SPAMALOT LEADS PACK WITH 14 TONY NOMINATIONS
by Hans ten Cate
Tuesday, 10 May 2005

Eric Idle and John Du Prez share a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score for Monty Python's Spamalot. The show overall received 14 nominations, more than any other show.

Following successful nominations for both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards, Monty Python's Spamalot has done it again this morning, receiving 14 nominations for this year's Tony Awards.

The 2004-2005 Tony Award nominations were announced May 10 by some of Broadway's celebrities (such as Alan Cumming and Lynn Redgrave) at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Most notably, Spamalot received the nomination for Best Musical and will compete against three other very acclaimed musicals, including the film-to-musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Light in the Piazza. The four musicals were chosen out of a field of eleven eligible new shows this year.

Monty Python's very own Eric Idle received two nominations, one for Best Book of a Musical and another for Best Original Score Written for the Theatre (which Eric shares with John Du Prez).

The Tony Award nominations took place in New York City, 10 May 2005.
Photo Credit: Seth Wenig/Reuters

Five of the cast members received nominations: Leading Actors Hank Azaria (Lancelot) and Tim Curry (Arthur), Featured Actors Michael McGrath (Patsy) and Christopher Sieber (Galahad), and Featured Actress Sara Ramirez (Lady of the Lake).

The production team behind Spamalot also received nominations, including recognitions for Best Direction (Mike Nichols), Best Choreography (Casey Nicholaw), Best Orchestrations (Larry Hochman), Best Scenic Design (Tim Hatley), Best Costume Design (Tim Hatley), and Lighting Design (Hugh Vanstone).

The 59th annual Tony Awards will be handed out in a live ceremony on Sunday, June 5, 2005 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony, tickets for which sold out in a half hour, will be hosted by actor Hugh Jackman again this year and will be telecast on CBS.

Below are the categories in which Spamalot received nominations:

Best Musical

  • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • The Light in the Piazza
  • Monty Python's Spamalot
  • The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

  • Hank Azaria, Monty Python's Spamalot
  • Gary Beach, La Cage aux Folles
  • Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Tim Curry, Monty Python's Spamalot
  • John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

  • Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
  • Marc Kudisch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  • Michael McGrath, Monty Python's Spamalot
  • Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
  • Christopher Sieber, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

  • Joanna Gleason, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Celia Keenan-Bolger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
  • Jan Maxwell, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  • Kelli O'Hara, The Light in the Piazza
  • Sara Ramirez, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Direction of a Musical

  • James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
  • Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot
  • Jack O’Brien, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza

Best Choreography

  • Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
  • Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
  • Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Orchestrations

  • Larry Hochman, Monty Python's Spamalot
  • Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza
  • Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
  • Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

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

  • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
  • The Light in the Piazza, Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
  • Monty Python's Spamalot, Music: John Du Prez and Eric Idle; Lyrics: Eric Idle
  • The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Music & Lyrics: William Finn

Best Book of a Musical

  • Jeffrey Lane, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Craig Lucas, The Light in the Piazza
  • Eric Idle, Monty Python's Spamalot
  • Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

  • Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
  • Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
  • Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  • Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza

Best Costume Design of a Musical

  • Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
  • Junko Koshino, Pacific Overtures
  • William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
  • Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

  • Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
  • Mark Henderson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  • Kenneth Posner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Hugh Vanstone, Monty Python's Spamalot