The Tony Awards: Airing This Sunday Night

Cafe Society
1

OK, so I haven’t been to NYC in ages, and obviously haven’t seen any of the shows nominated, but here is why I dearly love the Tony Awards:

  1. You get to see snippets from the shows - and usually they are pretty good segments with some great song and dance, and the occasional riveting dramatic performance.

  2. Sure, there are the Oscar’s and the Emmy’s and the Grammy’s, but the Tony’s takes the cake when it comes to high-camp drama.
    Usually, I have never even heard of the winner, let alone the other nominees, but mygod when that winner is announced, you would think they were just found not guilty at a murder trial; the overly-dramatic shock and awe, followed by the uncontrollable sobs by the person sitting next to them, accompanied by a pocket of co-stars screaming like holy-rollers in a Baptist church. It is a veritable explosion of emotions - the epitome of drama queens in all their glory!

3 The acceptance speech. Ohlordy, the acceptance speech. This alone is worth the price of admission You know they have practiced this for hours at home in front of the mirror, or perhaps with their acting coach - every syllable is enunciated with care, every nuance is timed to perfection; it is humble, it is magnanimous, it is solemn, and without the support of that wonderful person sitting next to them (close up of red-eyed, weeping spouse) they would not be standing here, and bygod, theatre is proof that there is intelligent life on this planet. (Be sure to knock back a shot every time someone talks about the “incredible journey” they took to get where they are now.)

Although I minored in theater in college, was in many shows and even worked for a professional theater for several years, I find this show about as pretentious as it gets. Still, I am glued to the television during the Tony Awards - like a voyeur spying on his neighbors having sex; I am simply fascinated by the whole ordeal.

I can hardly wait til Sunday!

2

Hmm…if this thread is any indication, ratings for the show tonight are not exactly going to go through the roof.

Oh well, I am looking forward to seeing it.

In case anybody else is going to watch, and has seen any of the shows, any predictions of who will/should win?

3

We’re going to watch here.

To add to your #3: No other awards show has anywhere near as much thanking of “partners” as the Tonys, which still makes me a little verklemmt…

4

I really don’t think this show is any more pretentious than the Oscars, or Emmys, or Grammys, etc… To win a Tony Award puts you in a select group of people and it really is an honor. Just because you may not know their names does not mean they aren’t deserving of the win or aren’t extremely talented. For most of the nominees, they don’t have anywhere near the name recognition of movie/TV stars or pop singers (even though IMO they are much more talented.) The list of nominees, my predictions are in bold. I’ve seen most of the shows & performances nominated this year.

Best Play
**August: Osage County **
Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

Best Musical
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

Best Book of a Musical
Cry-Baby Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan
In The Heights Quiara Alegría Hudes
Passing Strange Stew
**Xanadu Douglas Carter Beane **

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Cry-Baby Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger
In The Heights Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Little Mermaid Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
**Passing Strange Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald Lyrics: Stew **

Best Revival of a Play
**Boeing-Boeing **
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Macbeth

Best Revival of a Musical
Grease
Gypsy
**South Pacific **
Sunday in the Park with George

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ben Daniels Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne Thurgood
**Mark Rylance Boeing-Boeing **
Rufus Sewell Rock ‘n’ Roll
Patrick Stewart Macbeth

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Eve Best The Homecoming
**Deanna Dunagan August: Osage County **
Kate Fleetwood Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Daniel Evans Sunday in the Park with George
Lin-Manuel Miranda In The Heights
Stew Passing Strange
**Paulo Szot South Pacific **
Tom Wopat A Catered Affair

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kerry Butler Xanadu
**Patti LuPone Gypsy **
Kelli O’Hara South Pacific
Faith Prince A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell Sunday in the Park with George

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale Mauritius
**Raúl Esparza The Homecoming **
Conleth Hill The Seafarer
Jim Norton The Seafarer
David Pittu Is He Dead?

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Sinead Cusack Rock ‘n’ Roll
Mary McCormack Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf November
**Martha Plimpton Top Girls **
Rondi Reed August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
**Daniel Breaker Passing Strange **
Danny Burstein South Pacific
Robin de Jesús In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
de’Adre Aziza Passing Strange
**Laura Benanti Gypsy **
Andrea Martin The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre South Pacific

Best Direction of a Play
Maria Aitken The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson The Seafarer
**Anna D. Shapiro August: Osage County **
Matthew Warchus Boeing-Boeing

Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Buntrock Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail In The Heights
Arthur Laurents Gypsy
**Bartlett Sher South Pacific **

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford Cry-Baby
**Andy Blankenbuehler In The Heights **
Christopher Gattelli South Pacific
Dan Knechtges Xanadu

Best Orchestrations
**Jason Carr Sunday in the Park with George **
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick A Catered Affair

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Peter McKintosh The 39 Steps
Scott Pask Les Liaisons Dangereuses
**Todd Rosenthal August: Osage County **
Anthony Ward Macbeth

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network Sunday in the Park with George
Anna Louizos In The Heights
Robin Wagner The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
**Michael Yeargan South Pacific **

Best Costume Design of a Play
Gregory Gale Cyrano de Bergerac
Rob Howell Boeing-Boeing
**Katrina Lindsay Les Liaisons Dangereuses **
Peter McKintosh The 39 Steps

Best Costume Design of a Musical
David Farley Sunday in the Park with George
Martin Pakledinaz Gypsy
Paul Tazewell In The Heights
Catherine Zuber South Pacific

Best Lighting Design of a Play
**Kevin Adams The 39 Steps **
Howard Harrison Macbeth
Donald Holder Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Ann G. Wrightson August: Osage County

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington Sunday in the Park with George
Howell Binkley In The Heights
Donald Holder South Pacific
Natasha Katz The Little Mermaid

Best Sound Design of a Play
Simon Baker Boeing-Boeing
Adam Cork Macbeth
Ian Dickson Rock ‘n’ Roll
Mic Pool The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design of a Musical
**Acme Sound Partners In The Heights **
Sebastian Frost Sunday in the Park with George
Scott Lehrer Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Dan Moses Schreier Gypsy

5

Any other cultured people on these boards watching right now? Thought I’d bump it up.

6

There are apparently some interesting perks involved in being married to the network’s president…

Oh, and while I absolutely love Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters and Bette Midler as only a gay man can, Mama Rose is a character that has been waiting patiently for Patti Lupone since The Merm hung up her cloche.

7

I’m glad Faith got to perform. I loves me some Faith Prince!

Megan Mullally has a decent voice. Why do they even try to do the bawdier songs from these shows, knowing that they’re going to have to censor it into banality for the network?

8

I got goosebumps. I’ve seen Patti Lupone on stage (in Passion, of all things), and I think she’s brilliant, but she’s never been one of my favorites. But I can admit now that Bernadette Peters (who IS one of my favorites) was woefully miscast as Mama Rose, and this is Patti Lupone’s role.

I’m thrilled with Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti’s wins. And I could listen to Faith Prince sing for days.

Seems like it’s a fairly weak year, though, save several shows and actors. I’ve seen better high school productions of Grease. If I were a member of that cast or even just in production, I would be embarrassed after tonight. That was just bad. Terribly bad.

It was a joy seeing Kelli O’Hara, though - she was brilliant in A Light In The Piazza, and I adore seeing her. I’m not much of a South Pacific fan, but I think I’d even enjoy this production.

9

I’d ask you to marry me, but I don’t think it would work on either of our parts :wink: :D.

My husband is watching the show with me, though. He happily watches every year and listens to be bitch, whine, moan, and cheer.

10

I’ve caught a lot of the revival on AccuBroadway the last several months, and I really do like this production, audio-wise anyway. The last production of it that’s been taking up space in my head was the Carnegie Hall concert performance with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Reba MacIntire.

Elza, do you know if this Grease cast included the actors who got picked in that television show last year?

11

There’s an odd pairing if I ever saw one.

I’m not a big fan of Rodgers and Hammerstein to begin with (yeah, I know, blasphemy - I do enjoy many of the shows, but they aren’t usually among my favorites), so if they have me interested in seeing an R&H show, it must be a fantastic production.

12

Yep. It was Max and Laura (can’t remember their last names). Laura does have a beautiful voice, although I think she’s a little forgettable, but Max just wasn’t and isn’t ready for Broadway. I heard them both on Seth Rudetsky’s show on Sirius, and he had Max sing “Those Magic Changes” - his voice cracked and he couldn’t hit a note above a G without screwing it up. He’s charming, but not Broadway-ready.

13

Well, that was one of the best/craziest acceptance speeches ever (the guy who won for Boeing Boeing).

ETA: I should also mention that Miranda’s rapped acceptance for best musical score was pretty awesome. I gotta check out this show.

14

Well, it was a concert performance and not an actual full staged version. And Reba was stilted, at best. But it was in heavy rotation on AccuBroadway for months and months (I listen to the Wide Playlist), so it got stuck in my head. I actually preferred that version’s Bloody Mary, played by the incomparable Lillias White.

15

I saw her in The Life, and holy shit - she was brilliant. Not one of my favorite shows, but she’s one of a kind. I could sit and listen to her all night.

Okay - I really enjoyed the performance for In The Heights more than I expected. My budget is going to be screwed when I have to download all of these new OCRs (I usually decide after the Tonys what new shows I want.)

16

Heh…after Patti did her thing, supervenusfreak just looked at me and said “The cast recording goes on sale in August.”

17

I just looked at my husband and said “August.”.

He said “What?”

I said “No, the cast recording for Gypsy is out in August.”

His name is August :smiley: .

Thanks for the info - I’ve been trying to find out when it would be out. At least I can space them all out a bit.

18

Meh, Rent. Yay for Idina. But…I always feel like a shriveled-up curmudgeon because I just don’t care for the show. I’m kind of in the camp that thinks that if Larson hadn’t pulled a Gower Champion, Rent would have been a one-season show that might be on it’s first revival next year.

I loves me some Liza, too…she just can’t help herself! Chewing the scenery even when there’s no scenery to chew! She looks terrific, though.

19

Oh, god, I love you, Patti! I don’t know who the orchestra thought they were trying to play off the stage there, but Ms. Lupone was having NONE of it. “Shut up! It’s been 29 years!” There’s a Tony classic clip for future years.

20

It was the same asshole who tried to play off Elaine Stritch several years ago. :rolleyes: There are just certain people that you let finish. Elaine Stritch. Patti Lupone.