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Broadway 2006-2007 season - Final Tony ballot

Vic Sage Jan 12 2007 09:06 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jun 05 2007 09:27 AM

What I've seen so far: MARTIN SHORT - This sporadically amusing cabaret show is really a spoof of autobiographical 1-man shows, where a celebrity shares their ups and downs and inevitable triumph, except Short made the whole thing up, featuring some mediocre Marc Shaiman songs. Mildly entertaining, in a borscht-belt kind of way.[B-] MARY POPPINS - woof. I always hated the movie, and this isn't much better (I miss Dick Van Dyke's outrageously awful cockney accent). It's an eye-catching production, with some great performances and production numbers. And some of the new songs are pleasant enough. But the story is so episodic and disconnected, you could take any scene and move it anywhere else in the show without effecting anything. I found the whole thing a tedious bore, but your mileage may vary. [C+] THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' - Twyla Tharp took the songs of Bob Dylan and wove them into a narrative that got crucified by the critics and ignored by audiences. Personally, while I thought it was flawed, I found it interesting to look at and listen to. They are great songs, well sung, placed in a thought-provoking context. [C+] HEARTBREAK HOUSE - Shaw's classic was well mounted, with a terrific Philip Bosco. But, while his writing sometimes gives off sparks, it’s also didactic and heavy-handed, and doesn’t know when to end. [B-] LES MIZ - a pleasantly mediocre revival of a terrific show. It felt like a cheap road company production, but good performances by the leads.[B-] BUTLEY - Nathan Lane does his sad clown shtick once more, in this revival of Simon Gray's comic tragedy. I don't like the play, and I’m tired of Lane giving the same performance in every role. [C-] COMPANY - The Brit director who mounted the brilliant SWEENEY TODD revival last season has now done this other Sondheim show, using the same theatrical device of having the actors play their own instruments, and using a minimalist set and lighting design. But, while it made sense in TODD ( because that show was staged as a nightmare inside an insane person's mind), it is absolutely arbitrary and pointless here, and totally distracting. This is one of Sondheim's weaker librettos, but the impact of its great score is minimized by this style of orchestration. Better to just listen to the original cast album. [C-] HIGH FIDELITY – This musical comedy adaptation of the Cusack movie version of the Hornby novel (talk about derivative!) was actually the best show I’ve seen so far this year... and of course it got decimated by the critics and closed after 2 weeks! It was clever, funny, and delightfully theatrical with inventive staging, good performances, and enjoyable songs that used variations on various rock styles to advance the narrative. A classic book musical that engaged me and made me feel for the characters. Naturally, it had to fail. [B+] CHORUS LINE - I saw it as a teenager, and I didn't like it then.... and I don't like it now. But even for those who do, it’s a mediocre revival, weighted down by surprisingly weak performances. [C] GRINCH - this 70-minute arena show adaptation of the TV cartoon is 70 minutes too long. [F] VERTICAL HOUR - Some plays are written with dazzling language, some feature profoundly moving characters in disturbing situations, some are entertainingly amusing, and some are "idea plays" about important ideas. This play is none of these, although it thinks it’s the latter form. Julianne Moore is a wonderful film actress terribly miscast. [C-] GREY GARDENS - An interesting musical about Jackie Kennedy's eccentric relatives, the first act is nothing but dull prologue. The second act is funny and tragic. Great performances. I hated the music. [C+] SPRING AWAKENING - THE most overrated show of many a season. This adaptation of a didactic German melodrama (about small town teens in pre-WW 1 Germany) is like a bad John Hughes teen movie, without the laughs. The plot is paper thin and utterly predictable. The director employs many Brechtian techniques to distract us from this fact, I suppose (part of the audience sits on the stage, the actors pull microphones out of their coats when they sing, there is a minimalist set with a center platform that indicates the performing space, actors play many roles, breaking the 4th wall, etc), but this only serves to distance us further from these 2-dimensional characters and melodramatic machinations. Of course, great music might've saved it... but there isn't any. The music is in a numbingly repetitive pseudo-alt rock style and, though occasionally melodic, the compositions are unstructured and meandering. It's like random snippets of songs strung together. And even the better musical moments are completely undermined by some of the worst lyrics ever. They are poetically generic images conjoined rhymelessly, and they tell us nothing about the characters or the narrative... just pretentious twaddle. Bill T. Jones' choreography is spasmodic and made me feel like I was watching a hospital ward of epileptics, all in full seizure. The show isn't without some redeeming moments, "I'm Fucked" was the best moment of the show, because its one of the rare moments where Sater abandons poetic pretensions and actually speaks honestly and directly about the situation the characters are in at that moment. And the movement and staging feels authentically energetic and youthful. And I thought the acting was terrific, for the most part (though the lead is a better actor than a singer). And I'm always happy to see an attractive woman's naked breast on stage. But the hype for this "artistic triumph", in light of the total destruction of a good show like HIGH FIDELITY, makes me feel once again like a stranger in a strange land. Perhaps a blue wind is necessary to blow me into a purple summer. Or perhaps, to get the proper dose of over-the-top teen angst, all I need do is listen to a 12-minute MEATLOAF song. [C-]

Vic Sage Jan 25 2007 03:19 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 26 2007 12:17 PM

COAST OF UTOPIA PT 1: Voyage This new tryptich epic by Tom Stoppard lives up to the hype. In this, the first part, we are introduced to the intelligentsia of mid-19th century Russia. These well-to-do, educated folk philosophize while their families crumble and their friends die or are banished by the Tsar. Funny, tragic and thoughtful, Stoppard's play is beautifully staged by Jack O'Brien, who creates dazzling images. Billy Crudup steals the show from Ethan Hawke in part one [A] COAST OF UTOPIA PT 2: Shipwrecked In part 2, Hawke grows more interesting, but the focal point becomes Bryan O'Byrne. i liked this part somewhat less, as i found it more cerebral and less emotionally engaging, until the end which is quite tragic and beautiful. I can't wait for part 3 in February [A-] THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED - This is an entertaining but inconsequential play by Doug Carter Beane that moved from off-Broadway. It should have stayed off-Broadway. It has some fun dialogue, one towering performance and 3 bad ones, and it ends up being alot less meaningful than it could have been, or than it thinks it is. I have the feeling Beane would rather get a laugh than provoke a thought. The problem is, since the advent of the sitcom, the "boulevard comedy" doesn't often work anymore. Audiences can see this stuff for free on a really good episode of WILL & GRACE, so why spend $100 to see it? You only can do it if you cast stars, and this has no stars, just actors who used to play supporting roles on sitcoms in the 1990s. [B-] THE APPLE TREE - this revival of an old, rarely done Bock/Harnick (fiddler on the roof) musical has a great performance by Kristen Chenoweth, but little else to recommend it. Sometimes, obscure old shows are obscure for a reason. Its a collection of 3 short musicals about men and women: Adam & Eve (adapted from a Mark Twain story), Lady and the Tiger (adapted from an Indian fairytale), and Passionella (adapted from a 60s era Jules Pfeiffer spoof of Cinderella). The Adam & Eve story is sweet enough, but the other 2 are forgettable. [C+] coming up: COAST OF UTOPIA PT 3: Salvage TRANSLATIONS

Vic Sage Jan 26 2007 10:44 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 02 2007 09:46 AM

*avi*

Vic Sage Mar 02 2007 09:38 AM

COAST OF UTOPIA PT 3: Salvage - the least riveting or visually interesting of the 3, by far. But it does provide a context for the overall 3-part play that finally made me understand, by the end, what the play was ultimately about and why this story of Russian thinkers living 150 years ago is relevant today, beyond mere intellectual curiousity. As it turns out, it is about the seductive but destructive nature of extremism of all kinds, that life should be lived with and for other people, not for ideas or principles, and one should not sacrifice people for ideas. Its an important thing to say nowadays. And it is said with tragic poetry and theatrical lightning. [B+] TRANSLATIONS - The only other Brian Friel play i've seen is last year's revival of FAITH HEALER, which bored me to tears. So i was not looking forward to this production. However, as it turned out, this is a moving, tragic, beautiful, haunting play about both the cultural and personal significance of language... its purpose, its beauty, its political manipulation, and its role in our lives. The direction is a touch too langorous, and the accents a bit thick at first, but a great theatrical achievement overall. [A-] still to come this season - (opening date): Journey's End (2/22) - play revival Talk Radio (2/25) - play revival Prelude to a Kiss (3/8) - play revival Curtains (3/22) - new musical, Kander & Ebb's last show The Year of Magical Thinking (3/29) 1-woman show w/Vanessa Redgrave Pirate Queen (4/5) - new musical by Les Miz guys A Moon for the Misbegotten (4/9) - play revival with Kevin Spacey Inherit The Wind (4/12) - play revival w/C.Plummer & B.Denehy Frost/Nixon (4/22) - new play from London Legally blonde (4/29) - new musical Coram Boy (5/2) - new play from London LoveMusik (5/3) - new musical, based on Kurt Weill Deuce (5/6) - new play w/Angela Lansbury Radio Golf (5/8) - August Wilson's last play 110 In the Shade (5/9) - musical revival

sharpie Mar 02 2007 10:02 AM

sharpie prediction: Legally Blonde will suck.

Vic Sage Mar 02 2007 11:15 AM

its actually gotten terrific reviews out of town, for whatever thats worth. And i think it will get the "little girl" audience from WICKED.

Giant Squidlike Creature Apr 02 2007 02:47 PM

A Great White Bump!

Elster88 Apr 02 2007 10:55 PM

I was going to ask how you felt about Spring Awakening, it's a group deal at work next month. Now I'm sorry I asked, haha. What the hell I'm not conossieur, maybe I'll go anyway.

Edgy DC Apr 03 2007 05:32 AM

Translations. Told ya.

Vic Sage Apr 20 2007 12:06 PM

REVIEWS (cont'd) CURTAINS – This old fashioned book musical is the last work by the team of Kander & Ebb (Ebb died) with a book by Peter Stone (also dead), completed by Rupert Holmes. It is a genial, though thoroughly mediocre, musical comedy/murder mystery. While entertaining enough, its not memorable or exceptional in any way. I forgot the score as I walked out of the theater. The one truly great aspect of the production is the lead performance by David Hyde-Pierce, as the Boston detective more interested in fixing the musical than in finding the murderer lurking amongst its cast. [C+] INHERIT THE WIND – This classic play is given a less than classic production. Christopher Plummer’s titanic performance nearly pulls it up out of mediocrity, but Brian Dennehy’s comatose-like stroll through the role sinks the show again. Dennis O’hare gives a bizarre interpretation of the cynical reporter, making him an otherworldly satanic serpentine creature. Many of the secondary roles are amateurishly rendered. The director’s failure to reign in Ohare, inspire Dennehy, or elicit competent performances from the rest, is magnified by his failure to add anything of visual or dramatic interest. Still, the play is the thing. And it still works. [C] JOURNEY'S END – This dated little anti-war chestnut from post-WWI Great Britain still has the kick of a mule, especially in this current geopolitical climate. It’s a bit mechanical and plodding, but the ending will suck the air out of your chest. [B ] PRELUDE TO A KISS – A delightful revival of Craig Lucas’s body-switching romantic comedy, with FIREFLY’s Alan Tudyk and John Mahoney. It’s a beautifully mounted production, and its message of embracing love and life, whatever form it comes in, remains worthwhile. However, the girl, Annie Parrise, is a bit disappointing. [B+] TALK RADIO – An incendiary performance by Liev Shrieber highlights this revival of Eric Bogosian’s off-Broadway play in a taut theatrical Broadway production. Locked in the radio studio with this borderline personality is a scary, funny, provocative experience, though the supporting performances are spotty, and the play is underdeveloped. [B-] THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING - Vanessa Redgrave is amazing in this dreadful play… well, not a play, really. It’s like listening to a good performer read a depressing novel to you. Did you know that you get sad when your husband and daughter die? Gosh, thanks Joan Didion for turning your personal therapy into that stunning insight and inflicting it on me. [D] Plays still to come: CORAM BOY DEUCE FROST/NIXON RADIO GOLF A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN Musicals: LEGALLY BLONDE LOVEMUSIK THE PIRATE QUEEN 110 IN THE SHADE

Vic Sage May 03 2007 01:43 PM

REVIEWS (cont'd) FROST / NIXON - Engrossing, fascinatingly flawed play with the best performance of the year by Frank Langella as Richard Nixon. Langella is not impersonating Nixon, or mimicking him. While he doesn't sound like him, he does change his diction and the timbre of his voice to suggest RMN. He walks and gestures in a way that is similarly Nixonian, though he makes no attempt to actually look like him. And yet he seems to be channeling the "essence" of Nixon... or at least what we think of as Nixon's essence. Unfortunately, the character of David Frost is not as well delineated, through no fault of the actor. The play is simply not up to the challenge. Still, its an impressive work, definitely worth seeing. [B+] THE PIRATE QUEEN – Wow, was this bad! And not in a good way, like DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES. With Irish music & dance, pirate battles and sword fights, royal intrigue in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, epic opera, and big scale production values, this show had all the elements to be titanic… instead, it is THE Titanic. The operatic music is as Irish as Manishevitz wine and sounds like the bits they must have cut out of Les Miz. The dialogue and lyrics are banal and, on occasion, laughable… which is especially gauling when trying to recreate an Irish culture noted for its use of language. The battles are lame and silly, and the design is less than the sum of the parts. Although the costumes have more humor, wit and grandeur than anything else in the show. I will give credit, also, to the lead woman who gives a great performance. But if you make me sit for 2 ½ hours without a laugh, you better be Eugene O’Neill. D]

Vic Sage May 03 2007 02:20 PM

[u:c865f683db]Plays still to come: [/u:c865f683db] CORAM BOY DEUCE RADIO GOLF A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN [u:c865f683db]Musicals: [/u:c865f683db] LEGALLY BLONDE LOVEMUSIK 110 IN THE SHADE

Vic Sage May 09 2007 01:54 PM

CORAM BOY - This epic British play offers a Dickensian melodrama of destitute orphans, child murderers, upper class hypocrisy and spiritual music that proves a salvation for all. With its huge greek chorus providing constant choral renditions of Handel, with its imaginative if somewhat over-the-top directorial flourishes, with its mustache-twirling cruelty and stomach-churning sentimentality, this is a highly stylized piece of theater that may not be to everyone's taste. But i liked it, and i recommend it highly. [B ] LOVEMUSIK - The love story of composer Kurt Weill and his wife/muse, Lotte Lenya. Donna Murphy and Michael Cerveris are terrific but there is little dramatic imagination being employed here, and i find Weill's music mostly tedious. I left at intermission, but i probably would have stayed if the genteman sitting near me had not nauseated me with his profound body odor. [C]

Vic Sage May 09 2007 01:55 PM

[u:8366c8b0d6]Plays still to come: [/u:8366c8b0d6] A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN DEUCE RADIO GOLF [u:8366c8b0d6]Musicals: [/u:8366c8b0d6] LEGALLY BLONDE 110 IN THE SHADE

Willets Point May 09 2007 01:55 PM

Vic Sage wrote: Musicals: LEGALLY BLONDE That's true devotion to Broadway completism.

Edgy DC May 09 2007 02:04 PM

]But if you make me sit for 2 ½ hours without a laugh, you better be Eugene O’Neill. D ]Plays still to come:... A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN Done!

Willets Point May 09 2007 02:05 PM

Hey that's Edgy's drunk uncle.

Edgy DC May 09 2007 02:22 PM

Oh, if there was only one...

Vic Sage May 16 2007 02:13 PM Nominations for the 2007 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awar

Nominations for the 2007 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards (to be presented on June 10, 2007) Best Play 1) The Coast of Utopia - by Tom Stoppard 2) Frost/Nixon - by Peter Morgan 3) The Little Dog Laughed - by Douglas Carter Beane 4) Radio Golf - by August Wilson OTHER ELIGIBLE PLAYS: Coram Boy, Deuce, Losing Louie, The Vertical Hour ]Comments: I haven't seen RADIO GOLF yet, but i'd be surprised if it were a greater accomplishment than COAST OF UTOPIA. I'msurprised and disappointed that the slight comedy LITTLE DOG LAUGHED got the nomination over the theatrical experience that is CORAM BOY. It won't matter, however, since UTOPIA will win everything anyway. Along with SPRING AWAKENING (ugh) Best Revival of a Play 1) Inherit the Wind - by Jerome Lawrence & Robert Lee 2) Journey’s End - by RC Sherriff 3) Talk Radio - by Eric Bogosian 4) Translations - by Brian Friel OTHER ELIGIBLE PLAYS: A Moon for the Misbegotten, Butley, Heartbreak House, Prelude to a Kiss ]comments: This is the toughest category, with the best shows. All of them deserve the nomination, along with the overlooked PRELUDE TO A KISS, but I'm leaning toward TRANSLATIONS. Best Musical 1) Curtains - Book: Rupert Holmes & Peter Stone / Music: John Kander / Lyrics: Fred Ebb, John Kander & Rupert Holmes 2) Grey Gardens - Book: Doug Wright / Music: Scott Frankel / Lyrics: Michael Korie 3) Mary Poppins - Book: Julian Fellowes / Music & Lyrics: Richard & Robert Sherman; George Stiles & Anthony Drewe 4) Spring Awakening - Book & Lyrics: Steven Sater / Music: Duncan Sheik OTHER ELIGIBLE MUSICALS: High Fidelity, Legally blonde, LoveMusik, Pirate Queen, The Times They Are A-changing, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me ]Comments: This is a tough category for me, since i didn't care for the prohibitive favorite, SPRING AWAKENING, nor any of the other nominees, either. I haven't seen LEGALLY BLONDE yet, but my fave this season was the critically disparaged, commercially disastrous HIGH FIDELITY. I'll have to wait till the last second on this one. Best Revival of a Musical 1) The Apple Tree - Book & Music: Jerry Bock / Book & Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick 2) A Chorus Line - Book: James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante / Music: Marvin Hamlisch / Lyrics: Ed Kleban 3) Company - Book: George Furth / Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim 4) 110 in the Shade - Book: N. Richard Nash / Music: Harvey Schmidt / Lyrics: Tom Jones OTHER ELIGIBLE MUSICALS: Les Miserables ]comments: Not a great year for musicals, overall. I haven't seen 110 IN THE SHADE yet, so i'm hoping that will be great, or at least adequate. or at least that it doesn't suck as much as the other shows in this category. Best Book of a Musical 1) Curtains - by Rupert Holmes & Peter Stone 2) Grey Gardens - by Doug Wright 3) Legally Blonde The Musical - by Heather Hach 4) Spring Awakening - by Steven Sater ]comments: I'm waiting to see LEGALLY BLONDE, but if it sucks, i'll probably go with the merely mediocre CURTAINS which, at least, has the virtue of not sucking. Best Original Score 1) Curtains - Music: John Kander / Lyrics: Fred Ebb, John Kander & Rupert Holmes 2) Grey Gardens - Music: Scott Frankel / Lyrics: Michael Korie 3) Legally Blonde The Musical - Music & Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin 4) Spring Awakening - Music: Duncan Sheik / Lyrics: Steven Sater ]comments: HIGH FIDELITY was the best new broadway score this season but, alas, was not nominated. Again, i'm waiting to hear LEGALLY BLONDE, but i may end up with GREY GARDENS, which i hated slightly less than SPRING AWAKENING. ------------ Best Direction / Play 1) Michael Grandage, Frost/Nixon 2) David Grindley, Journey’s End 3) Jack O’Brien, The Coast of Utopia 4) Melly Still, Coram Boy ]comments: All worthy, but I'm leaning toward Melly Still, just so i can hear the award go to "Smelly Swill". Also, the passing over of CORAM BOY in favor of LITTLE DOG LAUGHED (!) makes this the best way to honor the show. Best Direction / Musical 1) John Doyle, Company 2) Scott Ellis, Curtains 3) Michael Greif, Grey Gardens 4) Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening ]comments: another tough one because i didn't much like any of these shows. I guess i'll give Ellis the nod for proficiently staging an adequate piece of entertainment. Best Choreography 1) Rob Ashford, Curtains 2) Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins 3) Bill T. Jones, Spring Awakening 4) Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde The Musical ]comments: Again, i await LEGALLY BLONDE like she's Godot, but in the meantime i guess i'll go with the Disney confection. ------------------- Best Performance by a Leading Actor / Play 1) Boyd Gaines, in Journey’s End 2) Frank Langella, in Frost/Nixon 3) Brían F. O’Byrne, in The Coast of Utopia 4) Christopher Plummer, in Inherit the Wind 5) Liev Schreiber, in Talk Radio ]comments: Wow. This is the toughest category with the best choices. I'm leaning toward Langella, a hair ahead of Plummer and Schrieber. Gaines was good, but not in this stratosphere. O'Byrne was the weakest thing about UTOPIA. Best Performance by a Leading Actress / Play 1) Eve Best, in A Moon for the Misbegotten 2) Swoosie Kurtz, in Heartbreak House 3) Angela Lansbury, in Deuce 4) Vanessa Redgrave, in The Year of Magical Thinking 5) Julie White, in The Little Dog Laughed ]Comments: Death is easy.Comedy is hard. So, Julie White gets the nod over Ms. Redgrave. Best Performance by a Featured Actor / Play 1) Anthony Chisholm, in Radio Golf 2) Billy Crudup, in The Coast of Utopia 3) Ethan Hawke, in The Coast of Utopia 4) John Earl Jelks, in Radio Golf 5) Stark Sands, in Journey’s End ]comments: I haven't seen RADIO GOLF yet, but in the meantime I'm going with Billy Crudup's terrific performance UTOPIA, PT1. Best Performance by a Featured Actress / Play 1) Jennifer Ehle, in The Coast of Utopia 2) Xanthe Elbrick, in Coram Boy 3) Dana Ivey, in Butley 4) Jan Maxwell, in Coram Boy 5) Martha Plimpton, in The Coast of Utopia ]comments: Ehle. Not even close. Best Performance by a Leading Actor / Musical 1) Michael Cerveris, in LoveMusik 2) Raúl Esparza, in Company 3) Jonathan Groff, in Spring Awakening 4) Gavin Lee, in Mary Poppins 5) David Hyde Pierce, in Curtains ]comments: Pierce transcends this show. Best Performance by a Leading Actress / Musical 1) Laura Bell Bundy, in Legally Blonde The Musical 2) Christine Ebersole, in Grey Gardens 3) Audra McDonald, in 110 in the Shade 4) Debra Monk, in Curtains 5) Donna Murphy, in LoveMusik ]comments: I await Msses. McDonald and Bundy, but in the meantime Ms. Ebersole will be tough to beat. Best Performance by a Featured Actor / Musical 1) Brooks Ashmanskas, in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me 2) Christian Borle, in Legally Blonde The Musical 3) John Cullum, in 110 in the Shade 4) John Gallagher, Jr., in Spring Awakening 5) David Pittu, in LoveMusik ]comments: I left LOVEMUSIK at intermission and so never saw Mr. Pittu's performance. Therefore, i'll abstain from this category. Best Performance by a Featured Actress / Musical 1) Charlotte d’Amboise, in A Chorus Line 2) Rebecca Luker, in Mary Poppins 3) Orfeh, in Legally Blonde The Musical 4) Mary Louise Wilson, in Grey Gardens 5) Karen Ziemba, in Curtains ]comments: see above about LEGALLY BLONDE, but in the meantime, ML Wilson was amazing in GREY GARDENS. ---------------------------- Best Scenic Design / Play 1) Bob Crowley & Scott Pask, The Coast of Utopia 2) Jonathan Fensom, Journey’s End 3) David Gallo, Radio Golf 4) Ti Green and Melly Still, Coram Boy ]comments: I await RADIO GOLF, but in the meantime, Crowley's sets for UTOPIA were amazing. Best Scenic Design / Musical 1) Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins 2) Christine Jones, Spring Awakening 3) Anna Louizos, High Fidelity 4) Allen Moyer, Grey Gardens ]comments: Crowley's work is great in this category, too, but i'm championing the otherwise ignored HIGH FIDELITY for its clever, inventive design. Best Costume Design / Play 1) Ti Green and Melly Still, Coram Boy 2) Jane Greenwood, Heartbreak House 3) Santo Loquasto, Inherit the Wind 4) Catherine Zuber, The Coast of Utopia ]comments: I don't care. Probably CORAM, just because. Best Costume Design / Musical 1) Gregg Barnes, Legally Blonde The Musical 2) Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins 3) Susan Hilferty, Spring Awakening 4) William Ivey Long, Grey Gardens ]comments: Crowley again, until i see LB. Best Lighting Design / Play 1) Paule Constable, Coram Boy 2) Brian MacDevitt, Inherit the Wind 3) Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner and Natasha Katz, The Coast of Utopia 4) Jason Taylor, Journey’s End ]comments: JOURNEY'S END is powerful stuff, with great use of lighting and sound, but there is no sound category yet, so lighting will have to suffice. Best Lighting Design / Musical 1) Kevin Adams, Spring Awakening 2) Christopher Akerlind, 110 in the Shade 3) Howard Harrison, Mary Poppins 4) Peter Kaczorowski, Grey Gardens ]comments: until i see 110, i'd lean toward POPPINS. Best Orchestrations 1) Bruce Coughlin, Grey Gardens 2) Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening 3) Jonathan Tunick, LoveMusik 4) Jonathan Tunick, 110 in the Shade ]comments: I'll give the devil his due and throw the sheik of broadway a bone for SPRING AWAKENING. Its likely to win everything in a landslide anyway.

Vic Sage May 17 2007 09:06 AM

Edgy DC wrote: ]But if you make me sit for 2 ½ hours without a laugh, you better be Eugene O’Neill. D ]Plays still to come:... A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN Done! Actually, Edgy, i saw the play last night and its one of O'Neill's funnier works. At least the 1st act is funny. The 2nd is typically tragi-poetic O'Neill... meandering, repetitive, but ultimately heartbreaking.

Edgy DC May 17 2007 09:25 AM

I think one of his plays qualifies as a comedy, but only on technical grounds. I'm not sure that's it. I thought Touch of the Poet was it. But no.

Edgy DC May 17 2007 09:30 AM

]comments: This is the toughest category, with the best shows. All of them deserve the nomination, along with the overlooked PRELUDE TO A KISS, but I'm leaning toward TRANSLATIONS. In Scarlett's face. ]comments: Not a great year for musicals, overall. I haven't seen 110 IN THE SHADE yet, so i'm hoping that will be great, or at least adequate. or at least that it doesn't suck as much as the other shows in this category. Sondeheim sucking? They must've worked hard. I've been disappointed by Sondeheim shows. Maybe even insulted a time or two. Never saw anybody launch one that outright sucked, though.

sharpie May 17 2007 09:34 AM

Ah, Wilderness is the O'Neill comedy you're prolly thinking of.

Edgy DC May 17 2007 09:40 AM

Bam.

Vic Sage May 17 2007 11:26 AM

WILDERNESS is a "comedy" in the technical sense, but its not funny. the first act of MOON is actually funny, though the play itself is more of a tragedy. I don't think COMPANY sucks, as written. I think the book is lame and dated, but its one of Sondheim's better scores (including songs like BEING ALIVE and SORRY-GRATEFUL). Still, I didn't like this particular production at all. The director used the same bag of tricks he used in SWEENEY TODD last season but, where those theatrical devices worked well with that show, they were pointless and distracting in this one.

Vic Sage May 29 2007 10:22 AM Re: Nominations for the 2007 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jun 05 2007 10:01 AM

avi

Edgy DC May 29 2007 11:01 AM

Here's a critical conundrum. When you have a revival of something great, some critics judge only the staging, because, "Well, I saw this with Stacey Keach in 1977, and it cahn't compare." They forget that the reader and potential viewer they write for didn't and never will see Keach in 1977, and yet they may never see this wonderful play except in this unimaginitive staging. The critic may bet more excited by an unfamiliar play with a fun staging. But will they push this second one more to their reader? Some critics (certainly here in DC) fall into a double standard, comparing unfamiliar plays to other unfamiliar plays, but returning plays and revivals to the greatest performances they've seen of these often great plays. Now ---- acknowledging that Company isn't Sondheim at his best ---do you push people to it anyhow or to Legally Blonde, if they haven't seen either? Oh, and that's not Rupert Holmes of ""Escape (The Piña Colada Song)," is it?

Edgy DC May 29 2007 11:19 AM

Edgy DC wrote: Oh, and that's not Rupert Holmes of ""Escape (The Piña Colada Song)," is it? It is!

Vic Sage May 29 2007 02:02 PM

Edgy DC wrote: Now ---- acknowledging that Company isn't Sondheim at his best ---do you push people to it anyhow or to Legally Blonde, if they haven't seen either? Oh, and that's not Rupert Holmes of ""Escape (The Piña Colada Song)," is it? i have no qualms about recommending LEGALLY BLONDE. As for COMPANY, what is worthwhile about that show can be enjoyed by listening to the original cast CD. So no, i wouldn't recommend this production. While someone unfamiliar with the show won't be judging it against Elaine Strich, etc, they also won't be judging it at its optimum and will get the wrong impression of the show. I see no issue in saying that a particular production does or doesn't live up to its past productions, while still noting what is and isn't worthwhile in this particular production. It's all about context. New shows don't have a history, but they DO have the history of other shows in which they can be placed. If producers don't want their shows to be judged against past incarnations of a revival, they could start producing original shows instead. Rupert Holmes is a busy musical theater writer, having written the musical MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD in the 1980s, and many other things since his Pina Colada days.

Edgy DC May 29 2007 02:08 PM

So I read. And though I'm unsurprised to see him composing Broadway scores, winning Tonys for books is a different animal.

Edgy DC May 29 2007 02:09 PM

Vic Sage wrote: If producers don't want their shows to be judged against past incarnations of a revival, they could start producing original shows instead. Perhaps, but my concern is for the person about to drop a lot of money on tickets.

Vic Sage May 30 2007 09:21 AM

so is mine. I just don't think a bad revival of a good show is necessarily a better "value" for a ticket buyer than seeing a mediocre new show.

Willets Point May 30 2007 10:23 AM

Speaking of loads of money for tickets, are Broadway prices out of whack with inflation? My mother went to tons of Broadway shows 40+ years ago. I can't imagine a working-class family from the Bronx being able to afford Broadway tickets today.

Vic Sage May 30 2007 12:27 PM

Broadway's best seats were always an upper class commodity. Balcony seats, however, are still affordable for most shows ($20-$40). There are also 1/2 price seats available for most shows at the TKTS booth, as well as other discount programs (school coupons, student rush tix, website offers, TDF mailings), and subscription seats for Broadway/Not-for-profit theaters (Lincoln Center, MTC, Roundabout) such that only tourists, and those with signficant disposable income (along with folks who absolutely MUST see a specific hit show on a specific Friday or saturday night) actually pay the top price for any show, even for good seats.

Vic Sage May 31 2007 10:18 AM Edited 4 time(s), most recently on Jun 05 2007 10:26 AM

110 IN THE SHADE - this revival of the rarely seen Jones/Schmidt chestnut based on Richard Nash's great play and movie THE RAINMAKER (movie featured Kathryn Hepburn and Burt Lancaster) is a beautifully mounted production of a touching and uplifting show. Its a story of faith, and the magic you can make when you believe in yourself. Audra MacDonald is up for a record-breaking 5th Tony. [A-] A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN - This revival of O'Neill's semi-sequel to LONG DAY'S JOURNEY has great performances by Eve Best, Kevin Spacey and Colm Meaney. The first act is surprisingly amusing and engaging, but then Act II falls into the usual O'Neill tragi-poetic meandering musings. Still, overall, definitely worth seeing [B ] LEGALLY BLONDE - This big pink cotton candy ball of a musical is engaging, harmless fun. Its a real "girl power" show for the tween-age WICKED girl audience, but should amuse most of the less cynical grownups. Its an efficient, well-crafted, solidly performed piece of musical theater that in no way challenges you or attempts to reinvent the musical form. So of course, like HIGH FIDELITY before it, its getting slammed by critics and overlooked by Tony nominators. I can't understand why CURTAINS got the nomination over this one, except for its higher profile pedigree of the creative team. [B+] DEUCE - Terrence McNally's new play about 2 old Tennis greats, played by Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes, is total crap. There is no play... just two elderly women sitting and chatting, and swearing for comic effect. Its like an especially lame episode of GOLDEN GIRLS, but with less plot. While Lansbury and Seldes are terrific, as they try to make something out of nothing, there is no "there" there. [D+] RADIO GOLF - the late August Wilson's last play completed his 10-play cycle covering every decade of the 20th century as he delineated the changing life for African-Americans in his native Pittsburgh. This one is about the 1990s, and features more plot and less poetry than is customary in a Wilson play. But its entertaining, funny and thought-provoking, if predictable and mechanical in its plotting. Well directed, great performances by supporting players, but lead couple are a bit stiff and unbelievable.[B ]

Edgy DC May 31 2007 10:30 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 31 2007 11:11 AM

Angela Lansbury doesn't seem like tennis was ever her game.

Vic Sage May 31 2007 11:10 AM

according to folks working on the production, she often forgets some of the Tennis lingo during performances. e.g., "we won that set 6 to zero" (instead of 6-love)

Vic Sage Jun 05 2007 10:11 AM

My final ballot for the 2007 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards (to be presented on June 10, 2007) After seeing RADIO GOLF, i can now finalize my ballot. Here it is: Best Play The Coast of Utopia - by Tom Stoppard ]comment: UTOPIA seems the consensus pick, though RADIO GOLF was quite good and FROST/NIXON is the darkhorse. Best Revival of a Play Translations - by Brian Friel ]comment: There seems to be some sentiment for JOURNEY'S END, which i liked quite alot, but i preferred the Friel play. Best Musical Curtains - Book: Rupert Holmes & Peter Stone / Music: John Kander / Lyrics: Fred Ebb, John Kander & Rupert Holmes ]Comment: I would have voted for either LEGALLY BLONDE or HIGH FIDELITY in this category, but alas, they weren't nominated. So, i'm going with CURTAINS, a solid if mediocre show, over the superior 2nd Act of GREY GARDENS weighed down by a bad 1st act. It doesn't really matter since SPRING AWAKENING is going to win in a landslide. Best Revival of a Musical 110 in the Shade - Book: N. Richard Nash / Music: Harvey Schmidt / Lyrics: Tom Jones ]comment: The sentiment is leaning toward COMPANY, but i hated the production. 110 was far and away the best revival this year. Best Book of a Musical Heather Hach - Legally Blonde ]comment: LEGALLY BLONDE. It won't change the history of the American musical theater, but its a solid piece of theatrical entertainment. Again, SPRING AWAKENING is most likely to win Best Original Score Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin - Legally Blonde ]comment: I'd still rather vote for HIGH FIDELITY, but i guess i'll go with LEGALLY BLONDE, but,again, SPRING AWKENING will win. Best Direction / Play Melly Still - Coram Boy ]comment: Melly Still, in deference to the overlooked CORAM BOY, but Jack O'Brien is likely to win for his impressive work on UTOPIA Best Direction / Musical Scott Ellis -Curtains ]comment: Ellis, as the lesser of 4 evils, but Mayer will win for SPRING AWAKENING Best Choreography Jerry Mitchell - Legally Blonde ]comment: I'll go with LEGALLY BLONDE over POPPINS. Bill Jones is more likely to win for SPRING AWAKENING Best Performance by a Leading Actor / Play Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon ]comment: Langella, by a hair, over Schrieber. Best Performance by a Leading Actress / Play Julie White - The Little Dog Laughed ]Comment: Death is easy.Comedy is hard. So, Julie White gets the nod over Eve Best in MOON/MISBEGOTTEN. Redgrave was great in a dreadful play, and Lansbury is a sentimental favorite, but the performance was nothing special. The word on the street is Best will win. Best Performance by a Featured Actor / Play Billy Crudup - The Coast of Utopia ]comment: the nominees from RADIO GOLF were terrific, but i'm still going with Billy Crudup's terrific performance in UTOPIA, PT1. This category is a toss-up. Best Performance by a Featured Actress / Play Jennifer Ehle - The Coast of Utopia ]comment: I'm voting for Ehle over the girls from CORAM BOY. But, the favorite seems to be Martha Plimpton from UTOPIA. Best Performance by a Leading Actor / Musical David Hyde Pierce - Curtains ]comment: Pierce gets my vote without a second thought, but i've heard that Raul Esparza is the fave for COMPANY. Best Performance by a Leading Actress / Musical Christine Ebersole - Grey Gardens ]comment: Ms. Ebersole's tour de force performance gets my vote, and she should win over Tony darlings Donna Murphy and Audra MacDonald. Best Performance by a Featured Actor / Musical John Gallagher, Jr. - Spring Awakening ]comment: I didn't see David Pittu's performance in LOVEMUSIK, and none of the other nominated performances stood out to me, so i'm not voting in this category. However, the SPRING AWAKENING guy is likely to win. Best Performance by a Featured Actress / Musical Mary Louise Wilson - Grey Gardens ]comments: I'm finally voting for the clear-cut favorite. Best Scenic Design / Play Bob Crowley & Scott Pask - The Coast of Utopia ]comment: Crowley's sets for UTOPIA were amazing. Best Scenic Design / Musical Anna Louizos - High Fidelity ]comment: I'm championing the otherwise denigrated HIGH FIDELITY for its clever, inventive design, but Crowley is likely to win again for POPPINS, unless the SPRING AWAKENING landslide is totally indiscriminate. Best Costume Design / Play Ti Green and Melly Still - Coram Boy ]comment update: I'm voting for CORAM BOY because the production was so good and none of the other nominated costuming stood out to me. But, UTOPIA is likely to do in the "play" categories what SPRING AWAKENING is likely to do in the "musical" categories, and get the benefit of the doubt from most voters. Best Costume Design / Musical Bob Crowley - Mary Poppins ]comment: Crowley again. Best Lighting Design / Play Jason Taylor - Journey’s End ]comment: JOURNEY'S END gets my vote, and could win unless UTOPIA sweeps everything else away. Best Lighting Design / Musical Howard Harrison - Mary Poppins ]comment update: I'm voting for POPPINS, but beware the "S.A." title-wave. Best Orchestrations Duncan Sheik - Spring Awakening ]comment: I'll give the devil his due and throw the sheik of broadway a bone for "S.A." He's most likely to win anyway.

Vic Sage Jun 11 2007 09:08 AM

And the winners are... Musical "Spring Awakening," Producers: Ira Pittelman, Tom Hulce, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Atlantic Theater Company, ...etal vote: none (i didn't like any of the nominated shows more than the non-nominated "Legally Blonde", so i didn't vote in this category) prediction: Spring Awakening Book of a Musical "Spring Awakening," Steven Sater vote: Legally Blonde prediction: Spring Awakening Original Score(Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater "Spring Awakening," music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater vote: Legally Blonde prediction: Spring Awakening Play "The Coast of Utopia" , by Tom Stoppard, produced by Lincoln Center vote: Utopia prediction: Utopia Revival of a Play "Journey's End," Producers: Boyett Ostar Prods...etal vote: Translations prediction: Journey's End Revival of a Musical "Company," Producers: Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, ... etal vote: 110 In The Shade prediction: Company Leading Actor in a Play Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon" vote: Langella prediction: Langella Leading Actress in a Play Julie White, "The Little Dog Laughed" vote: White prediction: Eve Best Leading Actor in a Musical David Hyde Pierce, "Curtains" vote: Pierce prediction: Raoul Esparza Leading Actress in a Musical Christine Ebersole, "Grey Gardens" vote: Ebersole prediction: Ebersole Featured Actor in a Play Billy Crudup, "The Coast of Utopia" vote: Crudup prediction: none Featured Actress in a Play Jennifer Ehle, "The Coast of Utopia" vote: Ehle prediction: Martha Plimpton Featured Actor in a Musical John Gallagher Jr., "Spring Awakening" vote: none (I didn't see all the nominated performances in this category, so i didn't vote) prediction: Gallagher Featured Actress in a Musical Mary Louise Wilson, "Grey Gardens" vote: Wilson prediction: Wilson Scenic Design of a Play Bob Crowley and Scott Pask, "The Coast of Utopia" vote: Utopia prediction: Utopia Scenic Design of a Musical Bob Crowley, "Mary Poppins" vote: High Fidelity prediction: Mary Poppins Costume Design of a Play Catherine Zuber, "The Coast of Utopia" vote: Coram Boy prediction: Utopia Costume Design of a Musical William Ivey Long, "Grey Gardens" vote: Mary Poppins prediction: Mary Poppins Lighting Design of a Play Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner and Natasha Katz, "The Coast of Utopia" vote: Journey's End prediction: Utopia Lighting Design of a Musical Kevin Adams, "Spring Awakening" vote: Mary Poppins prediction: Spring Awakening Direction of a Play Jack O'Brien, "The Coast of Utopia" vote: Coram Boy prediction: Utopia Direction of a Musical Michael Mayer, "Spring Awakening" vote: none (i didn't like the direction of any of the nominated shows more than the non-nominated Jerry Mitchell for "Legally Blonde", so i didn't vote in this category) prediction: Spring Awakening Choreography Bill T. Jones, "Spring Awakening" vote:Legally Blonde prediction: Spring Awakening Orchestrations Duncan Sheik, "Spring Awakening" vote: Spring Awakening prediction: Spring Awakening My final score: votes = 10 / 24 predictions = 19 / 23

Edgy DC Jun 11 2007 09:29 AM

Who did you sit next to?

Vic Sage Jun 11 2007 10:33 AM

my wife

Edgy DC Jun 11 2007 10:34 AM

Wow. Superstar.

Vic Sage Jun 11 2007 10:35 AM

yer damn right.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 11 2007 10:39 AM

Hey Ralph I've missed you all year in the Sopranos thread. Shirley you have some thing to add,

Vic Sage Jun 11 2007 10:41 AM

i do, and don't call me shirley. i thought i had posted some comments at points along the way, no? But i'll throw my 2 cents in on the finale.