2017 TONYS : Who Won (and how did I do with my predictions)?

The musicals

BEST NEW MUSICAL  

My pick:  Come From Away 

The winner:  Dear Evan Hansen

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

My pick:  David Hein and Irene Sankoff, Come From Away

The winner: Steven Levenson,  Dear Evan Hansen

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

I picked:  Hello, Dolly!

***The winner: Hello, Dolly!

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE 

I picked:  The Great Comet of 1812

The winner:  Dear Evan Hansen

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

I picked:  Bette Midler, Hello, Dolly! 

***The winner:  Bette Midler

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

I picked:  Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen

***The winner:  Ben Platt

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

I picked:  Jenn Colella, Come From Away

The winner:  Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

I picked:  Lucas Steele, The Great Comet of 1812

The winner:  Gavin Creel, Hello, Dolly!

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

I picked: Rachel Chavkin, The Great Comet of 1812

The winner: Christopher Ashley, Come From Away

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

I picked:  Andy Blankenbuehler, Bandstand

***The winner: Andy Blankenbuehler

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS

I picked: Bill Elliott and Greg Anthony Rassen, Bandstand

The winner:  Alex Lacamoire, Dear Evan Hansen

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The plays

BEST NEW PLAY

I picked: Oslo

***The winner:  Oslo

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

I picked:  The Little Foxes

The winner:  Jitney

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY

I picked: Laura Linney, The Little Foxes

The winner:  Laurie Metcalf

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY

I picked:  Kevin Kline, Present Laughter

***The winner:  Kevin Kline

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

I picked:  Cynthia Nixon, The Little Foxes

***The winner:  Cynthia Nixon

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

I picked:  Danny DeVito, The Price

The winner:  Michael Aronov, Oslo

BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

I picked:  Daniel Sullivan, The Little Foxes

The winner:  Rebecca Taichman, Indecent

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Design elements

BEST SET DESIGN OF A PLAY 

I picked:  Nigel Hook - The Play That Goes Wrong 

***The Winner:  Nigel Hook



BEST SET DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

I picked:  Mimi Lien, The Great Comet of 1812

***Winner:  Mimi Lien

 
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY

I picked:  Jane Greenwood, The Little Foxes

***The Winner:  Jane Greenwood


BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

I picked:  Catherine Zuber, War Paint  

The Winner:  Santo Loquasto, Hello, Dolly!


BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY

I picked:  Christopher Akerlind, Indecent.

***The Winner:  Christopher Akerlind



BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

I picked: Bradley King, The Great Comet of 1812

***The Winner:  Bradley King

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So, how did I do? 

MUSICALS  

Of the 11 categories, I correctly predicted the winners of 4

PLAYS

Of the 7 categories, I correctly predicted the winners of 3

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Of the 6 categories, I correctly predicted the winners of 5

OVERALL

Of the 24 categories, I correctly predicted the winners of 12 or 50%

Happiest Surprise:  So pleased that Rebecca Taichman won for best director of a play for Indecent. This was a wonderful work and a great collaboration among playwright Paula Vogel, Ms. Taichman, the design team, and the splendid cast.  

Biggest Disappointment:  Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 was shut out for all but its lighting and scenic design.  

Feel free to share this blog with your friends, and to offer up your own theater stories by posting a comment. I also invite you to check out the website Show-Score.Com, where you will find capsule reviews of current plays from Yours Truly and many other New York critics.  
  

PREDICTING THE TONYS 2017: DESIGN AWARDS

Sets, costumes, lighting.  

These are the theatrical design elements that are in the running for a Tony Award and that will be recognized at the June 11 ceremonies at Radio City Music Hall (and televised on CBS).   

Sometimes these stand out so much that you can't help but notice them. At other times, they work quietly and efficiently in support of the action onstage but without calling a lot of attention to themselves. Neither approach is better than the other.  What is important is that the design elements contribute to the overall enjoyment of watching a play or musical.  

Next time you see a show, it might be worth spending at least a part of your time thinking about how the set, the costumes, and the lighting contribute to your enjoyment. I have been doing this all year, and now I am prepared to make my predictions.

But first, let's take a look at some images from the nominated shows.

Anastasia:  Nominated for Best Costume Design for a Musical  (Linda Cho)

Jitney:  Nominated for Best Set Design (David Gallo), Best Costume Design (Toni-Leslie James), and Best Lighting Design (Jane Cox) of a Play

Come From Away:  Nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Howell Binkley)

Dear Evan Hansen:  Nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Japhy Weiderman)

A Doll's House, Part 2:  Nominated for Best Costume Design (David Zinn) and Best Lighting Design
(Jennifer Tipton) of a play.

Hello Dolly:  Nominated for Best Set Design (Santo Loquasto), Best Costume Design (Santo Loquasto),
and Best Lighting Design (Natasha Katz) of a Musical

The Little Foxes:  Nominated for Best Costume Design of a Play (Jane Greenwood)

The Front Page:  Nominated for Best Set Design of a Play (Douglas W. Schmidt)

Groundhog Day:  Nominated for Best Set Design of a Musical (Rob Howell)

Indecent:  Nominated for Best Set Design of a Play (Christopher Akerlind)

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812:  Nominated for Best Set Design (Mimi Lien),
Best Costume Design (Paloma Young), and Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Bradley King)

Oslo:  Nominated for Best Set Design (Michael Yeargan)
and Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder)

Present Laughter:  Nominated for Best Costume Design of a Play (Susan Holferty)

The Play That Goes Wrong:  Nominated for Best Set Design of a Play (Nigel Hook)

War Paint:  Nominated for Best Set Design (David Korins) and Best Costume Design (Catherine Zuber) of a Musical

And Now, my predictions:

For Best Set Design of a Play:  Nigel Hook - The Play That Goes Wrong 

WHY:  The set is truly a part of the play.  It self-destructs over the course of the performance.  The others are attractive, but static.

For Best Set Design of a Musical:  Mimi Lien for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

WHY:  The highly original stage design is stunning and encompasses much of the entire theater, bringing the show out into the audience.  

For Best Costume Design of a Play: Jane Greenwood for The Little Foxes

WHY:  The costumes are so in keeping with the characters and the place and time of the play, and they really enhance the viewers' experience. 

For Best Costume Design of a Musical:  Catherine Zuber for War Paint.  

WHY:  As with the costumes for the best play, the many costume changes for its stars do, indeed, enhance the experience of viewing the play.  

For Best Lighting Design of a Play: Christopher Akerlind for Indecent.

WHY:  The play has an other-worldly quality to it that is notably supported by the lighting.  

For Best Lighting Design of a Musical:  Bradley King for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

WHY:  The lighting works hand-in-hand with the entire staging to make this one of the more original and exciting productions to come along for some time.

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Note:  Link to my predictions for all of the other Tony Award categories (HERE)

Feel free to share this blog with your friends, and to offer up your own theater stories by posting a comment. I also invite you to check out the website Show-Score.Com, where you will find capsule reviews of current plays from Yours Truly and many other New York critics.  

PREDICTING THE TONYS - 2017

The 2017 Tony Awards will be broadcast live on CBS on June 11, with actor Kevin Spacey doing the honors as host.  

Actor Kevin Spacey to host 2017 Tony Awards

Spacey is best known for his movie roles in such fare as "American Beauty" and "The Usual Suspects," not to mention his portrayal of President Frank Underwood in Netflix's popular "House of Cards." But I am thinking he will be a good host. He has stage presence, confidence, and charm, and he certainly has earned his Broadway theater chops. 

His resumé includes Henrik Ibsen's GHOSTS (1982), with Liv Ullmann; David Rabe's HURLYBURLY (1984); Eugene O'Neill's LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (1986); Neil Simon's LOST IN YONKERS (1991), in which he won a Featured Actor Tony; O'Neill's THE ICEMAN COMETH (1991); and yet another O'Neill play, A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN (2007).  And while it's not Broadway, he is scheduled to appear for two days in the week following the Tony Awards in a one-man show about famed attorney Clarence Darrow (at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, home of the U. S. Tennis Open!)

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In any event, it's time for me to commit to my Tony predictions. 

Even though I see something like 200 shows a year, and review about 2/3 of them for this blog and elsewhere, predicting the Tonys is not all that easy. 

Many of the voters (and I'm not a Tony voter) are concerned with the financial side of the business, long Broadway runs or the possibility of future productions at venues across the country and outside of the U. S.  So it is important to weigh these factors along with overall quality.  

First, let's look at the musicals.

BEST NEW MUSICAL  

Some shows, like The Great Comet of 1812 (my favorite, by the way) are loaded with amazing production values, so much so that it's hard to envision a stripped down version making the rounds. Its continued success may very well be dependent on its staying put in New York and pulling in Broadway audiences. A Best Musical Tony would certainly help. My thinking, however, is that the Tony will go to one of two popular, smaller shows:  Dear Evan Hansen, and Come From Away.

My Prediction:  Come From Away, the feel-good show of the year, in a year when we want very much to feel good


BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

My Prediction:  Come From Away, for the same reason


BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

My Prediction:  Gotta be Hello, Dolly!


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE 

My Prediction:  My favorite, The Great Comet of 1812


BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

My Prediction: Gotta be Bette Midler for her star turn in Hello, Dolly!


BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

My Prediction:  Ben Platt will take it for Dear Evan Hansen


BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

My personal favorite is Stephanie J. Block in Falsettos, but ...

My Prediction:  Jenn Colella, Come From Away


BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly!) is looking good, but ...

My Prediction (and my favorite):  Lucas Steele, Great Comet of 1812 


BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Jerry Zaks just might take it for Hello, Dolly! but I'm going with my favorite and ...

My Prediction: Rachel Chavkin, Great Comet of 1812

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Tight race here between Bandstand, Groundhog Day, and The Great Comet of 1812, but I'm going with my favorite, the very original choreography ...

My Prediction: Andy Blankenbuehler, Bandstand

Best Orchestrations:

My Prediction:  The great arrangements by Bill Elliott and Greg Anthony Rassen for the jazz/swing inspired Bandstand


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And now the plays.


BEST NEW PLAY

Four excellent shows in close competition. My personal favorite is Indecent, but I don't think it will win. And while A Doll's House, Part 2 is garnering much well-deserved praise, and Sweat won the Pulitzer Prize this year ...

My Prediction: Oslo


BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

Four good options here, but generally comedies don't make it to the top. That eliminates Present Laughter and the quirky Six Degrees of Separation, and makes it a battle between Jitney and The Little Foxes  

My Prediction:  The Little Foxes

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Good competition here, but I'll go with ... 

My Prediction: Laura Linney, The Little Foxes


BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY

Although I said comedies don't often carry the day ... 

My Prediction:  Kevin Kline in Present Laughter

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Hmm.  Two from Sweat, and two from A Doll's House, Part 2.  I'm going to have to go with the singleton here and ...

My Prediction:  Cynthia Nixon, The Little Foxes


BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Yet another strong category, but because he turned a featured role into a such an audience-pleaser while keeping it character-driven ... 

My Prediction: Danny DeVito, The Price


BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

My favorite is Rebecca Tachman's very original and creative work on Indecent, but because he gave great clarity to the play and brought out such strong performances from his cast ...

My Prediction:  Daniel Sullivan, The Little Foxes

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Note:  I discuss and predict the design elements in a separate entry (sets, costumes, and lighting).  Link here (Here)

Feel free to share this blog with your friends, and to offer up your own theater stories by posting a comment. I also invite you to check out the website Show-Score.Com, where you will find capsule reviews of current plays from Yours Truly and many other New York critics.