Broadway with Me

With 42 shows opening on Broadway this past season, I don’t envy the American Theater Wing’s job of narrowing each category down to a handful of nominees. Everyone has their opinions and that includes me. I haven’t seen all 42 shows this year, but I have seen a good chunk, I have tickets for many others and done my research on the rest.

I won’t give a full breakdown of all my thoughts as this post would super long. But I do have some thoughts on some categories that I want to mention. Overall, this year’s nominations feel more spread out than recent years have been while still having 3 clear front runners. I find myself agreeing with these nominations more than previous years. Lack of representation is something I’ve constantly critiqued the Tonys for. This year our nominees feel more representative of our industry, though not perfect. There is still a long way to go, but every year Broadway gets a little more inclusive and diverse. We’re actively breaking down barriers that have been around for decades; but the Tony awards fail year after year to reflect this. As a Cuban, seeing Buena Vista Social Club at the head of the pack with 10 noms, is a feeling I cannot begin to describe. Maybe Happy Ending, also with 10 noms, is a South Korean story. Death Becomes Her, our 3rd show with 10 noms, is lead by 2 women, with music and lyrics co-written by a woman. I never thought the Tony’s would acknowledge shows that depart from the what’s considered classic Broadway in this way. We may have a bit to go, but this years’ Tonys feel like we’re moving in the right direction.

The nominees for lead actor in a musical is the category that I struggle to find a clear winner for. I am genuinely a fan of every single person on that list. I find myself a little torn between wanting everyone here to win. Jeremy Jordan was (to me) snubbed last year for his Gatsby and I’d love to see him win. The amazing Jonathan Groff could potentially be a back to back winner. Darren Criss’ passion for Maybe Happy Ending is clear. James Monroe Iglehart breathed life into an icon in A Wonderful World. Andrew Durand spends half his show singing his heart out and half dead. But alas there can only be one. And in my opinion, this Tony should go to Tom Francis. What he does night after night at Sunset Blvd is beyond words. The performances in that show speak louder than most as they have nothing to fall back on with such a barren set. Truthfully, I cannot get his Act 2 walk out of my head all these months later.

Similarly, I am genuinely a fan of everyone nominated for lead actress ini a musical. There’s no clear winner to me here. Everyone is so amazing, but there’s reasons I can find for each one that are outside of their performance that may effect their chances of winning. Audra McDonald absolutely blew me away when she performed Rose’s Turn at the end of Gypsy. It was show stopping. There is a reason she is an Oscar away from an EGOT and the person with the most Tony Award nominations. And of those noms, she has 6 Tonys. She deserves every single one. But I don’t think the Tonys will give her another. I feel they may want to go for new blood, which would make Nicole Scherzinger the front runner there. She also put on a show stopping performance. Though I’m not sure they will give it to her either. As amazing as Jasmine Amy Rogers is as Betty Boop, this is her Broadway debut so I’m also uncertain if they’ll give it to her. With Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard, I’m glad that the Tonys didn’t do them a disservice by claiming only one is the lead. They are both leads. I think in the end it will be one of our Death Becomes Her ladies winning this award. As for my selection, I rolled the dice and chose Megan as my guess. All of these women deserve this award.

It should be no surprise given my last review that I’m gunning for Operation Mincemeat for Best Musical, but the shows in that category are all so good that any of them could win. For Best Revival of a Musical, I personally think Sunset Blvd is a shoe-in for this. It could lose to Gypsy (as to me, this has been the best version of Gypsy) but the audience reaction to Sunset makes me think it’ll come out ahead. This is also why I think Jamie Llyod will come out ahead for his direction of Sunset.

Some people care less about the more technical awards, but I actually care more about them. Theater can be used to do so many amazing things and I love it when they take advantage of that. Swept Away‘s lifting ship and eerie ocean deserve the Scenic Design Tony. When that ship lifted up, the loud gasp (including mine) that ran throughout the theater united us; all for a ship. Maybe Happy Ending‘s Lighting Design absolutely blew me away, I’ve never felt so surrounded by a musicals world thanks to lighting. Another point to Maybe Happy Ending is the Sound Design. It’s genius how they make Dez Duron’s songs sound like they’re coming from a far away record play; a record player in the next room that your grandfather is playing. The orchestrations are also fantastic, it’s one of the most calming soundtracks I’ve ever listened to. The costumes in Oh, Mary! bring us into the time period despite anachronistic dialogue. These things elevate a show’s experience and I’m always excited to see who wins.

For the full list of nominees, please see here. Below I’ve added my Audience Reward Tony Award Challenge. Fill one out yourself and compare! You get points just for filling out. I may change my mind on some of these guesses as we approach the Tony’s and I see more of these shows, but here’s my first gut instinct on these categories.