My Nominees for the 2012 Tony Awards

Before the Tony Awards nominations are announced tomorrow morning, I thought I would compile a list of my predictions for the eventual nominees.  While I certainly *hope* that you take the time to read all of my Tony Watch articles (the latest of which can be found here) on this same subject, this should provide an easy frame of reference for those of you who haven’t gotten to all of them yet.

Plus, it’s nice to take one final look back now that all the shows have opened and we can put everything in perspective.  And having an official list will make it easier to see how accurate my predictions actually are.  So here are my picks for all the major Tony categories, along with a Runner-Up that I could see knocking one of my nominees out of the running.

Andrew Garfield in Death of a Salesman

Best Featured Actor in a Play

Andrew Garfield, Death of a Salesman
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park
Michael Esper, The Lyons
Thomas Sadoski, Other Desert Cities
Runner-Up:  Dick Latessa, The Lyons                           

Best Featured Actress in a Play

Angela Lansbury, The Best Man

Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher

Condola Rashad, Stick Fly

Judith Light, Other Desert Cities

Linda Edmond, Death of a Salesman

Runner-Up:  Christina Kirk, Clybourne Park

Phillip Boykin in Porgy and Bess

Best Featured Actor in a Musical

David Alan Grier, Porgy and Bess

Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar

Michael Cerveris, Evita

Patrick Page, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Phillip Boykin, Porgy and Bess

Runner-Up:  Tom Hewitt, Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Featured Actress in a Musical

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost

Elaine Page, Follies

Jessie Mueller, On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever

Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Melissa van der Schyff, Bonnie and Clyde

Runner-Up:  Terri White, Follies

Tracie Bennett in End of the Rainbow

Best Actor in a Play

Alan Rickman, Seminar
James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors
James Earl Jones, The Best Man
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman
Stacy Keach, Other Desert Cities
Runner-Up:  Hugh Dancy, Venus in Fur

Best Actress in a Play

Cynthia Nixon, Wit

Linda Lavin, The Lyons

Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur

Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities

Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow

Runner-Up:  Jennifer Lim, Chinglish

Jan Maxwell in Follies

Best Actor in a Musical

Danny Burstein, Follies

Jeremy Jordan, Newsies/Bonnie and Clyde

Norm Lewis, Porgy and Bess

Rob Raines, Follies

Steve Kazee, Once

Runner-Up:  Raul Esparza, Leap of Faith

Best Actress in a Musical

Audra McDonald, Porgy and Bess

Bernadette Peters, Follies

Cristin Milioti, Once

Jan Maxwell, Follies

Kelli O’Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Runner-Up:  Elena Roger, Evita

Elaine Paige and the boys of Follies

 Best Revival of a Play
The Best Man
Death of a Salesman
A Streetcar Named Desire
Wit
Runner-Up:  Master Class

Best Revival of a Musical

Evita

Follies

Jesus Christ Superstar

Porgy and Bess

Runner-Up:  Godspell

The cast of Newsies

Best Play

Clybourne Park
Other Desert Cities
Peter and the Starcatcher
Venus in Fur
Runner-Up:  The Lyons

Best Musical

Newsies

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Once

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Runner-Up:  Bonnie and Clyde

Check back tomorrow morning to see how I did!

Tony Watch: Assessing the 2011-2012 Broadway Season Part 7

Matthew Broderick and the cast of Nice Work If You Can Get It celebrate their Best Musical Tony nominaton.

We’re in the home stretch of the spring season.  Only five more shows to discuss before next week’s Tony nominations, and they are:

The Lyons

When Tony Award winner Linda Lavin passed on the Broadway transfers of both Follies and Other Desert Cities in order to play the lead role in The Lyons, she raised quite a few industry eyebrows.  But something about the script for this Off-Broadway premiere – which at the time had no intention of transferring – caught her eye, and in hindsight it’s clear Lavin knew what she was doing.  The play’s strong reviews prompted a late season Broadway transfer, where it again opened to much critical praise for the play as a whole and Lavin’s performance in particular.

It will be interesting to see just how far The Lyons can infiltrate the Tony Awards in this very crowded season.  Its transfer to Broadway has been entirely merit-based, and opening just before the Tony eligibility cutoff date ensures it is fresh in everyone’s minds.  Will that be enough to net the work a Best Play nomination against its higher profile competition?  It just might be. 

Lavin is in a very strong position to secure a Best Actress nomination, and some of her costars may even join her for the ride.  Fellow Tony-winner Dick Latessa is well-respected in the theatrical community and giving another critically praised performance, and the young Michael Esper is so strong in the show that he’s managed to stand out next to such industry heavyweights.  Neither performer can be ruled out of the Supporting Actor race, and The Lyons could well end up being the Little Show That Could.

Nice Work If You Can Get It

One of the biggest question marks heading into the spring season was the “new” Gershwin musical Nice Work If You Can Get It.  A thorough reworking of Oh Kay, one of George and Ira’s lesser known musicals, Nice Work sports a cast and creative team with plenty of Tony pedigree.  Both of its stars have multiple Tony nominations to their name, and director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall is still riding high on the success of last season’s hit Anything Goes.  Yet the show received little pre-opening press or buzz, with many taking the lack of info as a sign that the show was on the road to disaster.

But now the show has opened to good if not great reviews, and more importantly has performed quite strongly in New York’s other theatrical contests like the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.  Like The Lyons, being so new has certainly helped Nice Work in this area, and all that momentum makes the show a serious Tony contender.  I predict it will indeed manage to nab one of the four coveted Best Musical nominations, a major victory for a show no one was even talking about a month ago.

Other all-but-guaranteed nominations: leading lady Kelli O’Hara for Best Actress and Kathleen Marshall for Best Choreography (and possibly Best Direction), as the latter is definitely working within her wheelhouse here.  Another likely nominee is Judy Kaye for her scene stealing comic turn, and while his lukewarm reviews aren’t very encouraging, Matthew Broderick cannot be completely ruled out of the Best Actor race.  And I expect one or more of the show’s design elements to get nominated, with Martin Pakledinaz’s flapper era costumes a particularly strong contender.

The Columnist

This new play from Manhattan Theatre Club certainly has a Tony-worthy pedigree.  Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn (Proof) and directed by Tony-winning director Daniel Sullivan (also Proof, as well as last season’s Merchant of Venice), the show stars multiple Tony winner John Lithgow as a 1960s era newspaper columnist named Joseph Alsop.  Unfortunately, The Columnist seems to have been lost among the plethora of shows that have opened in the past two weeks, and I don’t foresee it being much of a contender for this year’s awards.

Don’t Dress for Dinner

Hopefully Roundabout will finally learn a lesson after their extremely anemic offerings this season.  They need to stop producing subpar Broadway revivals of plays no one has heard of or cares about.  With tens of thousands of existing plays to choose from, not to mention the thousands more awaiting a first production, there’s no excuse for Roundabout to continually pick such poor material.  Don’t Dress for Dinner has earned some of the worst reviews of the spring, and the best it can hope for is to finish out its limited run without a premature closing.

Leap of Faith

An extremely last minute addition to the Broadway season facilitated by the closing of the Harry Connick Jr. bomb On a Clear Day, the new musical Leap of Faith ended the Broadway season on a whimper.  Critically reviled, I can’t imagine Faith ended up among this year’s Best Musical nominees, even with such weak competition.  The score by perpetual Tony bridesmaid Alan Menken has a better chance at a nomination, especially since it was just announced that the score for Once will be ineligible since it was written for the movie and not specifically for the stage.

Since by all accounts the libretto for Faith is one of the show’s primary problems, I’m ruling it out of the Best Book category, which leaves Raul Esparza as the only other real chance the show has at some Tony love.  And even then, it’s entirely possible that the four-time Tony nominee will find himself excluded from the Best Actor race due to the poor quality of his star vehicle.

And that, ladies and gentleman, brings us to the official end of the 2011-2012 Broadway season!  Be sure to check back on Tuesday when the Tony Award nominations are announced to see how I did with my predictions, and look for further Tony chatter throughout the month of May leading up to the big night on June 10^th.  I can’t wait to talk more, and I hope you’ll join me for the ride.

And in case you missed my previous Tony Watch articles, you can catch up on them here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Tony Watch: Assessing the 2011-2012 Broadway Season Part 6

I'm sure the play is very good, but if that's what the house in Clybourne Park looks like, I'm not sure why anyone would want to move into it.

Magic/Bird

From the same team behind last year’s Lombardi, this play about the rivalry between NBA stars Magic Johnson and Larry Bird seems destined to be an also-ran in a season so packed with new works.  With less enthusiastic reviews than Lombardi (which wasn’t exactly embraced by critics to begin with) and lacking a critical darling like Judith Light to raise its profile, Magic/Bird simply won’t be among this year’s Tony nominees.

Peter and the Starcatcher

Peter and the Starcatcher, a prequel to Peter Pan, is the essence of an Off-Broadway show.  Relying more on a gifted ensemble and strong script than grand spectacle, this play is by all accounts quirky, inventive, and creatively staged in a way that emphasizes old-fashioned stagecraft over flashy technology.  Like last season’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Starcatcher was well reviewed Off-Broadway and similarly praised after its move uptown.  I also predict that it will be similarly ignored by the Tony voters, with the exception of one or two acting nominations.

This has less to do with quality and is more a reflection of Tony politics and preferences.  The voters tend to prefer their plays be high-minded adult dramas rather than family shows, and with so many of the former on the boards this season I don’t see Starcatcher cracking the more competitive categories like Best Play or Best Direction.  I do think Christian Borle’s scene-stealing turn as Black Stache makes him a definite contender for some Best Supporting Actor love, and in such a crowded season for new plays even one Tony nomination is a definite accomplishment.

One Man, Two Guvnors

Quite honestly, I am over the recent trend of West End transfers coming to Broadway and sweeping the Tony Awards.  While there is definitely quality in the execution of these productions, I have found many of them to be overrated, as if the New York theatrical community has so deeply absorbed the idea that the English are better actors than we are that they blindly endorse anything with a British pedigree.

But with so many strong American productions on Broadway this year, I think that trend will finally be broken.  While this farce it could find itself the token British Best Play nominee (there’s always at least one), it is by no means assured a place at the table, given the already mentioned Tony preference for drama over farce.  All that said, even the most jaded theatregoer would have trouble justifying the exclusion of leading man James Corden from the Best Actor category, thanks to his virtuosic performance in such a physically demanding role.

Clybourne Park

This play has Tony bait written all over it.  It is a contemporary drama (or dark comedy, depending on who you ask) that tackles a serious issue (race) with intelligence and a roundly praised acting ensemble, Clybourne Park also has the distinction of being last year’s winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  In a tough category, that makes the show as close to a guaranteed Best Play nominee as there is this year.

The quality of the acting ensemble will either net the show a boatload of nominations or cancel one another out.  Of all the Tony categories, the acting nominations tend to be the most merit based, but it still helps if a performer is one of the best parts of their respected show.  When everyone is amazing, it sometimes results in no one getting nominated due to vote splitting.  The Best Direction of a Play category is so ridiculously competitive that I’ve given up trying to predict it, although anyone who can coax this many stellar performances out of a group of actors is certainly in the running.

A Streetcar Named Desire

Working on this iconic Tennessee Williams play is both a blessing and a curse.  On the one hand, the script is widely recognized as one of the greatest American plays ever written, with such layered characterizations and universal themes that it’s a veritable gold mine for serious dramatic actors.  However, the play is so well known that most critics have very specific ideas on how it should be handled, and the iconic characters have been played by some of the greatest actors who have ever lived, which makes living up to audience expectations for the work almost impossible.

It seems that this production, like most Streetcar revivals, didn’t fully satisfy critics.  Its inclusion among any of the Tony categories is a complete toss-up.  The strength of the material may get it included among the Best Revival nominees, but the apparent mishandling of that material could also keep it out of contention.  The lead actors all have roles that Tony voters gravitate toward, but it doesn’t sound like any of them have earned the right to join the prestigious company of confirmed greats like Jessica Tandy or Marlon Brando.  And who knows how Tony voters will react to director Emily Mann’s vision of an ethnically diverse production, given how much Williams’ plays rely on their Old South milieu for their themes and characterizations.  Some may feel casting black actors revealed new shades of meaning in this oft-studied work, but others may decide that race has little bearing on the material and is in essence stunt casting (this latter sentiment kept the recent all-black Cat on a Hot Tin Roof from being more of an awards contender).

Ghost the Musical

In a normal season, the critically lambasted Ghost would be such a long shot at any kind of award nominations that discussing it would be a waste of time.  But this is not a normal season, and given the lack of a Book of Mormon-esque critical and commercial success, anything could happen.  I personally don’t think Ghost can secure a Best Musical slot, but then again, I am predicting the absolutely atrocious Spider-Man (which I named the Worst Show of 2011) will be nominated in that very category due to weak competition and Tony politics.  Since the chances of Ghost actually being worse than that train wreck are infinitesimally small, perhaps Ghost stands a chance.

Which also means it could wind up among the Best Book and Score nominees, although I again doubt this will actually happen.  Ghost has not accumulated the industry clout that Spider-Man somehow has, and seemingly lacks the latter show’s mass commercial appeal.  The bland lead actors are also out of luck, as looking pretty and singing well thankfully isn’t quite enough to earn someone a Tony nomination.  Depending on how well Da’Vine Joy Randolph plays up the Sassy Black Woman archetype, she may find herself among the Best Supporting Actress nominees, although her chances of winning are currently next to nothing.  And even though it broke down on the night most critics reviewed the show, Ghost’s set could prove dazzling enough from a technical standpoint to get nominated.

Just one more article to go and we’ll have officially touched on every Broadway production that has opened during this busy season.  Look for it to go live soon!

To read my previous Tony Watch articles, look here:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Tony Watch: Assessing the 2011-2012 Broadway Season Part 5

Broadway's Newsies prepared to karate kick the competition, thus ensuring it's place as King of New York

With only one week left before Tony nominations come out, we have to move right along with our assessment of this season’s shows.  First up:

Newsies

Disney claims that it never intended to bring Newsies to Broadway, and that they are just blown away by the support their show has received.  I think that’s bullshit, and is part of their clever plan to position the show as this season’s Tony underdog when it is actually the odds-on favorite. 

After all, the show has all the hallmarks of a Best Musical winner (a category it will assuredly be nominated in).  It’s an old-fashioned song and dance spectacle with just enough depth to keep adults engaged while omitting anything truly challenging or unpleasant, making it perfect family fare.  The Tony voters who are also producers of regional touring houses – a sizeable contingent of the total voting body – will want to capitalize on this appeal by awarding the show with as many statuettes as possible, allowing them to advertise the eventual tour as the “Tony-winning Broadway musical” and ensuring that it makes them a boatload of money.

If Once is this year’s Critics’ Darling, Newsies is the clear Commercial Success, which more often than not wins the big awards.  And while Newsies is in no way groundbreaking, it is constructed with enough competence to net Best Book and Best Score nominations among this year’s weak crop of new shows.  Christopher Gattelli’s athletic choreography, the production’s highlight, will surely be nominated and heavily featured during the show’s Tony telecast performance.  Another likely nominee is Tobin Ost’s for his multi-tiered set, inventively configured into an endless array of interconnected platforms and stairways over the course of the show.

The acting categories will be tougher for Newsies to crack, with one notable exception, whose name is Jeremy Jordan.  As newsboy Jack Kelly, Jordan is delivering a star-making turn that definitely land the gifted young performer a Best Actor nomination.  His onstage love interest, Kara Lindsay, would be wise to take a page from Nikki M. James’ book and submit herself in the supporting category, allowing her to avoid directly competing with Tony favorites like Audra McDonald and Kelli O’Hara.  If she does go the supporting route, her charming work should be enough to net this Broadway newcomer a Best Actress nomination, further strengthening the show’s real life Cinderella narrative.

The Best Man

This show’s Tony prospects are difficult to pin down.  Although many reviewers admitted the play’s subject matter remains topical, the consensus seems to be that we didn’t really need another revival of this work having just seen a production back in 2000.  In a crowded year for plays, that could be enough to knock the show out of the Best Revival race.

On the other hand, most critics jumped at the chance to see so many theatrical tyrants in one place, regardless of the quality of the material.  Any opportunity to see greats like Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones practice their craft is cause for celebration, and the excitement of having them back onstage could lift the show into contention for the big prize.  Lansbury and Jones, both of whom have multiple Tonys to their name, will surely be nominated again in the Supporting categories.  And in such a busy season, two high profile nominations is nothing to be ashamed of.

End of the Rainbow

By all accounts, this play about the final months of Judy Garland’s life is nothing special, at least from a scripting standpoint.  Despite the Tonys’ love for all things British (this production comes straight from the West End), I think that disappointment is enough to keep End of the Rainbow out of the Best Play or Direction categories.  But from the time it was announced, this show has clearly existed only to highlight the extraordinary talents of star Tracie Bennett, who has generated the kind of raves most actors only dream about.  An assured Best Actress nominee, I think Bennett and her producers will be just fine with their single nomination.

Evita

Broadway was clearly ready for the return of Eva Peron.  Evita is currently doing stellar business at the Marquis Theatre, routinely landing among the top grossing Broadway shows alongside established mega-hits like Wicked and The Book of Mormon.  Critical reaction to the show proved mixed, although there were generally more positives than negatives, with Evita being deemed one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s better works.  That should be enough, when combined with the show’s clear commercial potential, to earn it one of the coveted Best Musical Revival slots.

Leading lady Elena Roger is an awards conundrum.  Before the show opened, she seemed like a shoe-in for a Best Actress nomination; her performance was critically heralded in London, and Eva is certainly the kind of role that earns you awards consideration.  Unfortunately, Roger really isn’t up to the vocal demands of the role (more than one reviewer compared her singing unfavorably to Patti LuPone’s iconic belting), although she does have some lovely character moments.  I’m not ready to give Roger’s Best Actress nomination to someone else, although if her name isn’t among those called next Tuesday I won’t be terribly surprised.

Michael Grandage deserves a Best Director nomination for his expert staging of the piece, which unlike Roger did manage to avoid comparisons to the Broadway original.  And choreographer Rob Ashford has been nominated for much worse work than his work here, and a Best Choreography nod would be an excellent way to recognize its strengths.  Given the amount of money spent on this revival, the Sets, Lights, and Costumes are all viable contenders for nomination slots as well, as expensive physical productions always do well in those categories.  And finally, the always reliable Michael Cerveris will hopefully be rewarded with a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his excellent portrayal of Juan Peron, a role that would be utterly forgettable in a lesser actor’s hands.

Be sure to check back throughout the rest of this week for more Tony talk, and then again after May 1^st to hear my reaction to the big day.

For more a look at the other shows that opened this season and where they stand in the Tony rankings, check out these past articles.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Tony Watch: Assessing the 2011-2012 Broadway Season Part 4

Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti in Once

There are so many shows opening these days on the Great White Way, I don’t even have time to come up with a pithy opening paragraph.  Picking up right where I left out, let’s talk about the Tony nomination prospects for:

The Road to Mecca

This has not been the best season for the Roundabout Theatre Company.  The once-mighty non-profit has overindulged in its habit of producing merely adequate revivals of merely adequate plays, trapping well-respected theatrical talent in productions that are frankly beneath them.  The Road to Mecca has done nothing to change that trend, and will likely be forgotten by all of the major awards-granting bodies.

Wit

Manhattan Theatre Club, on the other hand, continues to win over both critics and audiences with highly praised revivals of acknowledged classics in addition to their adventurous new works.  The first Broadway production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit will certainly be among this year’s Best Revival nominees, and MTC’s artistic director Lynne Meadow is a contender for the Best Direction award as well.  Cynthia Nixon’s universally praised star turn makes her a shoe-in for a Best Actress nomination, although winning said award will be a much trickier feat.  On both the musical and play fronts, there has been spectacular work from Broadway’s leading ladies this season, and the Best Actress races are shaping up to be two of the most exciting and unpredictable of the this year’s awards.

Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It

This one man show’s run was so brief that even if the Best Theatrical Event Tony still existed, William Shatner might not qualify for it.  Without that category to compete in, this show doesn’t stand a chance.

Death of a Salesman

Take an undisputed theatrical classic, add an unmistakably talented Oscar winner in the lead role, mix well, and you have one of the event shows of the spring.  One of several Pulitzer Prize winners to grace Broadway this season, Salesman is top tier material, and this revival has been embraced by the entire theatrical community.  Although he is about 20 years too young for the role, audiences have been entranced by Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s searing portrayal of the doomed Willy Loman, and Tony voters will surely follow suit by granting him a Best Actor nomination.

But Hoffman isn’t the only thing critics are raving about in this Salesman.  It scored high marks across the board, making it a contender in several of the big categories and an assured Best Revival nominee.  Of the actors, Linda Emond stands the best chance of being nominated alongside Hoffman for her portrayal of Willy’s wife (also named Linda), but the supporting cast can’t be counted out.  With seven Tony Awards for direction already to his name, Mike Nichols is in as good a position as anyone to snag one of the five hotly contested Best Director nominations, and if it wasn’t a reproduction of the original 1949 design and therefore ineligible, the much-ballyhooed scenic design would be a contender as well.

Once

In recent years, the Best Musical race has invariably come down to a competition between the slickly realized Commercial Success and the artistically daring Critics’ Darling.  Once will surely be this season’s representative of the latter category, putting it in the company of shows like The Scottsboro Boys, Fela!, and Next to Normal that have all attempted to take down their more mass-market competition.  The good news for Once is that the Critics’ Darling always winds up with a host of Tony nominations; the bad news is that it tends to lose out in the major categories.

Once will surely be nominated for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score, by virtue of its strong reviews and weak competition.  It even stands a good chance of winning the latter two awards, although a Best Musical victory is something of a long shot due to Tony politics best dealt with at a later date.  By virtue of starring in one of the season’s best reviewed musicals, lead performers Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti cannot be counted out of the acting races, although Kazee is more likely to actually score recognition than Milioti, whose category is shaping up to be a bloodbath.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Let’s be honest: there’s really only one Best Musical Revival slot still up for grabs.  Follies, Porgy and Bess, and Evita are all but assured nominations, and I suspect Jesus Christ Superstar will end up with the fourth and final slot.  I’ve already mentioned how the critically lambasted On a Clear Day doesn’t stand a chance in this category, and Superstar is simply a better-realized production than last fall’s Godspell.  It doesn’t hurt that this Superstar arrived on Broadway due to merit and popular demand, and it earns brownie points for solving a lot of the problems inherent in mounting this notoriously hard to stage work.

Other than the revival race, its prospects for awards are pretty grim.  The acting amounts to little more than pained looks, as all of the performers are clearly more focused on getting through Webber’s beast of a score than emoting.  I wouldn’t rule out Des McAnuff’s direction from the nomination pool, as he is largely responsible for what makes this Superstar special, and has been nominated for far less impressive work (Jersey Boys remains one of the most overrated musicals of the past 10 years).  I would really like to see a choreography nomination for Lisa Shriver’s surprising work on the show, but with song and dance spectacles making a comeback and several perpetually nominated choreographers (Kathleen Marshall, Rob Ashford) eligible for this season’s Tonys, Shriver faces an uphill battle.

I’ve just over a week to speculate on the 15(!) remaining productions of this season, so look for another one of these Tony articles sooner rather than later.

The King of New York? Not Really

Review:  Newsies

Jeremy Jordan and the cast of Newsies

Confession:  I have never seen Newsies, the flop film from 1992 that has become a cult classic in the two decades since its release.  Which means that when I sat down to view the stage adaptation, currently playing to packed houses at the Nederlander Theatre, I did so without any preconceived notions about what it can or should be.  And while the show I saw was a perfectly acceptable musical comedy, I simply couldn’t comprehend how this pedestrian piece of entertainment has managed to earn itself such unadulterated love from so many people.

For those of you wondering what the hell a “newsie” is, the term refers to the young boys who used to sell newspapers back at the turn of the century.  Both the stage and film versions of Newsies are based on a real life newsboy strike that occurred in lower Manhattan during the summer of 1899, when publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raised the price he was charging the titular newsies for the privilege of selling his papers.  Naturally upset about this, the newsies decided to unionize under the leadership of our hero, Jack Kelly, and went on strike.  In what is likely an embellishment of historical events, the rest of Newsies consists of much singing, dancing, and speechifying about fighting for your rights.

The stage Newsies features a new book by Tony-winning librettist Harvey Fierstein which does an admirable job of keeping the show moving along at a good clip.  While the one liners aren’t as funny as you would like them to be (a problem enhanced by the merely passable comic timing of most of the cast), the characters are reasonably well developed and the plot lacks any glaring holes.  And while realists may gripe about the way everything gets tied up into an unbelievably neat little bow at the end, it should be pointed out that they have come to see a Disney-branded property with all the attendant formulaic trappings.  The heavy handed morals can seem overly simplistic, but moral ambiguity and dark undertones aren’t exactly the hallmark of a family show.

Like the book, the songs by Alan Menken are perfectly fine and perfectly predictable, which most of the shows anthems sounding like extensions of the same basic song (apparently there are only so many ways you can harmonize a bunch of plucky street urchins).  The one notable exception is “Watch What Happens,” a solo for love interest Katherine, a character wisely inserted into the stage version to provide a periodic break from the newsies’ righteous indignation.  A budding journalist, Katherine is attempting to write a front page-worthy article about the newsboy strike, and Menken chronicles her thought process in one of the most inventive pieces of musical theatre character writing to surface in years.  Couple this material with Kara Lindsay’s winning portrayal of Katherine and you get one of the show’s most original and entertaining moments.

The cast is generally solid but features few standout performances.  Andrew Keenan-Bolger is suitably endearing as Crutchie, who as you might have guessed from his name is the adorable little orphan hobbling about the stage on one leg.  Ben Fankhauser brings some welcome level-headedness to the group as Davey, the newsies’ second in command, and John Dossett is just oily enough as Joseph Pulitzer to make an acceptable antagonist, even if he doesn’t achieve the scenery chewing outlandishness that’s the hallmark of the best Disney villains.

The one standout among the cast is leading man Jeremy Jordan, a natural-born talent with all the makings of a true star.  Jordan exudes charisma as the brash Jack Kelly, while displaying enough grit and determination that you legitimately believe he could challenge a business tycoon like Pulitzer.  With his dashing good looks and soaring tenor, generously showcased throughout the show’s runtime, Jordan elevates the show to new heights and is certain to be a mainstay in Broadway musicals for many years to come.

The other star of the show is Christopher Gattelli’s high-flying choreography, danced with such boundless enthusiasm by the show’s large ensemble that its energy is infectious.  It is a distinctly old-school style of Broadway dancing, fondly recalling the song and dance spectacles of yesteryear while adding more than enough stunts and tricks to appeal to today’s audiences.  The big group numbers are easily the show’s strongest, particularly the rousing Act II opener “King of New York,” which features all the newsies plus Katherine in an elaborately staged tap routine.  I couldn’t quite tell you what the *point* of said number was, but it sure as hell was entertaining to watch.

In fact, that is a perfect summary of Newsies in general:  pointless but highly entertaining.  Despite its repeated extolling of the virtues of unionization, at its heart Newsies is pure old-fashioned escapist entertainment whose only purpose is to help the audience forget its cares for a couple of hours.  On that front, Newsies succeeds, although don’t be surprised if you can’t quite remember what was so good about it once you leave the theatre

One Thing I'll Say, This Jesus is Cool

Review:  Jesus Christ Superstar

Paul Nolan as Jesus and the cast during the title number of Jesus Christ Superstar

*Note:  At the performance I attended, the role of Judas was performed by understudy Jeremy Kushnier.  This review reflects his portrayal.*

Like many of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most famous works, Jesus Christ Superstar is plagued by a host of problems including poor plotting, underwritten characters, and repetitive music.  And just like Webber’s other currently running Broadway musicals (Phantom of the Opera, Evita), the latest revival of his biblically-inspired rock opera is saved by a game cast and stellar direction, resulting in a highly entertaining if not emotionally involving night of theatre.

Des McAnuff’s production, which originated at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada last summer, is a marvel of fluidity and invention.  Set in a post-apocalyptic future-past, this Superstar starts with a bang and doesn’t let up, as one scene melts into the next so quickly that you are afraid to applaud for fear of missing something important.  This speed definitely works in the show’s favor, as a slower pace would give the audience more time to notice its many structural flaws and the awkward lyrics by Tim Rice.  The pacing also provides tension to a story with such a well-known outcome (in case you didn’t know, Jesus dies at the end).

McAnuff’s staging is helped immensely by Robert Brill’s wonderful scenic design.  What initially appears to be no more than a metal catwalk and two staircases proves remarkably versatile, concealing a multitude of entrances and exits through which McAnuff can deploy his high energy cast.  And the group numbers are given an extra jolt via Lisa Shriver’s athletic choreography, bringing an unexpected visual edge to the staging.  No matter what your opinion of the material, McAnuff and his team ensure that there’s always something interesting to look at.  Paul Tazewell’s tastefully revealing costumes and Howell Binkley’s rock concert lighting only add to the visual wow factor.

It all makes you wish the cast was at the same level as the production team.  Make no mistake, this is a very accomplished group of actors, highly committed to their roles and blessed with vocal chords of steel.  While they don’t always make Webber’s insanely difficult score sound easy, they do consistently hit their money notes without crossing the line from singing to screaming.  Unfortunately, perhaps due to the thinness of the writing, most of the named characters struggle to come across as fully formed human beings.

Of the principal trio, Jeremy Kushnier’s Judas comes across the best, a feat that’s all the more remarkable given that Kushnier is the understudy.  He handles his role’s vocal demands with aplomb, and does an excellent job of conveying Judas’ conflicted feelings about Jesus.  When Judas goes to the high priests to betray Jesus, Kushnier makes clear it is a genuinely hard decision for him, and that he isn’t convinced he made the right choice even after the deal is done.

As Jesus, Paul Nolan certainly looks the part, as if a Renaissance painting of the Messiah came to life and stepped onto the Neil Simon Theatre stage.  Nolan has a stylistically perfect rock tenor and a piercing stare, but his characterization rarely evolves beyond anguished looks and occasional outbursts of anger.  And Chilina Kennedy lacks the grittiness necessary to portray prostitute Mary Magdalene, although she certainly sells her devotion to Jesus.  One of the most intriguing aspects of this production, obviously helped by McAnuff’s direction, is its focus on the pseudo-love triangle between Mary, Jesus, and Judas.  By increasing Mary’s stagetime, McAnuff adds jealousy to the list of Judas’ motives, since he is clearly unhappy with having his place in Jesus’ affections usurped by her.

The rest of the principals all turn in fine performances, with Bruce Dow’s scenery chewing during “Herod’s Song” a particular highlight.  Yet in many ways, the most surprisingly accomplished acting in the show comes from the twenty gifted young performers who make up Superstar’s ensemble.  McAnuff has clearly encouraged this group to develop individualized characters rather than perfectly mimic one another, and the choices lends more interest to the musically and lyrically repetitive group numbers while simultaneously helping to generate much of the show’s propulsive energy.

If you aren’t a fan of Lloyd Webber’s work (and this reviewer is not), Jesus Christ Superstar probably isn’t going to convert you.  But this production will leave you with a begrudging appreciation for his talents as a songsmith and a better understand of why his shows have remained so popular for so long.  Webber himself has called this revival “the best Superstar [he’s] ever seen,” and it’s very hard to argue with the dynamic energy on display.  McAnuff and company have turned what could easily have been a painful two-hour assault on the senses into a surprisingly engaging piece of entertainment, and a great option for those who prefer their musicals with a rock-infused edge.

Tony Watch: Assessing the 2011-2012 Broadway Season Part 3



Audra, wake up.  We have to go to the Tony Awards.  You got nominated for the gazillionth time.

Spring is upon us, and the mad dash to open before the Tony eligibility cutoff date has begun.  The past week has already seen three Broadway openings, and another eleven shows are scheduled to debut between now and the end of April.  It’s easy to fall behind during this crowded season, so if I want to discuss which shows have the best shot at those coveted Tony nominations (which of course I do), I’d better get crackin’. 

I should admit here that I have no means seen all of these shows, so a lot of these predictions are educated guesses based on industry buzz and past Tony nominating trends.  Which is actually the best way to go about it anyhow, as the shows most likely to score multiple nominations are not necessarily the same as the ones most deserving of those nominations.  If I somehow leave off your personal favorite, it doesn’t necessarily mean I thought it was bad, I just think it is unlikely to do well with the Tony voters.  So let’s pick up right where I left off several months ago, and tackle the shows in chronological order starting with:

An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin

The Tony board has already announced that this concert and its two stars aren’t eligible in any of the existing award categories, although they could theoretically receive a Special Achievement Tony Award.  I find that unlikely, as the concert was good but not great, and both Patti and Mandy already have Tonys in recognition of their undeniable talent.

Bonnie and Clyde

In a purely merit-based system, Bonnie and Clyde would score several nominations despite having ended its run months ago, but closed shows have been historically handicapped when it comes to the Tonys.  Despite deserving a Best Musical nomination (it’s on par with a show like Memphis, a show which actually won that title two years ago), Bonnie and Clyde probably won’t be able to overcome all the awards politics standing between it and said nomination.  The score, easily the best one composer Frank Wildhorn has ever written, stands a much better chance of actually securing a nomination given the weak competition in the New Musical categories. 

The show’s two charismatic leads are unfortunately out of luck. Laura Osnes’ fine portrayal of Bonnie Parker doesn’t stand much of a chance in the incredibly competitive Best Actress in a Musical Character, which includes such favorites as Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, and Kelli O’Hara.  Rising star Jeremy Jordan almost certainly will be nominated for Best Actor, but it will be for his work in Newsies, not this.  But the ever resilient Wildhorn doesn’t seem fazed by any of this, and like a madman is readying a revival of his odious Jekyll and Hyde for another critical thrashing next season.

Stick Fly

The competition for Best Musical may be light, but the Best Play category is so overloaded with heavy hitting contenders that someone will surely get snubbed.  A play like Stick Fly, without any big name talent and only a lukewarm critical reception, doesn’t stand a chance of infiltrating the race, and it’s only real shot at Tony is a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Condola Rashad (daughter of the Tony-winning Phylicia Rashad).

On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever

Remember this show?  It opened to one of the worst critical drubbings of any show this season, closed soon thereafter, and was promptly forgotten by almost everyone.  I personally didn’t see the show, and I have a couple of friends who swear it was actually brilliant, though I find that hard to believe.  Taking an already problematic show, completely reconceptualizing it, and casting leading man Harry Connick Jr. in a role that robs him of his trademark southern boy charm doomed the show before it even started.  The only redeeming quality seems to have been a standout supporting performance by newcomer Jessie Mueller, a name I fully expect to be among the lucky nominees when they are announced on May 1^st.

Lysistrata Jones

Poor Lysistrata Jones.  It mistook encouraging reviews for its Off-Broadway run as permission to graduate to the big leagues, and suffered greatly for that presumption.  Despite a rave review from Times critic Ben Brantley (who apparently saw a different show than literally everyone else), the show closed within a month of opening.  The general consensus is that the show, riddled with poor writing and unmemorable tunes, needed a major rewrite before attempting Broadway, and won’t really be a contender for this year’s awards.  A lack of competition could see Lysistrata undeservingly crop up among the Best Book or Best Score nominees, but every other aspect of it will and should be forgotten.

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess has proven to be one of the most divisive productions of the season, thanks mostly to Diane Paulus and Suzan-Lori Parks reconceiving a classic four hour opera as a two and a half hour book musical.  I’m not familiar with the opera, although given the quality of the show’s remaining music I can understand how cutting so much of George Gershwin’s rhapsodic score would anger some people.  But as far as I’m concerned, what’s left is still an incredibly moving piece of theatre that easily earns a place among the four Best Musical Revival nominees.  There’s also some great production design on display, especially when it comes to the lights, and a technical nomination or two for this lavish Porgy certainly isn’t out of the question. 

All but guaranteed is a near-unprecedented seventh Tony nomination for star Audra McDonald, who is giving the performance of a lifetime as Bess and is universally beloved by the theatrical community.  McDonald can safely start shopping for a Tony gown now, as the only real question here is if the four-time Tony winner can triumph over the equally amazing Jan Maxwell from Follies.  As Porgy, Norm Lewis didn’t receive the critical love letters afforded McDonald, but turns in strong work and will hopefully be able to finally add “Tony nominee” to his resume after this season’s nominations.  And Phillip Boykin, whose towering work as the villainous Crown comes closest to matching McDonald’s level of excellence, should make an appearance among the Supporting Actor nominees.

I have to stop there for now, but please continue to check back over the coming weeks for more speculation on Tony-worthiness as the month marches on.

Just a Little Touch of Star Quality

Review: Evita

Elena Roger and the company perform "Buenos Aires"

There is something refreshingly old school about the current Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.  While the physical production is lavish and clearly expensive, it doesn’t rely on technological wizardry the way so many shows do these days, instead letting sheer scale provide the show’s “wow” factor.  And while one particular voice is clearly straining under the demands of Webber’s through-composed work, for the most part this Evita is thrillingly sung by traditional Broadway voices, which provides a welcome change from the American Idol wannabes that populate far too many shows these days.

Now, before going any further, I have a confession to make: I have never seen Evita, not even the relatively recent film version featuring Madonna.  As someone viewing the show with fresh eyes, I could not help but notice some of the flaws in its writing, which at this point are pretty much set in stone but worth mentioning anyway.  As in most of his shows, Webber has taken an interesting set of characters and vastly underwritten them, forcing the performers to supply most of the nuance and inner logic needed to carry a show.  There are also some truly atrocious lyrics by Tim Rice, and the pair really should have contracted a librettist to help them flesh out the story in a more coherent fashion.

All of that aside, the story of Eva Peron’s rise to power as Argentina’s First Lady, where she was simultaneously loved and hated by vast segments of the population, makes for fascinating theatre.  The score is also one of Webber’s strongest, being cleverer about recycling melodic themes and less reliant on sappy pop ballads than his later works.  And I’m happy to say that the current revival, based on the recent West End production helmed by Michael Grandage, is a deftly handled rendition of this touchstone of the musical theatre.

The original Evita launched the careers of both Elaine Page and Patti LuPone, leaving any actress tackling the role of Eva Peron with enormous shoes to fill.  Argentine actress Elena Roger, reprising her work from London’s West End, doesn’t wholly succeed in filling them, despite having some truly stunning moments over the course of the evening.  In what is surely a change from the aforementioned leading ladies, Roger is actually at her best during the show’s more intimate moments; her scenes with Michael Cerveris’ Juan Peron are absolutely lovely, revealing a tender vulnerability behind Eva’s fiery exterior.

Unfortunately, Roger doesn’t always convincingly display said exterior, and her interpretation of the role lacks the outsized diva moments that have come to define both the role and the show.  It has to be said that her voice isn’t up to the demands of the score, although any woman will tell you that Webber has written one of the most vocally taxing roles in the musical theatre cannon.  The high, sustained belting proves troublesome for Roger, who sometimes nails it (“A New Argentina”) and sometimes can’t quite reach the money notes (“Buenos Aires”).  She also has trouble summoning the almost supernatural passion the role requires, since as written Eva is truly larger than life.  But Roger is clearly a talent to be reckoned with, and in a role more suited to her voice would be nigh unstoppable.

Another key cast member who doesn’t quite live up to his Broadway predecessor is Ricky Martin as Che, the role which won the incomparable Mandy Patinkin a Tony Award back in 1980.  Like Roger, Martin is perfectly fine in his own right.  He sings beautifully, is always convincing and committed to his role, and his supermodel good looks certainly don’t hurt.  But anyone who has seen Patinkin perform “Oh What a Circus” knows what the song and the role could be, and unfair comparison or not Martin doesn’t meet that high standard.

The rest of the principal cast all offers fine work.  Tony winner Michael Cerveris is very good as Peron, to the point where you wish the character wasn’t so direly underdeveloped.  Max von Essen does fine work as Magaldi, “the first man to be of use to Eva Peron,” and relative newcomer Rachel Potter is divine as the Peron’s jilted Mistress.

It is impossible to overstate the contributions director Michael Grandage, recreating his work from the London production, has made to this revival  His effortless juggling of actors and set pieces has created a work so fluid that it flies by, and his direction brings a much needed clarity to the work that is not always supplied by the writing.  Grandage’s partner in crime is choreographer Rob Ashford, who has created some truly stunning dance sequences, most notable during “Buenos Aires.”  Ashford reuses some tango steps a few times too many, but this is easily the most restrained and inventive work he has created for a Broadway stage in years.

This Evita isn’t going to erase memories of the original or its Tony winning stars, but it is a first rate production for a new generation of musical theatre aficionados.  The strong cast and even stronger direction combine with one of Lloyd Webber’s better (though still flawed) works to produce an excellent night in the theatre.  The show is already shaping up to be one of the “event” shows of the spring, and those curious to see what all the fuss is about will find plenty to love.

How Good is Good Enough for Broadway?

Audra McDonald: The rare performer whose singing skill and acting ability are equally exceptional.
Definitely good enough for Broadway.

Singing showtunes is hard.  No matter what those American Idol judges might think, musical theatre music is incredibly difficult and taxing on the voice.  It requires a much wider range than pop music, and as a Broadway star you are expected to nail your songs eight times a week.  Contemporary musicals are asking their leads to sing higher and longer than anything from the Golden Age, and the straight toned, pop-influenced sound these new shows practically demand is especially difficult to achieve while maintaining healthy vocal production. 

And while they’re generally the most talented performers in the business, Broadway stars are only human.  Sometimes they get sick, or their voices get tired, and they miss the occasional note or don’t have the most perfect tone.  And sometimes the performer simply isn’t the best singer, but has other qualities that are essential to the role.  All of this raises the question:  just how high of a standard should we hold Broadway singers to? 

When it’s time to evaluate the performances in a Broadway musical, you have to decide which is ultimately more important, acting or singing.  Yes, Broadway is the top tier of the industry, and in an ideal world everyone would be a world class actor and singer.  But the fact of the matter is most people, even the greats, are more adept in one area than the other, so as an audience member or a critic you still have to decide which discipline has a greater influence on the success of the show.

I would argue that even in a musical, acting ability is ultimately more important than vocal prowess.  Ever since Rodgers and Hammerstein revolutionized the form with Oklahoma, the musical theatre has been primarily a story-driven medium.  All the music is intended to further the story by communicating emotions that cannot be conveyed in mere dialogue.  And it is therefore more important that the performer be able to embody the emotions of a song than to hit every note with perfect pitch and tone.  Even in a show like Wicked, which is famous for the vocal demands it places on its leading ladies, it is more important that you feel Elphaba’s growing defiance and determination during “Defying Gravity” than hearing her sing every run perfectly.

That said, singing ability is obviously important.  To continue with the same example, it would be extremely difficult for an audience to focus on the emotion of “Defying Gravity” if they are constantly distracted by wrong notes and poor tone.  The lower the vocal proficiency of a person, the better actor they must be so that you connect emotionally with the song and the character despite some missed notes and poor tone.

You also must take into account the individual song and the show they appear in, as different types of music require different levels of vocal accomplishment.  A cute comedy number like “A Bushel and a Peck” from Guys and Dolls doesn’t demand the same level of singing talent as a soaring ballad like “I Have a Love” from West Side Story.  And as a general rule, revivals of well-known shows are going to require a higher caliber of singer than new works, because the more productions of a show that exist, the greater the chance that the audience has heard an excellent rendition of show’s songs.

The need for revivals to cast stronger singers is something I like to call the “Memory” principle, named after the ubiquitous song from the musical Cats.  During a touring production of the show I saw in 2001 or 2002, after the actress who sang “Memory” finished the song, my mother – who definitely has standards but is only a casual theatre viewer, and is therefore a good representation of the average audience member – immediately leaned over to me and whispered “Barbara sings it better.”  (If you cannot figure out that “Barbara” refers to Barbara Streisand, you are probably reading the wrong blog.)  While the woman who sang it did an adequate job, my mother had heard someone sing it better and was therefore mildly disappointed.  The performer we saw didn’t have strong enough acting abilities to make us forget about the other, better sung version.

So for me, acting trumps singing 95% of the time.  This is not a new notion; look at the most famous stars of Broadway’s yesteryear.  Most of them could sing well but were by no means exceptional, and yet have ended up universally beloved.  I would not pay to see an Angela Lansbury concert, but I would (and have) spent good money to see her perform in a musical, because she is a phenomenal actress that makes you feel everything she sings.  Her voice is good enough that you aren’t distracted by poor technique, but the acting is what has won her a record five performance Tony Awards.  For a more recent example, look at Alice Ripley in Next to Normal.  Her voice is not what it used to be, and yet she was fascinating in that show and deservedly won the Tony for it.

I wish more casting directors would return to this way of thinking.  While this is a subject for another post, there are far too many Broadway performers these days that sound great but are incredibly boring to watch because they were cast solely for their voice.  And when they miss a note (which even the best do), you notice, because there’s no emotional investment to distract you from their less-than-perfect technique.