You’re back! Thank you so much for your interest and support of the First Annual Marco Awards for the covid era Movies and Television. Today we finish the third and final round for Excellence in Theatre. If you haven’t seen the first two installments, you can check out round 1 Movies here, and round 2 Television here. I’m ecstatic that many of you have taken some of my winners and checked them out based solely on my recommendation. This is why I write. Today, we finish up the honors for covid year Theatre with the somber realization that it has now been an entire year since the day New York and the Broadway community became the first state to close down on March 12, followed by the rest of the country a day later.
I’ve broken these awards up into two categories: live Broadway theatre (what little there was of it) and the new streaming events that developed from the vacuum of quarantine. In the live market, 16 shows were scheduled to open in the last 6 weeks of the season, with the British Invasion Six, a pop concert saluting the infamous wives of Henry VIII, slated to open only 3 hours after Cuomo slammed the gates to the state. A mere 5 musicals opened before the lockdown, only 3 are Tony nominated (the controversial West Side Story revival was deemed ineligible because it opened the day after the arbitrary cut-off date the Tony committee picked for their even more arbitrary awards this season), all jukebox musicals, meaning they ignored the only new musical The Lightning Thief. On one hand, these Marcos may be the least interesting because many of you haven’t followed the streaming and had no chance to follow the live. On the other hand, though, they may be the most important because theatre is the only art form of the three that handed out no major awards in 2020. I rise to the challenge.
The Tony committee made an enormous mess and a total mockery of everything this year because they felt they needed to rush out some half-assed nominations for a fraction of a season and even botched that. They couldn’t even fill out some categories, like no Best Revival of a Musical, only one nominee for Best Actor in a Musical, and Best Score featuring five straight plays for nominees (again, just a huge slam to the only original musical The Lightning Thief, which I now regret not having seen so I could give it the consideration the always snobby Tony committee refused to). Then, after all this rushed-out foolishness, they haven’t even announced a date so far in 2021 for the 2020 awards they had to have so badly.
The rules here are even a little more convoluted because theatre was more profoundly impacted by covid than film and television. Not only was nothing stored away for future play or release, but there was no way of even letting the current season play out. Live theatre stopped cold, and free streaming evolved from nothing.
As noted above, with only a handful of new plays and musicals open and no Tony Awards for 2020 anywhere in sight, for the Live Broadway categories, I merged the partial current season with any show that was playing, either in preview, current season, or past season, as of Cuomo’s lockdown date of March 12, 2020 as eligible, including national tours this time, to make it interesting since there were so few shows open. This makes the Marcos the only awards in major theatre history that allows nomination of replacement cast actors, who are occasionally better than the original cast. As in other categories, any show or performer who has previously won a Tony for a role would be ineligible, but everyone that this rule would apply to this year is in a show that closed.
With the other format, streaming theatrical productions, the only requirement is that some platform somewhere streamed them for free for at least a weekend between the night that Broadway went black, March 12, 2020, and January 31, 2021, regardless of original production or release date. This incorporates a huge range of nominees from the 1981 Canadian company of Pippin to the 2015 New York original cast of Hamilton, released to Disney+ on July 4, and a whole lot of PBS Great Performances, Live from Lincoln Centers, and Broadway HD productions in the middle that were all streamed for our entertainment during this theatrical dead zone. To make this interesting, I am allowing all shows and performers to be eligible regardless of past Tony history, because technically, those awards were for live performances. None of them have been awarded for anything in this new streaming medium which has different demands, so let’s honor and thank all of them for entertaining us for free in our own living room. It will also show how any Tony winners stack up with a season that didn’t bow out to avoid them (yeah, I’m looking at you, year of the Hamil-Tonys).
Now, what would any serious Theatrical Awards program be without a big, glossy opening number performed by the host, but, darn it, covid restrictions prevented me from assembling the talent to produce one, and we’d all look stupid in masks anyhow. So to open our show, pick your own adventure: one of the best Tony Award openings in this millennium (Neil Patrick Harris’ 2011 “It’s Just Not For Gays Anymore”, here), or one of the biggest messes on any awards show ever since Rob Lowe danced with Snow White (a mishmash of every show from the 2009 season, resulting in not only robbing every show of their best number to feature for their nomination, but also provided shenanigans like Brett Michaels taking headbanging to another level when he concussed himself on a set change, and the most bizarre mash-up ever with Aaron Tveit screaming “I’m Alive” at a possibly drunk Stockard Channing warbling “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”, here)
And with that, Welcome to the First Annual Marco Awards for Excellence in Live and Streaming Theatre. Let the festivities begin…
(if you have no idea what the aforementioned Rob Lowe/Snow White debacle was, check that delight out here …)
The First Annual MARCO AWARDS 2020: THEATRE (LIVE and STREAMING)
BEST STREAMING PRODUCTION of a MUSICAL
Falsettos—William Finn’s cult musical about a 90s family man who realizes he’s gay and attempts to blend his family with his new partner. A flawless cast headed by Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells, and the luminous Stephanie J. Block elevate the material to the point it plays as well on film as live.
Hamilton—Creator Lin Manuel-Miranda teamed with Disney+ to offer what was supposed to be a 2021 theatrical release of the filmed stage behemoth as a gift to the fans debuting on streaming July4, 2020, when the country needed it most.
Jesus Christ Superstar—Purists hated John Legend’s velvet voice analyzing “Gethsemane”, but, to the open-minded, Legend brought us a pensive new Jesus for a challenging new millennium. A stellar Brandon Victor Dixon (Hamilton) as Judas and sublime Sarah Bareilles as Mary Magedelene round out a strong cast, shortchanged only by Alice Cooper falling flat as King Herod with the biggest production number of the show (blame the camera work more than the acting or direction). Bonus points for adding copious amounts of gold glitter to the temple of thieves number.
The King & I—This Lincoln Center masterpiece was filmed 5 years later with the original cast in London. The splendor of the score with this cast (especially Tony winners Kelli O’Hara and Ruthie Ann Hall) and opulence of the visuals are there, but something is lacking by moving it from the Lincoln Center intimate ¾ thrust to a traditional proscenium. Regardless, this is still the most amazing production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most beautiful musical every mounted.
Miss Saigon—The most underrated masterpiece of all time has always been bogged down with unfortunate political baggage since the original production fought to the death on keeping Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer, a Eurasian street pimp. This 25th anniversary production taped in London is even more resplendent than the original with plot and character improvements, the amazing turn of Jon Jon Briones as the engineer, and some of the best film editing in the genre ever.
She Loves Me—the Roundabout Theatre’s acclaimed production of this charming musical (based on the Jimmy Stewart movie The Little Shop Around the Corner) features a perfect cast to carry this valentine to never-too-late love. Zachary Levi (Tangled), Laura Benanti (My Fair Lady), and the always camera-ready Jane Krakowski (30 Rock) head the outstanding cast.
WINNER: Miss Saigon. The cast, the intensified plot, the even more creative staging, and the most professional camera work ever in a filmed stage performance help earn this modern classic the respect it never has received in snooty theatrical circles. Briones carries the show to new heights and 2016 unknown Eva Noblezada (Hadestown) is reminiscent of 1991 unknown Lea Salonga. Superstar was a worthy competitor, but as a one night event didn’t possess near the scope. While Hamilton and The King & I suffer in translation to film, from the first soaring rock notes at the trade bar pageant to the tragic finale ultimo, this recording captures all the original energy and urgency of the stage show.
BEST STREAMING PRODUCTION of a PLAY
Buyer & Cellar—Early in quarantine, Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) and playwright Jonathan Tolin were one of the first to understand we needed entertainment in a world now devoid of it. So they brought a version of Tolin’s whimsical account of an unemployed actor who fills in between work with what he thinks will be his dream job—curator for ultimate diva and gay icon Barbra Streisand’s basement museum of herself, which is set up like a mock shopping mall. Urie is wonderful with only two cameras in his bare, white apartment to give us the best illusion possible that we are with him live and not hostage in our living rooms.
Frankenstein—The acclaimed London National Theatre production with the brilliant marketing gimmick of stars Johnny Lee Miller and Benjamin Cumberbatch switching roles nightly as the monster and the creator. I saw both, preferred Miller as the Creature and Cumberbatch in the title role slightly over the flip. But either is a treat, the first 20 minutes a master class in method acting.
Significant Other—Another early attempt to offer entertainment from the Broadway community featured the original Broadway cast of Joshua Harmon’s play about navigating single life in today’s urban jungle, centering on the tribulations of a gay man (Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird) who is tired of celebrating the 100 heterosexual milestones (and buying gifts and renting tuxes and…) of his BFF (Lindsey Mendez, Carousel) when he’s unconvinced he’ll ever get to celebrate them himself. John Behlman (Tootsie) and the delightful Barbara Barrie (Breaking Away, Barney Miller), who returned to stage at the age of 84 for this production, costar in this Zoom platform remount.
A Streetcar Named Desire—The London National Theatre’s amazing in-the-round revolving staging of Tennessee Williams’ opus makes one small change, setting the tale of the faded southern belle who comes to roost at her prodigal newlywed sister’s New Orleans apartment, in the present day. This adds a layer of contemporary coarseness on the characters and a cast that makes the most of the opportunity.
WINNER: A Streetcar Named Desire. Not only does the National Theatre production mine new territory and find deeper undertones in Williams’ quintessential masterpiece, but between Benedict Andrews tactful stage direction and Nick Wickham’s exquisite camerawork, making a revolving set fluidly tell Andrews’ story, the contemporary reinterpretation of the show fits so well that the occasional mention of lemon cokes from the corner drug store doesn’t seem the least bit out of place. Gillian Anderson and Ben Foster headlining an unlikely flawless cast making this unique Streetcar an unforgettable ride.
BEST LIVE BROADWAY MUSICAL
Beetlejuice—The Eddie Perfect musical that started off slow but grew into a New York must-see. Credit mostly the comic insanity of Alex Brightman as the title character with a strong supporting cast.
Cats—The latest national tour of the latest revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 40-year-old staple of world theatre, actually improves with age. Cutting a long, plodding second act storyline, adding new high tech LED lighting effects that makes Mr. Mistofolees a visual symphony, and the cast led by Donna Vivino, who joined in Baltimore as the new Grizabella, are as accomplished and infections as any show just opening.
Mean Girls—Tina Fey’s iconic movie screenplay comes to life with great music and a flawless cast that doesn’t suffer comparisons with the movie’s iconic status. All the classic quotables are there, and director Carey Nicholaw and cast make certain that “fetch” happens. Original and replacement cast members both performed in the allowed time frame for eligibility.
Six—It’s almost as if the Brits witnessed the Hamilton juggernaut play out across the pond and were like, “Hey, we have history too!” Thus they trotted out their heavy hitters, this pantheon to the six notorious wives of Henry VIII, presented as a girl group vying for favorite wife status for lead singer. Mix history with electronic club music and divas patterned after the likes of Beyoncé (Catherine of Aragon) Adele (Jane Seymour), and Arianna Grande (audience favorite Katheryn Howard), and the game is on. Full disclosure: there is a slight sympathy vote here because Six is the show that was scheduled to open exactly 3 hours after New York was locked down that afternoon.
West Side Story—Ivo van Hove’s radical new take on the urban classic sets the saga of the Sharks and the Jets in a contemporary West Side of the city with a diverse cast and multimedia presentation to enhance the storytelling. Streamlined to a 90 minute one-act, some of the cuts (most notably “I Feel Pretty” and the “Somewhere” ballet) take some of the story’s momentum away as it rushes a little too quickly to its devastating climax.
Wicked—the 106th national tour of the perennial favorite cuts no corners and still rides strong and fast with a fresh top notch cast and all the familiar surroundings. This treasure shows no signs of aging after 16 years on Broadway.
Ineligible: Beautiful and Tootsie, who didn’t make it into the 2020 season. And, sadly, Tina and Little Shop of Horrors because StubHub is the worst ticket app ever and screwed me over one entire day for both of them. Shame, because any to all of these could have made the results really interesting.
WINNER: Mean Girls. Beetlejuice became a last-minute phenomenon, but that is pretty much completely due to the manic Brightman rather than the show’s innate winking cleverness. Six gets the required sympathy but its really just a glorified pop concert. On the other hand, Fey’s bullet-proof book remains consistently top notch. Even with a third tier of cast changes, nothing suffers in the most fun musical of the last several seasons. It’s still “fetch”!
BEST LIVE BROADWAY PLAY
The Inheritance (Parts 1 & 2)—Matthew Lopez takes E.M. Forster’s Howard’s End and reset it in the gay culture of Chelsea and Fire Island of the 90s to give a contemporary interpretation to the Merchant & Ivory classic. While in style, length, and content, it is obvious Lopez intended to invent an Angels in America for a new generation, he falls short of that. But that may be a good thing because in the process he is infinitely less preachy than his predecessor.
Slave Play—Up and coming, already award-winning playwright Jeremy O. Harris takes a harsh look at race relations between interracial couples who participate in antebellum fantasy play. The world events just months after proved this fascinating script provided a discussion we absolutely needed to be having
To Kill a Mockingbird—Aaron Sorkin takes a new pass at the Harper Lee Classic we can no longer teach in school and delivers perhaps his best work ever. The second cast starring Ed Harris was reviewed and considered for nomination.
WINNER: To Kill a Mockingbird. Slave Play breaks brave new ground and is by far the more relevant script with more contemporary lessons for adults, but the full-out 3 hour staging of Lee’s sentimental coming-of-age story shows why this play that deals with the repercussions of societal race relationships most definitely needs to be taught in schools again as a primer for early discussions.
BEST ACTOR in a STREAMED BROADWAY PLAY or MUSICAL
Jon Jon Briones (Miss Saigon)—Briones’ Engineer is by turns hilarious, caustic, pandering, and delusional, and the journey he takes us through those emotions permanently removes the stain of Jonathan Pryce that has forever unfairly hovered over this modern classic. Plus, he’s a Miss Saigon success story of his own, having started out as a chorus boy in the original production and worked his way up to star, redefining the role as his in the process.
Brandon Victor Dixon (Jesus Christ Superstar)—While the theatrical community was well aware of Dixon’s abilities via Hamilton, the rest of the country sat by stunned, wondering where this superior talent has been until the night it aired on Easter 2018. The better question is where has he been since?
Ben Foster (A Streetcar Named Desire)—the ex-Disney kid and teen movie star of the 90s is all grown up and all filled out and jaw-dropping as the Stanley Kowalski you never expected. His contemporary take meshes perfectly with Anderson’s Blanche as they go round Williams’ familiar battlegrounds in new ways.
Johnny Lee Miller (Frankenstein, as the Creature)—From the minute he slithers from a suspended womb of primordial ooze, covered in goo and holding the first 20 minutes of stage to himself as we watch him grow from figurative baby to first steps, first words, coordination, and education, Miller is surprisingly the earthier yet more sympathetic actor in this role and a perfect sparring partner for Cumberbatch as the educated scientist who has unanticipated second thoughts about dispatching life.
Ethan Slater (Spongebob Squarepants)—Consider young Slater, in his Broadway debut, plucked from obscurity while finishing college, the sole reason that the improbable job of bringing the world of Spongebob to life works. He’s sweet, goofy, bendable beyond reason, even sings upside down suspended from a net, and makes everything around him happen. There is a large school (to which this critic belongs) that thinks Slater should have earned the Tony, but he fell to the sweep the Tony committee manufactured to try and make The Band’s Visit the show of the year. It didn’t work.
Michael Urie (Buyer & Cellar)—Urie has displayed his comic gifts in multiple TV (Ugly Betty) and stage (Torch Song Trilogy) productions, and he puts the most on the line translating his hit off-Broadway one-man show into the first home-streamed theatrical attempt from his own apartment. Bonus points for enthusiasm and pioneering the form.
WINNER: Jon Jon Briones. Briones, who was brilliant in the anniversary revival and received the most egregious Tony snub since Julie Andrews immortalized the term (he absurdly was passed over for TV name David Hyde Pierce in Hello Dolly), made the role and the show his own. He is a powerhouse, rendering all the historical controversy associated with the show moot.
BEST ACTRESS in a STREAMED BROADWAY PLAY or MUSICAL
Gillian Anderson (A Streetcar Named Desire)—Anderson gives a present day (and harder drinking) Blanche du Bois layers that defy all the previous master performances. Like Tandy, Leigh, Jessica Lange, and, yes, even the vastly underrated Ann-Margret, her Blanche 2.0 is a performance only she can give.
Sarah Bareilles (Jesus Christ Superstar)—After almost 50 years of actresses screaming “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” louder and louder with each modulation, it seemed almost as if the only vocalist who could do the role of Mary Magdelene justice was original stage, screen, and concept album star Yvonne Elliman. Bareilles finally showed all it takes is an insightful singer who understands musical and theatrical dynamics (like Elliman) in a warm and touching performance.
Claire Haise (42nd Street)—Haise is a tap-dancing behemoth as Allentown native Peggy Sawyer who goes out a kid but comes back a star. She shows off her ridiculously impressive hoofing in the spectacle set piece “Go Into Your Dance”. She shows off the rest of her stellar talents throughout the rest of the show.
Eva Noblezada (Miss Saigon)—While Briones defies all comparisons and makes you forget predecessor Johnathan Pryce, Noblezada harkens just enough of Lea Salonga to not allow you to miss her, in all the right ways. A very impressive West End/Broadway debut.
Kelli O’Hara (The King & I)—The 2015 winner for the original Lincoln Center production shows why as they recreate the show in London. Her Anna Leonowens is compassionate, strong, empathetic, and gives the most splendid vocal performance in the role ever onstage.
Philippa Soo (Hamilton)—While the filmed Hamilton on the whole loses much of it’s physical energy on film, the sublime Soo is the one cast member who profits from the extreme close-ups of taping, especially as we get to experience her emotional journey through her anthem of betrayal, “Burn”.
WINNER: Gillian Anderson. Gillian Anderson’s revolutionary reinterpretation of ultimate Southern vixen Blanche du Bois is the most affecting since Jessica Tandy and Vivien Leigh first breathed life into her. Under Benedict Andrews masterful stage direction and Nick Wickham’s exquisite filming direction, Anderson finds new dimensions and slightly rougher corners on Blanche, and gives a devastating performance as we watch Williams’ most fragile heroine’s complete deterioration into insanity
BEST ACTOR in a LIVE BROADWAY PLAY or MUSICAL
Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice)—The insanely manic Brightman is the single reason Beetlejuice earned a second-stage run from word of mouth. And he throws aside all memories of Michael Keaton in the process, just like he did for Jack Black in School of Rock.
Andrew Burnap (The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2)—Burnap is a standout as the party boy who’s adventurous ways catch up with him.
Ed Harris (To Kill a Mockingbird)—Leading the replacement cast after Jeff Daniels departed, Harris gives an even more stalwart and soulful countenance to the stalwart Atticus Finch
John Benjamin Hickey (The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2)—Hickey steals the show from the young pretty ones as the old guy who was there for the beginning of AIDS, to remind those who forget.
Yehezkel Lazarov (Fiddler on the Roof)—As Tevye in the national tour of Bartlett Sher’s emotional reinterpretation of the classic, Lazarov makes the most of every step he takes away from tradition. Sher’s revival isn’t exactly like reinventing the Reuben, but it definitely improves it like a new, spicier mustard.
Isaac Powell (West Side Story)—Although somewhat physically slight of build to be the ex-gang lead of the Jets, his ability to act his songs make his Tony more than the standard tenor dream role.
WINNER: Alex Brightman. Harris brought all his big screen charm to Mockingbird and gave a remarkable, gounded performance. But Brightman is no less than a force of nature as he breaks the fourth wall and any that come after as he runs ramshod over the musical, the material, the audience, and the humor all in the best ways. He makes a C+ musical an A+ audience experience. While the call was valid at the time, in retrospect one could make a serious case that Brightman should have won the Tony over then critical darling Santino Fontana in the quickly closed Tootsie. A Marco will have to do to even the slight.
BEST ACTRESS in a LIVE BROADWAY PLAY or MUSICAL
Sophie Anne Caruso (Beetlejuice)—As princess of darkness Lydia, Caruso is a willing partner in crime to the mania of Brightman.
Erika Henningsen (Mean Girls)—Standing out as the straight girl in the middle of larger than life characters, Henningsen grounds the musical and became even stronger and more the star as the run extended and the cast and her comfortability evolved.
Joaquina Kalukango (Slave Play)—As an African-American writer who can’t put her feelings about her interracial relationship or the slave play exercise it entails into words, eventually she finds all of them in a earth-shaking third act coda scene.
Taylor Louderman (Mean Girls)—Like Regina George, Louderman rules with authority as the head of the plastics. Not only finding a unique angle to make her Regina different, she excels with every solo until she literally blows up the show with her 11:00 “World Burn”
Shereen Pimentel (West Side Story)—as a contemporary Maria, she is earthier and curvier and less the goddess/more the teenaged girl to give the audience a new age Maria they can identify with.
Talia Suskaur (Wicked)—the newest Elphaba on tour adds freshness and an additional layer of sympathy for the green underdog, in addition to some of the strongest vocals ever in a long line of big-named, high-octane divas.
WINNER: Taylor Louderman. Just like her character Regina George, you can’t hold Louderman back or keep her down in this role. Give her a classic scene from the movie and she finds an alternate delivery to make it even funnier. Give her an impossible song to sing in an impossible key and she’ll nail it with yet another modulation. The biggest complement is, just like the spot-on movie performance by Rachel McAdams, when succeeded by a perfectly solid successor and lead on the national tour, it became clear that the musical role of Regina George is Louderman’s and Louderman’s alone. It would have been a very interesting race though if that Tina ticket had come through the four times I tried the incompetent StubHub app. This year’s favorite Adrienne Warren and last year’s deliberately-ignored-to-make-way-for-The-Band’s-Visit-sweep Louderman would have been a great match-up.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in a STREAMED BROADWAY PLAY or MUSICAL
Danny Burstein (South Pacific)—Broadway’s most versatile character actor Burnstein is almost unrecognizable as navy clown Luther Billis, almost as if played by the immortal Burt Lahr.
Gavin Creel (She Loves Me)—Tony-winning golden boy Creel (Hello, Dolly), plays against type as a lotharious, libidinous peacock with a trail of broken hearts behind him as he weaves his spell on a fully willing Jane Krakowski.
Daveed Diggs (Hamilton)—having won the Tony for this role, Diggs is the brightest spot of filmed Hamilton, winning enough as an inspired and inspiring LaFayette in the first act, but stealing the show as a grandstanding Thomas Jefferson in the second. Even though the real Jefferson was acknowledged to be more somber and serious, Diggs has so much fun in his portrayal it doesn’t matter.
Gavin Lee (Spongebob Squarepants)—Perfect as sour next door frenemy Squidward, Lee ups the rewards when given the showcase of a 4-legged tap dance chorus line extravaganza.
Andrew Rannells (Falsettos)—In a difficult role as the Chelsea boy who broke up his lover’s comfortably happy family, Rannells, who excels in shallow, bratty roles, brings an unexpected depth and gravity in the second act as he descends into the squalor of AIDS.
Wesley Taylor (Spongebob Squarepants)—As the dime-sized villain Plankton, Taylor provides all the cartoonish twists and turns to keep the improbable show moving.
WINNER: Daveed Diggs. Even in a different set of match-ups that didn’t bow out to avoid Hamilton, Diggs is still the clear winner.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in a STREAMED BROADWAY PLAY or MUSICAL
Stephanie J. Block (Falsettos)—Block should have won the Tony for her role as the wife abandoned for another man. Her delivery of showstopper “I’m Breaking Down” is a master class in how to act a comic song.
Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton)—Rode the right train to the station, winning the Tony as sister-in-law Anjelica in the infamous Hamil-Tony sweep.
Ruthie Ann Hall (The King & I)—Hall, under the flawless direction of ultimate stage actor’s director Barrett Sher, brings the most multi-layered interpretation of head wife Lady Thiang ever, and walks off with the best song of the musical, “Something Wonderful”.
Jane Krakowski (She Loves Me)—Krakowski brings all her sexy, comic charm to the role of the perpetually easy Ilona, the good girl who can’t resist a guy who treats her badly. She also benefits from filming, as the camera has proven to love her in any project she graces.
Martha Raye (Pippin)—The veteran “loud mouth” comedienne is one of the few who emerge from the 1981 videoed version of the Canadian company of Pippin unscathed. Funny and sassy in the walk-on role of the hero’s grandmother, the old school pro knows how to drop a joke, a ditty, and a mic. In and out like the title of her sing-a-long showstopper “No Time At All”, she’s the high point of the show.
Chita Rivera (Pippin)—Even the first lady of American musicals can’t totally make the poorly written dance role of the evil stepmother/queen make sense, but Rivera is at least mesmerizing while her flawless execution of Fosse dance makes you focus on her instead of the abysmal script.
WINNER: Stephanie J. Block. Block should have won her first Tony, but in a way it worked out even better because 2 years later she won it for giving the performance of her life in The Cher Show as only she could. Goldsberry benefited from being in the right show in the right year, and Hall was a revelation in one of the most-deserved Tonys of the millennium, but suffers from the closed-in nature of moving the Lincoln Center opus to a boxed-in proscenium stage. Block possesses a natural stage vulnerability that takes her comic highs and tragic lows to further extremes than ever before, and this role gives her plenty of material for both. She deserves it just for the 4 minutes alone selling her theme “I’m Breaking Down”. The other 2 1/2 hours are just basking in the win. Check out her showstopping delivery here. It’s 5 minutes but it’s worth it.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in a LIVE BROADWAY PLAY or MUSICAL
Grey Henson (Mean Girls)—Henson steals all the scenes as part-time narrator, full-time “too gay to function” BFF Damian in Fey’s new book which expands his role to showcase Henson’s natural comic talents (and tap dancing skills). Henson’s chemistry with Barrett Wilbert Reed as goth girl Janis would walk off with a best team trophy if the category existed.
Sullivan Jones (Slave Play)—Jones is the standout of the ensemble as a light-skinned athlete involved with an older white divorcee. His contribution to the dialogue is not identifying as black, just as hot.
David Josefsburg (Beetlejuice)—replacing Rob McClure as the ghost of Adam Maitland, Josefsburg is a better fit for the role as written, less Alec Baldwin in the movie and more loveable goof.
Amar Ramasar (West Side Story)—A premier danseur for the NY Ballet, Ramasar supplies the moves and the fire as doomed Shark leader Bernardo, whose role is significantly beefed up in this production solely by incorporating the far superior movie version of “America”, which doubles his musical stage time and triples the depth of his character in a high-energy challenge song and dance where the sexual roles are flipped in this new country.
Nick Robinson (To Kill a Mockingbird)—the charming Love, Simon star utilizes his natural talents and youthful appeal to seamlessly blend between adolescent Jem in the story and adult Jem as the narrator.
Kyle Scatliffe (To Kill a Mockinbird)—as the replacement for Tom Robinson, Scatliffe is both noble and sympathetic as the wronged man framed for murder by a shady white society.
WINNER: Nick Robinson. Replacement cast Robinson, although 6’2” and 25, possesses a natural talent to straddle the border of fresh-faced school boy and strong budding young man (a trait he used to maximum advantage in this season’s A Teacher on FX). This gift is perfect for Sorkin’s plan that allows him to seamlessly blend adolescent Jem within the story and adult Jem as the narrator outside the story. Robinson’s natural grace almost elevates the supporting character to co-lead with the exceptionally strong Harris as Atticus.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in a LIVE BROADWAY PLAY or MUSICAL
Ysenia Ayala (West Side Story)—Ayala is pure fire and the best thing about the new 2020 revival as Anita, who not only takes maximum advantage of the updated battle of the sexes “America” but makes for one of most moving finales in West Side history as the absolute victim of gang sexual assault who sets the fatal sequence of events in motion.
Lesley Kritzer (Beetlejuice)—Kritzer gives new life to the reinvented character of Delia as defined by Catherine O’Hara in the movie. Funny enough as the ditzier new age guru, she gets an added blast slaying a production number in a cameo (added during previews) as the dead former Miss Argentina in the afterlife.
Ashley Park (Mean Girls)—Park well deserved her Tony nomination as the exceptionally needy Gretchen Weiners, who wears her comic desperation like a Versace original as she volleys between being Hennigsen’s guide and mentor to the inner circle and Louderman’s pathetic lap chihuahua.
Barrett Wilbert Reed (Mean Girls)—The former Veronica from Heathers takes her outsider status to maximum as BFF, dark center of the Mean Girls universe Janis Sarkasian. With a killer voice and amazing chemistry with costars Hennigsen and Henson, she builds to a boiling point that explodes with her 11:00 kiss-off to the world belt fest “I’d Rather Be Me”.
Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls)—excells as plastic Karen Smith, “the dumbest person you’ll ever meet”. Vapid yet loveable, she knocks her Halloween solo “Sexy”, a salute to slutty Halloween costumes everywhere (featuring everything from “Sexy Corn” to “Sexy Rosa Parks”) out of the park.
Lois Smith (The Inheritance, Part 2)—The always reliable Smith (True Blood) doesn’t appear till the last 20 minutes of the second play, but she makes the most of every second when she delivers a moving monologue about the progress of her gay boarders on Fire Island over the years.
WINNER: Kate Rockwell. Rockwell delivers a solid evening of good-natured self-deprecating humor, endearing herself in the process as easily the nicest of the Mean Girls. Easy to get lost in the Bermuda triangle of star talent between Hennigsen, Louderman, and Reed, she lands comfortably amongst all of them making a hilarious three-dimensional portrait from a one note character, removing all memory of Amanda Seyfried’s iconic portrayal in the process. Not to mention introducing us to Sexy Eleanor Roosevelt.
BEST SCORE of a LIVE BROADWAY MUSICAL
Beetlejuice—music & lyrics by Eddie Perfect
Mean Girls—music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin
Six—music & lyrics by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
WINNER: Jeff Richmond & Nell Benjamin (Mean Girls). The Bernstein/Sondheim classic West Side Story is inelligible as a revival, Perfect’s score is secondary to Brightman’s rollercoaster performance, and even if Tootsie was eligible it’s score was a dismal rehashing of The Full Monty. Six is great fun, a Schoolhouse Rock-like cheat sheet through English History, but could have been so much more if the songs were integrated into a real book. Richmond and Benjamin take Fey’s improved iconic book and complement it with a totally “fetch” score with high points like “Apex Preditor”, “Revenge Party”, a sweet “Stupid With Love”, and the twin 11:00 behemoths “World Burn” and “I’d Rather Be Me”.
BEST SCRIPT of a LIVE BROADWAY MUSICAL
Beetlejuice by Scott Brown & Anthony King
Mean Girls by Tina Fey
Six by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
WINNER: Tina Fey, Mean Girls. Beetlejuice is more a vehicle for the comic genius of Brightman and Six could benefit from more of a script than just concert patter between numbers. But they can’t sit with Fey’s adaptation of her own screenplay, arguably the most quotable of the millennium, and her book here keeps all the fun and all the expected one-liners with a few updated improvements. Hers is the one award it’s sinful that the Tony committee swept to The Band’s Visit. Talk about trying to make “fetch” happen….
BEST SCRIPT of a LIVE BROADWAY PLAY
The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2 by Matthew Lopez
Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris
To Kill a Mockingbird by Aaron Sorkin
WINNER: Jeremy O. Harris, Slave Play. Lopez overshoots his aim here with a thought-provoking play that is not exactly the opus he envisioned. Sorkin gives us great interactions in a new interpretation of a tale we need to keep in our canon, but, as is usually the case, his script takes flight more because of tight direction and a stellar cast. In contrast, Harris’ book is smart, daring, and not afraid to tackle the hard questions of racism in our culture today. It was an important story at the beginning of last year. It’s a mandatory lesson after the events of the past 12 months.
BEST STREAMED ONE-PERSON EVENT
Buyer & Cellar—The Michael Urie production above, included here because of the hybrid nature of the piece as we began sorting out what quarantine entertainment could be.
Latin History for Morons—An older, wiser John Leguizamo, now a father, is slightly less bombastic than his previous stage persona, but no less funny or entrancing as he recounts the adventure of helping his bullied adolescent son come to terms with his heritage by finding a hero of Latin descent for a school report. This turns out to be much easier said than done when he finds how white-washed the average history books have been, glorifying the bravura of all the conquistadors while ignoring the accomplishments of all the natives they obliterated in the settling process.
The New One—Comedian Mike Birbiglia delivers a different kind of comedy special, lighter and more sentimental but not a bit less funny, centered on how fatherhood has changed his life, and how totally unlikely and unprepared he was for it.
What the Constitution Means to Me—Former US Teen Debate Champion Heidi Shreck recounts how she paid for college one legion hall Constitutional debate at a time, and how it prepared her for life in a way she never expected. Her first act recreates the mock debate format that she won, while her third act is a live debate with a real-life contemporary teenaged champion (sides chosen with a coin flip). But the most moving second act in between concerns how the Constitution not only isn’t broken, it’s working perfectly as designed—protecting the rights of old, rich, white men—while illustrating those claims with sad to devastating points of how the Constitution has done nothing to protect the women in her family since her logger-bride great grandmother came from Germany to her today, from the men who have lorded over them.
WINNER: What the Constitution Means to Me. Urie somewhat invented a new streaming art form, Birbiglia is charming and moving in his observations about fatherhood, and Leguizamo finds his usual hilarious and irreverent way of making his points. But Shreck slyly sets up a premise and slips in the back door to deliver a message no one sees coming. The best thing is she takes a stance on women’s rights which in the wrong hands immediately alienates the other 50% of the audience, and pulls both sides together with rational, honest, and heartbreaking discussion. This performance should be required viewing for every high school government class on the planet.
BEST PERFORMANCE in a STREAMED ONE-PERSON EVENT
Mike Birbiglia (The New One)—Birbiglia alternates between overgrown fratboy with sitcom dad as he tells stories of new fatherhood balanced with poignant honesty as he relays his fears, from surviving cancer which he may pass on, to suffering from a neurological disease that makes him prone to violent and destructive sleepwalking incidents. The balance is a sweetly funny but ultimately moving evening that hits a common chord with every parent ever.
John Leguizamo (Latin History for Morons)—Leguizamo has made a name for himself as a Latino comic bad boy clown, and that is all present here, although softened a bit because this time his role as comic narrator comes from a position of concerned dad. Altering his presence to a gentle, wacky professor type, he’s sweet in the monologues to his son, but his usual hyperkinetic, manic self when reenacting the unrevised history of Cortez, Moctezuma, et al.
Heidi Shreck (What the Constitution Means to Me)—Shreck moves effortlessly from narrator to lecturer to performance artist and back in this unexpectedly thrilling and moving evening that could in lesser hands be a 105 minute femi-nazi snoozefest. It’s her piece, and she knows how to execute it perfectly.
Michael Urie (Buyer & Cellar)—I give Urie 80% of the success and director Tolin the remaining 20, mostly for being the playwright, in how this first at-home streaming show became more live performance and less another Zoom meeting as they pioneered the first and still one of the most effective pieces of non-prefilmed streaming theatre in the new art form’s naissance.
WINNER: John Leguizamo. The Constitution succeeds by the expertise Shreck has built into the strong script, but Leguizamo is a performing dynamo recounting 2 centuries of Latin American history like no one can. If Constitution could have been a bore in lesser hands, Latin History would have been deadly, as it is in every American classroom today. And don’t let the comedy and the buffoonery fool you, Leguizamo’s ultimate lesson is just as important in today’s Eurocentric/American point-of-view world.
With this, we bring an end to a project of love that was a year in the making across three different art forms. I don’t think any of us will ever forget what we did during the year (please, in the name all things Cher, be singular!!) of covid, but with the bulk of our interests and pastimes placed indefinitely on hold, unable to go anywhere, we at least could be thankful for the small things that came to us in our living room. And because of that, I feel a little grateful that I had the opportunity to return thanks and acknowledgement to those artists and programs who did try to make us feel better and forget how horrible everything was outside our TV rooms. If the Marco Awards do, as intended, become an annual piece, until next year, you know you can return for the usual analysis of the Oscars (in 2 weeks!), the annual Christmas CD Review and Playlist, and, who knows, maybe even the freaking 2020 catastrophe Tonys, whatever year they ever come out. Thanks for following through with my valentine to last year’s unique entertainment until then!
In case you missed or wanted them, links to the Marcos for Movies and Marcos for Television are here