Broadway's black stars shine with Tony nominations

theGRIO REPORT - The predominantly African-American cast of Broadway's 'The Scottsboro Boys' cleaned up with a total of 12 Tony Award nominations...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

The prestigious Tony Award nominations are in!Today, Anika Noni Rose and Matthew Broderick made the announcements. In the months to come, Broadway’s best will wait in anticipation for the official awards ceremony.

The predominantly African American cast of The Scottsboro Boys cleaned up with a total of 12 nominations. The musical based on the 1930s Alabama court case involving nine black men wrongfully convicted of raping a white woman closed in December of 2010 due to low ticket sales, but is campaigning for a return to Broadway after posthumous acclaim.

The show’s nominations include best play and best musical. One of the show’s leads, Joshua Henry, is nominated for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical and his co-stars Forrest McClendon and Colman Domingo are nominated for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical.

Sister Act, a musical produced by Whoopi Goldberg based on her 1992 hit film, received a total of five nominations. Patina Miller who plays the leading role in the stage adaptation is nominated for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical.

The dramatic play entitled The Motherf**er with the Hat starring funnyman Chris Rock received six nominations, although the comedic star was snubbed.

The Tony Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday June 12, 2011 and will broadcast live on CBS.

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