‘The Band’s Visit’ Sweeps Up Tonys

Image by Courtesy The Band’s Visit Musical
UPDATED: Based on one of Israel’s most celebrated movies — the multiple Ophir-winning “Bikur HaTizmoret” (“The Band’s Visit,” 2007) by Eran Kolirin — “The Band’s Visit” is this year’s surprise Broadway hit.
The musical debuted with Tony Shalhoub (“Monk” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) playing — and singing! — alongside Katrina Lenk (who recently starred in “Indecent”).
Nominated for 11 Tony awards, “The Band’s Visit” swept up ten, winning for best musical, best book, best score, best direction of a musical and more. (Full list here.)
That Itamar Moses, who wrote the book for the musical, is one of America’s brightest young writers was confirmed by his winning his first Tony. Read the Forward interviews with him from 2011 and from March, 2018, just before the Tony nominations.
Here he is backstage after winning the Tony.
Here is a complete list of the Tony awards won by “The Band’s Visit.”
Best New Musical
The Band’s Visit
Best Original Score
David Yazkbek
Best Direction of a Musical
David Cromer
Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony Shalhoub
Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical Katrina Lenk
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Ari’el Stachel
Best Book of a Musical
Itamar Moses
Best Orchestrations
Jamshied Sharifi
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Tyler Micoleau
For more Tony award information and gossip, check out The Schmooze on Monday.
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