And I've been holding back, but since it came up today...
It will be an interesting Tony race this year as far as the new musicals go. I haven't seen all the new musicals this season - the ones that have opened - but I was able to see Avenue Q, Wicked and the one possible "upset" Caroline, or Change. I have not seen Never Gonna Dance, and I'm not sure I'll be able to make it up to see Bombay Dreams before the Tonys - although, I do know people involved with and in the show, so, who knows, that status may change. -And as for The Boy From Oz and Taboo.. hmm...
Using some of the "existing" opinions out there, as well as my own... I'd really love to see Avenue Q win the Best Musical Tony this year. Very creative, tuneful, and it carries out it's "concept" to the hilt. *Although a very critical friend of mine wondered if the show would actually be better without the use of four-letter words - carrying the whole children's/puppet show even further- interesting point. In any case... "It's a Fine, Fine Line..." really hits close to home and heart for me.
I enjoyed Wicked very much - I was hooting and hollering with the best of them during the curtain calls, but Avenue Q has been getting more time in my CD player - and it's the one CD I've been getting more people to listen to - and it's the show I've been telling to go see when they can't tickets to Wicked. The Wicked CD is good, but some of the score omissions as well as the sound - production - of it, don't sit too well with me. -I don't think Kristin Chenoweth is recorded all that well, and the orchestra seems a bit muddled at times. -But we're not talking the Grammy's... (For better or for worse, there is a lot of music left off the Wicked OCR - and notice how there is no plot synopsis provided either.) I love the original book of Wicked, and as some DRs have pointed out - and as even Mr. Maguire has publicly acknowledged (but approved) - some of the plot points - some minor, some major - have been changed for the stage version. And those don't sit too well with me either. Consequently, the various outcomes - and what some have called various endings - came across as someone just trying to tie up every possible - and near possible - loose end - when some ends were meant to stay loose - or tied up differently in the original source material. Technically, however, the show has a good chance of a clean sweep - costumes, lighting and set.
As for Caroline, or Change... Interesting piece. Good, but more interesting than good to me. Musically, there is some great writing, but as has been noted elsewhere many times over, Mr. Kushner is not exactly a lyricist. And, for me, his lack of lyrical skills hampers the pacing and structure of the piece. Some points get made too fast, some too slow. And maybe I just saw her on a low energy day, but Tonya Pinkins did not impress me as much as others have told me I should have been impressed by her performance. Yes, it's good - but good enough to nab the Tony over Mmes. Murphy, Menzel or Chenoweth... hmm... *I also think had it not been for the critical success of HBO's Angels in America, there is no chance the Caroline would have gathered the funding for the pending transfer uptown. Of course, it's still pending, and by Broadway standards, it's still "early", and things could change.. But I do wish it will - it deserves to be seen by a wider audience. -Frankly, if I was the producer, I would bring it to Broadway in a limited - but Tony eligible run - that would make better sense to me. This would help insure the "demand" for tickets, and have the run sell out like it did at the Public, the much smaller Public. But this is the business of live theatre... when has it ever made sense before? *And both authors have mentioned that they will do some more tweaking before opening at the O'Neill, so.... *I did LOVE the sign at the Box Office at the Public - "There are no tickets left for the entire run of Caroline, Or Change. No, not even one!" - followed by the waiting list instructions
Again, this is all MY opinion... BUT I did like all three of the above shows. And to different degrees and for different reasons. But if I had my druthers, Avenue Q should win Best Musical.
*My big question about Bombay Dreams is related to Taboo in a sense - it's getting a new book for it's US version. What was/is wrong with the original book?
Well, that's enough prepostertous presumption from and for me for now.. and for some week's to come. I smell pizza downstairs!....