2014-2015 Season Wrap-Up

Well, it's all over, folks.  The Tony Awards were last night and have already claimed their first victim.  The Visit, Chita Rivera's triumphant (and Tony-nominated) return to Broadway, has announced its closing.  The show will play its final performance next Sunday, June 14h, 2015.  This seems to have been one of my better years in terms of predictions; I got 21 of 24 categories correct, only missing Costume Design of a Musical and Featured Actor and Actress in a Musical.  With that in mind, I'm taking the summer off and will start posting again at the end of August or the beginning of September with my season starter.

Final Tony Predictions

Well, I just saw Hand to G-d today and the Tony Awards ceremony starts in less than an hour, so I guess it's time to post my final predictions.


Best Play
Will Win: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dark Horse: Hand to G-d

Best Musical
Will Win: Fun Home
Should Win: Fun Home
Dark Horse: An American in Paris

Best Revival of a Play
Will Win: Skylight
Should Win: Skylight
Dark Horse: You Can't Take it With You

Best Revival of a Musical
Will Win: The King and I
Should Win: On the Town
Dark Horse: On the Twentieth Century

Best Actor in a Play
Will Win: Alex Sharp in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: Steven Boyer, Hand to G-d
Dark Horse: Steven Boyer, Hand to G-d

Best Actress in a Play

Will Win: Helen Mirren, The Audience
Should Win: Helen Mirren, The Audience
Dark Horse: Carey Mulligan, Skylight

Best Featured Actor in a Play

Will Win: Richard McCabe, The Audience
Should Win: Richard McCabe, The Audience
Dark Horse: Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man

Best Featured Actress in a Play

Will Win: Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Should Win: Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Dark Horse: Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall

Best Actor in a Musical

Will Win: Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Should Win: Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Dark Horse: Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris

Best Actress in a Musical

Will Win: Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Should Win: Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Dark Horse: Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Will Win: Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Should Win: Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Dark Horse: Christian Borle, Something Rotten!

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Will Win: Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Should Win: Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Dark Horse: Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I

Best Director of a Play
Will Win: Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dark Horse: Stephen Daldry, Skylight

Best Director of a Musical
Will Win: Sam Gold, Fun Home
Should Win: Sam Gold, Fun Home
Dark Horse: John Rando, On the Town

Best Book of a Musical
Will Win: Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Should Win: Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Dark Horse: Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell, Something Rotten!

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Will Win: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Should Win: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Dark Horse: Sting, The Last Ship

Best Choreography
Will Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Should Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Dark Horse: Joshua Bergasse, On the Town

Best Orchestrations
Will Win: Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, and Bill Elliot, An American in Paris
Should Win: Rob Mathes, The Last Ship
Dark Horse: John Clancy, Fun Home

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Will Win: Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dark Horse: Bob Crowley, Skylight

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Will Win: Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
Should Win: Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
Dark Horse: David Zinn, Fun Home

Best Costume Design of a Play
Will Win: Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall
Should Win: Bob Crowley, The Audience
Dark Horse: Bob Crowley, The Audience

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Will Win: William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Should Win: William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Dark Horse: Catherine Zuber, The King and I

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Will Win: Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dark Horse: Natasha Katz, Skylight

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Will Win: Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Should Win: Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Dark Horse: Japhy Wiedeman, The Visit

First Tony Predictions

I know I usually put these up much sooner but this is a rather tough year for the Tony Awards, particularly with all the changes in the numbers of nominees in certain high-level categories.  With that in mind, here are my first predictions for the 2015 Tony Awards.

Best Play
Will Win: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dark Horse: Hand to G-d

Best Musical
Will Win: Fun Home
Should Win: Fun Home
Dark Horse: An American in Paris

Best Revival of a Play

Will Win: You Can't Take it With You
Should Win: Skylight
Dark Horse: The Elephant Man

Best Revival of a Musical

Will Win: On the Town
Should Win: On the Twentieth Century
Dark Horse: On the Twentieth Century

Best Actor in a Play

Will Win: Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dark Horse: Steven Boyer, Hand to G-d

Best Actress in a Play

Will Win: Helen Mirren, The Audience
Should Win: Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Dark Horse: Carey Mulligan, Skylight

Best Featured Actor in a Play

Will Win: Richard McCabe, The Audience
Should Win: Richard McCabe, The Audience
Dark Horse: Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man

Best Featured Actress in a Play

Will Win: Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Should Win: Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Dark Horse: Julie White, Airline Highway

Best Actor in a Musical

Will Win: Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Should Win: Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Dark Horse: Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best Actress in a Musical

Will Win: Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Should Win: Kristin Chenowith, On the Twentieth Century
Dark Horse: Kelli O'Hara, The King & I

Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Will Win: Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Should Win: Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Dark Horse: Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Best Featured Actress in a Musical

Will Win: Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Should Win: Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Dark Horse: Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Best Director of a Play

Will Win: Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dark Horse: Stephen Daldry, Skylight

Best Director of a Musical

Will Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Should Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Dark Horse: Sam Gold, Fun Home

Best Book of a Musical

Will Win: Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Should Win: Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Dark Horse: Karey Kirkpatric and John O'Farrell, Something Rotten

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Will Win: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Should Win: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Dark Horse: Sting, The Last Ship

Best Choreography

Will Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Should Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Dark Horse: Joshua Bergasse, On the Town

Best Orchestrations

Will Win: John Clancy, Fun Home
Should Win: John Clancy, Fun Home
Dark Horse: Rob Mathes, The Last Ship

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Will Win: Bob Crowley, Skylight
Should Win: Bob Crowley, Skylight
Dark Horse: Bunny Christie & Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Will Win: Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
Should Win: Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
Dark Horse: David Zinn, Fun Home

Best Costume Design of a Play

Will Win: Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall
Should Win: Bob Crowley, The Audience
Dark Horse: Bob Crowley, The Audience

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Will Win: William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Should Win: William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Dark Horse: Catherine Zuber, The King and I

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Will Win: Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Should Win: Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dark Horse: Natasha Katz, Skylight

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Will Win: Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Should Win: Japhy Weideman, The Visit
Dark Horse: Ben Stanton, Fun Home

An Act of G-d Opens on Broadway

The first show of the 2015-2016 Broadway season has opened and the reviews are in.  And boy are they a doozy.  Charles Isherwood of The New York Times absolutely loved both the show and its star, Jim Parsons.  He gave the show the type of review that would have certainly given Mr. Parsons a strong shot at a Tony nomination if the show opened closer to the end of the season.  Of course, given that the 2014-2015 season just ended and the Tony Awards for that cycle won't happen for another week, the show (playing at the Roundabout's Studio 54) will be incredibly forgotten by the time next year's Tony's come around.

Marilyn Stasio of Variety Magazine, on the other hand, absolutely hated the show, calling it boring and trite.  The style of humor is not one she appreciates or enjoys.

Robert Kahn gave a thoroughly middle-of-the-road review of the show -- neither good nor bad.

It seems to me that the show will be very popular among a small niche market but will not last in people's memories once they walk out the door.  It may, due to its content and small cast, have a decent life as a community theater production, but that's about the extent of it.

Tony Performances Announced

The list of performances that will be appearing at this year's Tony Awards has been announced.  The casts of The King & I and On The Town will perform medleys from their respective shows.  Chita Rivera will be performing a number from her current Tony-nominated run in The Visit.  There will also be performances from the new musicals Fun Home, Something Rotten! and Finding Neverland.

Tuck Everlasting to Live on Broadway

A musical adaptation of the novel and movie Tuck Everlasting will make its way to Broadway next year.  The show will open at a to-be-named Shubert house on April 17, 2016.  The novel, written in 1976, and the subsequent 1981 and 2002 feature film adaptations, are about an immortal boy and a girl who falls in love with him.  This production premiered at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre starring Andrew Keenan-Bolger in the title role.  Casting for the Broadway run has not yet been announced.

Good News for Mongkut

There is good news in Siam.  The current Broadway revival of Rogers and Hammerstein's The King & I, which was originally slated for a limited run at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre, has announced that the production will extend indefinitely.  The show will also be launching a national tour starting in November 2016.

Second Tony Casualty

The 2015 Tony nominations have taken their second casualty (and I have a feeling that casualty number three is not far behind -- It Shoulda Been You, I'm looking at you).  Doctor Zhivago has posted its closing notice tonight.  The show will officially end its run this coming Sunday, May 10th after playing 26 previews and 23 regular performances.  The show began previews on March 27th and opened on April 21st to strong negative reviews.

First Tony Casualty

The first casualty of the 2015 Tony nominations has occurred.  Living on Love, which received no Tony nominations this year, has posted its closing notice.  The show, which features Renee Flemming in her Broadway debut, will close on May 3rd, 2015, after 21 previews and 15 regular performances.

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.