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In Unofficial Poll of Tony Voters, Winning Word Is ‘Tossup’ - NYTimes.com
In Unofficial Poll of Tony Voters, Winning Word Is ‘Tossup’
There
are times when it feels as if there were no good choices — for
president (of the United States, or your high school class), for a
Saturday night date movie, for takeout after work. This past Broadway
season, however, ended up serving a smorgasbord of delights and tough
decisions for the 805 voters for the Tony Awards on Sunday night.
One
Tony voter, reached on Wednesday, begged off from revealing his picks
because he still had 48 hours to decide. (The deadline was 6 p.m. on
Friday.) Another voter had picked up a copy of Yasmina Reza’s
“God of Carnage” (six nominations, including best play) to see if the
writing on the page was as good as the production. A third described 10
categories as being tossups — more than she ever remembered.
Among
the two dozen voters surveyed this week (including producers, artists,
road presenters and actors), several advised this reporter to ask, “Who
are you voting for?” — and not simply, “Who do you think will win?”
The
reason? Voters have been so preoccupied with analyzing this year’s
tight horse races that they might gloss over their actual choices.
(Asking both questions was a no-brainer, but advice is always welcome.)
To
that end: this year’s survey in the run-up to the 63rd annual Tony
Awards yielded clear favorites, true mysteries and more competition
than expected in some categories.
But enough with the
summarizing; let’s get to the predictions, based on the survey results
with a dash of Broadway-style algebra. (“If ‘x’ is the 15 nominations
for ‘Billy Elliot,’ and ‘y’ is the 11 nominations for ‘Next to Normal,’
then ‘z’ must be ...”).
Musical
Some
voters loved the anthems of hope and solidarity in “Billy Elliot.” Some
loved the songs. Some loved the dancing. And plenty loved the three
teenagers who rotate in the title role.
The other top pick, “Next
to Normal,” had a lot to admire in it, voters said — admire, but not
love. The musical, about a family’s struggle with a mother’s bipolar
disorder, is emotionally demanding in the extreme, and that quality
simply isn’t to everyone’s taste.
Another nominee, “Rock of
Ages,” received a couple of votes, while the fourth, “Shrek the
Musical,” was cited as a contender in other categories.
Enough
voters said they cast ballots for “Normal” to prevent “Billy” from
being a shoo-in. But the math and the sentiment favor “Billy” for best
musical (and its director, Stephen Daldry, for best director), while “Normal” seems to have a better shot at best score and perhaps best book.
Play
“God
of Carnage” is a commercial and critical hit, no question, but several
voters judged it to be better acted and better directed than a writerly
masterpiece.
Some in the survey voted for “Dividing the Estate,” Horton Foote’s final play on Broadway before his death in March — the clear sentimental favorite. Several supported Moisés Kaufman’s “33 Variations,” about a musicologist’s inquiry into Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations,” as the most intellectually rigorous and ambitious of the nominees.
And
several voters — especially the younger ones — endorsed “reasons to be
pretty” and its study of 20-something relationships. (One voter who is
far past his 20s, however, said he still didn’t understand what the
play was about, a comment echoed by others.)
But back to
“Carnage.” It received the most votes, and the best play award doesn’t
only recognize the writer in the same way that the best author Tony
Award did decades ago. The gods say “Carnage” this year. (They may also
look favorably on Matthew Warchus as best director for his work here, though he has strong if slightly
fewer votes in our unofficial survey for his other nomination as
director of “The Norman Conquests.”)
Musical Revival
This
is a two-show race: “Hair” versus “West Side Story,” both popular at
the box office and with critics. But several voters said that they felt
the ending of “West Side” was a bit flat, and that the women were far
better than the men. (Look for Karen Olivo, as Anita, to win best
featured actress in a musical.)
“Hair,” by contrast, struck
voters as the bigger ensemble and directorial achievement; even people
who do not particularly care for the book or score were impressed by
the production. The safe money is on “Hair.”
Play Revival
“Tossup”
was said over and over again in describing this category. “Joe Turner’s
Come and Gone,” “Mary Stuart” and “The Norman Conquests” had a roughly
equal number of partisans, though the plurality of voters believed that
“Norman” would win. (The fourth nominee, “Waiting for Godot,” drew far
more praise than votes.)
The majority view is that “Joe Turner”
is the best written of the four, and has a terrific ensemble, and it is
seemingly the Obamas’ choice. “Mary Stuart” includes two bravura
performances from its leading ladies (both nominated), though some
voters found it a bit too long. “Norman,” meanwhile, was roundly
praised as being a very good time at the theater, and voters noted that
it received four featured acting nominations but seems unlikely to win
any. (Angela Lansbury, in “Blithe Spirit,” and Roger Robinson, in “Joe Turner,” received the lion’s share of votes from those surveyed.)
Again, this is a tossup, but a slight edge goes to “Norman.”
Actress, Play
For weeks the word around town has favored Marcia Gay Harden,
who is by turns highly controlled and awfully volcanic in a
much-praised performance in “God of Carnage.” But several voters said
they were moved far more than they expected by Harriet Walter’s pained
performance as Queen Elizabeth I in “Mary Stuart,” and a smaller number
were transfixed by her compatriot, Janet McTeer, in that play’s title role.
Still others said they voted for Jane Fonda in “33 Variations.” The play rests very much on her shoulders, and her
supporters were impressed by her work after decades away from the stage.
The fifth nominee, Hope Davis in “Carnage,” won praise for her physical comedy, but Ms. Harden drew
the most effusive plaudits — and a plurality of the votes — giving her
the lead.
Actor, Play
Geoffrey Rush’s
intensely theatrical performance in “Exit the King” is poised to take
the crown. Even voters who did not particularly enjoy the play (it
missed out on a best revival nomination) said they were deeply
impressed by Mr. Rush and cast their ballots accordingly.
One dark horse, though, appears to be Jeff Daniels in “Carnage.” He was the runner-up in the tally, but a majority of
voters said they enjoyed his work onstage the most. “Jeff was funny,
infuriating, touching, often all at the same time,” one Tony voter said.
Actor, Musical
The
three young men playing “Billy Elliot” — David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik,
and Kiril Kulish — have a joint nomination in this category, and they
won the hearts of a majority of Tony voters surveyed for their range as
dancers, singers and plucky lads.
Brian D’Arcy James, as the
title character in “Shrek the Musical,” received several votes for
delivering a steady and poignant performance in spite of all that
makeup and the busy sets and ensemble. (His co-star, Christopher
Sieber, received more votes in the featured acting category, though he
faces a challenge from Gregory Jbara, who plays Billy Elliot’s father.)
And Gavin Creel’s work in “Hair” earned some votes too — but look for
the Three Billys at the lectern on Sunday night.
Actress, Musical
The closest thing to a lock among voters: Alice Ripley, as the emotionally damaged mother in “Next to Normal.”
When
asked, “Who are you voting for?,” a majority said Ms. Ripley; when
asked, “Who will win?,” a majority said Ms. Ripley. While a few voters
praised the charming work of Josefina Scaglione as Maria in “West Side
Story,” voters who were both pro and con “Normal” as best musical said
Ms. Ripley won their respect, their admiration (that word again) and
their votes.