VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-06-15 And the Tony Award Goes to...

 

AS IT IS 2013-06-15 And the Tony Award Goes to...

It’s all about Broadway today on As It Is. I’m June Simms.

We will hear about some of the longest running shows on Broadway and take a look at some of the big winners at the recent Tony Awards in New York City.

We begin with that report from Christopher Cruise.

“Kinky Boots” Wins Six Tony Awards

The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards recognize the best musicals, plays and actors on Broadway.

The Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” was by far the biggest winner at the Tony Awards this week. The musical won six awards, including the top award as best musical.

David Cote is the theater editor for Time Out New York magazine. He says “Kinky Boots” was nominated for 13 Tony awards. He thinks each nomination¹ was justified².

“Kinky Boots is a bright, funny, silly but sentimental³ show about drag queens in a shoe factory in England. It’s an underdog story. It’s a good show, it’s a fun show, it’s a crowd-pleaser.”

“Kinky Boots” is based on a British film about a struggling shoe factory that reinvents itself by making boots for men who like to wear women’s clothing.

That is “Sex Is In The Heel,” one of the show-stopping songs that earned “Kinky Boots” Tony awards for best musical and best score. Cyndi Lauper wrote the music and lyrics⁴ for “Kinky Boots.” It was the first Broadway musical for the 1980s pop music star. She is the first woman to receive a Tony for best score without sharing the award with a man.

Billy Porter won the best actor award for his part in the musical, which also won for best choreography, orchestrations and sound design.

Critics also liked “Matilda The Musical,” a Royal Shakespeare Company production based on a children’s book by Roald Dahl.

The musical won a total of four Tony awards last Sunday. They include best book of a musical for Dennis Kelly and best actor in a musical for Gabriel Ebert.

Playwright⁵ Christopher Durang won the award for best play for the comedy “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike⁶.” Again, David Cote.

“It’s kind of about being middle-aged⁷ and sad and feeling like your life hasn’t really ended up where you wanted it – and themes that every average theater critic can relate to.”  

“Don't pine for me. That's ridiculous. I'm 57. I have told you for many years I'm not interested in you in that way. I march to a different drummer.”

“Why must you march to a drummer at all? Why couldn't we both walk to the sounds of a piccolo?”

Tracy Letts won the Tony award for best actor in a play for his performance in “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” The play also won the award for best revival⁸ of a Broadway show. Cicely Tyson won the award for best actress in a play for her part in “The Trip to Bountiful.” “Pippin” won the Tony for best revival of a musical. Its star Patina⁹ Miller¹⁰ was recognized as best leading actress in a musical. I’m Christopher Cruise.

You are listening to As It Is, from VOA Learning English. I’m June Simms.

Keeping Broadway Shows Fresh

“The Phantom¹¹ of the Opera” recently celebrated¹² the 25th anniversary of its first performance on Broadway. The show now holds the record as the longest running Broadway musical ever. Harold Prince directed “The Phantom of the Opera” in the 1980s. He attended the anniversary celebrations earlier this year.

“I see the show probably at least a dozen times a year, but I rehearse them four times a year and I’m very grateful for it.”

That is Hugh Panaro singing “Music of the Night.” He has played the Phantom in more than 1,700 performances. His long relationship with the show began 22 years ago when he played a different part, that of Raoul, the lover of a girl named Christine. He says part of what has kept things fresh for him is performing with so many actresses who play the part of Christine.

“You know, fifteen, easily. And that’s not counting understudies. That’s counting girls that have held this contract from the time I was Raoul ‘til now. I get two Christines a week and no two Christines are alike, which is the beauty of it.”

At the Gershwin Theater, production stage manager Marybeth Abel is adding a new actor to the theater’s production of “Wicked.” “Wicked” will celebrate its 10th anniversary in October.

“I always say my primary job is to make sure that the show goes on every night as scheduled and that we do it successfully and we get a standing¹³ ovation¹⁴ at the end of the night.”

Marybeth Abel works with actors and a backstage crew - about 120 people. They make sure the show does not have any problems during its eight performances every week.

“Hands down, when you’re in a long-run show, the best thing that happens is that there’s turnover¹⁵ in cast. That’s the best thing that happens because all those influxes¹⁶ of difference make everybody, like, step up.”

One of the new actors is Willemjin Verkaik. She plays Elphaba, the green girl who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Verkaik is from the Netherlands and has played Elphaba in Europe, in both Dutch and German. Now she is doing it on Broadway in English.

Willemjin Verkaik was asked to take the place of Idina Menzel, who won a Tony Award for the part. Yet she says she has found ways to make the part her own.

“You are an actress so you have to play it yourself and you have to make it believable, you have to believe it yourself, so you have to go on that journey yourself.”

Every Broadway production has a resident director who acts as a link between the creators of the show and the current performers. That is the job of John Stefaniuk in “The Lion King,” which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary on Broadway. He travels around the world, supervising as many as eight productions of the show.

“It’s not a factory job. You want to allow these actors to feel like actors and treat them as such, not feel like replicas¹⁷ of somebody else’s show.”

John Stefaniuk has seen “The Lion King” hundreds of times, yet he never grows tired of it.

“I think, after all these years, if it doesn’t still send a shiver up my back, then I’m not doing my job.”

That’s all for As It Is. I’m June Simms. VOA World News is coming up at the top of the hour, Universal Time. Have a great weekend!

1 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

2 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

3 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

4 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

5 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

6 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

7 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

8 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

9 patina   

n.铜器上的绿锈，年久而产生的光泽

参考例句：

• The trophy has a beautiful green patina.这个奖杯表面有一层漂亮的绿锈。
• Ancient bronze animal are covered in vivid green patina.古代青铜器动物被绿色彩铜绿笼罩。

10 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

11 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

12 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

13 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

14 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

15 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

16 influxes   

n.大量涌入( influx的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Such rapid influxes of sediment probably overwhelm the bottom dwellers in an area. 沉积物如此迅速的汇集可能把这一地区的海底生物全部淹没了。 来自辞典例句
• Conduction,Convection and radiation can bring heat influxes. 计算过程考虑了核热沉积以及热传导、热辐射、对流引起的换热过程。 来自互联网

17 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句