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The Tony Awards nominations announced today included one with a Portland tie. Corey Brunish—actor, singer, director, producer—was nominated for a Tony for his role as a producer of Cabaret. The show is up for Best Musical Revival and stars Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin and Bebe Neuwirth. Cabaret was originally mounted in London and moved to Broadway on April 20 in the nick of time to be considered for this year’s Tonys.
“It never really gets old,” Brunish says. “We work hard so when we’re patted on the back we go, ‘OK, cool.’”
Brunish spoke to WW from Tennessee—he divides his time between there, New York and Portland. (For those who are curious, the Portland’5 theater on Southwest Broadway is named after his mother.)
Brunish already has five Tonys, starting with a producer win in 2012 for the musical Porgy and Bess and just last year for Parade.
Cabaret will compete in the Best Musical Revival category against Gutenberg! The Musical!, Merrily We Roll Along and The Who’s Tommy. Brunish says his biggest competition in the category comes from the Stephen Sondheim show Merrily We Roll Along.
“We’re kind of neck and neck,” he says. “But they’re two completely different styles of show.”
Redmayne was nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as the Emcee in Cabaret. (Brunish says the actor is “a true artist—very humble and focused on his work.”) Rankin got a nod for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Cabaret has nine total nominations.
Cabaret is at New York’s August Wilson Theatre and it is the fifth Broadway iteration of the 1966 Kander and Ebb musical. The reviews have been tough. The New York Times called it “misguided” last week. The Washington Post went with “smug” and “dull.”
Winning a Tony—let alone five—goes a long way to help Brunish do his job as a producer, he says.
“It gives you legitimacy when you go to people encouraging them to invest in you,” he says. “It gives you credibility.”
The Tony Awards will take place on June 16.