By Jacob Casha
The American Theatre Wing’s renowned Tony Awards—held annually in New York City—celebrated its 78th edition on Monday morning AEST, recognising excellence in Broadway theatre with that characteristic Broadway grandeur.
And amidst the whirlwind of flashy dresses and ostentatious, fake-pocketed suits was the proud, grounded presence of Burdekin-born-and-raised Neil Gooding—whose works were recognised with four Tonys and a further six nominations at the event.
His projects Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical and Sunset Blvd. helped actors Jak Malone (Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical) and Pop icon-turned-stage powerhouse Nicole Scherzinger (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical) take home Tonys for their acting performances, while Sunset Blvd. also secured Best Lighting Design of a Musical and Best Revival of a Musical.
Operation Mincemeat was also nominated for Best Musical, while Gooding’s third nominated musical, Gypsy, was in the running for Best Revival of a Musical, alongside Sunset Blvd.
The former Ayr State High student is no stranger to seeing his work garner widespread acclaim, with previous efforts earning him nominations for Best Direction of a Musical at both the Helpmann Awards and the Green Room Awards for Gutenberg! The Musical!, as well as a Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Dogfight.
Now based in the concrete jungle that is New York City—a wild paradox to his roots in Ayr—Gooding doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, proudly waving the Burdekin flag on the world’s biggest theatre stage.
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