77th Annual Tony Awards Predictions, Mason Pilevsky
CATEGORY: LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Isabella Byrd, An Enemy of the People
I’m glad to see Isabella Byrd nominated for this show, because I think the difficulty and the beauty of what she created for this show are not necessarily obvious to those outside of the industry—it’s not flashy bright colors and sudden, drastic changes. Byrd committed to showing the time of day, the general tone of the room, and a set of beautiful practicals whose light she had to subtly augment from the grid.
Amith Chandrashaker, Prayer for the French Republic
The lighting was not the most memorable part of this piece for me. I enjoyed the show tremendously, and remember the lighting in most scenes to be functional and not particularly innovative.
Jiyoun Chang, Stereophonic
This was the part of Stereophonic that impressed me the least. The room where the band was doing their actual recording was incredibly out of place for the period. The color temperatures clearly came from LEDs. Chang brought lights up and down on the engineers and changed the color of the back of the studio a couple of times, but the light plot and the practicals didn’t feel on the same level as the rest of the production, which strived for authentic period integrity.
Jane Cox, Appropriate
Lighting in Appropriate supported some of the interesting, unrealistic moments in the show, but, for the most part, showed the time of day and subtly drew focus to where the audience was supposed to look.
Natasha Katz, Grey House
This horror-themed show created looks that seriously frightened me. Of all the nominees, the lighting for Grey House and the most specific, dramatic requirements. Natasha Katz rose to the occasion and her work integrated seamlessly with her collaborators.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Natasha Katz
IF IT WAS UP TO ME: Natasha Katz
CATEGORY: LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Brandon Stirling Baker, Illinoise
The lighting for Illinoise was a very significant part of leading the story from moment to moment, not just supporting text and making sure the audience knew where to look. Brandon Stirling Baker exhibited significant restraint and purpose in this design by not following into the dance show trap of lighting the space in flashy ways.
David Bengali and Bradley King, Water for Elephants
David Bengali and Bradley King created looks that were very distinct. The most beautiful moments of their collaboration were the sun rise looks bookending the show, the aerial silk scene that was simple and breathtaking, and the scene where Wade threw Camel off the train.
Isabella Byrd, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Cabaret had so many places to look that I can’t say I remember that many impressive moments of lighting specifically. Byrd was able to isolate each concentric circle, and committed to subtle color shifts that helped the audience grasp the feeling of each moment.
Natasha Katz, Hell’s Kitchen
Natasha Katz got to do the most dramatic, flashy lighting and color shifts. Hell’s Kitchen is a kaleidoscope of colors and flashy changes and buttons. Emotional moments were facilitated, and in the grand scheme of the show, lighting never stops moving—in a way it is its own character.
Hana S. Kim and Brian MacDevitt, The Outsiders
The lighting for this show was really spectacular. It showed time of day, emotion, characters’ isolation, and appropriately directed attention to where the audience was supposed to look. The colors were clear, the strobes were intense but necessary, and the Gestalt of the show was truly beautiful.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Brandon Stirling Baker
IF IT WAS UP TO ME: Brandon Stirling Baker
About the Author: Mason Pilevsky
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