Curtain Call
By Chris Barone
As I have said before, The Tony Awards are my Super Bowl and Broadway is my playing field. I’m sure you’ve probably heard the Tonys called the “Gay Super Bowl,” lol.
Recently, I spent a whirlwind week in New York City during which I saw nine shows in seven days. Yes, it’s possible!
This past Broadway season – which ran from April 28, 2023 through April 25, 2024 – saw the opening nights (and closing, for some) of 37 musicals, plays and revivals. It’s no secret that NYC is my happy place and this past trip proved exactly why.
I was fortunate enough to see 12 of this past season’s shows: Merrily We Roll Along, Harmony, How to Dance in Ohio, Back to the Future, Lempicka, The Outsiders, The Notebook, Hell’s Kitchen, The Great Gatsby, Cabaret, The Who’s Tommy, and The Wiz.
Unfortunately, our tickets to Days of Wine and Roses and Here Lies Love, both bit the dust as early casualties of a very full season. Many of these shows are still playing and some have already closed, but one thing is certain; they all left a lasting impression on me. It was a record year on Broadway that saw brand new works, the return of old favorites, and loads of star-making performances.
I’ve already got the wheels in motion for a “research and development” trip at Christmastime to check out the upcoming Broadway season that just kicked off. At the top of my list are the Tammy Faye musical at the newly reopened Palace Theater, Sunset Boulevard with Nicole Scherzinger, the musical adaptation of Death Becomes Her, and the just announced Gypsy revival with Audra McDonald. It’s shaping up to be a season of divas and I’m all for it. One thing you can say is that I’m committed! Or need to be committed!? Take your pick. Both statements are pretty accurate.
On a side-note, it was great to see two productions that began right here in San Diego transition to NYC and evolve into two of this past season’s best works: the huge hit, The Outsiders, and Lempicka, which unfortunately, closed much too soon. Shout out to the La Jolla Playhouse for these two gems.
MY TONY AWARDS PICKS:
I’ve made my Tony picks below in the categories of musical theatre based on what I’ve both seen and researched over the past Broadway season. I’m listing all the nominees for each category, with my picks in bold.
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants
I have loved the story of The Outsiders since I was a kid, from both reading the book and seeing the movie (Hello, Rob Lowe!). The story is rooted in family, both blood and chosen, and it is developed so well. Stay gold. I really enjoyed Hell’s Kitchen, as well, but seeing the inception of The Outsiders in La Jolla and then what it became once it hit the Broadway stage is the reason that my vote goes there. If you’ve seen The Outsiders, you’ll agree that the brilliantly choreographed fight scene alone is worth the price of admission.
Revival:
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gutenberg! The Musical!
Merrily We Roll Along
The Who’s Tommy
Merrily has always been considered a black sheep among Stephen Sondheim’s works, but this acclaimed production has finally gotten it right. It is a production that would have made the late composer and lyricist proud. I would be remiss to not mention that this new immersive production of Cabaret was pretty memorable, too, in all of the good ways. While Tommy wasn’t one of my favorites, I need to acknowledge Ali Louis Bourzgui, who portrayed the title character. If there was another slot in the Leading Actor category, his name would have surely been on that list.
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
Eddie Redmayne was superb in Cabaret, Brody Grant was beautiful as Ponyboy in The Outsiders and Dorian Harewood broke my heart in The Notebook, but I think this year it is finally going to be Jonathan Groff’s turn. I’d like to add that while Chip Zien as Rabbi in the short-lived Harmony wasn’t nominated, he deserved to be. I was shocked when his name wasn’t read on the announcement of the Tony nominations.
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
This is a crazy one because Kelli O’Hara is the only performance that I didn’t see and she’s the one that gets my vote. She’s my favorite and in my heart, I know how spectacular she was. This was the hardest category because every one of the women nominated were beyond excellent.
Eden Espinosa was sublime as painter Tamara de Lempicka. Maleah Joi Moon was the perfect choice to play a character loosely based on the fabulous Alicia Keys. Maryann Plunkett shattered me in The Notebook (along with the rest of the audience bawling their eyes out). I’ve seen many characterizations of Sally Bowles over the years, but Gayle Rankin’s performance in this mounting of Cabaret ranks right up there. There truly isn’t a “non-winner” in this category.
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
Daniel Radcliffe was so charming and believable as one third of the trio in Merrily We Roll Along. He got my vote on the day that I saw him, but this season was filled with both solid and entertaining performances from every other nominee in this category. Sky Lakota-Lynch’s Johnny in The Outsiders made you want to hug him while Joshua Boone’s Dallas was the hard-edged guy with a heart of gold. Both beautifully tragic performances. The always entertaining Roger Bart was a hoot as Doc Brown in Back to the Future. Brandon Victor Dixon in Hell’s Kitchen was great at making you not like him and Steve Skybell’s Herr Schultz in Cabaret gave me all of the feels.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Amber Iman, Lempicka
Nikki M. James, Suffs
Shoshana Bean, Hell’s Kitchen
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
This is another tough category. As I watched Shoshana Bean in Hell’s Kitchen, I said to myself that I was watching a Tony-winning performance. She was electric. Amber Iman in Lempicka was breathtaking. Kecia Lewis was perfection and her performance is still with me. I can’t say anything about Lindsay Mendez (except that I love her), as we saw her understudy, Sherz Aletaha, who was spectacular. It wouldn’t surprise me at all, though, if Bebe Neuwirth swoops in and gets the Tony. Her Fräulein Schneider was heartbreaking.
The Super Bowl of Theatre airs on Sunday, June 16, on CBS and Paramount+. Time to figure out which pair of sweatpants I’m going to wear to the red carpet on the couch. I’m curious to see how my choices align with Tony wins.
Also, please be on the lookout for my next two reviews, which will be published online as the performances I see will be after we have already gone to press. Look for Mrs. Doubtfire, who will be coming to life at the Civic Theater, and the newest premiere from the La Jolla Playhouse, The Ballad of Johnny and June. Both will be out over the next few weeks.
Until next time, friends. Be happy. Be kind. Go to the theatre. It makes for a great recipe for life.
–Originally from upstate New York, Chris Barone (aka “Miss B”) has been a part of the San Diego/Hillcrest community for 20 years. You probably know him mostly from Baja Betty’s, where he has worked since opening in 2004. Besides theater, his interests include cooking, traveling, New York Yankees baseball and anything involving Dolly Parton. You can reach him at [email protected].
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