This couldn’t have come any more last minute because, honestly, Broadway post-covid has been slow to mount back, relatively unexciting, and preachy on too many social issues. The competition is again slim and boils down to pretty much a split between two heavy-hitters and 3 others (Tony finally apparently changed the silly archaic, elitist rules that only allowed 4 nominees for almost all scenarios which I have complained about for years and has cost a lot of worthy musicals any attention on awards night that could have helped save them in the past. And I’ve been very busy with my own show this summer, and, frankly I’ve begun to care less and less about these awards as they get more political.
THE SPECTACLE: Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman’s anticipated Some Like It Hot, an evening full of big, brassy, splashy, big-band dance numbers, and an adapted book by Matthew Lopez & Amber Ruffin from Billy Wilder’s classic comedic screenplay about a pair of musicians who witness a mob murder and have to go on the lam in disguise as members of an all-girl band. The problem is what was expected: after the social justice warriors came hard and strong after Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire the past few seasons, to avoid similar criticism, Lopez and Ruffin over-toyed with Wilder’s flawless screenplay that was already decades ahead of its time in the issues of gender acceptance and gender fluidity, politically correcting what was never a problem, and added all kinds of other issues like racism and sexism and transphobia just begging to be praised for solving problems they created for themselves. It’s still big and fun, but who wants to be preached to for the length of a musical comedy?
THE QUIRKY FAVORITE: Broadway has always loved congratulating themselves for recognizing “artistry”, and Kimberly Akimbo, the off-Broadway award winner about a teen with an anomaly disease that ages her severely before her time and her off-beat group of friends. Add critical darling Victoria Clark as the title character and some delightful sidekicks to the reviews and it checks almost all the boxes.
THE OTHERS: John Kander’s latest (and first without Fred Ebb), an adaptation of forgotten 70s movie New York, New York (with Liza Minelli, Robert DeNiro and the infamous title song), & Juliet, a London Jukebox musical featuring the music of Max Martin (composer for N*Sync, Backstreet Boys, Christina, Britney, and a slew of other early 200os pop sensations), and Shucked, a new good time musical when we really need one.
Here goes….
BEST MUSICAL
SHOULD WIN: Some Like It Hot; WILL WIN: Kimberly Akimbo
This boils down to a two party race and will the voters choose the big, splashy, big band version of a classic comedy movie, or the critically-acclaimed off-Broadway transfer of the more artistic,original tale. Reviews for the former were positive but lackluster, the latter were stronger and it already has a multitude of awards from its prior incarnation. The touring house voters are going to pull an Avenue Q and pick the smaller show to give it a name when they have to sell it locally. As a director who specializes in staging spectacles, big shows to me have an advantage when they land, but my sub-specialty is instilling the heart in any show. Which is where Kimberly beats the more shallow adaptation of Billy Wilder’s classic.
BEST ACTOR
SHOULD WIN: Ben Platt (Parade); WILL WIN: G. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot)
Platt revives a cult favorite and under Michael Arden’s masterful direction gives it the power and exposure the original never received. Platt is a deceptively powerful actor and vocalist in his element, even when you want to dislike him you can’t. But Ghee, even saddled with the heavy-handed script, is the powerhouse that makes Some Like It Hot sing. Plus the chance to make history as the first out-trans Tony award winning lead actor will be hard to resist. But Ghee is pretty much the best reason the show succeeds.
POTENTIAL SPOILER: Josh Groban (Sweeney Todd) It’s really a tree-way race, with Groban turning heads and making audiences and critics forget comparisons to the big names that have come before him. With perhaps the most perfect baritone on the planet and Sondheim’s masterpiece score, strong direction behind him, and the powerhouse Annaleigh Ashford beside him, he may pull ahead if the other two split the vote too much. I would not be mad if he did.
BEST ACTRESS
SHOULD WIN: Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo); WILL WIN: Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo)
If only for the fact the she makes the ultimate fish out of water believable enough for the show to succeed, the always dependable Clark gives us a performance we’ve never seen from her. She arguably has the hardest role on Broadway this season, and she lands it
POTENTIAL SPOILER: Annaleigh Ashford (Sweeney Todd) Ashford is a brilliant comic actress and brings us a new Mrs. Lovett we’ve never seen before. Also playing against type and reinventing the role could work in her favor. Again, wouldn’t be mad if she won.
BEST FEATURED ACTOR
SHOULD WIN: Alex Newell (Shucked); WILL WIN: Alex Newell (Shucked)
While there is a big part of me that wants to see young Justin Cooley win in his refreshing Broadway debut (we was the best thing about all the Kimberly internet blasts), Newell is the second coming of Jennifer Holliday and blows their stage time out of the water. Plus, Newell was robbed for their inspired and well- deserved casting as Mother Earth Asaka in Michael Arden’s recent visionary revival of Once On This Island, and while I don’t believe in make-up awards, I would certainly take that egregious oversight (thank you Julie Andrews, for the phrase I can work into every Tony article yet today) into consideration if I was voting
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS
SHOULD WIN: Bonnie Milligan (Kimberly Akimbo); WILL WIN: Bonnie Milligan (Kimberly Akimbo)
Powerhouse Bonnie Milligan was robbed of a nomination for Head Over Heels, and steals the show out from underneath the Tony winning Clark as her felon aunt with a ridiculous backstory that only she can sell in her showstopper “Better”, which is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy this season.
BEST REVIVAL
SHOULD WIN: Sweeney Todd; WILL WIN: Parade
Until about 2 months ago, the brilliant reconceived revival of Into the Woods had a lock on this category until these two highly profile contenders opened back to back. Parade never got the respect it deserved in its original run, and upgrading the cast with Pratt and the luminous star to be Michaela Diamond (The Cher Show) give it momentum over Sweeney, which just had a high-profile small-scale revival with Norm Lewis.
POTENTIAL SPOILER: Into the Woods
BEST DIRECTION
SHOULD WIN: Michael Arden (Parade); WILL WIN: Michael Arden (Parade)
Another case of having been robbed for his artistically brilliant Once On This Island, Arden is the most bankable visionary to have never won. This is his year, again, not caring if it’s a make up. You owe him.
POTENTIAL SPOILER: Lear Debessonet. Again, someone who somehow took Into the Woods, a show I’m tired of, and made it seem fresher, more fulfilling and way funnier than it has ever been, deserves recognition. Especially since her efforts were passed over for Sweeney Todd. Maybe to prevent a self split?
BEST SCORE
SHOULD WIN: Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman (Some Like It Hot); WILL WIN: Janine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo)
Admittedly, the former by the best team of the millennium (Hairspray, Smash, Catch Me If You Can) is full of their characteristic big, splashy, over the top, full out dance numbers, but even this team has their Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. And while this score is full of big showstopping numbers, they all feel uncharacteristically routine and hollow, missing their usual wit and charm. Kimberly, on the other hand is a score I can’t even get through on the album, but Tessori will ride the bandwagon in on this. Again, won’t be disappointed when Shaiman and Wittman don’t win because as much as I want to love this effort, something is missing.
BEST BOOK
SHOULD WIN: David Lindsay-Abaire (Kimberly Akimbo); WILL WIN: David Lindsay-Abaire (Kimberly Akimbo)
Lopez and Ruffin almost take themselves out of the running for hijacking Billy Wilder’s perfect, classic screenplay and turning it into a political statement it was never intended to be, while Lindsay-Adaire makes the most preposterous story of the season work and be award worthy. He’s a big component in the success formula here/
POTENTIAL SPOILER: Robert Horn (Shucked). The Tony winner already received a baffling award for his horribly mangled Tootsie, but here he gives us the only big laughs on Broadway this season. His crowd pleaser could get recognition in a lackluster year.
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
SHOULD WIN: Casey Nicholaw (Some Like It Hot); WILL WIN: Casey Nicholaw (Some Like It Hot)
This is the one category where Some Like It Hot doesn’t disappoint. Nicholaw is at the top of his game and should sweep here.
POTENTIAL SPOILER: Susan Strohman (New York, New York ). just because she’s Susan Strohman.
BEST COSTUMES
SHOULD WIN: Gregg Barnes (Some Like It Hot); WILL WIN: Gregg Barnes (Some Like It Hot)
Again, Barnes creates a slew of fun jazz era art deco designs that are the standout of the season.
BEST SET
SHOULD WIN: Scott Pask (Some Like It Hot); WILL WIN: Beowulf Boritt (New York, New York)
Pask’s flashy art deco set and the design to facilitate the best 11:00 chase scene in recent history is stunning, but Boritt is a well-deserved favorite and his impressive work on NY,NY is probably the show’s only chance.
BEST LIGHTING
SHOULD WIN: Natasha Katz (Sweeney Todd); WILL WIN: Natasha Katz (Sweeney Todd)
Tony voters don’t know the difference between best lighting and most lighting, so this is their vote. The cool effects do accentuate the piece
POTENTIAL SPOILER: Natasha Katz (Some Like It Hot). Katz is the one to beat never mind the show. If voters want brighter, here’s her other option to top hersel
BEST SOUND
SHOULD WIN: Nevin Steinberg (Sweeney Todd); WILL WIN: Nevin Steinberg (Sweeney Todd)
If there’s anything Tony voters understand less than lighting it’s sound. And legit, what is considered great sound in regional and amateur production is expected in professional productions. So this turns into a battle of the Sondheim shows for clarity of the intricate and sophisticated wordplay and balancing complex musical countermelodies and harmonies. And while Into the Woods was spectacular on that front, they saw Sweeney more recently.
POTENTIAL: Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann (Into the Woods).