Thursday, April 23, 2015

Drama Desk Nominations: The Theater Awards Race Heats Up!


The Drama Desk today became the second major theater organization (following Monday’s announcement by the Outer Critics Circle) to release its list of nominees for the best of Broadway and Off-Broadway. Taking a look at where they overlap might provide a glimpse into the crystal ball regarding the lead-up to the Tony Awards – though do remember that the Tonys are presented only for Broadway productions.

Things definitely will be colored by eliminating such powerhouses as Off Broadway’s Hamilton from the Tony race and Fun Home from Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle consideration (its Off Broadway production was eligible last year, was nominated by both organizations, and won the OCC Award for best musical). 

So, with these caveats in place, let’s take that look. And if you want to see my discussion of the Outer Critics Circle nominations, LINK  HERE.


Nominees for OUTSTANDING PLAY

Outer Critics Circle (OCC) nominated eight plays in all - three Broadway and five Off Broadway. Drama Desk (DD) nominated seven – two Broadway and five Off Broadway.  Here’s where they overlap:

Between Riverside and Crazy
The City of Conversation
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Implications for the Tonys :  The only Tony-eligible play that received nominations from both OCC and DD is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This play has been heralded as the one to beat from the outset, and there is no reason to think anything has changed.


Nominees for OUTSTANDING MUSICAL

OCC nominated ten musicals – five Broadway and five Off Broadway. DD nominated six.  Here is where they overlap:

An American in Paris
Hamilton
Something Rotten
The Visit

Implications for the Tonys:  Everyone’s favorite, Hamilton, is considered by many to be the lead horse for the 2016 race, but since it played Off Broadway this year, it is not in the mix. Each of the remaining has its champions, but for different reasons.  An American in Paris, based on the 1951 film, is garnering accolades for its choreography and the dancing by its two leads, both recruited from the top ranks of professional ballet stars. The Visit, which has been kicking around for years, is a sentimental favorite for its significance as the final Kander and Ebb musical to make its Broadway debut, and the final musical to star the legendary Chita Rivera. That leaves Something Rotten, truly the new kid on the block, which has been drawing both high praise and snubs. Still, with twelve Outer Critics Circle nominations and nine Drama Desk nominations, let’s not brush this one off too lightly. It might just nab the big one. 

Except – there is that matter of Fun Home, the little show that could, that did, and maybe that will.  


Nominees for OUTSTANDING PLAY REVIVAL

OCC nominated five – four Broadway, and one Off Broadway.  DD nominated six – one Broadway and five Off Broadway.  Here is where they overlap:

The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men

Implications for the Tonys:  Of these two, only Broadway’s The Elephant Man is eligible for Tony consideration. While the production, which starred Hollywood superstar Bradley Cooper, is certainly a strong contender, it’s too soon to write off The Heidi Chronicles, Skylight, or You Can’t Take It With You.


Nominees for OUTSTANDING MUSICAL REVIVAL

OCC nominated five – four of which were Broadway productions.  DD nominated six – four of them Broadway productions.  Here is where they overlap:

Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

Implications for the Tonys:  Eliminate the Off Broadway revival of Into the Woods, and consider Side Show as an also-ran among this list.  Each of the others will have its supporters, but despite its many strengths, On the Town is likely to be overrun by what looks to be a battle between The King and I and On The Twentieth Century. 

Nominees for OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY

OCC nominated five – two for Broadway productions, three Off Broadway.  DD nominated six – three Broadway, and three Off Broadway.  Here is where they overlap:

Reed Birney    I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Bradley Cooper    The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson    Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles    Wolf Hall
Alex Sharp    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Implications for the Tonys:  This is one category where the two organizations agreed, though Drama Desk added a well-deserved nomination for Bill Pullman’s excellent performance in the Off Broadway production of the revival of David Rabe’s Sticks and Bones.  For the Tonys, it is likely to be a head-to-head between Bradley Cooper and Alex Sharp.


Nominees for OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

OCC nominated five – two Broadway and three Off Broadway.  DD nominated seven, only two of which were for Broadway productions.  Here is where they overlap:

Jan Maxwell    The City of Conversation
Helen Mirren    The Audience
Tonya Pinkins    Rasheeda Speaking


Implications for the Tonys:  Helen Mirren is the only one on the overlapping lists who is starring in a Broadway production.  She generally is considered to be the frontrunner for the Tony, though she may see some competition from Elizabeth Moss (The Heidi Chronicles), Carey Mulligan (Skylight), and Ruth Wilson (Constellations). 


Nominees for OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

OCC nominated five, all for Broadway productions.  DD nominated six, three for Broadway productions.  Here is where they overlap:

Brian d’Arcy James    Something Rotten!
Robert Fairchild    An American in Paris

Implications for the Tonys:  A win for Brian d’Arcy James would cap off a great year for him, with this nomination plus his acclaimed performance (and an OCC nomination) as King George III in Hamilton. For the Tony, his competition, other than Robert Fairchild, will probably be Peter Gallagher (On The Twentieth Century) and Tony Yazbeck (On The Town).   


Nominees for OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

OCC nominated five, all for Broadway productions.  DD nominated six, five of them for Broadway shows.  Here is where they overlap:

Kristin Chenoweth    On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope    An American in Paris
Chita Rivera    The Visit

Implications for the Tonys: Kristin Chenoweth leads the pack here, but where, oh where, is Kelli O’Hara (The King and I)? She was nominated by OCC, but not by DD, but if anyone makes it a race for Ms. Chenoweth, it has to be she. 


Nominees for OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER

Let’s set aside the other categories (directors, featured performers, set and costume design, score) for another time.  I would, however, like to take a look at a category for which there are many strong entries this year, and that is for choreographer.

OCC nominated five, of which four were for Broadway productions.  These were:

Joshua Bergasse   On the Town
Warren Carlyle    On the Twentieth Century
Casey Nicholaw    Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon    An American in Paris


DD nominated six, of which five were for Broadway productions. These were:

Joshua Bergasse   On the Town
Warren Carlyle    On the Twentieth Century
Steven Hoggett    The Last Ship
Casey Nicholaw    Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon    An American in Paris

Implications for the Tonys:  Notice that, with the exception of The Last Ship, both organizations nominated the same four choreographers.  All of them bring something special to the productions they are associated with. At the moment, it does seem that Mr. Wheeldon, a renowned modern ballet master, has the upper hand, but what a great year this has been for dance on Broadway!

Stay tuned for more.  The Tony nominations will be announced on April 28.  We’ll take another look then. 


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Monday, April 20, 2015

Outer Critics Circle Announces 2014-2015 Award Nominations: Who Made The Cut and Who Was Left Out?


Katie Finneran and Raul Esparza



The 2014-15 theater awards season kicked into high gear today with the announcement of the nominees for the 65th annual Outer Critics Circle Awards.

The big takeaways: The new musical Something Rotten, which doesn’t even have its official opening until later this week, walked off with 12 nominations, the most of any show – new or revival.  It was also a great season for director Scott Ellis, who picked up nominations for two play revivals (The Elephant Man and You Can’t Take It With You) and a musical revival (On The Twentieth Century). 

Theater stalwarts Raul Esparza and Katie Finneran made the announcements before a group of Outer Critics Circle voters, members of the press, and other guests who braved the torrential rain to attend the gathering at the Friars Club.

Here is a list of nominees, along with my discussion for each category.


Nominees for OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
The Audience
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wolf Hall

Surprises:  These three made my list, but I was surprised there were no others. Two that come to mind are Constellations and The River.  Both owe much to strong productions and outstanding performances, but both took risks that made them very interesting and worthy of being nominated.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
An American in Paris
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Surprises:  Glad to see It Shoulda Been You on the list. On the face of it, this show should not have worked, and a number of the major-league critics lambasted it for its hokeyness. But, as the ads say:  “You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be home by 10!”  It absolutely lives up to that promise. 

Nominees for OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Between Riverside and Crazy
The City of Conversation
The Nether
Rasheeda Speaking
The Village Bike

Surprises:  Two strong contenders I thought ought to have made the list ahead of a couple that did were Suzan-Lori Parks’s Civil War-era play Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3) and Ayad Akhtar’s The Invisible Hand, about an American businessman held captive by terrorists. Akhtar won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Disgraced; I thought The Invisible Hand was an even better play.  And speaking of the Pulitzer Prize, congratulations to Between Riverside and Crazy and playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, who was awarded the Prize for 2015, as announced today.  Father Comes Home from the Wars was a finalist.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
A Christmas Memory
Disenchanted
The Fortress of Solitude
Hamilton
Lonesome Traveler

Surprises:  No surprises, but happy to see Lonesome Traveler make the list.  It is a heartfelt journey through the history of folk music as a (mostly) American phenomenon from the 1920s through the 1960s

Nominees for OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Surprises:  This is a strong list. I thought Itamar Moses’s adaption of Jonathan Lethem’s The Fortress of Solitude would have been a stronger selection over one or two others that made the cut.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Surprises:  Sorry that The Fortress of Solitude was not nominated for Michael Friedman’s terrific score. Check out the original cast recording, available at Sh-K-Boom.com, Amazon.com, or on iTunes. 

Nominees for OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
The Heidi Chronicles
Skylight
You Can’t Take It With You

Surprises: I would have bumped one of these in favor of the New Group’s first-rate revival of David Rabe’s Vietnam-era play Sticks and Bones.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

Surprises:  No surprises, but I did rather enjoy the revival of the seldom-seen Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Allegro, at the Classic Stage Company, enough so that I might have put it ahead of one of the shows that made the list.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Stephen Daldry    The Audience
Marianne Elliott    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis   The Elephant Man
Scott Ellis    You Can’t Take It With You
Jeremy Herrin    Wolf Hall

Surprises:  This is a strong list, and kudos must be given to Scott Ellis for an amazing year, with nominations for his direction of two Broadway play revivals and a Broadway musical revival. 

Nominees for OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Scott Ellis    On the Twentieth Century
Thomas Kail    Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw    Something Rotten!
David Hyde Pierce    It Shoulda Been You
Christopher Wheeldon    An American in Paris

Surprises:  I would have selected John Rando for his direction of On The Town over one or two that did make the list.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Joshua Bergasse   On the Town
Andy Blankenbuehler    Hamilton
Warren Carlyle    On the Twentieth Century
Casey Nicholaw    Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon    An American in Paris

Surprises:  Nary a one. This may turn out to be the most competitive category of all this year.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Bunny Christie    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley       An American in Paris
Scott Pask          Something Rotten!
David Rockwell  On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan    The King and I

Surprises:  I loved Beowulf Boritt’s design for On The Town, which would have bumped one of these in my book.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Gregg Barnes    Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley    The Audience
William Ivey Long    On the Twentieth Century
Christopher Orem    Wolf Hall
Catherine Zuber    The King and I

Surprises:  Quite the season for period costumes. Only room for five nominees, but a sixth for me would also go to Catherine Zuber, for the sumptuous fin de siècle costumes she designed for the revival of Gigi. 

Nominees for OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Paule Constable    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jeff Croiter     Something Rotten!
Rick Fisher     The Audience
Natasha Katz     An American in Paris
Japhy Weideman    The Visit

Surprises:  None, though I was rather taken with Lee Curran’s lighting design for Constellations – very supportive of the many instantaneous scene and mood changes throughout the play.   

Nominees for OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Reed Birney    I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Bradley Cooper    The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson    Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles    Wolf Hall
Alex Sharp    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Surprises: Another strong list, though I would have made room for the performance of the always-amazing John Douglas Thompson in the title role of the Theatre for a New Audience’s production of Tamburlaine the Great.


Nominees for OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Greta Gerwig     The Village Bike
Jan Maxwell    The City of Conversation
Helen Mirren    The Audience
Elisabeth Moss    The Heidi Chronicles
Tonya Pinkins    Rasheeda Speaking

Surprises:  None. I am pleased that Jan Maxwell’s fine performance in The City of Conversation has not been forgotten since the show had its run at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at the very beginning of the 2014-15 season, nearly a year ago. 

Nominees for OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Christian Borle    Something Rotten!
Brian d’Arcy James    Something Rotten!
Robert Fairchild    An American in Paris
Peter Gallagher    On the Twentieth Century
Tony Yazbeck    On the Town

Surprises:  None.  Cheers to Brian d’Arcy James, who exited Hamilton for Something Rotten! and wowed audiences in both. 

Nominees for OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kristin Chenoweth    On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope    An American in Paris
Tyne Daly    It Shoulda Been You
Kelli O’Hara    The King and I
Chita Rivera    The Visit

Surprises:  Love Tyne Daly, but I wish there had been room on this list for her It Shoulda Been You show-stopping colleague Jenny Lisa Howard.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Paul Jesson     Wolf Hall
Richard McCabe   The Audience
Alessandro Nivola   The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker    Wolf Hall
Bryce Pinkham     The Heidi Chronicles   

Surprises:  Good list.  If I could squeeze in one more it would be Jacob Ming-Trent for his inventive over-the-top performance as Odd-See the dog in Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3).

Nominees for OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Annaleigh Ashford   You Can’t Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson   The Elephant Man
Francesca Faridany   The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Julie Halston   You Can’t Take It With You
Lydia Leonard   Wolf Hall

Surprises:  None. I did rather like Cush Jumbo’s performance in The River and would have been very happy to see her make the list. 

Nominees for OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
John Cariani   Something Rotten!
Josh Grisetti   It Shoulda Been You
Andy Karl   On the Twentieth Century
Paul Alexander Nolan   Doctor Zhivago
Max von Essen   An American in Paris

Surprises:  None.  One I would be just as happy to see on this list is Kevin Mambo for his terrific work in The Fortress of Solitude.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Heidi Blickenstaff   Something Rotten!
Victoria Clark   Gigi
Megan Fairchild   On the Town
Ruthie Ann Miles    The King and I  
Mary Louise Wilson   On the Twentieth Century

Surprises:  None. My stand-by would be Elizabeth Stanley for her performance as the zany anthropologist in On The Town.

Nominees for OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Joe Assadourian     The Bullpen
Jim Dale    Just Jim Dale
Tom Dugan    Wiesenthal
Cush Jumbo    Josephine and I
Benjamin Scheuer    The Lion

Surprises:  None.  Glad Cush Jumbo made it here, though I thought her work in The River was also deserving of a nomination.

Nominees for JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Ayad Akhtar     The Invisible Hand
Halley Feiffer     I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Elizabeth Irwin     My Mañana Comes
Markus Potter     Stalking the Bogeyman
Benjamin Scheuer     The Lion

Surprises:  None, though that word “preferably” does set up experienced playwrights against novices. 


The links below will take you to to Upstage-Downstage reviews of some of the nominated shows. 

The Last Ship



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