Now that the 2013 Tony nominations have been announced and
we’ve all had time to process who’s in the running for Broadway’s biggest
honor, it’s time to get down to my favorite part of the awards season: wild
speculation about the eventual winners! Okay,
maybe not “wild,” as I really do try to have an informed opinion about these
things, but the simple truth of the matter is I can’t see every nominated show
and sometimes have to base my predictions on media buzz and second-hand
info.
Like last year, I’ll be writing a series of articles giving
detailed analysis of the major Tony races, along with predictions of who will
win in each category. And if I think
another nominee is more deserving than the probable winner, I’ll be sure to
point that out too. Unlike last year,
you can also look forward to a roundtable podcast discussion in early June
where the entire panel will chime in on who they think will win each of the Big
12 (production and acting) categories.
And with all of that said, let’s look at the nominees for Best Choreography
and Best Direction!
Best Chorography
 |
| Billy Porter and the cast of the high kicking musical Kinky Boots |
Nominees: Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On; Peter Darling, Matilda
the Musical; Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots; Chet Walker, Pippin
This year saw Broadway choreography move away from dance in
the traditional sense, which makes predicting the winner in this category more
difficult than usual. Andy
Blankenbuehler’s cheerleading routines for Bring
It On were easily the musical’s highlight, but the fact that the show
closed months ago combined with the lack of traditional dance moves will
probably keep him out of serious contention.
And while Pippin features the
most visually arresting musical numbers of the Broadway season, my gut tells me
that Tony voters credit Diane Paulus and Gypsy Snider for its success more than
choreographer Chet Walker.
Like many races this season, the category will probably come
down to Kinky Boots and Matilda.
Boots is hardly Jerry Mitchell’s best work from a purely
choreographic standpoint, but voters may feel like the well-respected director/choreographer
is long overdue for a second Tony Award; despite six career nominations in this
category, he’s only won once. A win for
Mitchell also allows the voters to recognize his contributions to this season’s
most nominated musical while freeing up the Best Director statuette for someone
else. Although Matilda’s Peter Darling has won this award before, my gut tells me
that despite his show’s rapturous critical reception Kinky Boots is going to be the big winner on Tony Sunday, including
in this category.
Should Win:
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It
On
Will Win:
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Best Direction of a Play
 |
| Pam MacKinnon's knockout production of the classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? |
Nominees:
Pam MacKinnon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Nicholas Martin, Vanya
and Sonia and Masha and Spike; Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy; George C. Wolfe, Lucky
Guy
With the
exception of Vanya and Sonia’s Nicholas
Martin, every member of this category is a repeat nominee. I think that kind of pedigree will keep
Martin out of serious contention, especially given the Tony voters’ bias
against comedic plays. And while Lucky Guy is one of the biggest financial
successes of the spring, I’m sensing that the theatrical community at large is
starting to feel that their nostalgia for the late Nora Ephron led to a decent
play being praised more than it actually merits, which will hurt George C.
Wolfe’s chances.
Both Bartlett
Sher and Pam MacKinnon managed to pull of the deceptively hard task to making
old plays feel fresh without betraying their original intent or layering on a
directorial concept that seems inorganic and contrived. The critical hosannas that greeted both plays
were deafening, and in this case I think the Tony voters will opt to recognize
MacKinnon over Sher. Virginia Woolf is a play that industry
folks have studied and seen produced countless times; the fact that MacKinnon
managed to find something fresh in this oft-produced work, coupled with her
ability to coax four absolutely incredible performances out of her actors,
practically demands she receive Broadway’s highest honor.
Will & Should Win: Pam MacKinnon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Direction of a Musical
 |
| With Pippin, director Diane Paulus has managed to top her own lofty standards. |
Nominees:
Scott Ellis, The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Jerry Mitchell, Kinky
Boots; Diane Paulus, Pippin; Matthew
Warcus, Matilda
I won’t
mince words here: a win by anyone other
than Diane Paulus would be criminal here.
More than any other nominee, Paulus has put such a distinctive stamp on
her show that separating the two is nigh-impossible. She is simply one of the best directors
working today, able to apply exciting new concepts to shows most would have
written off as hopelessly dated without violating the spirit and artistic
vision of the original. Her Pippin is magical, thanks largely to her
insistence on the addition of the circus elements and razor sharp direction
that goes a long way towards disguising the show’s narrative flaws. Factor in the fact that she was also responsible
for the Tony-winning Hair and Porgy and Bess, and Paulus is long
overdue for some Tony love.
Thankfully,
I don’t think any of the other directors really have a chance of dethroning
her. Scott Ellis performed the neat
trick of taking a terrible show and making it eminently entertaining, but as
the only show not currently running his Drood
is at a distinct disadvantage. And despite
several Broadway outings as director, Jerry Mitchell is still viewed primarily
as a choreographer and is unlikely to score an upset. Tony voters’ affection for Matilda’s Matthew Warcus has cooled
considerably from its heyday several seasons ago, and while he is Paulus’
biggest competition I just can’t imagine him overthrowing the reigning Queen of
the Broadway Musical.
Will & Should Win: Diane Paulus, Pippin
That’s all
for now. Check back soon for my picks
for Best Book and Score!
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