Posted on Tue, May 1, 2012 : 11:55 a.m.
University of Michigan grads among 2012 Tony Award nominees
By Jenn McKee
James Earl Jones in "The Best Man"
AP Photo | Jeffrey Richards Associates, Joan Marcus
They are:
• James Earl Jones, nominated for best male lead acting performance in a play for "Gore Vidal's The Best Man"
• Celia Keenan-Bolger, nominated for best featured female performance in a play for "Peter and the Starcatcher"
• David Alan Grier, nominated for best male featured performance in a musical for "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
• Martin Pakledinaz for best costume design for a musical for "Nice Work if You Can Get it."
The Tony Awards, given for the best theater work on Broadway each year, will be presented June 10, with Neil Patrick Harris acting as host. The ceremony will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on CBS.
Comments
poohbah
Wed, May 2, 2012 : 3:33 p.m.
James Earl Jones attended the U of M 1951-1955, well before the BAM movement. He's 81 years old -- and still going strong! His list of stage/screen/tv credits is impressive. Complete information about him is available on the Wikipedia site.
heresmine
Wed, May 2, 2012 : 12:02 p.m.
It is always a wonderful experience to watch the end of year musical put on by the School of Music's Musical Theatre department. This year's production of "Chicago" was simply first rate. An excellent performance. Over the years these have been a "hot ticket" and almost always sold out. The printed program always notes the students that have gone on to find work in film and/or live theatre. Many acheive a high level of stardom. It's a shame the performances are so few. Not only did James Earl Jones attend the UoM, but he grew up on the West side of the state in a little town near Manistee. He started acting with the local Manistee civic theatre. This was after he was a stage carpenter. He still has relatives in that area and visits them each year.
trespass
Tue, May 1, 2012 : 7:54 p.m.
There were very few blacks at UM prior to the BAM strike in 1970. What years did Jame Earl Jones attend UM and was it a result of the BAM strike? It might provide some interesting historical background for this piece.