Tony nominations: Musicals.

[skynyc]

Ten potential new musicals and five possible revival nominees.

And next year, I think this discussion will probably be moot since Hamilton will simply walk away with everything...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

New stuff first. Whereas I did the plays alphabetically, I am going to approach the musicals as a process of elimination. (Again...four - or possibly five - nominees)

I think we can safely say that Holler if You Hear Me will not get a mention.

Dr. Zhivago MAY get a nod, but not in this category...if anywhere, in the Featured Actor category...this one is twenty years late...if it had come out in the 90s during the stream of power-ballad-and-anthem fueled epics, it might have caught on. Closing notice tomorrow if it is ignored by the nominators?

It Shoulda Been You is fun, and the sit-com oriented material (even with the major surprise) is SERIOUSLY elevated by the cast and direction...but not enough to qualify here. Smallish cast might survive until summer...if they can catch a nomination or two in other categories.

Honeymoon in Vegas couldn't catch a break. It had all the elements of a fun evening...decent catchy score...likable leading man, delicious villian, familiar tale...but no one cared...and the producers lost millions.

These four are the definite NO shows.

The definite YES shows are:

American in Paris. thirty piece orchestra, gorgeous dancing, GERSHWIN score...(a new musical??? whatever); this show is practically the definition of "classic musical".

Fun Home. This won Best Musical last year from the Drama Critic's Circle, the Outer Critic's Circle and the Obies. It's powerful and poignant, even with it's distressing subject matter.

Something Rotten...despite Brantley's pan...(how brilliant is their marketing team to turn it into a joke), this show got glowing reviews just about everywhere else...especially in publications that appeal to the average theater-goer. And even the nay-sayers have to admit that it's creative. This will be amply rewarded.

 

Which leaves three big Maybe shows:

The Visit. Huge nostalgia factor. Kander and Ebb's last show to reach NY, and Chita Rivera is a legend. the story itself is dark and quirky. Revenge at it's worst. And the minimalistic direction doesn't help it. It's limping along at the box office. If it isn't nominated, I suspect it will close pretty quick.

The Last Ship. I loved this. I listen to the CD a lot. I thought the performances were terrific. (The book not-so-much.) I hope this is remembered, but fear, since it closed in January, that it will be almost completely overlooked.

And then there's Harvey Weinstein's baby. Finding Neverland. Almost universally bad reviews. But a ten million dollar advance. The Matt Morrison Gleeks are out in force. I found the score too pop-oriented and the choreography insultingly modern. The added romance got sticky...and all of the melancholy sweetness of the film was overblown into a "show for the whole family". But if anyone can buy a nomination...and perhaps even a Tony, it's Mr. W. The committee may include it just to support a show with a large advance.

 

If four nominees, Last Ship would be mine, with Visit as #5, but I suspect the committee will be Visit and perhaps Neverland.

 

Revivals...because there are only five eligible, there may be only three nominees, (again, unless the fourth show has less than three votes fewer than the third.) I don't think that will happen.

I suspect that King and I, On the Town, and On the Twentieth Century will easily get the majority. All three are marvelous evenings of entertainment. I have seen each of them several times...whenever I can scrounge up enough to get a cheap ticket.

Side Show has it's fans, but the darkness of the material (and the size of the St. James theater for heaven's sake) was a huge detractor. And Gigi...well, in politically correcting it, the creative team took all of it's guts. It's lovely to look at, and the singing is lovely as well (it IS a Lerner and Loewe score)...but to me it just didn't have any tension...it was like a movie on the Disney channel.

 

Okay, again...all my opinions...and I went on far too long. Thanks, folks, for indulging my love of the stage!

[RyanDean]

Love this write up, skynyc (as well as your workthrough of the plays). Thanks.

 

Speaking soley as a pundit (as I've seen next to nothing this year, since I've been working away from the NYC area):

Totally agreed on your 3 locks.

Don't think TheVisit will be in there & Neverland looks to be a cashcow (especially on the road), so I'd tip that way for the 4th nom.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Honeymoon in Vegas snuck in as a 5th or a spoiler.

[RyanDean]

Well, skynyc. You nailed it. Good work!