Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Tony Nominations Announced

The Tony nominations were announced today, albeit delayed by technical difficulties stemming from a sound issue.  So, without further ado, here are the nominees:

Best Musical
An American in Paris
Fun Home
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Best Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Disgraced
Hand to G-d
Wolf Hall

Best Revival of a Play
Elephant Man
Skylight
This Is Our Youth
You Can't Take It With You

Best Revival of a Musical
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century

Book of a Musical
Craig Lucas, An American in Paris
Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell, Something Rotten!
Terrence McNally, The Visit

Best Original Score
Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Sting, The Last Ship
Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten!
John Kander and Fred Ebb, The Visit

Lead Actor in a Play
Stephen Boyer, Hand to G-d
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Lead Actress in a Play
Geneva Carr, Hand to G-d
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elizabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Featured Actor in a Play
Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall
Micah Stock, It's Only a Play

Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall
Sarah Styles, Hand to G-d
Julie White, Airline Highway

Lead Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An Anerican in Paris
Brian D'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Lead Actress in a Musical
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Featured Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Featured Actress in a Musical
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucak, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Director of a Play
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Scott Ellis, You Can't Take It With You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to G-d

Director of a Musical
Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Christopher Gitelli, The King and I
Scott Graham, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, An American in Paris
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship

Scenic Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Skylight
Wolf Hall
You Can't Take It With You

Scenic Design of a Musical
An American in Paris
On the Twentieth Century
The King and I
Fun Home

Costume Design of a Play
The Audience
You Can't Take It With You
Wolf Hall
Airline Highway

Costume Design of a Musical
Something Rotten
An American in Paris
On the Twentieth Century
The King and I

Lighting Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Wolf Hall
Skylight
Airline Highway

Lighting Design of a Musical
The King and I
An American in Paris
Fun Home
The Visit


It Shoulda Been You, Holler If Ya Hear Me, and Finding Neverland were entirely shutout.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Final Tony Predictions

All the shows are open, all the reviews are in.  The nominations come out Tuesday morning.  Here are my final thoughts on what they will look like.

Best Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Disgraced
Wolf Hall
Hand to G-d
The Audience
Alternate: Constellations

Best Revival of a Play
This is Our Youth
You Can't Take it With You
The Elephant Man
Skylight
Alternate: It's Only a Play or The Real Thing

Best Musical
Something Rotten!
The Visit
Fun Home
An American In Paris
Alternate: Finding Neverland

Best Revival of a Musical
On the 20th Century
The King and I
On the Town
Alternate: Side Show

Lead Actor in a Play
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall
Stephen Boyer, Hand to G-d
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alternate: Hari Dhillon, Disgraced

Lead Actress in a Play
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Real Thing
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Geneva Carr, Hand to G-d
Julie White, Airline Highway
Alternate: Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Featured Actor in a Play
Ian Barford, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Matthew Beard, Skylight
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall
Alternate: Mark Kudisch, Hand to G-d

Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Francesca Faridany, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Martha Plimpton, A Delicate Balance
Alternate: Tavi Gevinson, This is Our Youth

Lead Actor in a Musical
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Roger Rees, The Visit
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian D’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Alternate: Peter Gallagher, On the 20th Century

Lead Actress in a Musical
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Kristin Chenoweth, On the 20th Century
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Chita Rivera, The Visit
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Alternate: Emily Padgett, Side Show

Featured Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Tony Danza, Honeymoon in Vegas
Max von Essen, An American in Paris
Andy Karl, On the 20th Century
Alternate: Paul Alexander Nolan, Doctor Zhivago

Featured Actress in a Musical
Alysha Umphress, On the Town
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Mary Louise Wilson, On the 20th Century
Alternate: Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You

Book
The Visit
An American in Paris
Something Rotten!
Fun Home
Alternate: Finding Neverland

Score
The Last Ship
The Visit
Something Rotten!
Fun Home
Alternate: Finding Neverland

Director of a Musical
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Alternate: Sam Gold, Fun Home

Director of a Play
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Stephen Daldry, The Audience
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to G-d
Alternate: Scott Ellis, You Can't Take It With You

Choreography
An American in Paris
On the Town
Finding Neverland
Something Rotten
The King and I
Alternate: On the 20th Century

Orchestrations
An American in Paris
Something Rotten!
On the Town
Fun Home
Alternate: The King and I

Scenic Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Wolf Hall
Skylight
The Real Thing
Alternate: Hand to G-d

Scenic Design of a Musical
The Last Ship
On the 20th Century
Finding Neverland


An American in Paris
Fun Home
Alternate:

Costume Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Wolf Hall
Hand to G-d
The Audience
Alternate: It's Only a Play

Costume Design of a Musical
Dr. Zhivago
An American in Paris
The King and I
Finding Neverland
Alternate: Gigi

Lighting Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Wolf Hall
The Elephant Man
Skylight
Alternate: Hand to G-d

Lighting Design of a Musical
The Visit
Finding Neverland
Fun Home
The King and I
Alternate: Side Show

Friday, April 24, 2015

The Visit Opens on Broadway

The last musical of the 2014-2015 Broadway season has opened, thus closing out the year with a bang. The Visit, the last musical by the great team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, opened last night on Broadway to strong reviews.  The acting, singing, and dancing are all top notch, and even if the show is mediocre, it comes across as a winner.

Airline Highway Opens on Broadway

The last play of the Manhattan Theater Club season and the last play of the Broadway season overall, has opened on Broadway.  Airline Highway, written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Lisa D'Amour, opened last night at MTC's Broadway venue.  The reviews are in and the are quite good.  Charles Isherwood said that the play "brims with humor and pungent life.  It features a flawless cast led by Julie White, whose harrowing performance handily surpasses her superb prior work in lighter comedies."  Structurally, the play is a bit awkward, perhaps, but it reflects the characters and their circumstances.  Joe Mantello directed the production with his usual skill and aplomb.  The play has been compared to Tennessee Williams' The Hot L Baltimore and Lanford Wilson's Balm in Gilead.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Something Rotten! Opens on Broadway

The Broadway production of Something Rotten! opened last night at the Saint James Theatre.  The show has gotten some very interesting reviews.  The New York Times absolutely hated it, thinking it quite childish and frivolous.  Variety, however, absolutely loved it.  If The Producers, Urinetown, and The Book of Mormon are any indication, the show may be a success anyhow.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Doctor Zhivago Opens on Broadway

Doctor Zhivago: The Musical has opened on Broadway and the reviews are in.  The show, based on the 1957 Boris Pasternak novel and the subsequent 1965 movie, is reviewed as being comparable to shows from the British invasion of the 1980s, with their inherent enormous and splashy physical productions.  This one, however, is boring as can be because of the repetition of love scene followed by funeral followed by war.  There's not much to pull an audience into the story.  This productions best hope is to get the audiences to love the show and give it as long a run as other British invasion shows -- like Les Miserables or Miss Saigon (perhaps a better comparison, given the love-in-war themes) -- had.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

2015 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations Announced

The nominations for the 2015 Outer Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  These awards combine both Broadway and off-Broadway productions and are given out by the out of town critics -- much like the Golden Globes for film being given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.  And the nominees are …


Outstanding New Broadway Play
The Audience
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Wolf Hall

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
An American in Paris
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Between Riverside and Crazy
The City of Conversation
The Nether
Rasheeda Speaking
The Village Bike

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
A Christmas Memory
Disenchanted
The Fortress of Solitude
Hamilton
Lonesome Traveler

Outstanding Book of a Musical -- Broadway or Off-Broadway
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Outstanding New Score -- Broadway or Off-Broadway
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Outstanding Revival of a Play -- Broadway or Off-Broadway
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
The Heidi Chronicles
Skylight
You Can't Take it With You

Outstanding Revival of a Musical -- Broadway or Off-Broadway
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

Outstanding Director of a Play
Stephen Daldry, The Audience
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Scott Ellis, The Elephant Man
Scott Ellis, You Can't Take it With You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Scott Ellis, On the Twentieth Century
Thomas Kail, Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
David Hyde Pierce, It Shoulda Been You
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Outstanding Choreographer
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton
Warren Carlyle, On the Twentieth Century
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Outstanding Set Design -- Play or Musical
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
An American in Paris
Something Rotten!
On the Twentieth Century
The King and I

Outstanding Costume Design -- Play or Musical
Something Rotten!
The Audience
On the Twentieth Century
Wolf Hall
The King and I

Outstanding Lighting Design -- Play or Musical
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Something Rotten!
The Audience
An American in Paris
The Visit

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Greta Gerwig, The Village Bike
Jan Maxwell, The City of Conversation
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Tonya Pinkins, Rasheeda Speaking

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Brian D'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Peter Gallagher, On the Twentieth Century
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Paul Jesson, Wolf Hall
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall
Bryce Pinkham, The Heidi Chronicles

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Francesca Faridany, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Julie Halston, You Can't Take it With You
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
John Cariani, Something Rotten!
Josh Grisetti, It Shoulda Been You
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Paul Alexander Nolan, Doctor Zhivago
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Heidi Blickenstaff, Something Rotten!
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Megan Fairchild, On the Town
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Mary Louise Wilson, On the Twentieth Century

Outstanding Solo Performance
Joe Assadourian, The Bullpen
Jim Dale, Just Jim Dale
Tom Dugan, Wiesenthal
Cush Jumbo, Josephine and I
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

John Gassner Award (presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Ayad Akhtar, The Invisible Hand
Halley Feiffer, I'm Gonna Pray for You So Hard
Elizabeth Irwin, My Mañana Comes
Markus Potter, Stalking the Bogeyman
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

Living on Love Opens on Broadway

Renee Flemming has officially made her long awaited Broadway debut.  Living on Love is now open on Broadway and the reviews are in.  The play is a silly, light, frothy, entertaining night of theater but is nothing deep or thought provoking.  Ms. Flemming both does and does not fit the role of the diva she is playing; she has a large stage presence and a flamboyant attitude, but is too nice to fit the stereotype of a diva.  We shall see what happens next Tuesday when the Tony nominations are announced, but I doubt this will get much of anything.

Second Round of Tony Nomination Predictions

After several more openings this past week, I have created a second round of Tony nomination predictions for the 2014-2015 season.  I will list my predictions along with one honorable mention in each category which I believe has a strong shot but will come just shy of the nomination.

Best Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Disgraced
Wolf Hall
Hand to G-d
The Audience
Alternate: Constellations

Best Revival of a Play
The Real Thing
It's Only a Play
This is Our Youth
Skylight
Alternate: The Elephant Man or You Can't Take it With You

Best Musical
Something Rotten!
Finding Neverland
The Visit
Fun Home
An American In Paris
Alternate: Honeymoon in Vegas

Best Revival of a Musical
On the 20th Century
Side Show
The King and I
On the Town
Alternate: Gigi

Lead Actor in a Play
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Ewan McGregor, The Real Thing
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall
Stephen Boyer, Hand to G-d
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alternate: Hari Dhillon, Disgraced

Lead Actress in a Play
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Real Thing
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Glenn Close, A Delicate Balance
Lindsay Duncan, A Delicate Balance
Alternate: Gretchen Mol, Disgraced

Featured Actor in a Play
Ian Barford, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Nathan Lane, It's Only a Play
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall
Mark Kudisch, Hand to G-d
Josh Radnor, Disgraced
Alternate: James Earl Jones, You Can't Take it With You

Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Francesca Faridany, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall
Tavi Gevinson, This is Our Youth
Martha Plimpton, A Delicate Balance
Geneva Carr, Hand to G-d
Alternate: Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man

Lead Actor in a Musical
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Matthew Morrison, Finding Neverland
Tam Mutu, Dr. Zhivago
Brian D’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Alternate: Peter Gallagher, On the 20th Century or Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris

Lead Actress in a Musical
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Kristin Chenoweth, On the 20th Century
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Chita Rivera, The Visit
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Alternate: Emily Padgett, Side Show

Featured Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Brooks Ashmanskas, Something Rotten!
Tony Danza, Honeymoon in Vegas
Max von Essen, An American in Paris
Andy Karl, On the 20th Century
Alternate: Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!

Featured Actress in a Musical
Alysha Umphress, On the Town
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Ashley Park, The King and I
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Mary Louise Wilson, On the 20th Century
Alternate: Jackie Hoffman, On the Town

Book
The Visit
Finding Neverland
Dr. Zhivago
Fun Home
Alternate: Something Rotten!

Score
The Last Ship
Finding Neverland
Something Rotten!
Fun Home
Alternate: Honeymoon in Vegas

Director of a Musical
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Scott Ellis, On the 20th Century
Diane Paulus, Finding Neverland
Bart Sher, The King and I
Alternate: Des MacAnuff, Dr. Zhivago

Director of a Play
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to G-d
Alternate: Stephen Daldry, The Audience

Choreography
An American in Paris
On the Town
Finding Neverland
Something Rotten
Alternate: On the 20th Century

Orchestrations
An American in Paris
Finding Neverland
The King and I
Fun Home
Alternate: Something Rotten!

Scenic Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Wolf Hall
Skylight
The Real Thing
Alternate: Hand to G-d

Scenic Design of a Musical
The Last Ship
An American in Paris
Finding Neverland
Fun Home
Alternate: On the 20th Century

Costume Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Wolf Hall
Hand to G-d
The Audience
Alternate: It's Only a Play

Costume Design of a Musical
Dr. Zhivago
An American in Paris
The King and I
Finding Neverland
Alternate: Gigi

Lighting Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Wolf Hall
The Elephant Man
Skylight
Alternate: Hand to G-d

Lighting Design of a Musical
The Visit
Finding Neverland
Fun Home
The King and I
Alternate: Side Show

Sound Design of a Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Skylight
The Audience
Wolf Hall
Alternate: It's Only a Play

Sound Design of a Musical
Finding Neverland
The King and I
Fun Home
The Visit

Alternate: An American in Paris