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| 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 1st 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.
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