It’s finally
here! Broadway’s big night is upon us,
and I’ve saved the two biggest categories for last. The Best Play and Best Musical awards not
only represent the highest possible achievement in American theatre, but they
also guarantee a new work a place in the history books forever more. Winning either of these awards not only
increases the Broadway mounting’s chances of turning a profit, but greatly
increases the amount of money a show can make from subsequent tours and
regional mountings.
Of course,
such a prestigious award always comes with its fair share of controversy. There are some that feel the Tony Awards have
a habit of honoring commercial viability over artistic excellence, and there
are plenty of fantastic, enduring works of theatre that went home empty handed
on Tony night (Ragtime and West Side Story come to mind). But the awards still mean something, and more
often than not the shows honored are excellent artistic achievements even if
they aren’t necessarily the *most* deserving.
So which shows will be the big winners tonight? Read on to find out.
Best Play
 |
| Only Christopher Durang would find a way to connect Chekhov and Snow White. That's gotta be worth some kind of award right there. |
Nominees:
The Assembled Parties; Lucky
Guy; The Testament of Mary; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
An
interesting and eclectic assortment of shows, this year’s Best Play race isn’t
as chock-full of the high-minded (and oftentimes stuffy) dramas that Tony
voters usually fawn over. The biggest
surprise in this category is probably the inclusion of the Fiona Shaw-led The Testament of Mary, a show that
posted its closing notice the same day as the announcement. I can’t imagine it winning, but as they say,
it’s an honor just to be nominated.
Heading into
the awards season, I thought The Assembled
Parties would be a much stronger contender than it’s turned out to be. Mounted by highly respected Manhattan Theatre
Club, the show was roundly praised by critics for its nuanced writing and
all-around excellent performances. But
with only three Tony nominations to its name, the show is definitely this
year’s dark horse; it *could* win, but the chances of that actually happening
are miniscule.
This is
really a two-way race between Lucky Guy and
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. The final work written by the beloved
Nora Ephron before her death, Lucky Guy is
one of the biggest commercial successes of the season, and features bona fide
movie star Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut.
But for all of the kind words written about Lucky Guy, I get the sense that most people know it is not a great
play, and are cutting it some slack due to their nostalgia for its departed
author. Meanwhile, Vanya and Sonia has been racking up the wins in this season’s other
awards races, and despite a prolific career playwright Christopher Durang has
never actually won a Tony. I think this
is the year that changes, and it will mark the first time an outright comedy
has won the Best Play trophy since Lost
in Yonkers won back in 1991.
Should Win:
The Assembled Parties
Will Win:
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and
Spike
Best Musical
 |
| Kinky Boots leads this year's Tony nominations and is one of the frontrunners for the big award, because really, how can you go wrong with drag queens? |
I was as
surprised as anyone to see Bring It On and
A Christmas Story nominated in this
category, but it represents the rare instance where my surprise stems from the
fact that the nomination committee and I completely agree. The four nominated shows this year are the season’s four best new musicals,
and I applaud the committee for nominating two shows that could have easily
been dismissed due to their limited-run nature (a rarity for new
musicals). However, it must also be said
that both shows fall into the category of “it’s an honor just to be nominated,”
because this is clearly a race between Kinky
Boots and Matilda.
Matilda is the quintessential British
import; after an acclaimed run in the London, the production has transferred to
New York to similarly rapturous reviews, and seems as concerned with impressing
the audience through its sheer theatricality as it is with telling a compelling
story. Meanwhile Kinky Boots is a wholly American creation (albeit one based on a
British film) whose primary concern is entertaining the audience through song
and dance. The show avoids being
complete fluff by having a message about acceptance of yourself and others,
although it is a point made by many, many shows before it and hardly registers
due to all the glitz and glamor.
These shows
are so neck and neck that even industry veterans aren’t sure which way things
will go, but my heart is telling me that Kinky
Boots will emerge victorious. The
show is extremely easy to like, and while it breaks little new ground the tuner
is extremely well-crafted on all fronts.
The emphasis on more accessible nominees in all the categories this year
tells me that the Tony voters are in the mood for something a bit more fun, and
I honestly think the theatrical community as a whole has overdosed on British
theatre in the past few seasons. I
personally found Kinky Boots to be
the most compelling and successful of this year’s new musicals, and think its
win will be well deserved. But I also
don’t rule out Matilda, and it will
be extremely interesting to see how things turn out this evening.
Will & Should Win: Kinky
Boots
And that’s a
wrap! We’ve reached the end of another
Tony season, and I have again written exhaustively about my thoughts on all
things Broadway. I hope you’ve enjoyed
the coverage, and I thank everyone who has been so supportive of my little
hobby. As you wait for the big show
later tonight, feel free to look back on all of my other predictions and
Tony-related coverage below.
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Featured Actor
Best Featured Actress
Best Book and Score
Best Direction and Choreography
2013 Tony Nomination React
2013 Tony Roundtable Podcast
No comments:
Post a Comment