Twittering The TonysBy now, you already know that
Billy Elliot - The Musical won the most Tonys during last evening's ceremony (click
here to view a full list of all of this year's Tony Award winners).
Billy Elliot earned 10 Tonys in all ... or
12 if you count
David Alvarez,
Trent Kowalik and
Kiril Kulish individually for the joint Tony they received as "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical" -- a topic I'll circle back to shortly.
The evening started out surprisingly enough as
Martin Koch (
Billy Elliot - The Musical) and
Michael Starobin and
Tom Kitt (
next to normal) were both declared winners in a tie for Best Orchestrations.
But it all ended up seeming so, well, mostly predictable. While I accurately predicted 19 out of 27 categories, I was dead-on in almost every one of the major categories.
The predictabity was OK, not just because I liked most of the shows and performances that won, but also given the wonderfully witty
11:00 number offered up by host
Neil Patrick Harris, which only needed a
few last-minute changes from
Marc Shaiman and
Scott Wittman. The only things completely unpredictable were the excrutiatingly painful headbanging poor
Bret Michaels endured or the embarrassing mics that seemed to not work more often than they did.
Unlike last year, when I enjoyed the Tony Awards from a great orchestra seat at Radio City Music Hall, I was in the comfort of my own living room offering up my Tony tweets via
Twitter. It was a totally unique experience for me, but one that I have to admit enjoying primarily because of the banter with other theatre Twitters.
The only downside was that during the first hour of the televised awards, I hit Twitter's limit on the number of tweets any one individual can post in any given hour. Who knew? I certainly didn't! Fortunately, after being sidelined for over a half hour, I was able to get back on, although I ended up being a bit more judicious in what I posted.
Now, coming back full circle on the awards, the only winner I still can't wrap my head around is giving all three Billys the Tony for Best Performance by
a Leading
Actor in a Musical. Don't get me wrong, I am sure they are each very talented. Yet, how can the four other nominees who give 8 performances each week compete with three actors who perform 3 times tops per week? And to say that they are all equally worthy? Well that thinking's akin to the way they give away soccer trophies just so no one's feelings will get hurt.
Yes, I know about the bizarre Tony precedents.
In 1960, all of the young actors portraying the von Trapp family children in the original production of
The Sound Of Music --
Lauri Peters,
Kathy Dunn,
Evanna Lien,
Mary Susan Locke,
Marilyn Rogers,
William Snowden , and
Joseph Stewart -- were nominated
together in the category of Best Featured
Actress in a Musical. Wonder if Snowden and Stewart ever fully recovered from
that!
This year's Tony winning Best Performance by a Leading Actress
Alice Ripley had to share a joint nomination for the same award with
Emily Skinner for
Side Show back in 1998 simply because they were portraying conjoined twins Violet and Daisy, respectively. I always thought conjoined twins had their own individual personalities.
There used to be a rule that whoever opened in the show was eligible for the Tony. Just ask
Frank Dolce, who alternates with Tony nominee
David Bologna as Michael in
Billy Elliot - The Musical. Same show, different rules apparently apply. Maybe it was their rousing ode to individuality called "Expressing Yourself" that did them in.
I'll get off my soapbox long enough to admit how pleased I was with the rest of the results overall -- in fact, I plan to finally see both
Billy Elliot and
God Of Carnage on Broadway after having first seen them in London.
I was downright thrilled (sorry David Bologna) when
Gregory Jbara -- one of Broadway's nicest actors -- won for his role in
Billy Elliot. I got goosebumps when
Angela Lansbury earned her fifth acting Tony. And I was giddy with delight that
The Norman Conquests rightfully won Best Revival of a Play during prime time where it belonged (although I thought director
Matthew Warchus deserved to win for that effort over his other
God Of Carnage).
So, dear readers. What did you think of this year's Tony Awards? And how many of the winners did you get right?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alice Ripley, Angela Lansbury, Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, David Alvarez, God Of Carnage, Gregory Jbara, Kiril Kulish, The Norman Conquests, Tony Awards, Trent Kowalik, Twitter
Billy Elliot Ready To Shine On Opening NightThis evening, after 40 preview performances, what is arguably the Broadway Season's most anticipated new tuner finally opens at the
Imperial Theatre. Based on the
2000 film, Billy Elliot The Musical lands on the Great White Way after packing them in across the pond in London for over three years, along with another year of success Down Under.
If the musical seems true to the original movie, it's because of the artistry behind it. Not only does Academy Award nominated director
Stephen Daldry recreate the electricity on stage, but the film's Oscar nominated screenwriter
Lee Hall has also written the tuner's book, as well as the lyrics that accompany the music written by
Sir Elton John.
Actress
Haydn Gwynne is the only transfer from the original West End production. She will recreate the role of Billy's dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson. Three young actors will alternate as the eponymous character:
David Alvarez this evening, and then
Trent Kowalik and
Kiril Kulish on successive nights. Likewise, the role of Billy's young friend Michael will alternate between
David Bologna and
Frank Dolce.
Other cast members include Broadway veterans
Gregory Jbara as Billy's Dad and
Carole Shelley as Grandma, along with
Santino Fontana as Billy's brother Tony.
Personally, I have not yet purchased my tickets for the Broadway incarnation having already seen both the original London production three years ago this month and the Australian production in Sydney just over three months ago. But you can bet that I'll be providing my critics' capsule of all the major reviews tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, Carole Shelley, David Alvarez, Elton John, Film, Gregory Jbara, Kiril Kulish, Lee Hall, Musical, Stephen Daldry, Trent Kowalik
Broadway Preview: Billy Elliot - The MusicalAfter first taking London's West End by storm just over three years ago, the
Lee Hall/
Elton John tuner
Billy Elliot - The Musical is set for its Great White Way debut.
(Interestingly enough, I was supposed to see the show three years ago tonight, but the
performance was canceled due to the 7/7 terrorist bombings that brought London to a standstill. It wasn't until that November when I was finally able to see the musical.)
Based on the highly successful worldwide smash
film from 2000, the stage incarnation begins previews at Broadway's
Imperial Theatre on October 1, with opening night set for November 13.
Stephen Daldry, who directed the movie also helms this musical. It should also be noted that Lee Hall, who is credited with writing the original screenplay, not only wrote the stage show's lyrics, but he also serves as its librettist.
While most casting is yet to be named as they
dig deep beneath the Imperial Theatre to properly house
Ian MacNeil's enormous corkscrew stage design, the three alternating Billys have been announced. They include
David Alvarez,
Trent Kowalik and
Kiril Kulish.
Longtime readers will recall that
Billy Elliot - The Musical ranked eighth on my list of the best shows I saw during the 2005-06 Theatrical Season. You may also recall that
I previously worried that the Broadway producers might find it necessary to dumb down this intrinsically British show for American audiences. Yet, by all accounts (including
Michael Riedel's), this will essentially be the same production I enjoyed in London in late 2005. Riedel noted:
There's been a lot of talk that Billy Elliot -- which is set in a mining town in the north of England and pulls no punches in its left-wing politics - would have to be watered down for Broadway. The working-class British accents would be too hard to understand; the brutal anti-Thatcher, anti-Reagan, anti-capitalism stance might offend Americans; the overall grittiness might be too intense for Broadway audiences doped out on feel-good stage cartoons.
I'm happy to report that John, Daldry and producer Eric Fellner said they decided not to mainstream the musical for Broadway.
The show New York is going to get is the one that's been playing to packed houses in London for the past three years.
Taboo it ain't. That, plus the exceptional score by Hall and John, should help ensure a giant leap in advance ticket sales.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, David Alvarez, Elton John, Kiril Kulish, Lee Hall, Michael Riedel, Musical, Stephen Daldry, Trent Kowalik
