Scottsboro Boys: box office fail, critical win

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The cast of The Scottsboro Boys, music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, book by David Thompson. Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. On the McGuire Proscenium Stage of the Guthrie Theater through September 25, 2010.

Photo credit: Paul Kolnik.

The Tony Award nominations are out, and local Guthrie fans are sure to recognize one show on the list: Scottsboro Boys.

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A minstrel-style musical about the trial of a group of black men, Scottsboro Boys ran on the Guthrie's proscenium stage last August and September, received generally glowing reviews in its pre-Broadway warm-up run.

But once on Broadway, the show failed to draw an audience, and closed after a short run and lackluster ticket sales.

Still, that didn't prevent the show from getting 12 nominations this morning, second only to "The Book of Mormon."

Scottsboro Boys is nominated for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (twice), Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and Best Sound Design of a Musical.