Two weeks ago, I made my predictions for the winners of the 2015
Tonys. Now let’s take a closer look at
the various categories for the Musical awards and why it is I made the choices
I did.
Nominees for Best Musical
An American in Paris
Fun
Home
Something Rotten!
The Visit
An American in Paris is noteworthy for its choreography and for the Gene
Kelly-like dancing by a thoroughly charming Robert Fairchild. But few of the
other elements stand out in any way. Musically, it relies on the audience’s familiarity
with an array of Gershwin songs, an approach that crops up with some regularity
on Broadway, such as in 2012’s Nice Work If You Can Get It and 1992’s Crazy
for You. ‘S not all that wonderful. ‘S not terribly original, either.
Something Rotten! is more of a crowd-pleaser, but it’s one of those
smoke-and-mirror productions that leans quite heavily on its fast pace, over-the-top
performances that shout “look at me!,” and an array of jokey references to
other musicals. The various productions of Forbidden Broadway frequently
have done just as well in that department, and The Book of Mormon
remains the champ. Even Fun Home incorporates playful references to A
Chorus Line. Nudge Nudge Wink Wink, anyone?
The Visit has more potential. It has an original Kander and Ebb score and stars
the legendary Chita Rivera. But there are too many problems with it, including
the way it has been compressed into 90 minutes; a 2011 one-shot concert performance
presented a longer two-act version and allowed the story to unfold more fluidly
and with greater integrity to the source material. Musically, the show would be
better served by sardonic Kurt Weill-ish songs than by the pleasant, bouncy
tunes penned for it.
But Fun
Home is the standout for the overall production, for the
book, for the performances (5 performance nominations out of a cast of 9!) for
the direction, and for the score. It tells a moving family and coming-of-age
story, and it tells it exceptionally well. This is an outstanding ensemble work
that soars above the rest. Its nearest rival is a musical that unfortunately
did not make this list of nominees, The Last Ship.
Nominees for Best Revival of a Musical
On the Town
On the
Twentieth Century
The King and I
Unlike the nominees for Best Musical,
the rivals for Best Revival of a Musical are all outstanding. And even though I
have made my choice, I’d be equally pleased to see any of these walk away with
the top prize.
On The Town is a joy from start to finish. You’ve got Bernstein’s terrific music
performed by a superb, full orchestra; Comden and Green’s witty and polished
lyrics; and Joshua Bergasse’s jaunty and creative choreography that pays
appropriate tribute to Jerome Robbins while decidedly putting an original stamp
on things. Beowolf Boritt’s set and
projection design are glorious as well, and the cast, under John Rando’s
direction, could not be topped.
The King and I has also been given a
first-rate production by Bartlett Sher, beautiful to look at and performed by
another outstanding cast, headed up by Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe. My one
hesitation has more to do with the show itself, which feels more dated than,
say, South Pacific, which Mr. Sher
and Ms. O’Hara turned into a 24-caret gold production a few years back.
But it
is On the Twentieth Century that garners my thumbs-up for the best
revival. All of the elements, under Scott Ellis’s direction, work magnificently
to bring this screwball musical comedy to glorious life. Kristin Chenoweth’s lead
performance as Lily Garland shoots it into the stratosphere. She is at the height of her skills here, both
as a coloratura soprano and as a physical comedienne. Truly this is a
performance of a lifetime, and she takes Cy Coleman’s smart and witty score and
Comden and Green’s equally smart and witty lyrics with her into the realm of
bliss.
Best Leading Actress in a Musical
Kristin
Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O’Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit
One of the astounding things about
the production of Fun Home is the
exceptionally fine quality of the performances by the entire cast. Not only is
Beth Malone rightfully nominated in the Best Leading Actress category, but four
of the other cast members also are deservedly nominated in their respective
categories. This is an exceptional
ensemble effort, deserving of a group Tony, if, of course, there were such a
recognition. But for this year’s Tonys, it really is neck-and-neck between
Kelli O’Hara who plays Anna in The King and I as a woman who is both
fiercely independent and infused with a deep-seated romantic streak, and
Kristin Chenoweth, who absolutely nails the demanding role of Lily Garland in On
The Twentieth Century. For my money, this is Ms. Chenoweth’s year.
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
Michael
Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town
What thrills about Michael Cerveris’s
performance in Fun Home is the way he has mined his character – who
could easily be portrayed as a monstrous narcissist – for layers and layers of
complexity, even shaping his voice to give us a man who is in a constant state
of barely contained self-loathing, frustration, and quite possibly clinical
depression. It is a stunning and
Tony-worthy portrayal.
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie
Ann Miles, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home
As I’ve mentioned, it is not possible
for me to single out any one of the performances in Fun Home in this
category; all are equally terrific. And while Victoria Clark stands out in the
general misfire of the Gigi revival, it is Ruthie Ann Miles who has my
nod for her dignified and heart-felt portrayal of Madam Thiang in The King
and I.
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy
Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris
Andy Karl, who wowed audiences in the
otherwise less-than-stellar Rocky a couple of years back, offers up a great
sense of silly playfulness as Lily Garland’s boy toy in On The Twentieth
Century, without resorting to the kind of cartoonish bombast that might
have thrown things off balance. That’s hard to do within the confines of a
screwball comedy, where things can easily get out of control. Hence, Mr. Karl rises to the top of the list
for the Best Featured Actor Tony.
Best Director of a Musical
Sam
Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Fun Home succeeds on so many levels, it is impossible not to honor its director
for the outstanding production.
Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Christopher Gattelli, The King and I
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett, The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night-Time
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher
Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Great choreography was in abundance this
season, so much so that even one straight play was nominated for its
choreography. But, really, welcome to Broadway, Mr. Wheeldon!
Best Book of a Musical
Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, Something Rotten!
Lisa
Kron, Fun Home
Craig Lucas, An American in Paris
Terrence McNally, The Visit
All of the nominees wrote books that served their
productions well, but Lisa Kron’s work emerges as the best. It was a daunting task to turn Alison
Bechdel’s graphic memoir into a theatrical narrative, but Ms. Kron has found a
way to tell the story within the bounds of the musical format while keeping the
wry tone intact and fine-tuning the story’s emotional punch for audiences.
Best Score
John Kander and Fred Ebb, The Visit
Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten!
Sting, The
Last Ship
Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home
The score of Fun Home fits its
characters to a T, but Sting’s music and lyrics for The Last Ship are
among the best for a musical in many a season.
Best Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky and Bill Elliott, An American
in Paris
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob
Mathes, The Last Ship
Rob Mathes took Sting’s terrific score and provided outstanding orchestrations, so much so that it was a joy to remain after
the final bow to listen to all of the exit music.
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael
Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home
Michael Yeargan’s set design for The
King and I supports a vision of keeping the show as intimate as possible,
quite a challenge when faced with the vast space of the stage at Lincoln
Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. The opening sequence offers up an exciting and smart
way of bringing the musical directly into the audience, and it rarely leaves
there, no matter how many of the cast members are onstage at any given time.
Yeargan’s work is nearly matched by the David Zinn’s design for Fun Home,
in which seemingly solid furniture takes on the ephemeralness of memory.
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Catherine
Zuber, The King and I
This was a great year for costume work, and all of
these designers served their shows well. The challenge on The King and I,
which Ms. Zuber met most effectively, was to capture the looks of the two
different worlds. That Kelli O’Hara could dance the polka in that massive hoop
gown is a tribute the designer’s imaginative creations. Ms. Zuber, it should be noted, did the lovely
fin de siècle designs for Gigi as well.
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Donald Holder, The King and I
Natasha
Katz, An American in Paris
Ben Stanton, Fun Home
Japhy Weideman, The Visit
This is a category for which extra
attention must be paid while watching a performance, for good lighting design makes
its contribution without calling that much attention to itself. Natasha Katz’s lighting work for An
American in Paris provided much of the atmosphere for the depiction of the
City of Light on the heels of World War II, and thus earns my vote.
* * * * * * *
And there you have it – my
rationale for making the selections I have made as the Tony Awards loom ever
closer.
Even with the occasional
clunker, it’s been an exciting season, with plenty of original and thoughtful
work happening on Broadway. And, guess
what, the 2015-16 season is already underway, with Jim Parsons starring in An
Act of God, in previews now with its official opening scheduled for
this coming week. Hot on its heels are Amazing
Grace, a new musical about the story behind the famous hymn of the same
name, and the Broadway transfer of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s thrilling musical, Hamilton. Sounds like a great start to another
wonderful year of theater!
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