Tony Talk: 2016/17 season (vol. 3)

[Above the Title]

According to the news reports today, the Tonys are seeking a right to work waiver requesting that WGA allow union writers to work on the telecast despite the strike under the auspices that another Tonys cancelation or postponement would cripple an industry that still has not recovered from its Covid shutdown. Specifically cited are concerns that the majority of the nominees will close by the time a rescheduled ceremony happens as they are reliant on the summer boost from the telecast performances. With the two frontrunners being "Leopoldstadt" and "Kimberly Akimbo," it's likely that both would close before the fall without that bump.

If they are not granted a waiver, their options are either postpone or stay on-date with a very pared down press conference-style event as its nearly certain it would be a picketed event as-is.

[malcolm1980]

WGA asks members not to attend the Tonys.

[malcolm1980]

Wow. Based on the clips I’ve seen, they really figured out how to do the Tonys really well without a script. That opening number was fantastic.

[emmygrammyoscartony]

Ariana Debose is a fucking force of nature. I always forget how great of a dancer she is. DAMN!

The audio description thing was annoying as fuck.

"New York, New York" looks so incredibly uninspiring.

Jordan Donica and Phillipa Soo are both gorgeous, but this "Camelot" looks like a mess.

No, seriously. This audio description thing is BEYOND annoying.

Super happy for Michael Arden! That speech was amazing!

Pop songs in a period piece. How original. For a moment, I thought it was going to get better...

OMG, THIS AUDIO DESCRIPTION SHIT!

"Some Like It Hot" looks like so much fun! Great choreo!

Sara Baralleis has really great stage presence! I wish they had gone with a montage from "Into the Woods."

Alex Newell's win was EVERYTHING, and I loved that speech!

Here's the thing. Ben Platt is just Ben Platt in his roles. And I never thought I would say this and believe it, but his voice is great but Patti LuPone annoying with its vibrato and over-enunciation. But "Parade" looks amazing!!!!

HOLY FUCK, "Sweeney Todd" looks and sounds INCREDIBLE. WOW!

I thought I would be used to this audio description shit, especially with how old I am getting. But no.

Every fiber of my being should have hated that Neil Diamond performance, but seeing and hearing all of those people singing along...was pretty awesome!!

I love it when a really great show like "Parade" did not won Musical with its original run and then goes on to take Revival. Also, starts making me feel old with some of these revivals and knowing the originals from over 20 years ago.

I thought we would get through this without ANYTHING Webber. God damn it. OMG, I can't. I hate this show so much. Nevermind. In Memorium.

Happy for Ghee and Comer!

FINALLY! That number from "Kimberly Akimbo" was amazeballs!!! God damn, Victoria Clark is not human!

"Shucked" looks like so much fun! The audio descriptions were massively distracting.

God. Here comes HorribLea!!! "CAUSEIMACOMMUH!!!!" She still annoys me to the nth degree.

Victoria Clark! I love her! She and Kelli saying "Love you" to each other was beyond adorable and awesome!

Sean Hayes gave an amazing speech! Happy for him!

Lea Michele was kind of amazing!

"Kimberly Akimbo"!! Alright!!!

Also, Lachanze won two more Tonys tonight! Wow!

[NUguy514]

Ben Platt cleeeeeeaaaaaaaaaarly has had work done on his face, and it's looks terrible, poor thing.

Aaron Rodgers, honey, we see you. Just come out already. Jesus.

As usual, there were some great speeches (Uranowitz, Arden, Silverman, Lindsay-Abaire, Ghee, Clark, and Hayes).

The Kimberly Akimbo number was nice – the only one of the new musical numbers that really interested me.

"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is just as chilling and powerful as ever.

I refused to watch even a second of Lea Michele's caterwauling. One of my students, who's based in New York and taking dance, voice, and acting classes, told me a terrifying rumor a few weeks ago: Michele might be Florence in the upcoming revival of Chess. She would be fucking dreadful, and I will not stand for it.

[Culturegeek]

That's hilarious, though why would you revive Chess?

[NUguy514]

(06-28-2023 09:52 AM)Culturegeek Wrote:  That's hilarious, though why would you revive Chess?

LOL, I wouldn't!!!

[emmygrammyoscartony]

2024 noms below. I am so happy for "The Outsiders," which was MUCH better than I thought it would be. Impressive nod totals for "Hell's Kitchen" and especially "Stereophonic."

Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants

Best Play
Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic
Stereophonic

Best Revival of a Play
Appropriate
An Enemy of the People
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch

Best Revival of a Musical
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gutenberg! The Musical!
Merrily We Roll Along
The Who's Tommy

Best Book of a Musical
Kristoffer Diaz, Hell's Kitchen
Bekah Brunstetter, The Notebook
Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, The Outsiders
Shaina Taub, Suffs
Rick Elice, Water for Elephants

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Adam Guettel, Days of Wine and Roses
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love
Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, The Outsiders
Will Butler, Stereophonic
Shaina Taub, Suffs

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
William Jackson Harper, Uncle Vanya
Leslie Odom, Jr., Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Liev Schreiber, Doubt: A Parable
Jeremy Strong, An Enemy of the People
Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French Republic
Jessica Lange, Mother Play
Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane
Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
Amy Ryan, Doubt: A Parable

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brody Grant, The Outsiders
Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along
Dorian Harewood, The Notebook
Brian d'Arcy James, Days of Wine and Roses
Eddie Redmayne, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Eden Espinosa, Lempicka
Maleah Joi Moon, Hell's Kitchen
Kelli O'Hara, Days of Wine and Roses
Maryann Plunkett, The Notebook
Gayle Rankin, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Will Brill, Stereophonic
Eli Gelb, Stereophonic
Jim Parsons, Mother Play
Tom Pecinka, Stereophonic
Corey Stoll, Appropriate

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Doubt: A Parable
Juliana Canfield, Stereophonic
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mother Play
Sarah Pidgeon, Stereophonic
Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Roger Bart, Back To The Future: The Musical
Joshua Boone, The Outsiders
Brandon Victor Dixon, Hell's Kitchen
Sky Lakota-Lynch, The Outsiders
Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along
Steven Skybell, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Shoshana Bean, Hell's Kitchen
Amber Iman, Lempicka
Nikki M. James, Suffs
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Monty Python's Spamalot
Kecia Lewis, Hell's Kitchen
Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll Along
Bebe Neuwirth, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best Scenic Design of a Play
dots, Appropriate
dots, An Enemy of the People
Derek McLane, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
David Zinn, Jaja's African Hair Braiding
David Zinn, Stereophonic

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian, The Outsiders
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Hell's Kitchen
Takeshi Kata, Water for Elephants
David Korins, Here Lies Love
Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini, Lempicka
Tim Hatley and Finn Ross, Back To The Future: The Musical
Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Best Costume Design of a Play
Dede Ayite, Appropriate
Dede Ayite, Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Enver Chakartash, Stereophonic
Emilio Sosa, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
David Zinn, An Enemy of the People

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite, Hell's Kitchen
Linda Cho, The Great Gatsby
David Israel Reynoso, Water for Elephants
Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Paul Tazewell, Suffs

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, An Enemy of the People
Amith Chandrashaker, Prayer for the French Republic
Jiyoun Chang, Stereophonic
Jane Cox, Appropriate
Natasha Katz, Grey House

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Brandon Stirling Baker, Illinoise
Isabella Byrd, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Natasha Katz, Hell's Kitchen
Bradley King and David Bengali, Water for Elephants
Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim, The Outsiders

Best Sound Design of a Play
Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella, Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Leah Gelpe, Mary Jane
Tom Gibbons, Grey House
Bray Poor and Will Pickens, Appropriate
Ryan Rumery, Stereophonic

Best Sound Design of a Musical
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Here Lies Love
Kai Harada, Merrily We Roll Along
Nick Lidster for Autograph, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gareth Owen, Hell's Kitchen
Cody Spencer, The Outsiders

Best Direction of a Play
Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic
Anne Kauffman, Mary Jane
Kenny Leon, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate
Whitney White, Jaja's African Hair Braiding

Best Direction of a Musical
Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along
Michael Greif, Hell's Kitchen
Leigh Silverman, Suffs
Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants
Danya Taymor, The Outsiders

Best Choreography
Annie-B Parson, Here Lies Love
Camille A. Brown, Hell's Kitchen
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, The Outsiders
Justin Peck, Illinoise
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants

Best Orchestrations
Timo Andres, Illinoise
Will Butler and Justin Craig, Stereophonic
Justin Levine, Matt Hinkley and Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance), The Outsiders
Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone, Hell's Kitchen
Jonathan Tunick, Merrily We Roll Along

Productions With Multiple Nominations:
Hell's Kitchen - 13
Stereophonic - 13
The Outsiders - 12
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club - 9
Appropriate - 8
Merrily We Roll Along - 7
Water for Elephants - 7
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch - 6
Suffs - 6
An Enemy of the People - 5
Jaja's African Hair Braiding - 5
Here Lies Love - 4
Illinoise - 4
Mary Jane - 4
Mother Play - 4
Days of Wine and Roses - 3
Doubt: A Parable - 3
Lempicka - 3
The Notebook - 3
Prayer for the French Republic - 3
Back To The Future: The Musical - 2
Grey House - 2
The Great Gatsby - 1
Gutenberg! The Musical! - 1
Monty Python's Spamalot - 1
Patriots - 1
Uncle Vanya - 1
The Who's Tommy - 1