'Distinguished Production of a Play'

There are only three days of performances left, but first, the awards:

This afternoon, The Drama League presented The Coast of Utopia with the award for 'Distinguished Production of a Play.' See Playbill.com for a complete list of the nominees and winners. Note that Jennifer Ehle's former Macbeth costar, Liev Schreiber, took home the 'Distinguished Performance Award.'

Broadway.com has announced the nominees for the 2007 Audience Awards. The Coast of Utopia garnered seven nominations, including 'Favorite New Broadway Play,' and Jennifer Ehle has been nominated for 'Favorite Featured Actress in a Broadway Play' alongside castmates Amy Irving and Martha Plimpton. Vote for your favorites by May 24.

The website manager for the Tony Awards, Andrew McGibbon, announced that the first of three videos in the newly created "Road to the Tonys" series will be available online on Monday May 21st. These videos can be viewed at TonyAwards.com. Jennifer Ehle's "Tony Memories" video is not online yet, but keep checking the Tonys Site.

On the message board front, more Tony victories are predicted for The Coast of Utopia and Jennifer Ehle by idoleyes at All That Chat. Whyohwhyoh, also of All That Chat, is critical of the American cast, but commends the "brilliant Jennifer Ehle" for her performance.

Review-wise, Misha Berson of The Seattle Times attended the April 28th marathon (when Tom Stoppard was in the audience). Her review includes a mention of Ms. Ehle:

[...] Herzen's complicated relations with wife Natalie (the outstanding Jennifer Ehle), a tempestuous mistress (Martha Plimpton, also terrific), many children and a fierce German nanny (also played by Ehle) attest to the limits of 'free love' in an age without birth control (or mental-health care). [...]

Meanwhile, marathon runner Deborah Barlow of Slow Muse left the theater in a state of transcendence:

[...] I’ll be blatantly bloggish and personal and just say that I was in an altered state through the entire 12 hour marathon. (Still am.) Stoppard isn’t everyone’s cup of tea–during the breaks I overheard people who thought it was a bit 'wordy' or that they had fallen asleep through some of it–but he is definitely mine. Why stop at 12 hours? I could do 100. More! No other playwright I know blends the history of Western ideas with theatrical intensity like Stoppard. And there are so many large arc ideas in this trilogy, ones that I care about deeply. [...]

David Fischer at Blog About Town prays for an extension ("I saw Part I courtesy of TKTS last night and loved it--my main disappointment is that, barring a miraculous extension, I won't be able to see the other two parts."), while Elizabeth Maupin of The Orlando Sentinel offers a few words of caution.

Some news about the cast members' post-Utopia projects has begun to trickle out. For instance, Playbill.com reports that Dan Lipton, The Coast of Utopia's pianist, will be performing his own music at Ars Nova on June 3rd. Martha Plimpton will also be taking part in this concert.
Ethan Hawke is off to Australia to begin filming a new movie about vampires called Daybreakers, as reported by Ed Perkis of Cinema Blend. No news of any upcoming projects for Jennifer Ehle. As of now, Pride and Glory is scheduled to be released 04 January 2008.

In other news, Spider-man 3 has been setting box-office records, according to CBC.ca. Gina Carbone of Seacoastonline offers some heartening words about Rosemary Harris in an otherwise mixed review:

[...] At least there's still Aunt May. Rosemary Harris — class itself — grounds the film with her soulful warmth, reminding us that 'Spider-Man' is more than special effects and witty quips. [...]