I got a call yesterday from a producer at Marketplace on National Public Radio. She wanted to know what I thought about the impending Tony Award nominations, and specifically what I thought of the chances of Spider-Man getting a nod for Best Musical. As a reporter myself, I knew that there was a chance I might not make it on the program: reporters often interview more people than they need just to make sure they're covered when they sit down to write.
But I did, in fact, make it onto the program, albeit in severely edited form. There was about five seconds of me talking and another five of me laughing. It basically went like this:
"A year ago, if you’d told me that we were looking at the prospect of Spider-Man actually getting a nomination for Best Musical...[laughs]...I’m not exactly sure what I would have said. [laughs]"
Ah, but enough of my humble-brag. As it turns out, cooler heads prevailed and Spider-Man did not receive a nomination for Best Musical, although it did receive nods for its costumes and sets. When I was speaking with the NPR producer, I was very cynical and dismissive of the Tonys and the awards process in general, but I have to say that, looking at the nominations, which came out this morning, on the whole the list is a fairly accurate reflection of what was genuinely good this season. (As to whether the eventual winners will reflect the true quality of the season, I remain deeply cynical.)
Here are some of the nominations for musicals this year, along with my take on the nominees, the prospective winners, and the significant omissions. For the purposes of this post, I've haven't included every single category - for instance, I haven't listed the nominees for sound design, lighting design, and orchestrations. This is not because I think that these areas are unimportant, but because I don't have enough knowledge in these fields to comment meaningfully. And, unlike many other people in the theater realm, I'd rather not spout opinions in areas in which I have no authority. (OK, Neil?)
Best Musical
Leap of Faith
Newsies
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Once
Missing: Spider-Man, Ghost, Lysistrata Jones, Bonnie & Clyde
Deserves to Win: Once
Will Win: Newsies
My Take: The fourth slot here, which many people thought might have gone to Spider-Man, in fact went to Leap of Faith. Unfortunately, this was the only nod for this sadly underrated musical. I hope to publish my review sometime before the show closes, which unfortunately looks like it will be very soon.
Best Revival of a Musical
Evita
Follies
Porgy and Bess
Jesus Christ Superstar
Missing: Godspell, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Deserves to Win: Follies
Will Win: Follies. Evita and JCS got pretty mixed reviews, and Porgy & Bess has been controversial. So I'm thinking the Tony voters will play it safe and give it to Follies.
My Take: Godspell is the only musical production this season to receive absolutely no nominations in any category. I can't say this is surprising, as the show didn't fare well with the critics. The show does seem to be limping steadily along at the box office, and I can't imagine it has very high running costs, so prospects for the production may not be all that bleak.
Best Book of a Musical
Lysistrata Jones, Douglas Carter Beane
Newsies, Harvey Fierstein
Nice Work If You Can Get It, Joe DiPietro
Once, Enda Walsh
Missing: Leap of Faith, Ghost, Bonnie & Clyde, Spider-Man
Deserves to Win: Once
Will Win: Newsies. Once is beautiful, but not showy enough. Nice Work If You Can Get It is a laugh riot, thanks to DiPietro's fun and lively book. But I'm thinking this award will be part of a Newsies sweep.
My Take: Lysistrata Jones gets its one nomination here, and I suppose that makes sense. The show was definitely funny, even if the jokes were rather superficial and generic. I would have preferred Leap of Faith getting the nod here for its relatively complex characterizations and palpable human feeling.
Best Original Score
Bonnie & Clyde, Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Don Black
Newsies, Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Jack Feldman
One Man, Two Guvnors, Music & Lyrics: Grant Olding
Peter and the Starcatcher, Music: Wayne Barker Lyrics: Rick Elice
Missing: Leap of Faith, Ghost, Spider-Man, Lysistrata Jones. (Nice Work If You Can Get It and Once were not eligible.)
Deserves to Win: Newsies
Will Win: Newsies
My Take: The fact that there are two straight plays nominated in this category is a deliberate slap in the face to the pop-music dilettantes responsible for the painfully lackluster scores to Ghost and Spider-Man. The Tony nominating committee is basically saying, "Be gone! And don't come back until you can learn how to write an integrated, dramatically purposeful musical-theater score." (Well, at least that's what I hope they're saying. At any rate, it's what I'm saying.) And with Bonnie & Clyde, the nomating committee is expressing its surprise that a Frank Wildhorn score was, well, almost good.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Follies
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies
Steve Kazee, Once
Norm Lewis, Porgy and Bess
Ron Raines, Follies
Missing: Matthew Broderick, Nice Work If You Can Get It; Raul Esparza, Leap of Faith
Deserves to Win: Danny Burstein
Will Win: A toss-up between Jeremy Jordan and Steve Kazee, but I'm going with Kazee.
My Take: Seeing Ron Raines here is a bit of a surprise. Most people seemed to think that slot would go to Raul Esparza, who was going to finally win a Tony this year, and yet he wasn't even nominated. That's what happens when the industry gets a hair across its ass about your show.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jan Maxwell, Follies
Audra McDonald, Porgy and Bess
Cristin Milioti, Once
Kelli O’Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Laura Osnes, Bonnie & Clyde
Missing: Bernadette Peters, Follies; Elena Roger, Evita
Deserves to Win: Jan Maxwell
Will Win: I'm thinking it's Tony number five for Audra. But Cristin Milioti is winning lots of hearts, so I think this category is a real toss-up.
My Take: Bernadette Peters has won twice before, and this year she's getting a special Tony for blah blah blah. But, still, it's a bit of a surprise not to see her nominated for Follies. I mean, Laura Osnes was terrific in Bonnie & Clyde, but we're talking Bernadette Frickin' Peters here, folks.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Phillip Boykin, Porgy and Bess
Michael Cerveris, Evita
David Alan Grier, Porgy and Bess
Michael McGrath, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar
Missing: Patrick Page, Spider-Man; Bryce Pinkham, Ghost; David Turner, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Deserves to Win: McGrath is quite the scene stealer in Nice Work If You Can Get It, so I'm throwing my weight behind him.
Will Win: This could genuinely be anybody, but if I had to choose, I'd say Phillip Boykin. Crown is a very showy, memorable role.
My Take: The Featured categories are where we tend to see surprises, so I'd say any of these men have a shot, except for Cerveris. He's won before, and people aren't fond of the production.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Elizabeth A. Davis, Once
Jayne Houdyshell, Follies
Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost
Missing: Jessica Phillips, Leap of Faith; Melissa Van Der Schyff, Bonnie & Clyde
Deserves to Win: Jessie Mueller, in one of the most sensational breakout performances I've ever seen.
Will Win: Judy Kaye is an absolute hoot in Nice Work If You Can Get It, but Houdyshell was pretty kick-ass belting out "Broadway Baby." I'll say Judy Kaye wins, but only because the show is still running and Tony voters have short memories. And because there's no nominee from Newsies.
My Take: When I saw the name Elizabeth A. Davis, I had to check online to remember which part she played. (She's the slutty Czech sister.) So, I'm thinking she's not going to win. I'm really hoping that it's not Randolph, with all due respect. She's perfectly fine in the role, but the whole "sassy black woman" shtick has gotten a bit old.
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley, Once
Rob Howell and Jon Driscoll, Ghost
Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel, Newsies
George Tsypin, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark
Missing: Nice Work If You Can Get It, Leap of Faith, Porgy & Bess
Deserves to Win: Once, because it's subtle.
Will Win: Newsies, because it's a hit. It also represents a huge change for Disney: a modular set that doesn't overshadow the action, but rather serves it in an effectively theatrical fashion.
My Take: I am begging...begging...the Tony voters not to reward the pointless extravagance of Spider-Man, nor the mind-numbing, headache-inducing spectacle of Ghost. These shows represent everything that's wrong with modern musical theater: style over substance, spectacle over human drama.
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Follies
ESosa, Porgy and Bess
Eiko Ishioka, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark
Martin Pakledinaz, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Missing: Once, Newsies
Deserves to Win: Follies
Will Win: Either Follies or Nice Work If You Can Get It. They're both period shows with lost of flash and flare. And Spider-Man is frickin' Spider-Man.
My Take: I'm really hoping that it's not Porgy & Bess. The costumes for that production were beautiful. Too beautiful. The indigent inhabitants of Catfish Row present quite a stunning array of crisply pressed pastels as they venture off to picnic on Kittiwah Island. I was left to wonder where these people would get all those beautiful clothes. And color-coordinated clothes at that.
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Evita
Christopher Gattelli, Newsies
Steven Hoggett, Once
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Missing: It's a real shame Dan Knechtges wasn't nominated for Lysistrata Jones. The way he staged the basketball games was idiomatic without being literal and a genuine pleasure to watch. And the guys actually looked masculine. That's quite a feat.
Deserves to Win: Nice Work If You Can Get It
Will Win: Newsies
My Take: I genuinely enjoyed Newsies, but I found the dancing a bit overly strenuous and self-satisfied. The dances seemed to comprise and endless parade of showboating maneuvers on the part of these admittedly talented young men: acrobatics, high leaps, quadruple pirouettes. As my students say, there was tons of "kick your face." But how is this any different from the vocal pyrotechnics of "American Idol," or, for that matter, the self-aggrandizing word-smithing of lyricist Lorenz Hart? It showcases the skill of the performer or the wit of the creator, and doesn't serve the story. Give me Kathleen Marshall's visually appealing but dramatically purposeful dance from Nice Work If You Can Get It any day.
Best Direction of a Musical
Jeff Calhoun, Newsies
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Diane Paulus, Porgy and Bess
John Tiffany, Once
Missing: Des McAnuff, Jesus Christ Superstar; Matthew Warchus, Ghost; Michael Grandage, Evita
Deserves to Win: John Tiffany, Once
Will Win: Jeff Calhoun, Newsies
My Take: Broadway dearly loves a hit, and when it gets one, it tends to shower that show with praise and accolades, whether the show deserves it or not. Newsies is an unqualified smash, and not only will it very likely win Best Musical, it will probably win in a number of additional categories from sheer momentum. John Tiffany deserves recognition for shepherding the subtle characterizations and low-key but deeply affecting production that is Once. But I'm thinking Calhoun is going to win here.
Tony Nominations by Production:
Once - 11
Porgy and Bess - 10
Nice Work If You Can Get It - 10
Follies - 8
Newsies - 8
Evita - 3
Ghost - 3
Bonnie & Clyde - 2
Jesus Christ Superstar - 2
Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark - 2
Lysistrata Jones - 1
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever - 1
Godspell - 0
The 2012 Tony Award Winners - My Take
That was my first thought when I got home Sunday night and saw the results of the 66th Annual Tony Awards. I didn't watch the show live, because I was attending a concert that night, but when I fired up my iPad and saw who won, I got a sort of warm feeling in my heart, as a result of years of cynicism and outright disdain for the Tony Awards suddenly melting.
I'm certainly not the only one to feel cynical about the Tonys, but it's gotten to the point where I'd just as soon go to a concert on the night of the Tony Awards as stay home and watch them live. I won't recount all the various charges against the Tonys over the past few years, but suffice it to say that Tony Awards don't always go to the shows and the people who genuinely deserve them, but rather to the shows that people have a vested interest in promoting. For instance, the show that wins Best Musical is usually not the best musical per se, but rather the one that simply has the best chance of making money on the road. Notable exceptions occurred last year with The Book of Mormon and in 2004 with Avenue Q, and, thankfully, this year.
What follows is my take on a number of the major awards of the evening. But before I get to that, just a note about the one glaring blemish on Tony's otherwise recovering complexion this year: that ridiculous number from the Royal Caribbean production of Hairspray. Why was it there? Because Royal Caribbean was a sponsor of the TV broadcast. As Vanity Fair put it, this only served to prove that "the Tonys have descended bow first into product-placement hell." Never mind that the performers were non-Equity, and that Equity itself was getting a special award on the same broadcast. (Cue: face-palm) But the fact that the Theater Wing is bending over to accommodate an advertiser is frankly appalling. What's worse is that, because the Hairspray segment took up valuable air-time, something had to go. And you know what went? The "In Memoriam" segment paying tribute to the members of the theater community who passed away during the past year. Yeah, I know. Sort of adds egregious insult to embarrassing injury, doesn't it?
Now let's take things award by award. Not every award, mind you, just the ones about which I have something to say. Click through the links on each show name to read my reviews.
Best Musical
Leap of Faith
Newsies
Nice Work If You Can Get It
*Once
MY TAKE: The biggest upset since Avenue Q beat out Wicked, and in both situations the better show won. I'm so genuinely gratified that Once came out the big winner this year, garnering 8 awards in total. I think lots of people, myself included, were expecting a Newsies sweep. And, don't get me wrong, Newsies is a ton of fun, but Once is tender, honest, real, moving, and a ton of other warm and fuzzy adjectives. Perhaps the Tony voters have been listening to the feedback over the years and decided that they needed to do something to restore credibility.
Best Actress in a Musical
Jan Maxwell, Follies
*Audra McDonald, Porgy and Bess
Cristin Milioti, Once
Kelli O’Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Laura Osnes, Bonnie & Clyde
MY TAKE: I would love to have seen this one go to Jan Maxwell in Follies. Audra is terrific in Porgy and Bess, but she already had four Tonys. Yeah, awards shouldn't really be about the past, only the present, but Jan Maxwell rocks in everything she's in, and I'd love to see her get some love one of these seasons.
Best Actress in a Play
*Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Linda Lavin, The Lyons
Cynthia Nixon, Wit
MY TAKE: I'm so glad this went to Nina Arianda in Venus in Fur. She one of the most appealing, animated, layered, and energetic actresses I've ever seen, and she's simply a force of nature in Venus in Fur. Word on the street had this award possibly going to Tracie Bennett in End of the Rainbow, and make no mistake Bennett is terrific. But I would have been disappointed if the Tony voters had gone for Bennett's flashy Judy Garland impersonation over Arianda's equally flashy but far more nuanced performance.
Best Actor in a Play
*James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman
James Earl Jones, The Best Man
Frank Langella, Man and Boy
John Lithgow, The Columnist
MY TAKE: Another upset. The smart money had this one going to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, a known Hollywood and stage quantity, but thankfully the Tony voters were more impressed by James Corden's virtuosic hamminess in One Man, Two Guvnors. I saw the play twice, and I will forever treasure the sheer joy that Corden was able to impart through this farcical, physical work of unadulterated silliness.
Best Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Follies
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies
*Steve Kazee, Once
Norm Lewis, Porgy and Bess
Ron Raines, Follies
MY TAKE: Danny Burstein is another Broadway stalwart who, like Jan Maxwell, deserves a Tony one of these days. But Steve Kazee is a understated marvel in Once, a smoldering and sympathetic presence who can also bust out a killer indie-rock wail that sent shivers down my spine both times I saw the show. A genuinely moving and memorable performance.
Best Revival of a Musical
Evita
Follies
*Porgy and Bess
Jesus Christ Superstar
MY TAKE: Another surprise, given the season-long controversy about Porgy and Bess, and the nearly universal love for Follies. I think this one might come down to the classically short memories that Tony voters often have, as Follies closed at the beginning of the year, and Porgy and Bess is still running. I really enjoyed Porgy and Bess, all three times I saw it, so this upset is by no means distressing to me.
Best Original Score
Bonnie & Clyde
*Newsies
One Man, Two Guvnors
Peter and the Starcatcher
MY TAKE: No surprise, and really no contest, although I'm a huge fan of the songs in One Man, Two Guvnors, and have the cast recording on regular rotation on my iPod. But it is nice to see Alan Menken get his first Tony, especially after the heartbreak of Leap of Faith closing so (IMHO) prematurely.
Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Elizabeth A. Davis, Once
Jayne Houdyshell, Follies
*Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost
Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Phillip Boykin, Porgy and Bess
Michael Cerveris, Evita
David Alan Grier, Porgy and Bess
*Michael McGrath, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar
MY TAKE: I was thrilled to see Judy Kaye and Michael McGrath receive recognition for their hilarious work in Nice Work If You Can Get It. The show is a wonderful piece of throwback fluff, made especially delightful by the presence of these two Broadway pros.
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Evita
*Christopher Gattelli, Newsies
Steven Hoggett, Once
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It
MY TAKE: This one was a bit disappointing to me. Gatelli's work on Newsies is certainly impressive, not to mention omnipresent. But watching the dance numbers in Newsies reminded me too much of the American propensity toward finding things that are bigger, louder, higher, longer, and more expensive impressive simply for the sake of it. I would like to have seen this award go to either Kathleen Marshall, or preferably Steve Hoggett for his simple but wonderfully effective movement in Once.
Best Direction of a Musical - *John Tiffany, Once
Best Book of a Musical - *Enda Walsh, Once
Best Sound Design of a Musical - *Clive Goodwin, Once
Best Orchestrations - *Martin Lowe, Once
Best Lighting Design of a Musical - *Natasha Katz, Once
Best Scenic Design of a Musical - *Bob Crowley, Once
MY TAKE: On the whole, this passel of awards is really what made me happy about the Tonys this year. The Tony voters made smart choices rather than safe ones. They opted for dramatically purposeful work rather than work that was self-consciously labor-intensive and noticeably expensive. John Tiffany's direction was wonderfully heartfelt and evocative. Enda Walsh's book was spare but a marvel of economy. The sound, lighting and set for Once weren't flashy at all, but instead created this marvelous milieu in which the richness of the characterizations could shine. And the orchestrations were ingenious, and not only brought idiomatic sound to the show, but also made an asset of the potential liability of relying exclusively on the actor-musicians in the show's rather small cast.
So, on the whole, a really solid year for the Tonys. Will this usher in a new wave of quality and integrity in Tony voting? Or will the voters simply return to rewarding shows that are obvious crowd-pleasers and/or likely money-makers? Stay tuned.