Tonys 2015: A Close Look at the Nominees in the Musical Categories and the Qualities that Define the Best

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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'On The Town': Glowing Revival of Iconic Musical and a Star Turn for Its Choreographer

A star is born and another is honored in spirit in the glowing first-rate revival of On The Town at the Lyric Theatre. 

To begin with there is, of course, Leonard Bernstein’s score and Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s lyrics – all pure gold. Pretty much anyone who is familiar with Broadway musical theater will recognize at least some of the songs: the jaunty I Can Cook, Too, the soulful Lonely Town, the wistful Some Other Time, and the quintessential ode to the Big Apple, New York, New York (a helluva town!). There is not a clunker in the bunch, a rather remarkable accomplishment given that this was the trio’s very first Broadway show.

Now a new star arrives with a bang as On The Town continues its tradition of “firsts.” This is Joshua Bergasse’s first Broadway stint as choreographer, and from the looks of things, he has the chops to rise to the top of the heap among his peers. He uses every number to tell a carefully crafted story, and while he graciously tips his hat to the 1944 musical’s original choreographer, the sublimely brilliant Jerome Robbins, he decidedly puts his own stamp on things. The second act’s outstanding ballet sequence, in particular, is beautifully staged and beautifully danced by two of the show’s stars, Tony Yazbeck and Megan Fairchild, who happens to be principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. 
    

On The Town takes a cue from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, which opened on Broadway the previous year, by starting not with an overture, but with a single singer. In this case, the singer is Phillip Boykin, who does a splendid job playing several supporting characters throughout the production. He gets the ball rolling with the sleepy early-morning work song, I Feel Like I’m Not Out of Bed Yet, which he begins in his booming bass while approaching the stage from one of the aisles. As he sings, the lights get brighter onstage, marking the rising of the sun. The music then makes a jolting upturn in tempo, as three sailors come down the gangplank and launch into New York, New York. It’s a helluva way to start this wonderful musical, setting the tone as the city leaps headlong into action. 

Yazbeck plays Gabey, one of the triumvirate of sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City. He and his buddies, Chip (Jay Armstrong Johnson) and Ozzie (Clyde Alves) are determined to make the most of their time, with the ultimate goal of hooking up with a willing gal before they have to return to their ship. It isn’t long before Chip meets up with Hildy (Alysha Umphress), a cabby who is determined to get him to forget about sightseeing and “come up to my place.”  Ozzie, too, quickly finds his partner in Claire (Elizabeth Stanley), a libidinous anthropologist. The two of them meet cute in the Museum of Natural History, where they launch into the brilliantly staged Carried Away, featuring, among other things, a dancing dinosaur skeleton. 

That leaves Gabey, who has set his sights on Ivy Smith (Ms. Fairchild), whose picture he spots on a poster of “Miss Turnstiles” in a promotional campaign for New York’s subway system. Will Gabey and Ivy get together? Will the guys avoid being arrested?  Need you ask?

There is truly little by way of a plot to On The Town. It’s basically a series of set pieces, each of which features one of the show’s marvelous songs. John Rando directs with a strong sense of style that captures both the silliness and the underlying sense of uncertainty and the preciousness of fleeing time felt by the characters during wartime. Ms. Umphress and Ms. Stanley bring a grand giddiness to their performances, and Mssrs. Yazbeck, Johnson, and Alves are full of charm and personality.  

Adding another level to the comic wackiness is Jackie Hoffman, who seems to have been given free rein to go over the top as she plays multiple parts, each nuttier than the previous ones.  My favorite is a bit about two different nightclub singers, each of whom starts to sing a torch song of miserable heartbreak until they are cut off by Gabey’s friends who are trying to cheer him up. 

Everything about the production works to sweep the audience into its embrace. Beowolf Boritt’s set and projection design are utter perfection, with a color scheme that seems inspired by all 133 Crayola crayons. And the full orchestra (so rare these days) under James Moore’s musical direction is a real joy to listen to. This revival of On The Town is a true gem, honoring a musical deserving of every bit of love that has been bestowed upon it.

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