The Tony Award nominations were announced last week. Some interesting selections and snubs. I think this is one of the most competitive seasons in a long time.
For the next few weeks I will be presenting my pithy views on the musical nominations. Let’s see if you agree or not. Post a comment. I always love to hear from readers.
The schedule will be:
May 18 - Best Direction of a Musical & Best Choreography
May 24 - Best Book of a Musical & Best Original Score
June 1 - Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
June 5 - Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
June 9 - Best Revival of a Musical & Best Musical
Best Book of a Musical
& Juliet, David West Read
Kimberly Akimbo, David Lindsay-Abaire
New York, New York, David Thompson and Sharon Washington
Shucked, Robert Horn
Some Like It Hot, Matthew López and Amber Ruffin
The book of a musical is so important. One that is ho-hum can deride the overall quality of a show. A perfect example is the musical New York, New York. The show has everything going for it - superb choreography, great sets, and costumes, but the book is flimsy, the characters not well-defined. What could have been an outstanding musical is just good.
The other four nominees have written finely tuned librettos that make each show shine. I can’t remember a year when you had four outstanding books - all different, but well-deserving of their nomination.
Shucked - Robert Horn, who won a Tony Award for Best Book for Tootsie, has written a laugh-a-minute show for Shucked. Most of the jokes and puns land, making Shucked a lot of fun.
& Juliet - I laughed all the way through & Juliet, mainly due to David West Read’s riffing on the Romeo and Juliet tale. The problem for the show is there are too many other non-jukebox musicals that have excellent books.
Kimberly Akimbo - David Lindsay-Abaire has taken his play, Kimberly Akimbo, and turned it into a heartwarming, sweet and quirky musical. It would be my runner-up to…
Some Like It Hot - I will go with Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin’s book for Some Like It Hot. It is very funny. Flows effortlessly from start to finish but, more importantly, updates the story without being in-your-face about it. That is not an easy task to carry out.
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Almost Famous, Music by Tom Kitt, Lyrics by Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt
Kimberly Akimbo, Music by Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire
KPOP, Music and Lyrics by Helen Park and Max Vernon
Shucked, Music and Lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally
Some Like It Hot, Music by Marc Shaiman, Lyrics by Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman
Almost Famous and KPOP - I did not find their scores to be anything special.
Shucked - solid score by the country artists Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, I would love them to continue writing for the Broadway stage.
Some Like It Hot - I found the score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman to be very good within the confines of the musical, but there is nothing memorable. I found the score to be one of the weakest parts of the show. Obviously, their score for Hairspray had one winning number after another and even their failed musical, Catch Me If You Can, had some excellent songs.
Kimberly Akimbo - My choice for Best Score. Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire have teamed up once again (first time was for Shrek) to craft I love this score from the opening “Skater Planet” to the quirkiness of “Anagram” to the heartbreaking “Good Kid” to the rousing closing number “Great Adventure.” I find myself listening to the score over and over.
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