Photo Coverage: SCOTTSBORO BOYS Protesters Crash the Tonys

Not everyone is in a celebratory mood on the Upper West Side tonight.  In protest of The Scottsboro Boys 12 Tony nominations, naysayers have taken over the sidewalk outside of the Beacon Theatre. BroadwayWorld caught the commotion a few minutes ago.

This is not the first time the production has been the target of protesters.  The Freedom Party and others were frequent visitors of the Lyceum Theatre throughout the show's run last fall, making headlines for the show. The protesters find the show problematic for the racially sensitive content, though it is worthy of note that most (if not all) of the most ardent protesters did not see the play.

Based on the notorious ‘Scottsboro' case in the 1930s (in which nine African-American men were unjustly accused of a terrible crime) this daring and wildly entertaining musical explores a fascinating chapter in American history with brilliant originality. This critically-acclaimed production, directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers) and featuring a book by David Thompson (who adapted the script for Chicago's record-breaking revival), comes to Broadway following a sold-out run at the Vineyard Theatre.

The production is the winner of the 2010 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and the 2010 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical and a 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics. The show was also nominated for four AUDELCO Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre, including Outstanding Musical Production.

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS had its world premiere in 2010 at the Vineyard Theatre (Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director). The show was further developed this summer in a critically acclaimed production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis (Joe Dowling, Artistic Director), where it played from July 31 through September 25 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage.

The production played Broadway from October 31, 2010 to December 12, 2010. 

Photo Credit: BWW Staff

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