Mason Pilevsky, Pages on Stages
Best Revival of a Play
This edgy show about how leftist ideology about inclusivity can be taken too far is scathing in its brilliance, particularly the staff meeting with the livestream. It does a brilliant job creating sympathy for people that mainstream society has no sympathy for: anti vaxxers and people who mask their selfishness with saccharine sweetness.
This show was loud and a little sloppy at times, but had some truly beautiful moments. It did lean heavily into appealing to the young demographic that’s actually the same age as the characters. The gender crossovers were fun and it made Shakespeare relatively accessible.
This black and white, propless and setless rendition of Our Town made this timeless classic actually feel like it existed out of time and space, though many of the meta-theatrical elements of the stage manager were confusing and deeply buried.
Bringing AAPI voices to the stage is important work, which Yellow Face examines from both a forward looking and a backwards reaching approach. By shedding light on the transgressions of the past, we can make better choices in the future.
Pages on Stages Prediction: Yellow Face
If It Was Up to Me: Eureka Day
Best Revival of a Musical
This show was an lovely slice of life with some neat audio tricks and a musically dynamic and interesting score. I personally loved Floyd Collins, but I know that many people have strong feelings about yodeling and I think that may preclude it from winning.
This revival was very faithful to how Gypsy is typically done. It scratched the itch for a beautifully written and iconic musical that sublimely meets all expectations.
A unique contribution to this season, Pirates! The Penzance Musical was absolutely side splittingly hilarious. The additions of other Gilbert and Sullivan content muddied the storyline a bit, but the performances were all fantastic.
The riskiest and most interesting revival of the season without a doubt. The only reason I don’t think it’s winning this award is that Gypsy shone more in its Gestalt than in any individual element, and there was some disagreement in the theater community about liking how much video/camera work was used in Sunset Blvd.
Pages on Stages Prediction: Gypsy
If It Was Up to Me: Floyd Collins
Best Play
One of my favorite undersung plays of the season, English shone on the power of good writing and great acting. It lacked flashy design elements, which means it will likely be overlooked.
I really loved this play, and I found it riveting. I know that many thought the slow plot development dragged it out too much, but I was right there with it the whole time.
Too juvenile to be a serious contender. The young actors are great for their ages. This show is predominantly young folks with bright futures, but there’s something to be said for the talent and skill of people who have put in a lifetime in the business.
The funniest show I’ve seen on Broadway since The Play that Goes Wrong, the code switching, gender bending, and utterly unique take on US history make Oh, Mary! the obvious front runner.
If a serious show is going to win, it’s Purpose. This incredible slice of life piece of fictional family screw ups is brilliantly written and very deserving of its Pulitzer.
Pages on Stages Prediction: Oh, Mary!
If It Was Up to Me: Oh, Mary!
Best Musical
This show is not a musical. It’s a concert disguised as a musical with some very vague scenes tying it together. It’s a great concert, though.
The folk rock genre might be a tough sell with the Tony voter demographic, but at least this is a musical this season from which I remembered some of the songs after leaving the theater. I can’t say that for most of these nominees.
The storytelling in Death Becomes Her is more solidly fleshed out than a lot of this season, but the story is insipid. It’s a fun show, but not one for the ages that I’d ever want to revisit. Once was enough.
This show seems favored to win, and I think it will. Charming, sappy, and mildly funny there’s nothing controversial in it. The design elements are beautiful and consistent throughout.
Funny, but at times hard to catch the lyrics. The humor is very British and the second act drags a lot as the back and forth about what is desired for the body becomes cumbersome and exhausting.
Pages on Stages Prediction: Maybe Happy Ending
If It Was Up to Me: Out of these choices, there’s not a show that I feel deserves a Tony Award for Best Musical, or frankly even a nomination. These shows couldn’t hold up a candle to many previous winners. I’ll leave my prediction among these choices, but in my heart this award belongs to shows that took risks and weren’t nominated: Real Women Have Curves, Swept Away, Just in Time, Redwood, and BOOP!, probably in that order.
Saturday – Pages on Stages Gag Awards!
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