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[bwaybug85]

Posted: 3/22/10 at 2:48pm

I'm surprised ENRON was forgotten. Buzz is that it will probably take home every Tony that it is up for. I'm sure Norbert and Marin Mazzie will be up for awards for their performances as well.

[Shakeshafte]

Posted: 3/22/10 at 3:03pm

From what I saw this past year, Ragtime had the best performances of the past year - I'm sorry that the box office didn't support that show getting the run they deserved. Robert Petkoff was the standout - his performance was a knock out, and I really loved what Christiane Noll did with the role of Mother too. Their duet of "Our Children" was the highlight of the show for me...and I thought Quentin made a great Coalhouse. My votes would be for the Ragtime leads to get nominated....

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/22/10 at 3:51pm

"My votes would be for the Ragtime leads to get nominated...."

Not happening - reviews were pretty tepid for individual performances when the musical was around. They'll be forgot come Tony time. I do hope that Finian's Baldwin breaks that rule, however.

Agreed that Lansbury is a lock and that you should never count out Chenoweth (I mean CZJ...really? What a blah performance). Cook may get a nom...and depending on Krissy-kris's performance, may get the win based upon legacy alone. Schreiber and Molina I believe are both locks, with perhaps Molina taking the win (what a performance!). Spader may also sneak in there.

Linney as best actress is also a done deal, at least the nomination (though probably the win).

As for plays, Next Fall and Red are probably secure (and based solely upon the London reviews, Enron). Behanding will be noticeably left out.

All in all...this was a very disappointing year. And it looked so good on paper! Lets hope for great things from the last of the season entries.

[GatorNY]

Posted: 3/22/10 at 4:27pm

I would love for Bobby to get a nod for his portrayal of Mother's Younger Brother. I hope that Ragtime is remember when the nominations are announced...it truly was exceptional. I preferred it to Finian's. I haven't seen ALNM, and didn't care to check out BBB. I'll be seeing Promises on 4/21.

[wonderland01]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 3:03am

What?? Gina Gershon and John Stamos were the worst part of Bye Bye Birdie. I nominate Allie Trimm.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 8:41am

> Schreiber and Molina I believe are both locks, with perhaps Molina taking the win (what a performance!). Spader may also sneak in there.<

Not disagreeing with any of this... but some others to possibly add to the mix: Christopher Walken in Behanding, Denzel Washington in Fences, Norbert Leo Butz in Enron, Justin Bartha in Lend Me A Tenor.

For Actress in a Play, we still also need to see Linda Lavin in Collected Stories.

Updated On: 3/24/10 at 08:41 AM

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 9:23am

"...Come Fly Away certainly won't win best book...but it may have a chance at getting a nod for Best Musical..."

More like a "nod" off...

It would be a travesty to consider Come Fly Away with any seriousness as a real addition to the musical theater art form...
No matter how bad some think Addams Family, Memphis, (even American Idiot or Fela) turned out - they made a concerted effort to tell some kind of coherent story or message (well, maybe not so much with Fela)...but the attempt was sincere and creative...

Come Fly Away, on the other hand, is a half-assed embarrassment to everyone involved...even Frank Sinatra comes out for the worse...and no, it's not the same animal as Moving Out, Fosse, Contact.. Unlike those more focussed, dance-based shows CFA is instead more closely related to something like BROOKLYN, aka "let's just throw something together and maybe the audience will think it all sticks..."

No way in hell, will such a sloppy, misdirected "we-can't-miss-with-both-Twlya-and-Frank" producing gimmick like CFA top even admittedly less-than-perfect attempts by the original MUSICALS mentioned above...

It represents Broadway, imo, at its least creative and most theme-parkish...



Updated On: 3/24/10 at 09:23 AM

[peachesr]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 9:44am

Surely Eddie Redmayne will be in the mix, espesially since winning the Olivier at the weekend. Musicals wise, it's really beginning to look like it's American Idiot.

[fflagg]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 10:32am

Catherine and Angela are amazing and should win. Kristin is miscast for Fran: too old and too harsh. Neither she nor Hayes are good enough actresses.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 10:45am

I think Chad Kimball is a top Tony contender for 'Memphis' and here's why: He got a raft of terrific reviews for his tour de force. John Simon raved, 'Chad Kimball's summoning-up of Huey is so perfect that not for a moment do you believe it is only acting.' Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter predicted that 'Kimball's hilarious and moving performance will be remembered at awards time.' Even critics critical of 'Memphis,' like Scott Brown of New York magazine, called him 'a Broadway rock star.'

Plus, Kimball deserves credit for originating a character in a new musical, and we've never seen anyone like Huey Calhoun on Broadway. By turns, he can be charming, sweet, cocky, funny, frustrating, stubborn, possessive, hurtful and heartbreaking. Huey can say the right things, and the wrong ones, and somehow Kimball manages to make it all believable.

Various contenders in the Best Actor field are wonderful, but I could imagine other equally talented guys doing just as well, if not better, in the same roles. However, I can't imagine anyone else playing Huey with as much humor and heart as Kimball. When he belts 'Memphis Lives in Me,' I am so moved because it's the perfect melding of actor and character. Huey and Kimball are both shining in the spotlight, right where they belong.

Updated On: 3/24/10 at 10:45 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 11:00am

I completely disagree. Kimball will be lucky to even receive a nomination.
I don't see him getting in the category when we have Nathan Lane, Sahr Ngaujah, Douglas Hodge, Kelsey Grammer, Alexander Hanson, Sean Hayes, and John Gallagher Jr.

Montego COULD sneak into the female category because it is not as crowded as the male category. But I don't think she deserves a nomination either. Her acting was pretty awful. She is all vocals.
Updated On: 3/24/10 at 11:00 AM

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 12:42pm

She is all vocals? I didn't even think her singing was that good. She was so damn quiet...

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 12:54pm

Kristin is miscast for Fran: too old and too harsh. Neither she nor Hayes are good enough actresses.

LOL! Sean hayes for best actress?

The only FOR SURE LOCK in ANY Category this year is ENRON for Best Play.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 1:14pm

I agree with ljay. But weirder things have happened than Chad Kimball's potential Tony nom. It could happen. I think Montego will get a nod though. Simply because this years pool of leading women is thin. Very thin. If Kimball gets a nod, there's something wrong with the nominating comittee. I can understand the show being nommed for Best Musical, I really can. But Kimball was just disastrous.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 3:43pm

>The only FOR SURE LOCK in ANY Category this year is ENRON for Best Play.<

How is it a "lock" in any way? I expect it to get nominated, but there are some strong Best Play contenders.

[LaCageAuxFollesFan]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 8:50pm

I wouldnt be so sure ENRON is a lock either. It might look pretty, but some have said it's all Bells & Whistles. It only won 1 Oliver this past week for Best Direction. Being beaten in every other category it was nominated for, including New Play.

I haven't seen ENRON, but in my humble opinion, TIME STANDS STILL is the best play of the season so far. It's an American work, by a well respected playwright and its an incredibly thoughtful and top notch production of a play with something very important to say right now. Again, I'm looking very much forward to ENRON, but TSS, RED, NEXT FALL and/or IN THE NEXT ROOM are all extremely viable in this category. I think the only plays we CAN count out are LOOPED, WISHFUL DRINKING, & BEHANDING.

[bwaybug85]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 12:02am

I've gotten to read a copy of the ENRON script and it is brilliant and totally not your average play. From what I've heard many "insiders" are the ones saying it will probably take the Tony for Best Play. Don't hold me to that it's just what I heard :)

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 12:41am

So sad that a couple of years ago Patti Lupone, Kelli O'Hara, and Jenna Russell all gave Tony-worthy performances only for two to go home empty-handed, whereas this year we're grasping someone to whom we can award a Tony.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 12:53am

I want to follow on a couple of points WickedRocks brings up: I agree with one point, but strongly disagree on the other.

Yes, this year's pool of leading women in musicals is thin.

As far as I can tell, this is the field:

* Kate Baldwin ('Finian's Rainbow')
* Kristin Chenoweth ('Promises, Promises')
* Barbara Cook ('Sondheim on Sondheim')
* Montego Glover ('Memphis')
* Bebe Neuwirth ('The Addams Family')
* Christiane Noll ('Ragtime')
* Vanessa Williams ('Sondheim on Sondheim')
* Catherine Zeta-Jones ('A Little Night Music')

Anyway, I like Glover's chances for a Tony nomination. Her show, 'Memphis,' is still running; she gets plenty of stage time and sings the heck out of it.

On the other hand, the field for Best Actor in a Musical is easily MUCH larger, and among the contenders (and the list isn't likely complete):

* James Clow ('White Christmas')
* Quentin Earl Darrington ('Ragtime')
* John Gallagher ('American Idiot')
* Kelsey Grammer ('La Cage Aux Folles')
* Alexander Hanson ('A Little Night Music')
* Sean Hayes ('Promises, Promises')
* Douglas Hodge ('La Cage Aux Folles')
* Cheyenne Jackson ('Finian's Rainbow')
* Chad Kimball ('Memphis')
* Nathan Lane ('The Addams Family')
* Sahr Ngaujah ('Fela!')
* Jim Norton ('Finian's Rainbow')
* Robert Petkoff ('Ragtime')
* Tom Wopat ('Sondheim on Sondheim')

Plus, will 'Come Fly Away' push John Selya for Best Actor?

That said, if the Tony nominating committee does nominate Kimball, they're doing something right. Among the guys who've already been reviewed, few got as wonderful a set of personal reviews as Kimball did. Only time will tell, but I really believe Kimball's name will be coming up during awards season.


Updated On: 3/25/10 at 12:53 AM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 1:06am

Oh, please. Calm down. Kimball is going to be lucky to be nominated for that performance. He stands absolutely zero chance at winning the award, which likely seems to go to that Shshahrh whatever his last name is fellow (which is a whole other issue) from Fela, or perhaps Doug Hodge. The only thing hurting his chances is that a number of the voters will be seeing Mambo. Kimball doesn't sing well, acts in such a way that he manages to make a likable character unlikable, and uses an accent reminiscent of George W. Bush, who is from Texas, not Memphis.

At this point, having not yet seen Doug Hodge or Sean Hayes, my pick would be Nathan Lane, who manages to make a disastrous show bearable because he's just that good.

[PReeves2]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 1:21am

from the reviews of American Idiot best musical could go to Fela or Come Fly Away. Addams family seems out at this point. SoS seems good but nothing new. American Idiot does have time to figure out what is going on but, all in all it is Spring Awakening with a different sound track.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 1:29am

"Among the guys who've already been reviewed, few got as wonderful a set of personal reviews as Kimball did."

First I think we'll need to take a look at which of the eligible gentlemen have been reviewed so far. They are:

* James Clow ('White Christmas')
* Quentin Earl Darrington ('Ragtime')
* Alexander Hanson ('A Little Night Music')
* Cheyenne Jackson ('Finian's Rainbow')
* Chad Kimball ('Memphis')
* Sahr Ngaujah ('Fela!')
* Jim Norton ('Finian's Rainbow')
* Robert Petkoff ('Ragtime')

I think it's pretty safe to assume that Clow, Darrington, Jackson, Norton and Petkoff will no be remembered in May so their personal reviews are a moot point. Which leaves us with Hanson (mostly good reviews, if not exactly raves), Ngaujah (very enthuasiastic, both for as well as for his show) and of course Kimball (some very good reviews, some not so good).

And coming down the pike we have:

* John Gallagher ('American Idiot') - A Tony winner starring in what will probably one of the big hits of the spring.
* Kelsey Grammer ('La Cage Aux Folles') - A big TV star making his Broadway musical debut in what many consider a definitive production.
* Sean Hayes ('Promises, Promises') - Another TV star making his Broadway musical debut in a major revival.
* Douglas Hodge ('La Cage Aux Folles') - An Olivier winner for this role in the much acclaimed London production.
* Nathan Lane ('The Addams Family') - A 2-time Tony winner in a big financial hit, though maybe not a critical one.
* Tom Wopat ('Sondheim on Sondheim') - A 2-time Tony nominee in a Sondheim musical.

At this point I'd say Hodge and Ngaujah are pretty safely assured nominations with Gallagher, Grammer, Hanson, Hayes, Kimball & Lane fighting it out for the other 3 slots. Kimball's in the game, but he's got some VERY stiff competition.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 4:18pm

"How is [Enron] a 'lock' in any way? I expect it to get nominated, but there are some strong Best Play contenders.

Agreed. So much love for the show and it hasn't even opened. I think someone predicted that Butz was also a "lock" for best actor several months ago. Let's allow the play to open before we make such confident statements, shall we?

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 12:59am

The field for Best Play looks like this:

* 'A Behanding in Spokane'
* 'Enron'
* 'In the Next Room'
* 'Looped'
* 'Next Fall'
* 'Race'
* 'Red'
* 'A Steady Rain'
* 'Superior Donuts'
* 'Time Stands Still'
* 'Wishful Thinking'

I think Best Play is still wide open, but 'Enron' has gotten a lotta buzz as the front-runner because of its history in England: rave reviews, soldout shows, a movie sale to Sony and some awards. ... If I had to speculate on the top 4, it might be: 'Enron,' 'Next Fall,' 'Red' and 'Time Stands Still'.


Updated On: 3/26/10 at 12:59 AM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 1:10am

That's the same as my Best Play category prediction Wayman_Wong.