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The Tony Awards 2019 may not have Hamilton but there is plenty of intrigue. Especially as this Broadway season broke attendance and box-office records at nearly $2 billion. Here is what you need to know about the biggest categories of this celebratory night…
The Nominees
Choir Boy
The Ferryman
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ink
What The Constitution Means To Me
What You Need To Know
Perhaps the biggest battle of the night is between The Ferryman and What The Constitution Means To Me for Best Play. The two are strikingly different. Film critic Peter Travers describes Ferryman as “a new theatrical landmark”. Many agree with the statement. Based in Northern Ireland in the early 80s, Jez Butterworth’s 3 hour saga follows the Carney farmhouse through preparations for the annual harvest when a visitor interrupts the celebrations. Butterworth was inspired, in part, by the story of Eugene Simons who vanished on New Year’s Day 1981 – murdered by the Irish Republican Army. Interestingly Laura Donnelly who plays Caitlin Carney is the real-life niece of Simons. The cast in general is a true ensemble as it includes 21 adult actors, an infant, a live goose and a live rabbit. Understandably then, Ferryman has been regarded as a moment in Broadway history which is why it is the favorite to win Best Play this year.
Its potential to win, however, is threatened by Constitution. As ticket sales for Ferryman have begun to dwindle, Constitution grossed over $500,000 at the end of May. This may not be the most substantial figure but for the theatrical underdog, it proves that Constitution poses a threat for the award. Actor, writer, producer, and investor Lee Seymour in Forbes argues that Constitution “is the rare play that challenges us reevaluate our entire worldview”. It is, after all, a play that challenges the norms in theater as a mostly-one-woman show, addressed directly to the audience. Within this structure, the play explores both personal stories and, more generally, how the constitution affects our modern lives, particularly those of women. Author Heidi Schreck was only fifteen-year-old when she earned enough money for her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that she has gone on to write a play that tackles such a topic in a unique and inspiring way.
The Nominees
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie
What You Need To Know
The category for the Best Musical category is less contested. The general consensus is that Hadestown will go home with the trophy. The other possibility is Tootsie. Tootsie is a fizzy portrayal of Dorothy Michaels who is both the biggest sensation to hit Broadway in years and out-of-work actor Michael Dorsey. Dorsey is so desperate for a job that he decides to pose as Dorothy who can charm the audience and casting directors far more than he can. Though Santino Fontana seems likely to win best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical, it seems that Hadestown might just pip Tootsie to the post in this category.
Hadestown is this season’s biggest hit with both buyers and critics alike. In fact, it is the most nominated musical this year with a total of 14. Hadestown is an inventive retelling of ancient Greek myths which centers around two intertwining love stories – that of Orpheus and Eurydice as well as King Hades and his wife, Persephone. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell originally wrote the beginning embers of this musical as her indie theater opera that toured Vermont. It was in 2006 that she staged the first version of Hadestown in hundred-seater theaters in the towns of Barre and Vergennes, herself playing Eurydice. She then turned this into an acclaimed album and worked with director Rachel Chavkin to transform the show into a unique musical.
The Nominees
Paddy Considine For The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston For Network
Jeff Daniels For To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver For Burn This
Jeremy Pope For Choir Boy
What You Need To Know
Once again a tight race comes in the form of Bryan Cranston and Jeff Daniels for the best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play. Although, Adam Driver’s bid is not far behind. Cranston is, however, probably the name to beat here. His performance in Network has been highly acclaimed as the reason for the success of the play. Network is an adaptation of the 70s Academy Award-winning film by Paddy Chayefsky which follows tv anchorman Howard Beale who unravels live on-screen. This is then exploited by the network that seizes on the new higher ratings. Howard Beale’s “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore” statement very quickly became a part of the popular vocabulary. A statement which seems apt for the contemporary world as well. Now, Paddy Chayefsky’s grandnephew is making his Broadway debut with the production and this story has been revitalized by Cranston. It is surely time for this re-telling.
The Nominees
Annette Bening for Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
Laura Donnelly for The Ferryman
Elaine May for The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer for Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf for Hillary And Clinton
Heidi Schreck for What the Constitution Means to Me
What You Need To Know
One of the most heart-warming tales of the Tony Awards 2019 is Elaine May’s bid for the best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play. 87 year-old May was born in Berlin in 1932 before making her initial impact in the 1950s. Here she made comedy history as one half of Nicols & May – the comedy duo with Mike Nichols. After this success, she became an acclaimed director and playwright. Two of her screenplays, Heaven Can Wait and Primary Colors, even earned Oscar nominations. Now, though, she has adapted her talent to tread the boards in The Waverly Gallery. TimeOut described this play as a “merciless, unforgettable portrait of mental decay” as it depicts a family with a grandmother’s final battle against Alzheimer’s disease in a humorous and heart-breaking way. It is a triumphant portrayal and a joyous addition to her extensive catalog of work – one that simply requires the recognition of the Tonys.
The Nominees
Brooks Ashmanskas for The Prom
Derrick Baskin for Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
Alex Brightman for Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana for Tootsie
What You Need To Know
This year’s actor in with the best chance to win best performance in a leading role in a musical is Santino Fontana with his portrayal of Michael Dorsey and Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie. A new comedy musical based on the film of the same title. With a transformative role to say the least, Fontana swaps seamlessly between Micheal and Dorothy throughout the play – evening singing both as a man and a woman. His near-universal praise for the role is well deserved and, as such, this seems to be his category on the night.
The Nominees
Stephanie J. Block for The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen for The Prom
Beth Leavel for The Prom
Eva Noblezada for Hadestown
Kelli O’Hara for Kiss Me, Kate
What You Need To Know
And lastly, we end with Cher. Her biopic musical The Cher Show took to the stage this season with 35 of the biggest songs from her rich career. As one of the three actresses taking on the central role, Stephanie J. Block has received a nomination and appears to be favorite to win. With two Tony nominations already behind her for Falsettos and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, hopefully third time’s a charm. After all, she managed to avoid all of the pitfalls of impersonation, instead capturing the spirit of Cher and her signature style. Simply stunning, her performance aptly reflects the six-decade career of this icon.
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