2015 Tony Awards

Today’s write-up is coming to you a day late so as not to disrupt Buster Monday.  This year’s Broadway’s Biggest Night was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but there was plenty of good and amazing mixed in with the tepid and unremarkable, so I won’t be too grouchy.

In the hosting seat, gone were the Jackmans and the NPHs.  Instead, the emcee duties went, appropriately, to an Alan Cumming/Kristin Chenoweth tag-team.  Obviously, it’s hard to compete with Neil Patrick Harris as an awards show host, but overall, I enjoyed our hosting duo.  They had some fun bits and jokes but never overwhelmed the telecast.  Their opening medley was nice, if lacking in fireworks, and I laughed out loud when they both ran onstage and glommed onto Tommy Tune.  Ah, Broadway…  (On a side note, I love that Alan Cumming’s presence ensured lots of queer inclusion, but what’s up with people laughing at his greeting of “Ladies, gentlemen, and those who don’t identify as either” – why is that inherently comical?)  My one critique of our dynamic cohosts was that, put together, they felt just a bit too “stagey” to me.  A lot of their stuff felt noticeably performed.

It was a very old-fashioned Tony Awards this year.  An American in Paris and revivals of On the Town, On the Twentieth Century, and Gigi all hit the same vintage-showtune mark, and since they were a good chunk of the performing musicals, it made the evening’s numbers feel less differentiated.  And then, there was a revival of The King and I (delighted about Kelli O’Hara’s lead actress win – I’ve loved her since The Light in the Piazza) and Chita Rivera in The Visit, the latest “last” Kander & Ebb show.  I mean, seriously, we’ve had Curtains, The Scottsboro Boys, and now The Visit.  Is Fred Ebb not actually dead?  Are they still writing somewhere; is that it?  And Something Rotten, the one completely original new musical, offered up an Elizabethan setting, a Producers-esque sensibility, and copious self-referential musical-theatre jokes.

I’m beyond thrilled that Fun Home took home the big four awards (best musical, direction, score, and book,) plus Michael Cerveris for lead actor.  Going into the night, it was the show I was most curious about, and it was also the performance that I loved the most.  Honestly, I bet I’ve watched their song at least ten times since Sunday.  Just incredible!  I’m usually a sucker for unconventional off-Broadway transfers, anyway – for further reference, see RENT, In the Heights, and Next to Normal – and Fun Home seems like a stellar addition to the list.  I can’t wait to dig more into it.

In other awards news, I was glad to see Christian Borle win supporting actor for Something Rotten, and I loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time winning in so many of the play categories, including the top honor.  Assuming it’s much the same as the West End production, its wins for direction, lighting, and set design were well-deserved.  (Also, I love that it was up for best choreography.  It was one of the most strikingly-choreographed plays I’ve ever seen, and even though it didn’t win, it really earned its place alongside the nominated musicals.)

On a final note – ending on Jersey Boys?  That’s it?  One, that show has been trotted out so many times at the Tonys, it’s simply ridiculous.  Two, it was completely lackluster way to finish off the telecast, and worst of all, if they were going to do “Oh, What a Night,” they could’ve at least changed the lyrics to reference the events of the evening.  Come on, Tonys – you can do better.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2012)

 

Gotta love National Theatre Live.  What a terrific way to see fantastic plays!  I need to watch out – if I’m not careful, I might start to resent any London productions that don’t get recorded for cinema screenings!  Anyway, this time around, it’s a dramatized version of Mark Haddon’s famous novel.

 

Going in, I was curious as to how they’d pull it off. It's a very internal book, with so much of it living in Christopher’s precisely-detailed thoughts.  Granted, that sort of thing is easier to do onstage than in a movie, but it still presents an important challenge.  Any concerns, though, were quickly allayed.  This play incorporates Christopher’s thoughts and observations in creatively functional ways, while also wonderfully depicting the sensory chaos of a neurotypical world from the perspective of someone with autism.

 

One thing I like about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is that, though Christopher’s autism makes up an unmistakable aspect of his character, it isn’t the plot in and of itself.  Rather, the story is about his investigation into the death of his neighbor’s dog, as well as his relationships with his parents.  Christopher’s investigation sends him into unfamiliar territory, forcing him to change and adapt.  It also causes additional friction between him and his father and uncovers secrets that have been kept from him.  It’s a story about learning to venture out, learning to forgive, and learning to trust.  I really appreciate that.

 

That being said, the production is very autism-savvy.  The acting, direction, sound, lighting, and set all work together to help neurotypical people see the world through Christopher’s eyes.  When he’s in overwhelming situations, disorienting dubstep music assaults the senses, the ensemble is a source of constant noise, motion, and intrusive touching (they grab, push, and lift him at will,) and a barrage of lights and words flash across the otherwise-minimalist stage.  There’s information- and sensory-overload everywhere.

 

As I said, a decent chunk of Christopher’s narration from the book is brought to the play.  Sometimes, he delivers the monologues himself, but more often, they’re read aloud (from the book he’s writing) by his teacher, who’s almost ever-present onstage.  It’s a nice device, since it keeps Christopher in the action, and it’s interesting, since many of the lines sound stiff and technical as he wrote them, but his teacher reads them with warmth and feeling.  It helps the show get at the feelings Christopher of course has but has difficulty articulating or expressing in socially-conventional ways.

 

The acting is excellent across the board.  Luke Treadaway ably handles the physical and emotional demands of playing Christopher, and Paul Ritter does a fine job as his father, a man who’s half-drowning in his struggles, who frequently gets it wrong but who’s trying desperately.  Additionally, Sherlock fans will recognize Una Stubbs (Mrs. Hudson) as Christopher’s neighbor.

 

Warnings

 

Thematic elements, some strong language, sexual references, and drinking.