Hats off to David Cromer, who just netted his first Tony Award! Cromer won in the Best Director of a Musical category for his work on The Band’s Visit. The other nominees in the category were Michael Arden for Once On This Island, Tina Landau for SpongeBob SquarePants, Casey Nicholaw for Mean Girls and Bartlett Sher for My Fair Lady.
The Band's Visit marks Cromer's first Tony nomination and win. His other Broadway directing credits include Brighton Beach Memoirs and The House of Blue Leaves. Off-Broadway, Cromer has netted four Obie Awards and three Lucille Lortel Awards.
The Band's Visit is based on Eran Kolirin’s 2007 film about an Egyptian police band that arrives in Israel to play a concert. After a mix-up at the border, they are sent to a remote village in the middle of the desert. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways.
Many congrats to Cromer on his first Tony win! Check out show clips from The Band's Visit below.