skynyc

Now that nominatons are out...and Laurie Metcalf was only eligible in this categroy for Little Bear Ridge Road and was overlooked, I do think that Lesley Manville has the Best Actress in a Play in the bag. Rose Byrne and Kelli O'Hara will cancel each other out, Carrie Coon and Susannah Flood were in smaller shows that are long closed. Manville, even though Oedipus closed in the Fall, gave the performance of the year. Jean Smart SHOULD have been nominated. I think Laurie Metcalf will win as Best Featured Actress in a Play because her Linda Loman is so different that any I've seen previously. I was surprised that she wasn't in the Lead actress category. The other ladies were all wonderful. I think both Jane Squib and Marylouise Burke are fabulous, but as the "senior" performers, they may cancel each other...and they're both in shows produced by Non-Profits, so the producing team (who vote) is much smaller. Aya Cash is lovely, and manages to stand up against Lithgow. Betsy Aidem was amazing, but for me Liberation was such an ensemble show. I'll say again and again...the Tonys need to have an ENSEMBLE award.

Yes, Jeezifonly...you're so right. Most awards are all about marketing and politics, and I'm not a fan. The Tonys are interesting to me because I find theater to be my major form of entertainment and I'm so frustrated when marketing and politics take the stage. REalizing I should have just created one Tony nominations thread so I could rant in one space about the nods. Next year. These nominations here are not surprising. I am thrilled that Luke Evans was nominated. But I think Josh Henry should be making room on his shelf for a Tony. As for Best actress...I was surprised that Lea was not nominated. Wonder if her absences have anything to do with it. Not that the other nominees aren't terrific. I think Caissie Levy will also prevail handily. Ragtime got so many perfomers nominated. I think it will win both Best Lead role performances. Not sure about Featured. I don't know if Nichelle Lweis will win, but the other performers in her category are so diverse and all strong. I think I would vote for Ana Gasteyer. And Actor? I'm pretty sure Ben Levi Ross will not continue the Ragtime love. If I were a voter, it would be tough. I'd have to go see Titanique and Cats again to compare Andre DeShields and Layton Williams.

Of the 34 shows opening this year on Broadway, only 11 were musicals. 5 revivals and 6 originals. And while the show pickings are slim, the performances are not. The producers of Rocky Horror put Andrew Durant up for Leading Actor, which allowed the eligibility in the category to be large enough (9) for five nominees. And I heard that the producers of Ragtime were thinking of putting Brandon Uranowitz in the Supporting Category so he wouldn't have to compete with Joshua Henry in the Lead Actor race, but that didn't happen.. Josh and Brandon are both locks for nods, as are Sam Tutty for Two Strangers, and Nicholas Christopher in Chess. The fifth slot will probably go to either Luke Evans for Rocky Horror or LJ Benet for Lost Boys. I'd pick Luke but I bet LJ gets the spot. Alex Brightman doesn't really sing, and although the lead, seems secondary to the other gents in the story, Aaron Tveit sings beautifully, but doesn't soar as Freddy, and I don't think Andrew D's Brad has enough "oomph" to carry him into the list. The actress category is a tougher call. There are 10 eligible performers and I think only three of them are sure-things. Lea Michele, Caissie Levy, and Marla Mindelle. There are several who I don't think are real contenders, Christine Sherill (Mamma Mia), Stephanie Hsu (Rocky Horror), and Kelli Barrett (Beaches) Which leaves Christiani Pitts (Two Strangers), Jessica Vosk (Beaches) Kristen Chenoweth (Queen of Versailles) and Sara Chase (Schmigadoon) up for the last two slots. Chenoweth is a Broadway darling, but the show was not good and came and went quickly. But if they want her to be at the awards, they're going to have to nominate her. Christiani Pitts is great in Two Strangers, but her character is so underdeveloped that it's tough to like her. I love Jessica Vosk, who makes Beaches worth going to...maybe the token nod for this show. And Sara Chase is great in Schmigadoon, but is overshadowed by the terrific Featured performers. Me? I'd pick Vosk and Chenoweth. but I suspect it will be Pitts and Chase. LOL

I'm back. LOL. Another incredible set of performances in Plays. How annoying is it that Tonys still haven't updated their categories to enter the 21st century. Ensemble? Projections? Make-up/Hair? Some of the other awards do honor these important categories. At any rate...the actresses.... I think Laurie Metcalf, Lesley Manville and Jean Smart are given...(even though Jean's Izzy has been gone since August.) Could Metcalf pull off a double nomination for Little Bear Ridge Road AND Salesman? Carrie Coon is a likely nominee for Bug...shivers just thinking about that play. And Ayo Edebiri gives a nuanced and conflicted performance in Proof. (And I see that Don Cheadle will be up for Lead Actor in this...when I thought it a supporting role, and he's wonderful.) Much as I enjoyed Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne in Fallen Angels, I suspect they'll be excluded... Liberation should get an Ensemble Award... As should Marjorie Prime. I'd be hard pressed to pick Cynthia Nixon over June Squibb. If anyone one in one of the comedies this year deserves a nod it's Anika Noni Rose for Balusters, but with the incredible dramas, I fear that the comedies will be overlooked.

I also have been "collecting" Hedwigs. Like Rose in Gypsy, this role allows such a vast range of interpretations. And so many have been so different. I have definite faves...a couple that I thought were missteps, and some real surprises. Darrin Criss? Almost made me think he was Tommy Gnossis all along and that Hedwig was Tommy's alter ego. Came to that at the very end and went back to see if my thoughts were possible and yes, they were. LOL. Other than JCM, my other favorite was Euan Morten whom I saw in New Brunswick, NJ. Followed closely by NPH.

Nominations come out next week and I've been fortunate to see most of the eligible productions... Thought I'd muse a bit about the some of the races. When I saw Oedipus last Summer, I thought immediately about the Tonys...Mark Strong was giving such a commanding performance, the race begins. Liberation and Izzy all women. I don't think Alex or Keanu were strong in Godot, and Neil Patrick, James, and Bobby kind of cancel each other out in Art. And the Punch ensemble is really an ensemble. AND they've all been closed a long time! And then the spring season started. John Lithgow is astounding in Giant. "Oh, he's got it." I thought. John Bernthall is giving a masterful "against-type" performance in Dog Day Afternoon, but the play wasn't well reviewed. More on that later. Then I saw Nathan in Death of a Salesman! It's really going to be a race. I haven't seen Adrian in Fear of 13 yet...this weekend, but I hear he's "being Adrian". And I would LOVE to see Richard Thomas get a nomination for The Balusters. He's a favorite, consistently outstanding performer.

I've not been on for awhile, but had to mention that the current Death of a Salesman with Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf at the Winter Garden is the best of the six productions I've seen over the years. Lane is lost from the first scene...he doesn't grow into his instability. Metcalf and Christopher Abbott who plays Biff are both extraordinary. Joe Mantello's direction is spare and very effective. Runs 2:50 with an intermission, and I didn't look at my watch once.

I saw him last week in NY, not as a client, but at the theater with an older gentleman. I know he's here with some regularity and I reached out at one point and asked if he posted a travel schedule, and he responded that when he's here, he's on a working trip and doesn't do side-appointments. I'd love to have some time with him, but can't bring him in for an extended visit. More power to him!

Pre-Covid I had him fairly regularly. Have since passed him twice in Hells kitchen and he still looks great. Nodded acknowledgement with a smile. May have to give him another go.

I don't see a lot of movies, but my gang went to this on Christmas. It's a lush, full production. And he gives a strong performance as a totally amoral Ping Pong savant. I think he might win, simply because many think he was robbed last year for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. I recommend the film as an entertainment...a dark comedy. But whereas I'll often watch movies again when I come across them on TV...I never need to see this one again.

I saw it last year in New York and loved it. I may try to get to Philly to see again. He also does a one-performer version of Great Expectations and his Miss Havisham was delicious. I wish someone would mount a full production to do it in full force.

I have been every year since the first year when 8 dancers strutted around the bar and took showers at the famous Splash Bar on 17th Street. It's become one of the slickest, most tightly produced shows in NY, and they raise more than a million dollars every year now. It's on Sunday nights because that's the dark night for most Broadway shows...many of the performers do a matinee on Sunday and then show up for the two show late-night. (They literally start rehearsing in mid-May, and have dress rehearsals on the Sunday morning.) As far as the risque factor for the later show...that's rather a thing of the past. Since folks won't put away their cell phones, the performers are much less eager to have their business shown to the world. But yes...in the old days, many a pastie was not applied for the late show, and there were more "slips" of the thongs. The days of the obvious arousal of some dancers (just showing off, I tell you! LOL) are pretty much gone. Yes, many of the various numbers crop up on youtube. And the BC/EFA team does share some, but I don't think they're left indefinitely. The organization does record them, however, and you used to be able to buy the DVDs at the Broadway Flea Market. It's expensive, and the Hammerstein Ballroom main floor is standign room only, so between lining up on 34th St at 7:30 to get a good spot when they open the doors at 9:00, you end up standing for 3-4 hours. As for the book...when it was published, Jerry Mitchell and about thirty of the regular dancers did a publication party/book signing at the Rizzoli Bookstore on 57th Street. I love my copy...gonna go take a look at it now!

I was very skeptical when I went in...although several friends saw it in Boston and liked it, (and one in London), and there were big discounts for the first couple weeks. Sat down and thought, "okay, whacha got?" Within five minutes, I was totally engaged with these two...the naive Brit coming to meet his Dad...and the jaded New Yorker "something is going on here" whose sister is about to marry the Dad. It's being marketed as a musical RomCom, which I get. It has the general set up and sturm and drang, but there's a little more here. Sam Tutty is truly adorable. His wide-eyes sweetness is believable throughout. He won the Olivier for playing Evan Hanson in the London production. Christiani Pitts, who other than the puppet was the only good thing about King Kong in 2013, unwraps like an onion here, with the layers and pain gradually exposing. The score is better than decent, and actually has melodies that can be hummed. I do recommend, especially since so many ticket offers are available. If they can keep prices down for the younger theater goers to fall for it, the word of mouth might carry this through. One of only two new musicals this Fall, one of which is already closing, and with only two currently scheduled for Spring, it's sure to be nominated for Tonys.

Don't miss this early Stephen Schwartz charmer which is the original home of his very popular song Meadowlark. Classic Stage is an intimate space on 13th Street, and they've basically converted into a French cafe for the telling of this charming story. Cast couldn't be better. Ariana duBose, Scott Bakula, Judy Kuhn, Nathan Lee Graham. It's extended to 12/21 and I already have a second ticket.

I lived in LA from 92-94 and loved Numbers. Met so many interesting folks there...both working men and regulars. I was lamenting with a friend of the days when you could go to a bar, and engage in brief conversation and then make a connection. The current rigmarole of texting and waiting for a reply, which often doesn't come, and then hoping the person doesn't flake! <sigh> In New York now, and wish there still was an Uncle Charlies...(or even Stellas) to go on a Thursday night. LOL