`The Kentucky Cycle' A Surprising Entry In The Tony Race -- A Bit Of Redemption After Broadway Bust

"The Kentucky Cycle" had a dismal Broadway run of only 24 performances, and received the cold shoulder from most New York critics.

But the six-hour historical family drama by Robert Schenkkan, which premiered at Seattle's Intiman Theatre in 1991, won a bit of redemption yesterday: three Tony Award nominations, including one as best new play of the 1993-'94 Broadway season.

Reached at his home in Seattle, Schenkkan said yesterday he knew the Tony nomination was a possibility, "but I wouldn't have bet money on it. I'm very, very pleased." Will he go to New York for the Tony awards ceremony next month? "Absolutely," he said.

Schenkkan also expressed delight that two of the show's original cast members - Seattle actress Jeanne Paulsen and Los Angeles actor Gregory Itzin - were nominated for Tonys as "featured" (supporting) actors in a drama.

Schenkkan says he harbors no lingering bitterness over the shelling "The Kentucky Cycle" got in New York, after a sweeter reception on the West Coast and a Pulitzer Prize. But he added, "Of course, I'm very disappointed about the short run, and I attribute it largely to the review by (former New York Times critic) Frank Rich."

He also deemed it "a mistake and an oversight" that Intiman artistic director Warner Shook, who staged "The Kentucky Cycle" here and in New York, was not nominated for his direction of the play, nor Stacy Keach for his lead performance.

Schenkkan said he is writing a new play "that runs under two hours." Intiman will produce it, perhaps as early as next season.

Though the nomination was good news for Schenkkan, the nod to "The Kentucky Cycle" over Neil Simon's more critically and financially successful "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" surprises many.

Also competing for the Tony's drama prize are: "Broken Glass," Arthur Miller's most popular Broadway entry in many years; Anna Deavere Smith's one-woman oral history of the Los Angeles riots, "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992"; and "Perestroika," Part II of the panoramic Tony Kushner AIDS drama, "Angels in America."

"The Kentucky Cycle" is a dark horse: the Tony usually goes to a new play that's still running and may even turn a profit. But there's no obvious frontrunner this year, and the winner is anyone's guess.

New plays of any kind were few and far between on Broadway this season, but original musicals are also in short supply. "Passion" and "Beauty and the Beast," the two top contenders in that Tony category, couldn't be more opposite in style, tone and appeal - yet they're similar in probing the transformational power of love, and confirming that beauty's only skin-deep.

"Passion," a stark, brooding mini-opera about an obsessive romance, earned 10 nominations, including recognition for composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, for the show's two stars (Donna Murphy as an ugly duckling and Jere Shea as a soldier whose love liberates her), and for director-librettist James Lapine.

"Beauty and the Beast," a blow-out stage adaptation of the popular Walt Disney family film, got a total of nine nominations. Susan Egan (Belle) and Terrence Mann (Beast) were singled out for accolades, as were composer Alan Menken and his two lyricists: Tim Rice and the late Howard Ashman.

Other shows vying for best musical are the short-lived "A Grand Night for Singing" (a celebration of Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes), and "Cyrano - the Musical," a Dutch production that cost (and lost) millions. Overlooked was "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Goes Public," a roundly trounced sequel to an earlier Broadway hit.

In the more abundant field of musical revivals, the Tony nominees are: the Royal National Theatre's transfer of "Carousel"; a revamped "Damn Yankees" from San Diego's Old Globe Theatre; a warmly praised "She Loves Me"; and a poor contender (considering the critical bashing it has drawn), the Tommy Tune-supervised "Grease." Noticeably absent from the list is "My Fair Lady," which closed soon after star Richard Chamberlain left the cast.

Chamberlain was not among the lead musical actors nominated for a Tony. Nor, strikingly, was Michael Hayden, a hunky Billy Bigelow in "Carousel." Those nominated alongside Mann ("Beauty and the Beast") and Shea ("Passion") are Boyd Gaines ("She Loves Me") and Victor Garber ("Damn Yankees").

Vying for the award for best actress in a musical, in addition to Murphy ("Passion") and Egan ("Beauty and the Beast"), are Dee Hoty ("Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public") and Judy Kuhn ("She Loves Me").

The play revivals selected by the Tony committee are: two dynamo London transplants, "An Inspector Calls" and "Medea"; Lincoln Center's "Abe Lincoln in Illinois"; and the National Actor's Theatre version of "Timon of Athens."

Nominated as best actress in a drama (new or revival) are Nancy Marchand ("Black Comedy"), Diana Rigg ("Medea"), Joan Rivers ("Sally Marr . . . and her escorts"), and Anna Deavere Smith ("Twilight: L.A."). Noticeably absent: Amy Irving, star of "Broken Glass."

Bids for best actor in a drama go to Brian Bedford ("Timon of Athens"), Christopher Plummer ("No Man's Land"), Stephen Spinella ("Angels in America"), and Sam Waterston ("Abe Lincoln in Illinois"). Glaringly absent: Jason Robards, Plummer's colleague in "No Man's Land."

The 48th Tony Awards ceremony will take place June 12 and be broadcast live on CBS. West Coast viewers will see a tape delay, beginning at 9 p.m. The co-hosts are Irving and Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins.