77th Annual Tony Awards Predictions, Mason Pilevsky
CATEGORY: DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic
Aukin impressed me because I work in audio and music . I watch people pretend to be sound professionals and musicians on stage all the time, and it seldom feels as accurate, both in characterizations and staging, as Aukin made Stereophonic feel. Everything about this show reeked of authenticity, from aesthetic microphone choices to the struggles of being a studio engineer and dealing with talent.
Anne Kauffman, Mary Jane
Kauffman’s challenge with Mary Jane was straddling the line between creating a world that defended Mary Jane’s existence in a fully fleshed out world and also made it inescapably clear that this world was pretty far from the norm. Mary Jane went through moments of intense connection and intense disconnect, and Kauffman’s direction made sure this reverberated in every creative element of the show.
Kenny Leon, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch
Leon succeeded at a common directorial challenge—showing the audience what is happening in a way that is inescapably clear while also clearly showing what each character does or does not understand in that same moment. The actors in this show all really shine under Kenny Leon’s direction.
Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate
Appropriate requires the characters to be different people in different company. The way they present different versions of truths to their children and get caught in their complicated web of half truths culminates in a spectacularly staged fight. Neugebauer went above and beyond untangling everybody’s truths and curiosity, finding ways to hide things in plain sight, and allow the audience to see everything unravel in ways that were explicit and ways that were implied.
Whitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
This show had a very strong genre flip towards the end, when the petty, sit-com feeling comedy had to abruptly shift into a state of fear and uncertainty. The shift was handled seamlessly and masterfully, and had me in tears. Whitney White is the woman at the helm of assisting all of these diverse characters into becoming one entity.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Lila Neugebauer
IF IT WERE UP TO ME: Whitney White
CATEGORY: DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along
A lot of people seem to feel strongly about Maria Friedman’s direction of Merrily We Roll Along. Truthfully, I didn’t think it was all that revolutionary, and I think with a cast and creative team like Friedman was blessed to have, it would be hard for this show not to have taken a beautiful shape no matter who directed it.
Michael Greif, Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen’s incredibly large ensemble would be a headache for anyone. Michael Greif moves through very impressive staging that leans into all the best parts of the choreography and scenic design, while also allowing the characters some space to shape themselves and stay in those shapes even in ensemble numbers where they’re not featured.
Leigh Silverman, Suffs
Suffs was another story on Broadway this year that maintained a delicate balance between individual desires and collective desires. Silverman made sure we knew who was important visually in certain moments, and left everybody as an equal in others. As a result, there were solo moments where it was unclear to me who was singing. At first, as a seasoned Broadway theatregoer, this irked me, but then I realized that might be deliberate—the freedom of being one among many is about making your voice heard above the others but being protected by their presence.
Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants
Jessica Stone helped craft the most cohesive, trusting ensemble on Broadway, and for that alone I think she deserves this recognition. Not only did these actors have to trust each other through stunts, they had to be set up to trust understudies, swings, potential replacements of cast members should the show’s open run be lengthy… the creation of safety and trust for these circus style performances required really incredible and impressive support.
Danya Taymor, The Outsiders
The direction of this show seemed obvious at every turn. Put easily identifiable groups against each other, keep the living people higher than the dead, create a visual hierarchy where the balance of power is inescapably clear. Thematically, the pain of this kind of hierarchy is what the show is about. Taymor embraced this to dismantle it.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Danya Taymor
IF IT WERE UP TO ME: Jessica Stone
CATEGORY: CHOREOGRAPHY
Camille A. Brown, Hell’s Kitchen
It’s an unpopular opinion, I know, but I think Camille A. Brown overchoreographed this piece. It’s energized and exciting for sure, but very little of it is symbolic or meaningful. The moment with the dancer at the funeral is by far the most beautiful, and it’s a simple, single dancer’s expressive moment that is a breath of fresh air in a show that is constantly moving.
Shana Carroll and Jesse Robb, Water for Elephants
The choreography for Water for Elephants is intense! Between the aerial silk and the acrobatics, the excitement in the air is palpable and the trust in the cast is unprecedented. Really beautiful work.
Jeff Kuperman and Rick Kuperman, The Outsiders
The rumble scene is what makes this choreography really stand out. Each one-on-one fight is identical, yet between humans who are demographically different (in addition to their fictional demographic identities). It was really inspiring to see characters who varied so much engaged in different versions of the same struggle. Add the strobes and the rain, and it’s really quite remarkable that all of the dancers lined up so fluidly. I was awestruck.
Annie B. Parson, Here Lies Love
With dancers stationed all around the dance floor (and use of them as crowd control and party pumpers), Parson was among the only choreographer to grapple with practical concerns of dancers not always being onstage. The chaotic, immersive nature of the production depended on dance to guide the social experiment, especially after the bomb went off.
Justin Peck, Illinoise
Peck, of course, is the obvious winner of this category. He told a whole story almost entirely in dance, and brought this genre to the Broadway stage for the first time in living memory. His choreography was tender, emotional, raw, and powerful beyond belief. His choreography is at the highest level of artistry.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Justin Peck
IF IT WERE UP TO ME: Justin Peck
About the Author: Mason Pilevsky
Check back on June 11 for our next set of Tony Awards predictions!
Pages on Stages 