2014 Tony Nominations

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The Original BJ
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

Okri wrote:BJ, where would you rank something like Rock of Ages? It'll have a ridiculously long shelf-life. It's already played a jaw-dropping 2,000 performances. It's not that expensive and has already seen the light of day in the UK, Canada, Australia, and the Phillipines.
Oh yeah, Rock of Ages definitely would qualify at the very least in the "big cultural hit" category, perhaps the ginormous blockbuster category depending on how long it runs. (It's a bit newer, so it slipped my mind.)
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

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The In Memoriam segment and various acceptance speeches you didn't see at the Tonys:

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/19 ... g8?tsrc=nx
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by Okri »

BJ, where would you rank something like Rock of Ages? It'll have a ridiculously long shelf-life. It's already played a jaw-dropping 2,000 performances. It's not that expensive and has already seen the light of day in the UK, Canada, Australia, and the Phillipines.
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by OscarGuy »

I introduced my friends to the soundtrack of Avenue Q and they love it. We've still never seen the show. I'm not getting down on Q, because I enjoy the musical greatly, but I was trying to reference the cultural impact of Wicked is far greater than Q, which is why it was recognized on the Tonys and not Q. I'd even hazard a guess that "The Internet Is for Porn" is one of the most significant songs in the history of musical theater, at least in terms of cultural acceptance and application.
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The Original BJ
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

When I look at this millennium's musicals, I think there are a couple that could be characterized as true blockbusters -- Wicked and (gag) Mamma Mia for sure, and depending on its longevity, The Book of Mormon could have potential to join that group.

Then there are a group of others that I think are pretty solid cultural hits -- Jersey Boys, The Producers, Hairspray, Spamalot, and I'd include Avenue Q in this list. Not too many others.

So, yes, Wicked is in a class almost alone -- it's one of the most successful shows in the history of Broadway -- but no one has forgotten Avenue Q either.

I kind of get the sense Wicked losing Best Musical was to the Tonys what The Dark Knight not getting a Best Picture nomination was to the Oscars -- a case when voters passed on a humongous cultural behemoth, thus deeply mortifying The Powers who are consistently trying to make their awards seem less out of touch.
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by dws1982 »

Certainly Avenue Q is a popular show, but there's no question as to which show is more enduring and more well-known among the general public. None whatsoever. I teach regular kids (currently teaching at-risk, but hoping to go back into the general classroom soon), and everybody knows Wicked; if either of the two currently-running tours comes within 100 miles of here, it's the go-to field trip for the theater classes. It's not a matter of quality. (I don't really care for either myself.) One is a popular show that has shown surprising endurance. The other is one of the biggest cultural touchstones of the past decade.
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

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I'm not discounting the phenomenon of Wicked...it is still a major draw, both in NYC and internationally. But my argument was in completely discounting Avenue Q as a has been. Because of it's size, Wicked will never have the amateur legs that Avenue Q has, and continues to have. And Avenue Q still has a lot of draw, particularly among younger generations. Among my junior high and high school students (albeit it I teach theater kids), the junior high girls are Wicked obsessives but all the high schoolers know Avenue Q by heart and quote it constantly. Both shows have shown tremendous legs.
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by Mister Tee »

It's possible to believe two things at once: 1) Avenue Q, far from being forgotten, is still merrily running (albeit in a smaller theatre) and has proven hugely popular throughout the country; however 2) it's silly to think of Wicked as anything but an ongoing phenomenon. A friend of mine went into the show in early '08. When he told me he hoped to get five years out of it, I thought he was wildly optimistic...but the show's not only still going 6-plus years on, it''s still at sell-out level. It's going to be with us a long time. As my friend says, "Our audience is 15-year-old girls, and they just keep making more of them".
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by Big Magilla »

Yes, but the Tonys are a celebration of Broadway, not New York Theatre in general as maybe it ought to be. Ten years on Broadway is a long time. There are presently only four other shows that have run longer: Phantom of the Opera; The Lion King; the revival of Chicago and Mamma Mia! Jersey Boys will reach that milestone next year.
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by FilmFan720 »

OscarGuy wrote:I'm sure the reason they celebrated Wicked is because it's still a huge show while Avenue Q has been largely forgotten (it was even performed by a local theater group here in town, which suggests its days of impotance are pretty much over, especially since they refused to let it tour).
Wow, I couldn't disagree with this any more. Wicked is still a very popular show, but Avenue Q is just as popular. It is still running in New York, albeit back off-Broadway, where it has been running since vacating it's Broadway theatre. It did have a national tour, which was very successful, and now has found a new life as a licensed product. Just because a performance isn't in a big theatre doesn't mean it isn't important. Avenue Q has had a wonderful life in small professional and amateur productions, which 10 years after a premiere is a major way that a show can keep itself vital. I bet you good money that more people have seen Avenue Q this year than saw Wicked, if you take all the productions into consideration. I also bet you that Wicked will not have the legs in regional and amateur life that Avenue Q has.
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Okri
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

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Oh, Constellations is a beautiful play.
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by dws1982 »

Jake Gyllenhaal will be making his Broadway debut in Nick Payne's Constellations, opening in January at the Friedman.
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by ksrymy »

I certainly think this could be the first time The Real Thing doesn't win Lead Actor and Actress - there's a good chance they won't even get nominated.
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

Fun Home, the Pulitzer finalist and winner of a number of the season's Best Musical prizes for its Off-Broadway run, has a transfer planned for the spring, though it hasn't been written in ink yet. (A friend of mine plays the lead.)

Bill Condon's revival of Side Show, which I saw at La Jolla last fall, and which is currently at the Kennedy Center, has its eye on London and then, if all goes well, New York. (Also news from a friend of mine in that cast.)
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Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by dws1982 »

So next season, we've got...
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (transfer of the London show; goinginto the Barrymore)
The Last Ship (dreadful-sounding Sting musical; going into the Neil Simon)
The Country House (Donald Margulies play starring Blythe Danner; going into the Friedman)
Holler if Ya Hear Me (already in previews at the Palace)
The River (Hugh Jackman starrer; going into Circle in the Square)
A Delicate Balance (starring Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Lindsay Duncan, and Martha Plimpton; going into the Golden)
You Can't Take it With You (starring James Earl Jones; going into the Longacre)
This is Our Youth (starring Michael Cera; going into the Cort)
The Real Thing (Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ewan McGregor; going into the American Airlines)
On the Twentieth Century (starring Kristin Chenoweth; going into the American Airlines after The Real Thing closes)
It's Only a Play (Terrence McNally play, starring Broderick/Lane; going into the Schoenfield)
The Elephant Man (Starring Bradley Cooper; going into the Booth)
On the Town (going into the Lyric)

Those are the ones that have theaters booked. Of course some of those are going to be limited runs and early-enough closers that the theater can house another show in the spring. Several shows playing right now are limited runs but the theaters haven't booked another show. (The Lyceum and Belasco have nothing scheduled after The Realistic Joneses and Hedwig, for example.) And of course you've got the other shows that probably going to be posting closing notices soon: Rocky and Bullets Over Broadway from this season, Once and Newsies from previous seasons, all of which are selling tickets at very heavy discounts.

Now onto the rumors:
We've got rumors of a My Fair Lady revival, and a revival of The King and I starring Kelli O'Hara), both of which would be directed by Bartlett Sher. From what I've read The King and I will go into the Vivan Beaumont, and My Fair Lady, being a Nederlander production, would probably go into the Marquis (which is sitting open currently), but it's just as likely to not happen at all. A revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum starring James Corden sounds like a sure bet for next spring. A "re-envisioned" production of Gigi (possibly with a new book) is hoping to make it next season. They were going to do a 50th Anniversary revival of Fiddler on the Roof (Danny Burstein as Tevye), but it's looking more like it'll be a 51st Anniversary revival instead, and open next season. Another revival that was rumored was Titanic, but that seems to have been called off, or at least delayed. I had read that the revival of Long Day's Journey Into Night starring David Suchet and Laurie Metcalf that played London in 2012 was eyeing a transfer, but I assume it would've transferred by now if it were going to happen. 'Night Mother, starring Oprah Winfrey and Audra McDonald[/i], probably won't happen until the 2015-16 season. Speaking of Oprah, she's also hoping to bring The Color Purple back to Broadway in the next year or two. (Apparently a stripped-down production in London got rave reviews.)

Lots of new musicals supposedly opening, or at least hoping to open. Mostly movie adaptations: There's the Finding Neverland musical that's definitely coming--that Harvey Weinstein got it featured right before the final award made that pretty clear. Honeymoon in Vegas has been turned into a musical. Surprisingly, even though the movie soundtrack was all Elvis covers, this actually has a score by last night's Best Score winner Jason Robert Brown, so at least it's not another jukebox musical? The musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is definitely expected to transfer from London, although that depends on Sam Mendes' James Bond production schedule. Bull Durham is planning on a spring opening if a out-of-town run (in Atlanta) goes well. Supposedly there are also musical versions of An American in Paris (not hard to imagine), King Kong, and Rebecca all hoping to get on Broadway soon, but it's worth noting that Rebecca keeps getting delayed by behind-the-scenes troubles. Even the little-seen movie from 2006, Amazing Grace, about the guy who wrote the hymn and campaigned against the slave trade, has been adapted as a musical and is premiering in Chicago this fall in hopes of Broadway run down the line. On the original plays side, I don't know of much else that isn't booked. The stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies has been a big hit in London, so I expect the producers to plan a transfer at some point.
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