THE adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House by Frank McGuinness has been nominated in the best play revival category for a Broadway Tony Award, it was announced yesterday.
The production, which transferred from London's West End, also won a best actress nomination for Janet McTear, best actor nomination for Owen Teale, and a fourth nomination for the producers, Bill Kenwright and Thelma Holt.
This is not the first time the Buncrana born writer's work has featured in the Tony Award nominations. He and the actor, Stephen Rea, won nominations in 1993 for Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, a drama about the taking of hostages.
Frank McGuinness won international acclaim for his work, Observe The Sons of Ulster Marching Towards The Somme, which was first performed in 1985. It tells the poignant story of eight men in the trenches during the first World War and their personal journeys towards understanding themselves, their divided country and their fate.
Skylight, about a reunion of former lovers played by the Dublin born actor, Michael Gambon, and Lia Williams, was yesterday nominated for Best Play. Gambon and Williams also were nominated for best actor and best actress for their parts in the acclaimed work by the English playwright, David Hare.
The winners will be announced at the Tony Awards ceremony in Radio City Music Hall in New York on June 1st.
The Life, a Cy Coleman musical about Times Square prostitutes, topped the list with 12 Tony Award nominations, including the coveted best, musical.
Close behind was Fred Kander and John Ebb's Steel Pier, the Depression era dance marathon show that won 11 nominations, including best musical, best book, best score, best direction and nods for its leads, Karen Ziemba and Daniel McDonald.
Titanic, at $10 million the season's most expensive show, managed only five nominations, but was among the best musical, book and score nominees, unlike Jekyll and Hyde, another expensive and much hyped musical.
That show toured extensively before opening on Broadway and has somewhat of a cult following, but was passed over for best musical and score. It did garner nominations for Robert Cuccioli in the title role, best book, costumes and lighting.
Instead Juan Darien, A Carnival Mass, a small, long closed fable that used puppets, rounded out the best musical category. That show tied with Titanic in total nominations.
Other best play revival nods went to Noel Coward's Present Laughter, The Gin Game, which also won a nomination for star, Julie Harris, and London Assurance, whose star, Brian Bedford, was cited for best actor.
Other best play actor nominees were Christopher Plummer in the one man show Barrymore and Anthony Sher in Stanley. Play On, a Duke Ellington musical, brought Tonya Pinkins a best actress nomination.