Iâm going to try to be funny, but I canât promise anything because I canât stop crying. I cried five minutes ago making notes for this column. Maybe thatâs funny to you. Iâm a mess and I need cake.
Iâve been crying about the Tonys every day for the past week. The Tony Awards recognize the greatest achievements of the Broadway season. Some have said the Tonys are like the Super Bowl for theatre nerds. I canât comment on the accuracy of that comparison because Iâm not familiar with the Super Bowl.
I am vaguely aware of Super Bowl commercials and the fact that a minute of advertising time costs millions of dollars because ratings are so high. So I guess the Tonys are not like the Super Bowl at allâratings for the Tonys are laughably low and every few years executives threaten to pull the telecast from network television. PBS could pick it up, but then Republicans would threaten to defund PBS just to block my gay rights.
I do know that a Super Bowl trophy canât help you get an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).
Iâve mostly been crying because of âKinky Boots,â a new musical about a drag queen named Lola (Billy Porter) who reinvigorates a shoe factory with sparkling stilettos. Based on that plot description, I avoided the show while in New York for spring break with my mother and aunt. They were perplexed. The flashy billboards all over Times Square boasted a creative collaboration between esteemed playwright Harvey Fierstein and pop-rock sensation Cyndi Lauper.
One afternoon my mother came right out and said, âI walked by the theatre where âKinky Bootsâ is playing. Why arenât we seeing that?â
âOh, trust me, itâs not going to do well,â I said.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is a lesson in why you should only trust me sometimes. âKinky Bootsâ now has the most Tony nominations of the season, 13 in total, and is a major contender for Best Musical, the nightâs top prize.
The Tony campaign for âKinky Bootsâ has been vigorous and tugs at the heartstrings. My heartstrings are no exception, resulting in tears of regret, shame, and sorrow for not seeing it when I had the chance.
Every time I went to broadwayworld.com this week, the same âKinky Bootsâ ad would pop up and I would cry because: a) I canât stand that the guy doing the voiceover emphasizes the wrong syllable of âKinkyâ at the beginning of the video and b) I pompously thought the musical was unworthy of my time. I hadnât even heard a full song from the show, yet the ad left me sobbing uncontrollably, a part of me hoping that âKinky Bootsâ would sweep the Tonys even though I actually saw (and loved) its strongest competitor, âMatilda.â
Let me be clear: I am not an authority on the Tony Awards. Iâve only seen three of the nominated productions. The rest is merely (obsessive) conjecture. First I saw âMatilda,â based on Roald Dahlâs classic novel. With a book by Dennis Kelly and score by Tim Minchin, the musical tells the story of a five-year-old girl who loves books and mischief, but the adults in her life try to stifle her intelligence. Four actresses alternate in the title role (I saw the dynamite Milly Shapiro), and tonight they will receive Special Achievement Tony Awards for their performances.
While reviews for âKinky Bootsâ were only lukewarm, critics loved âMatilda.â New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley called it âthe most satisfying and subversive musical ever to come out of Britain.â
In an attempt to compare the two musicals, I listened to the cast recording of âKinky Bootsâ since many consider Cyndi Lauperâs score the showâs strongest element. I was underwhelmed. Maybe all the hype has to do with Jerry Mitchellâs direction and choreography, but I found nothing in Lauperâs songs particularly brilliant. Tim Minchinâs music and lyrics for âMatildaâ are much more substantive and sophisticated.
The other two nominated productions I saw were both plays. Christopher Durangâs âVanya and Sonia and Masha and Spikeâ is a family comedy about three middle-aged siblings whose parents named them after Chekov characters. Hilarity ensues when Masha (Sigourney Weaver), a B-list movie star, returns home for a visit, yet there is great heart and depth amongst the chaos of this farce. Kristine Nielsenâs uproarious turn as Sonia should earn her the Tony for Best Actress in a Play, but she will probably lose to veteran Cicely Tyson in âThe Trip to Bountiful.â
Tom Hanks will likely take the Tony for Best Actor in a Play for his Broadway debut in longtime pal Nora Ephronâs play âLucky Guy.â The play was an utter disappointment for me, even though I desperately wanted to love it. Ephron, one of my favorite writers, died last summer and âLucky Guyâ is her final completed work. A bio-play about controversial tabloid journalist Mike McAlary (Hanks), âLucky Guyâ is a tribute to New York City and the dying form of print journalism, two of Ephronâs greatest loves. Unfortunately, she tried to infuse journalism in the structure of the play, telling us the story via a chorus of reporters instead of showing us the action. The technique proved boring and the entire play suffered as a result.
Voters could go the sentimental route and award Ephron a posthumous Tony, but her problematic script makes this highly doubtful. Expect Christopher Durang to nab Best Play instead, or even Richard Greenberg for his complex drama âThe Assembled Parties.â
Hereâs a summary of who will probably get each award, who I think should get it and who might surprise us and take it home.
Best Play
Will Win: Christopher Durang, âVanya and Sonia and Masha and Spikeâ
Should Win: Christopher Durang, âVanya and Sonia and Masha and Spikeâ
Possible Upset: Richard Greenberg, âThe Assembled Partiesâ
Best Musical
Will Win: âMatildaâ
Should Win: âMatildaâ
Possible Upset: âKinky Bootsâ
Best Revival of a Play
Will Win: âWhoâs Afraid of Virginia Woolf?â
Should Win: âWhoâs Afraid of Virginia Woolf?â
Possible Upset: âThe Trip to Bountifulâ
Best Revival of a Musical
Will Win: âPippinâ
Should Win: âPippinâ
Best Book of a Musical
Will Win: Dennis Kelly, âMatildaâ
Should Win: Dennis Kelly, âMatildaâ
Possible Upset: Harvey Fierstein, âKinky Bootsâ
Best Original Score
Will Win: Cyndi Lauper, âKinky Bootsâ
Should Win: Tim Minchin, âMatildaâ
Possible Upset: Tim Minchin, âMatildaâ
Best Direction of a Play
Will Win: George C. Wolfe, âLucky Guyâ
Should Win: Nicholas Martin, âVanya and Sonia and Masha and Spikeâ
Possible Upset: Pam MacKinnon, âWhoâs Afraid of Virginia Woolf?â
Best Direction of a Musical
Will Win: Diane Paulus, âPippinâ
Should Win: Diane Paulus, âPippinâ
Possible Upset: Matthew Warchus, âMatildaâ
I didnât realize how hot this race was until I looked up the nominees for this category! âMatildaâ was one of the most magical nights of my theatergoing life, but based on video clips alone, Diane Paulus deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award for her reconceived, circus-themed revival of âPippin.â Hereâs another clip to show you what I mean:
Best Actor in a Play
Will Win: Tom Hanks, âLucky Guyâ
Should Win: Tom Hanks, âLucky Guyâ
Possible Upset: Nathan Lane, âThe Nanceâ
Best Actress in a Play
Will Win: Cicely Tyson, âThe Trip to Bountifulâ
Should Win: Kristine Nielsen, âVanya and Sonia and Masha and Spikeâ
Possible Upset: Amy Morton, âWhoâs Afraid of Virginia Woolf?â
Actor in a Musical
Will Win: Billy Porter, âKinky Bootsâ
Should Win: Bertie Carvel, âMatildaâ
Possible Upset: Bertie Carvel, âMatildaâ
Best Actress in a Musical
Will Win: Patina Miller, âPippinâ
Should Win: Patina Miller, âPippinâ
Possible Upset: Laura Osnes, âCinderellaâ
Best Featured Actor in a Play
Will Win: Danny Burstein, âGolden Boyâ
Should Win: Danny Burstein, âGolden Boyâ
Possible Upset: Courtney B. Vance, âLucky Guyâ
This is Danny Bursteinâs fourth Tony nomination, and he deserves this one solely for losing last year for âFollies.â
Best Featured Actress in a Play
Will Win: Judith Light, âThe Assembled Partiesâ
Should Win: Judith Light, âThe Assembled Partiesâ
Possible Upset: Shalita Grant, âVanya and Sonia and Masha and Spikeâ
Though I loved Shalita Grantâs performance, Judith Light (âWhoâs the Bossâ and âUgly Bettyâ) is poised to win her second consecutive Tony in this category. I cried for her last year and Iâll cry for her again.
Best Featured Actor in in a Musical
Will Win: Terrance Mann, âPippinâ
Should Win: Gabriel Ebert, âMatildaâ
Possible Upset: Gabriel Ebert, âMatildaâ
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Will Win: Andrea Martin, âPippinâ
Should Win: Andrea Martin, âPippinâ
Andrea Marin, best known as crazy Aunt Voula in âMy Big Fat Greek Wedding,â is set to win her second Tony for her role as Pippinâs grandmother, Berthe. In her six-word Tony nomination story, which can been seen here on Facebook, she writes, ânever too late to start living!â Weeps people. Weeps.
The Tonys will air live tonight, Sunday, June 9 on CBS at 8 p.m. eastern. For my live blog of the telecast, follow @ryanjhaddad on Twitter or weepingonwheels.tumblr.com.