Fonda 'Blogs' About Tony Loss, VARIATIONS Experience

Jane Fonda, star of the recent Broadway production 33 Variations, has taken to her blog to graciously speak about her Tony loss and the experience of returning to the stage.

Fonda writes, "I did not expect to win. From the very start, when people told me I would win, I appreciated their sentiments but never felt it was a Tony sort of role. Then, once I saw "Mary Stuart" and "God of Carnage" with the four other Tony nominees I felt I truly didn't deserve to win. Those performances were towering. Truth be known, the entire 5 month experience was the prize for me and I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to return to Broadway and discover how much I like being on stage and performing night after night."

To read Fonda's complete blog entry, click here.

The critically acclaimed production of Moisés Kaufman's 33 Variations starring Jane Fonda ended its limited run Thursday, May 21st, 2009 at the EuGene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street).

33 Variations was nominated for five Tony Awards, winning the Tony for Best Scenic Design of a Play (Derek McLane). Additional Tony nominations include Best Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Jane Fonda), Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Zach Grenier) and Best Lighting Design of a Play (David Lander); three Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Actress in a Play (Jane Fonda), Outstanding Set Design of a Play (Derek McLane), Outstanding Sound Design (André J. Pluess); five Outer Critic's Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Play (Moisés Kaufman), Outstanding Director of a Play (Moisés Kaufman), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Zach Grenier), Outstanding Set Design (Derek McLane), Outstanding Lighting Design (David Lander); two Drama League Awards including Distinguished Production of a Play (Moisés Kaufman) and Distinguished Performance Award (Jane Fonda). Colin Hanks received a Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut.

The Tectonic Theater Project's production of 33 VARIATIONS was produced on Broadway by David Binder, Ruth Hendel, Barbara Whitman, Goldberg/Mills, Latitude Link, Arielle Tepper Madover, Bill Resnick, Eric Schnall, Jayne Baron Sherman and Willis/True Love Productions. Tectonic Theater Project is the award winning non-profit theater company behind such plays as The Laramie Project and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, as well as nationally recognized arts education programs in high schools and universities around the country.

David Binder (A Raisin in the Sun) presented the Tectonic Theater Project's production of 33 VARIATIONS, starring Jane Fonda (Katherine Brandt), Samantha Mathis (Clara Brandt), Colin Hanks (Mike Clark), Zach Grenier (Beethoven), Don Amendolia (Anton Diabelli), Susan Kellermann (Dr. Gertie Ladenburger), Erik Steele (Anton Schindler) and Diane Walsh (Pianist), written and directed by Moisés Kaufman.

The design team included Derek McLane (Sets), Janice Pytel (Costumes), David C. Woolard (Additional Costumes), David Lander (Lights), André Pluess (Sound), Jeff Sugg (Projection Design), Charles LaPointe (Hair/Wig Design), Daniel Pelzig (Choreography) and Mark Bly (Dramaturg).

Moisés Kaufman is both the author and director of 33 VARIATIONS. This production marks his Broadway debut as a playwright. In addition to being the Artistic Director of Tectonic Theater Project, Moisés Kaufman is a Tony and Emmy nominated director and award-winning playwright for I Am My Own Wife & The Laramie Project.

Jane Fonda headed a cast of eight in 33 VARIATIONS, a new American play written and directed by Moisés Kaufman. 33 VARIATIONS tells the story of Katherine Brandt (Jane Fonda) trying to solve a centuries-old mystery about the world's greatest composer. Katherine's obsession takes her from present-day New York to 19th century Austria. As the music that consumes Katherine comes to life on stage, she races against time to find common ground with her daughter and to embrace the legacy of her own life.

Oscar & Emmy Award winning Jane Fonda made her Broadway debut in the 1960 play There Was a Little Girl for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured actress. Her last appearance on Broadway was in the 1963 drama Strange Interlude. 33 VARIATIONS marks her return to Broadway after 46 years. Samantha Mathis returns to Broadway following her performance of "Hester Falk" in Arthur Miller's The Man Who Had All the Luck opposite Chris O'Donnell. TV credits include a recurring role on "Grey's Anatomy" ("Melinda"), "Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day" and "Lost". Movie credits include Pump up the Volume, The Thing called Love, American Psycho, and upcoming The New Daughter alongside Kevin Costner. Colin Hanks is making his Broadway debut following a recurring role on AMC's "Mad Men" ("Father John Gill"). His movie credits include W., The House Bunny and King Kong. Zach Grenier portrayed the role of "Beethoven" in 33 Variations at La Jolla Playhouse and was most recently on Broadway in A Man for All Seasons starring Frank Langella.

33 VARIATIONS was selected by the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) to receive the 2008 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award for the regional premiere at Arena Stage.

33 VARIATIONS premiered on August 30, 2007 at Arena Stage, Washington, D.C. (Molly Smith, Artistic Director & Guy Bergquist, Interim Managing Director). A production of 33 Variations was produced in 2008 by The La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, California (Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director & Joan Cumming, Managing Director). 33 Variations was developed with assistance from The Sundance Institute Theatre Program, The Orchard Project Theatre Residency Program, The Davis Performing Arts Center and Theater and Performance Studies at Georgetown University, and the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus