurturing her extraordinary talents and employing all the skills at his disposal.

And if that’s not enough, on February 11, 2012 the show will hit it’s 10,000th performance!

You can see the Phantom on Broadway on Monday evenings at 8 PM, Tuesday evenings at 7 PM, Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8 PM, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 PM.  Book your group today by clicking here.

Happy New Year!  2012 is sure to be another great year on Broadway with a number of new musicals opening.  Check out some of what is to come!

The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess starring Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis and David Alan Grier at the Richard Rogers Theater starting January 12.   Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar previews start on March 1 at the Neil Simon Theater.  Another Andrew Lloyd Webber classic Evita starring Ricky Martin returns to Broadway on April 5 at the Marquis Theater.  Disney’s Newsies will play its first Broadway preview on March 15th at the Nederlander.  Ghost The Musical opens April 23 at the Lunt- Fontanne Theater and Nice Work If You Can Get It starring Mathew Broderick at the  Imperial Theatre on April 23. 

Get your group tickets today!

Disney’s new musical Newsies to Broadway in the spring for a limited run beginning March 15^th at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre.

The musical, featuring a score by eight-time Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Sister Act) and Jack Feldman and a book by four-time Tony® Award winner Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy), will play its first Broadway preview on March 15^th prior to its March 29^th opening night; the final performance is scheduled for June 10^th. Newsies, produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, is directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun (Big River revival) and choreographed by Tony nominee Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific revival).

Set in New York City at the turn of the century, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a ragged band of teen aged ‘newsies,’ who dreams only of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies newsies from across the city to strike for what’s right.

Tickets are on sale exclusively to groups now.  Click here to get yours!

It’s official…On A Clear Day You can See Forever opened on Broadway last night!

The revival stars Harry Connick, Jr. in his first musical comedy role on Broadway since Pajama Game in 2006.  Also starring are Broadway vet David Turner, newcomer Jessie Mueller and Drew Gehling from the Jersey Boys.  The production directed by Michael Mayer is the first revival of this 1965 hit.  With a score by Burton Lane and a book by Alan Jay Lerner this latest Broadway revival is exciting and adventurous.

Get your tickets today by clicking here!

Just in time for the holidays, this recently released album features an all-star list of performers from Jersey Boys productions around the world, including Tony winner John Lloyd Young, Jarrod Spector (Broadway), Ryan Molloy (London), Travis Cloer, Rick Faugno, and Travis Cloer (Las Vegas), Bobby Fox (Australia), Joe Leo Bwarie (National Tour), with Erik Bates, Kristofer McNeeley, and Michael Ingersoll.

The Jersey Boys musical continues to bring audiences around the world to their feet 5 years after its’ debut with the rags-to-riches tale of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.  The production has won awards for Best Musical on three continents, including the 2006 Tony Award, while the platinum-selling Original Cast Recording album won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2007.

This holiday, members of the award-winning Jersey Boys casts have come together to record a selection of Christmas classics in the style of The Four Seasons. This marks the first time that a Broadway show has released a holiday album.

The album, Season’s Greetings: A Jersey Boys Christmas features many Christmas classics including “Joy To The World/O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, “Winter Wonderland”, “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” among others.  In 2006, the cast recorded “O Holy Night” for a Christmas album to benefit Broadway charities. Other highlights from A Jersey Boys Christmas include a doo-wop version of “White Christmas” and “Santa Medley,” which infuses Jersey Boys harmonies into a trio of holiday favorites.

Here is a complete track listing:
1. Joy To The World (London)
2. Winter Wonderland (Las Vegas)
3. Little Drummer Boy (National Tour)
4. Santa Medley 5. Holy Night/Rise Up Shepherd (featuring Mark Ivey, with Michael Ingersoll & Tituss Burgess, soloists)
6. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Australia)
7. Jingle Bell Rock (Australia)
8. A King Is Born (Broadway)
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
10. White Christmas (London)
11. I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Broadway)
12. Angels From The Realm Of Glory (Australia)
13. Silver Bells/Silent Night (Las Vegas)
14. Do You Hear What I Hear (Las Vegas)
15. Breath Of Heaven/We Three Kings (Las Vegas)
16. Carol Of The Bells/Angels We Have Heard On High
17. Auld Lang Syne (feat. Joseph Leo Bwarie, Travis Cloer, Rick Faugno, Bobby Fox, Ryan Molloy, Jarrod Spector, John Lloyd Young & Erik Bates)

The album is available on Rhino Records.

Anything Goes –

Sutton Foster & Joel Grey, principal soloists; Rob Fisher, James Lowe & Joel

Moss, producers (Cole Porter, composer/lyricist) (New Broadway Cast Recording)

[Ghostlight Records]

The Book of Mormon -

Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells, principal soloists; Anne Garefino, Robert Lopez,

Stephen Oremus, Trey Parker, Scott Rudin & Matt Stone, producers; Robert Lopez, Trey Parker & Matt Stone, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

[Ghostlight Records]

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying -

John Larroquette & Daniel Radcliffe, principal soloists; Robert Sher, producer

(Frank Loesser, composer/lyricist) (The 2011 Broadway Cast Recording)

[Decca]

Watch the 2012 Grammy’s on February 12, 2012 at 8:00 pm on CBS.