Tommy Tune
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Question: Would you consider doing a Tommy Tune sitcom?Tune: "No! TV is too boring! What kind of perfection can you hope to achieve in a 28-minute show once a week? ... The best things on television are commercials, because they spend a lot of money and time on them."--From nTheater, October 24, 1997.
"I did 900 shows [of 'EFX']. When the contract was over, I felt very proud that I had fulfilled it, but it was the hardest thing I ever did. I had 13 costume changes per show, which is really a lot; I hung upside down; I rose up, I came down, I flew over the audience. We did 10 shows a week in Vegas but it's two shows a night, so we actually have two days off-like a weekend-which I had never had in my life in show business." --Tommy Tune on his turn in the Las Vegas extravaganza "EFX" quoted in "Charles Nelson's Casts and Forecasts" column on the Web site Theatermania.com, January 11, 2002.
Biography
An amiable, lanky 6' 7" former chorus dancer, Tommy Tune has inherited the mantle of his mentor, the late Michael Bennett, as one of the few director-choreographers working in contemporary American theater. He is unique, however, in that he is also a musical theater star. In fact, Tune, who has won nine Tony Awards, is the only individual to have won the medallion in four different categories. Born and raised in Texas, Tune headed to NYC in the early 1960s and on his first day in Manhattan landed his first job in the chorus of a touring company of "Irma La Douce." He first worked with Michael Bennett as a chorus dancer in the Broadway show "A Joyful Noise" (1966) and had his breakthrough under Bennett's guidance, playing the first openly gay character in a musical, the choreographer David in "Seesaw" (1973-74). Tune won his first Tony as Featured Actor in a Musical for the role, which had him tap dancing to a New York State statute ("Chapter 54, Number 1909") and provided him with the showstopping, balloon-filled eleven-o'clock number "It's Not Where You Start."
Despite this acclaim, Tune was not able to find a suitable follow-up role, Instead, he turned to directing with the gender-bending Off-Broadway "The Club" (1976), which featured an all-female cast in male drag. He handled similar terrain with Caryl Churchill's "Cloud 9" (1981), which had its cast playing characters of both genders. Tune segued to choreographing and staging musicals in tandem with Thommie Walsh and Peter Masterson respectively with "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1978). He has gone on to earn numerous accolades and awards for his polished, stylish musical stagings of such Broadway musicals as ""A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine" (1980), "Nine" (1982), the highly-stylized musical version of Fellini's "8 1/2"; "My One and Only" (1983), the Broadway version of the film classic "Grand Hotel" (1990), and "The Will Rogers Follies" (1991).
In 1983, Tune scored a personal triumph as star, director and co-choreographer of "My One and Only," a reworking of the Gershwin musical "Funny Face." Re-teaming with British model-turned-actress Twiggy (with whom he had co-starred in Ken Russell's "The Boy Friend" in 1971). he proved a delight, invoking the ghost of Fred Astaire who had originated the role. After a long hiatus. Tune resumed performing opposite Ann Reinking in a touring company of "Bye Bye Birdie" in 1991. He has continued to perform his nightclub act "Tommy Tune Tonight!" (backed by the Manhattan Rhythm Kings) around the USA. His anticipated return to Broadway in 1995's "Busker Alley," a musicalization of the 1938 Charles Laughton starrer "St Martin's Lane," was curtailed when he broke his foot while performing in Tampa, FL. During his recovery from his injury, Tune recorded his first solo album, "Slow Dancing," and penned his memoirs. "Footnotes" (both 1997). In 1998, it was announced that he was working on a musical stage adaptation of the Irving Berlin movie musical "Easter Parade" which would team him with Sandy Duncan. A 1999 Broadway opening was anticipated.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Music (Special)
Cast (Short)
Life Events
1965
Broadway debut, in chorus of musical "Baker Street"
1966
First collaboration with Michael Bennett, a chorus role in "A Joyful Noise"
1969
Film debut as Ambrose Kemper in "Hello, Dolly!", directed by Gene Kelly
1969
Regular on the NBC variety series, "Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers"
1969
Choreographed US tour of musical "Canterbury Tales"
1971
Had featured role in Ken Russell's film "The Boy Friend"; co-starred with Twiggy
1973
Breakthrough stage role as the homosexual choreographer David in Michael Bennett's production of "Seesaw"; won first Tony Award
1976
Off-Broadway directorial debut, "The Club"
1978
Co-directed (with Peter Masterson) and co-choreographed (with Thommie Walsh) the stage musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"
1980
Directed and co-choreographed (with Walsh) "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine"; won second Tony Award
1982
Staged the stage musical "Nine", based on Fellini's "8 1/2"; show received five Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director (Tune's third)
1983
Played the leading role in the of musical "My One and Only", a reworking of the Gershwin musical "Funny Face" co-starring Twiggy; also directed and co-choreographed with Thommie Walsh; won Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical and Best Choreography (his fourth and fifth)
1987
Had first failure as director with the play "Stepping Out"
1990
Choreographed and directed the musical "Grand Hotel"; won sixth and seventh Tony Awards
1990
Did uncredited staging of Shirley MacLaine's number "I'm Still Here" in Mike Nichols' "Postcards From the Edge"
1991
Staged and choreographed "The Will Rogers Follies"; earned eighth and ninth Tony Awards; show also named Best Musical
1991
Co-starred with Ann Reinking in a touring company of "Bye Bye Birdie"
1993
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
1993
Performed his nightclub act "Tommy Tune Tonight!", with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings
1994
Had first Broadway flop with the sequel "The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public"
1995
Broke foot on tour forcing cancellation of Broadway-bound musical "Busker Alley" (formerly called "Stage Door Charley"
1997
Released first solo album "Slow Dancing"
1997
Published his memoirs "Footnotes"
1998
Announced to play the lead, direct, co-author book and choreograph stage musical adaptation of Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade" to co-star Sandy Duncan; production cancelled
1999
Succeeded David Cassidy as the star of the Las Vegas musical "EFX"
2001
Performed with The Manhattan Rhythm Kings in a touring stage show
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Question: Would you consider doing a Tommy Tune sitcom?Tune: "No! TV is too boring! What kind of perfection can you hope to achieve in a 28-minute show once a week? ... The best things on television are commercials, because they spend a lot of money and time on them."--From nTheater, October 24, 1997.
"I did 900 shows [of 'EFX']. When the contract was over, I felt very proud that I had fulfilled it, but it was the hardest thing I ever did. I had 13 costume changes per show, which is really a lot; I hung upside down; I rose up, I came down, I flew over the audience. We did 10 shows a week in Vegas but it's two shows a night, so we actually have two days off-like a weekend-which I had never had in my life in show business." --Tommy Tune on his turn in the Las Vegas extravaganza "EFX" quoted in "Charles Nelson's Casts and Forecasts" column on the Web site Theatermania.com, January 11, 2002.
