Celebrating Pride Month: "Angels in America" wins 4 Tony Awards 1993

Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, a play by Tony Kushner, won four Tony Awards at the 47th annual ceremony, held June 6, 1993. The play focuses on homosexuality and AIDS in the US during the 1980s.  It premiered on Broadway in 1993.  

The play received much controversy due to the blunt treatment of AIDS, homosexuality, and male nudity, leading to funding cuts for art funding in some cities. But Angels in America was received well by critics and it won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

It took home honors for Best Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Ron Leibman, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Stephen Spinella, and Best Direction of a Play for George C. Wolfe.  Angels was also nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Joe Mantello, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Kathleen Chalfant, and Best Scenic Design.  

Also that night, Madeline Kahn won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her performance in The Sisters Rosenweig.  Andrea Martin won Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in My Favorite Year.

Happy birthday, comedienne extraordinaire Andrea Martin!

One of my favorite actresses/comediennes Andrea Martin, born January 15, 1947 in Portland, Maine, has won Primetime Emmys and Tony Awards, and many more nominations for her comedy and acting.  She won an Emmy in 1982 and 1983 for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for her work on SCTV, and received 8 more nominations. She has won two Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, the first in 1993 for My Favorite Year, and in 2013 for Pippin.  She has been nominated for four more Tonys. 

She appeared in one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where she appeared as Quark's mom in Family Business.

In this clip, she performs with Carol Burnett in a Star Trek parody.  I think she showcases her talent beautifully here.

Star Trek: Deep Space 9 episode "Family Business" airs 1995

The twenty-third episode of the third season of Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Family Business, is one of my favorites because it stars the incomparable Andrea Martin, one of the funniest comediennes ever.  She appears as Ishka, mother to Quark (Armin Shimerman) and Rom (Max Grodenchik), who are horrified when they learn their mother has been wearing clothes and making profits, absolutely forbidden for Ferengi women.

Happy birthday, Andrea Martin!

Beautiful, talented and funny Andrea Martin, born January 15, 1947, is one of the funniest comediennes in the world today. She came to the attention of most American audiences during her time in Second City TV, Canada's version of Saturday Night Live. I loved her as Aunt Voula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but when she appeared in the Deep Space Nine episode of Family Business as Ishka, Quark's mother, I realized that I would worship her forever.

Star Trek Parody-Carol Burnett Show

This is what happens when you get two comedic geniuses like Carol Burnett and Andrea Martin together!  It's too funny not to share!