Musical Comedy Adds 10 Tony Award Nominations to Its 2 Grants from the Hartford Foundation

A musical comedy that had its world premiere as a production of the Hartford Stage Company with the aid of a grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has been nominated for 10 Tony Awards, which are given annually to the best Broadway productions.

“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” which was developed and first performed at Hartford Stage in 2012, collected the largest number of Tony Award nominations, which were announced April 29. It opened on Broadway in November.

Top nominations are for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater. The two co-stars of the show, Jefferson Mays and Bryce Pinkham, have been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. The Hartford Stage’s artistic director Darko Tresnjak has been nominated for his first Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.

The Tony Awards are given annually by the nonprofit American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, the national trade association for theater owners and producers. Winners will be announced on June 8 during a CBS broadcast.

“Gentlemen’s Guide” received a $100,000 grant from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation in April of 2012. Previously, a $35,000 grant from the Garmany Fund supported a workshop to develop the show. Support for arts and cultural programs in Greater Hartford accounted for more than $3 million in grants awarded by the Hartford Foundation last year.

"Our friend Richard would have been so proud to have been a part of this extraordinarily successful production by Darko Tresnjak and the Hartford Stage Company,” said David Polk, a close friend of Richard Garmany and advisor to the Garmany Fund. “This in turn will further advance and promote the arts in Hartford. Our congratulations to all who helped make this wonderful achievement possible!"

“Gentleman’s Guide” has been described as a “deliciously witty musical romp through manner, mores and murder in Edwardian England.” The New York Timesreview called it a “delightful show.”

The book (script) is by Robert L. Freedman and the music by Steven Lutvak with lyrics by both Freedman and Lutvak. The musical, directed by Tresnjak, is based on a 1907 novel by Roy Horniman.

The Richard P. Garmany Fund is named in honor of a former Aetna executive who died in 2008 after creating a donor-advised fund at the Hartford Foundation through his will. Since its inception, more than 129 grants totaling more than $2.7 million have been awarded to regional nonprofits in a variety of fields including arts and culture, healthcare and the environment.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, established in 1925, is the community foundation for 29 communities in the Hartford region. It is dedicated to putting philanthropy into action to create lasting solutions that result in vibrant communities within the Greater Hartford region. It receives gifts from generous individuals, families and organizations, and in 2013 awarded grants of more than $29 million to a broad range of area nonprofits. For more information, visitwww.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.