The 76th Annual Tony Awards have just taken place without a script in the aftermath of New York being filled with smoke, and there's so much to talk about. First things first, I overall got 24 out of 26 predictions correct, which is probably the best I've done in a while. I also ended up part of a seven-way tie for first place in Gold Derby's predictions center, finishing in sixth place given the points system. There were seven categories where I went against the choices that were ranked at number one in the odds at Gold Derby. Among the ones I got right were Best Costume Design of a Play (Leopoldstadt over Life of Pi), Best Revival of a Play (Topdog/Underdog over A Doll's House), and Best Lead Actor in a Play (Sean Hayes over Stephen McKinley Henderson).
As for the categories I got wrong…
Best Orchestrations: As I mentioned in my predictions, I literally had no idea what the hell to do with this category. I thought anyone of the nominees could’ve taken it. While I knew it was possible for Some Like It Hot to win given the lushness of its orchestra, the last time a musical lost Best Original Score but still won here was Billy Elliot back in 2009 (in a tie with Next to Normal, which prevailed in the former category). I settled on Kimberly Akimbo due to that show being the strongest contender and feeling voters might just default to the Best Musical frontrunner. Now I wish I ended up agreeing with the Gold Derby odds because if I did, I would’ve been the only person to have gotten 25 out of 26 correct, thus winning the predictions contest. But I’m certainly not gonna complain about finishing in sixth place at all.
Best Sound Design of a Musical: & Juliet was the frontrunner to win according to Gold Derby's combined predictions. When Sam Eckmann went over the design categories, he mentioned that "this Shakespearean remix is rife with pop hits, and as an audience member you feel the beats pulsing through your chest like you’re at a rock concert." Although he also had a sneaking suspicion that Into the Woods could win. Sam said "Scott Lehrer and Alex Neumann were tasked with making this beloved Stephen Sondheim musical sound as glorious as possible, and they succeeded. The pair already pulled off a surprise victory at the Drama Desk Awards." I ended up predicting Into the Woods to win here as a place to acknowledge that highly successful revival. Yet in what was probably the only genuine shocker of the night, Sweeney Todd won. Which was interesting because I read that some audiences had issues with the sound design early on in previews. Sam also mentioned that the absence of the iconic factory whistle in this revival may cost Nevin Steinberg some votes. Yet, his grand gothic treatment was apparently enough to win him the Tony. It just goes to show how the sound categories (and Best Orchestrations) have become incredibly tricky to predict given the smaller peer groups voting on the winners.
Then, there were two more I ended up making last minute switches on...
Best Featured Actress in a Play: This category was pretty much a toss-up. When I posted my predictions, I was settled on Nikki Crawford for Fat Ham. Although Miriam Silverman (The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window) and Katy Sullivan (Cost of Living) both appeared to have been competitive according to Variety. Leading up to the predictions center on Gold Derby closing, I was getting a sneaking suspicion that Silverman was going to win. Many found her to be the standout in the currently running revival of Lorraine Hansberry's classic starring big celebrities such as Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan. It also helped that her role previously won Alice Ghostley a Tony for the original production back in 1965. I'm sure the producers are now even more glad they quickly moved the production from the Brooklyn Academy of Music to Broadway at the last minute.
Best Direction of a Musical: When I posted my predictions, I was settled on Jessica Stone for Kimberly Akimbo. Although Variety mentioned that Michael Arden was attracting a lot of support for Parade from voters they spoke with, but Stone was mentioned almost as often. While we have seen productions win Best Revival of a Musical and nothing else on Tony night before (which is what I was previously predicting for Parade), that rarely happens. Plus, Kimberly Akimbo's staging was probably too small to win over a majority of voters. Whereas with Parade, despite that having more of a bare bones staging, it still has a lot going on with such a big cast of 26 performers. Plus, voters might've felt that Michael Arden has paid his dues at this point following his acclaimed revivals of Spring Awakening in 2015 and Once on This Island in 2017 as well as A Christmas Carol this past year. I thought he gave such a great acceptance speech (part of which got bleeped). It's also ironic that Arden beat Jessica Stone because when this category was presented the first time he was nominated in 2015, a camera man accidentally had it on Stone's husband, actor Christopher Fitzgerald, instead of him.
As for the telecast itself, let me begin by talking about the 90 minute pre-show on Pluto TV titled The Tony Awards: Act One. There was no opening number for it. The whole thing just began with Skylar Astin and Julianne Hough coming out on stage, where they each took turns presenting competitive categories. Although a few presenters came out here and there. Kelly Coffey of City National Bank gave the Regional Theatre Award to the Pasadena Playhouse; Lin-Manuel Miranda presented legendary composer John Kander his Lifetime Achievement Award; Denée Benton presented the Excellence in Theatre Education Award to Jason Zembuch Young from South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida; Annaleigh Ashford presented the Isabelle Stevenson Award to director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell; and Jennifer Grey presented her dad, legendary actor Joel Grey, his Lifetime Achievement Award. As I previously said in last year's recap, I think it definitely would've been nice if the Tonys did a quick recap of the winners from the Pluto TV portion on the CBS broadcast that way those who weren't able to catch the former would be kept in the know with other categories. Joel Grey and John Kander's Lifetime Achievement prizes were at least acknowledged on the main telecast with Ariana DeBose and Julianne Hough paying tribute to both of them by performing the 'Hot Honey Rag' from Chicago (which Kander composed and Grey opened as Amos in the long-running revival). They both then came out on stage briefly, but deserved more stage time than that. Like they should've presented something together.
Anyway, onto the main telecast, Ariana DeBose wasn't part of it a whole lot, but she definitely kept things going very lively. As this year's Tonys had no script at all due to the current writer's strike, she (as well as all the presenters) had to make things up as they went along. The opening number began with Ariana opening up a blank script in her dressing room, which then led to a lot of dancing to a medley of pre-existing Broadway songs throughout the entire venue of the United Palace in Washington Heights. I thought the whole thing was very creative with the choreography and camera blocking.
As for the categories I got wrong…
Best Orchestrations: As I mentioned in my predictions, I literally had no idea what the hell to do with this category. I thought anyone of the nominees could’ve taken it. While I knew it was possible for Some Like It Hot to win given the lushness of its orchestra, the last time a musical lost Best Original Score but still won here was Billy Elliot back in 2009 (in a tie with Next to Normal, which prevailed in the former category). I settled on Kimberly Akimbo due to that show being the strongest contender and feeling voters might just default to the Best Musical frontrunner. Now I wish I ended up agreeing with the Gold Derby odds because if I did, I would’ve been the only person to have gotten 25 out of 26 correct, thus winning the predictions contest. But I’m certainly not gonna complain about finishing in sixth place at all.
Best Sound Design of a Musical: & Juliet was the frontrunner to win according to Gold Derby's combined predictions. When Sam Eckmann went over the design categories, he mentioned that "this Shakespearean remix is rife with pop hits, and as an audience member you feel the beats pulsing through your chest like you’re at a rock concert." Although he also had a sneaking suspicion that Into the Woods could win. Sam said "Scott Lehrer and Alex Neumann were tasked with making this beloved Stephen Sondheim musical sound as glorious as possible, and they succeeded. The pair already pulled off a surprise victory at the Drama Desk Awards." I ended up predicting Into the Woods to win here as a place to acknowledge that highly successful revival. Yet in what was probably the only genuine shocker of the night, Sweeney Todd won. Which was interesting because I read that some audiences had issues with the sound design early on in previews. Sam also mentioned that the absence of the iconic factory whistle in this revival may cost Nevin Steinberg some votes. Yet, his grand gothic treatment was apparently enough to win him the Tony. It just goes to show how the sound categories (and Best Orchestrations) have become incredibly tricky to predict given the smaller peer groups voting on the winners.
Then, there were two more I ended up making last minute switches on...
Best Featured Actress in a Play: This category was pretty much a toss-up. When I posted my predictions, I was settled on Nikki Crawford for Fat Ham. Although Miriam Silverman (The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window) and Katy Sullivan (Cost of Living) both appeared to have been competitive according to Variety. Leading up to the predictions center on Gold Derby closing, I was getting a sneaking suspicion that Silverman was going to win. Many found her to be the standout in the currently running revival of Lorraine Hansberry's classic starring big celebrities such as Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan. It also helped that her role previously won Alice Ghostley a Tony for the original production back in 1965. I'm sure the producers are now even more glad they quickly moved the production from the Brooklyn Academy of Music to Broadway at the last minute.
Best Direction of a Musical: When I posted my predictions, I was settled on Jessica Stone for Kimberly Akimbo. Although Variety mentioned that Michael Arden was attracting a lot of support for Parade from voters they spoke with, but Stone was mentioned almost as often. While we have seen productions win Best Revival of a Musical and nothing else on Tony night before (which is what I was previously predicting for Parade), that rarely happens. Plus, Kimberly Akimbo's staging was probably too small to win over a majority of voters. Whereas with Parade, despite that having more of a bare bones staging, it still has a lot going on with such a big cast of 26 performers. Plus, voters might've felt that Michael Arden has paid his dues at this point following his acclaimed revivals of Spring Awakening in 2015 and Once on This Island in 2017 as well as A Christmas Carol this past year. I thought he gave such a great acceptance speech (part of which got bleeped). It's also ironic that Arden beat Jessica Stone because when this category was presented the first time he was nominated in 2015, a camera man accidentally had it on Stone's husband, actor Christopher Fitzgerald, instead of him.
As for the telecast itself, let me begin by talking about the 90 minute pre-show on Pluto TV titled The Tony Awards: Act One. There was no opening number for it. The whole thing just began with Skylar Astin and Julianne Hough coming out on stage, where they each took turns presenting competitive categories. Although a few presenters came out here and there. Kelly Coffey of City National Bank gave the Regional Theatre Award to the Pasadena Playhouse; Lin-Manuel Miranda presented legendary composer John Kander his Lifetime Achievement Award; Denée Benton presented the Excellence in Theatre Education Award to Jason Zembuch Young from South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida; Annaleigh Ashford presented the Isabelle Stevenson Award to director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell; and Jennifer Grey presented her dad, legendary actor Joel Grey, his Lifetime Achievement Award. As I previously said in last year's recap, I think it definitely would've been nice if the Tonys did a quick recap of the winners from the Pluto TV portion on the CBS broadcast that way those who weren't able to catch the former would be kept in the know with other categories. Joel Grey and John Kander's Lifetime Achievement prizes were at least acknowledged on the main telecast with Ariana DeBose and Julianne Hough paying tribute to both of them by performing the 'Hot Honey Rag' from Chicago (which Kander composed and Grey opened as Amos in the long-running revival). They both then came out on stage briefly, but deserved more stage time than that. Like they should've presented something together.
Anyway, onto the main telecast, Ariana DeBose wasn't part of it a whole lot, but she definitely kept things going very lively. As this year's Tonys had no script at all due to the current writer's strike, she (as well as all the presenters) had to make things up as they went along. The opening number began with Ariana opening up a blank script in her dressing room, which then led to a lot of dancing to a medley of pre-existing Broadway songs throughout the entire venue of the United Palace in Washington Heights. I thought the whole thing was very creative with the choreography and camera blocking.
In fact, as I was keeping up with reactions in the Gold Derby message boards during the telecast, one user in particular said: "The WGA might have shot themselves in the foot with the Tonys. Frankly, the lack of scripted blather made for a breezier presentation." I definitely saw what he was talking about. Whenever presenters came out on stage, their names were highlighted on video screens followed by them introducing themselves, then they immediately got on with the award they were giving. That's something I think all award shows should do more often. Like if the Oscars followed this format last year, Chris Rock wouldn't have made any jokes at all that would've given him a slap him in the face during his presentation.
Speaking of which, just as producers Ricky Kirshner & Glenn Weiss were coming off of producing this year's Oscar telecast, they apparently brought something from there along with them to the Tonys. Which is how most of the acting categories were presented by incorporating clips of the nominated performances. Something I never knew the Tonys needed until I saw how it played out. What's especially great about that is those who weren't/haven't been able to see any of the nominees were at least able to get a taste of them during the broadcast. The bells and whistles were also a nice touch for the directing categories as well as Best Book of a Musical.
In 2017 and 2019, the producers in my opinion perfectly highlighted the Best Play nominees by having each of the nominated playwrights appear on stage individually throughout the night to talk about their work. In that instance, things felt like there was just as much of a build up to the presentation of Best Play as there was for Best Musical. In 2018, it was thrown completely out the window. Last year, we only got a clip montage of each playwright getting asked quick questions about their work just before Best Play was presented. I thought this year might've had the best presentation I’ve ever seen for Best Play. The way the clip package was put together by incorporating interviews with the playwrights along with footage from the shows set to epic music gave the whole thing a lot of momentum leading up to the announcement of the winner. A similar thing was also done with Best Revival of a Play, but instead of the playwrights, they incorporated interviews with a cast member or two.
I thought the way each of the musical performances were introduced this year was clever. They all had clip montages that contained either interviews with the creative teams or clips from different news coverages. Then as the performances themselves began, a title would pop up at the end of the screen saying that it features Tony nominated performances from so and so. With all the new presentations introduced this year, I'd love to see them stick around. It was also definitely smart on the Tonys to acknowledge the recent closing of The Phantom of the Opera's record-breaking 35 year run on Broadway with a montage consisting of footage from the production as well as interviews with previous cast members. After that came the 'In Memoriam' segment with last year's Best Lead Actress in a Musical winner for Paradise Square, Joaquina Kalukango, performing a stunning rendition of 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again' from Phantom. That song was very fitting as a hail and farewell to all alumni of the New York theatre scene. I was especially glad to see Ben Lipitz, who I previously interviewed back in 2016, highlighted.
Speaking of which, just as producers Ricky Kirshner & Glenn Weiss were coming off of producing this year's Oscar telecast, they apparently brought something from there along with them to the Tonys. Which is how most of the acting categories were presented by incorporating clips of the nominated performances. Something I never knew the Tonys needed until I saw how it played out. What's especially great about that is those who weren't/haven't been able to see any of the nominees were at least able to get a taste of them during the broadcast. The bells and whistles were also a nice touch for the directing categories as well as Best Book of a Musical.
In 2017 and 2019, the producers in my opinion perfectly highlighted the Best Play nominees by having each of the nominated playwrights appear on stage individually throughout the night to talk about their work. In that instance, things felt like there was just as much of a build up to the presentation of Best Play as there was for Best Musical. In 2018, it was thrown completely out the window. Last year, we only got a clip montage of each playwright getting asked quick questions about their work just before Best Play was presented. I thought this year might've had the best presentation I’ve ever seen for Best Play. The way the clip package was put together by incorporating interviews with the playwrights along with footage from the shows set to epic music gave the whole thing a lot of momentum leading up to the announcement of the winner. A similar thing was also done with Best Revival of a Play, but instead of the playwrights, they incorporated interviews with a cast member or two.
I thought the way each of the musical performances were introduced this year was clever. They all had clip montages that contained either interviews with the creative teams or clips from different news coverages. Then as the performances themselves began, a title would pop up at the end of the screen saying that it features Tony nominated performances from so and so. With all the new presentations introduced this year, I'd love to see them stick around. It was also definitely smart on the Tonys to acknowledge the recent closing of The Phantom of the Opera's record-breaking 35 year run on Broadway with a montage consisting of footage from the production as well as interviews with previous cast members. After that came the 'In Memoriam' segment with last year's Best Lead Actress in a Musical winner for Paradise Square, Joaquina Kalukango, performing a stunning rendition of 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again' from Phantom. That song was very fitting as a hail and farewell to all alumni of the New York theatre scene. I was especially glad to see Ben Lipitz, who I previously interviewed back in 2016, highlighted.
This year's telecast was actually viewed by about 4.31 million people, making it the most watched since 2019. Deadline reports that it was the most live-streamed Tony Awards in history, with the Paramount+ audience increasing by 13%. The Tony Awards: Act One pre-show was also the most-watched live-stream on PlutoTV ever since it launched in 2013. With both the Oscars and the Tonys not going down in the ratings this year, that's good news for televised award shows.
As one Broadway season ends, another is about to begin. So far on the musical side, there's new works such as Back to the Future, Harmony, Here Lies Love, and Once Upon a One More Time as well as a revival of Merrily We Roll Along on the way. As for the plays, there's new works such as The Cottage, Prayer for The French Republic, and The Shark is Broken as well as a revival of Doubt coming. Be sure to keep on following me throughout the 2023-24 season.
As one Broadway season ends, another is about to begin. So far on the musical side, there's new works such as Back to the Future, Harmony, Here Lies Love, and Once Upon a One More Time as well as a revival of Merrily We Roll Along on the way. As for the plays, there's new works such as The Cottage, Prayer for The French Republic, and The Shark is Broken as well as a revival of Doubt coming. Be sure to keep on following me throughout the 2023-24 season.