In a gift for Tony Awards headline writers, Maria Friedman’s gut-wrenching “Merrily We Roll Along” (nominated for revival of a musical) will do precisely that at Sunday night’s ceremony at New York’s Lincoln Center. And David Adjmi’s “Stereophonic,” a new play that does more than any other work in history to explain why great rock bands and great lovers so often break up, will surely top the Tony version of the charts.
But when it comes to what is arguably the biggest prize of all, the Tony Award for best new musical, it’s a guessing game. Why? None of this past season’s fresh-faced tuners really stands out from the others. They all have their fans. And when it comes to their worthiness for the big kahuna, they all have cases against them.
Consider. You have the suffrage musical “Suffs,” (on balance, my favorite), unquestionably the most emotionally stirring of this season’s selections (which is why) and the happy coming out of a genuine multi-hyphenate Broadway talent in Shaina Taub, who recovered fast from the trauma of “The Devil Wears Prada” in Chicago. But “Suffs” should have worked out its kinks out of town rather than asking Gotham critics to forget what they previously had seen at the New York Public Theater. That sense memory hurt their reaction and caused them not to see some of the vastly revised show’s palpable strengths.
Some claim “Suffs” is also derivative and it’s certainly true that without “Hamilton,” there would not be “Suffs.” But then, Broadway is a cumulative art form by its nature and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s overcoat has many pockets: No “In the Heights,” no “Hell’s Kitchen,” that Tony nominee being as structurally derivative of that title as of the dynamic music of Alicia Keys. Heck, had Diane Paulus not revived “Pippin,” and had “War Horse” not so richly revealed the emotional inner life of large-sale puppets, I doubt “Water for Elephants” would be a credible Tony candidate, which most certainly is the case, given how well it integrates the world of the circus with the traditional Broadway musical. It’s a great shame that Friedman’s brilliant conceit for “Merrily” will almost certainly beat out Jessica Stone, the director of “Water for Elephants” and an artist who forged the best ensemble performance of the entire season. Stone deserves a Tony for that and so do all those roustabouts on the line.
“The Outsiders” has a powerful young-adult title and many fans of its churning, impassioned score. Understandably so. But I felt like the show lost its narrative drive in Act 2 when it should have roared past its source novel to empathic heaven and Broadway glory, and that some of the staging was, well, a tad hokey. Others have preferred adjectives like “sweet.” Fair enough. It’s good to have a family show about rural lives.
“Illinoise,” a candidate with a late surge, I’m told, was a strikingly beautiful piece of work and a showcase for one of America’s greatest living choreographers, Justin Peck, and his ebullient, uber-cool dancers. The score is quixotically gorgeous but was not, of course, written specifically for the theater and even its orchestrations were very much Sufjan Stevens dependent. If you believe a Tony Award-winning musical has more of an integrative imperative, which I do, you could conclude that “The Notebook” was a more worthy occupier of that spot. “The Notebook” wasn’t nominated and will enjoy its revenge on the road, where hinterland audiences will better understand what it is trying to do.
Overall, I don’t think 2024 was the finest year for Tony nominators in any of the musical categories (although the slate for straight plays was very much on the money, with “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” “Mary Jane,” “Mother Play” and “Prayer for the French Republic” joining “Stereophonic”).
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The most egregious omissions involved two immensely talented women: Ingrid Michaelson, whose score for “The Notebook” broke a few rules but was still richer and far directly potent than several of its nominated competitors. And choreographer Lorin Latarro, for her daring movement suite for “The Who’s Tommy,” a fiendishly difficult show to choreograph, similarly deserving of far more praise than it received.
I say the nominating committee, which bizarrely nominated the wretched, decontexualized and spectacularly overpriced revival of “Cabaret” in many categories when only Steven Skybell and Bebe Neuwirth were actually any good, should reacquaint itself with genuine feeling, which is why folks shell out the big bucks to come to the “Cabaret.” It’s overstating things to say this revival was antisemitic, and I intend no such charge of anything conscious, but it certainly removes a masterpiece that intended to explain what can lead to a Holocaust from the context that matters most. Turning Herr Schultz’s pineapple into the branded name of a dining upgrade section of the theater was, at minimum, a tacky choice.
Jonathan Groff (“Merrily We Roll Along”) knows very well how to act a character ripped apart by his own mistakes, and is a much-deserved certainty for best actor in a musical. And when it comes to best actress in a musical, the Tony should (although may not) go to Maryann Plunkett, the steadfast emotional conscience of “The Notebook” ever since its Chicago tryout. Characters with dementia almost never appear in musicals and anyone who has suffered the affiliation of a family member could find in Plunkett’s performance equal measures of veracity and hope. No hokum there; just beautifully acted truth. No Tony is more deserved. And for many of Plunkett’s competitors in the category, of course, there is far more of a chance that the opportunity will come again.
The best revival of a play category was filled with Tony-worthy riches and represents, for me, the highlight of the season. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Appropriate” is the likely winner, although the moniker “revival” is a bit weird, since this relatively recent play with a history in Louisville and Chicago was not previously seen on Broadway. I’d give the nod to Ossie Davis’ “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch.” Kenny Leon, his innate sense of humor now at its septuagenarian peak, has been restoring honor, dignity and contemporary enjoyment to great Black poetic works of the 20th century. This one not only showcased two knockout performances from the fearless Kara Young and the fabulous Leslie Odom Jr., it somehow managed to make America’s bitter (and, of course, absurd) racist legacy something America could laugh at together, and celebrate Black survival. It was a masterwork from Broadway’s greatest working revival interperter and, unexpectedly, among the most enjoyable nights of the entire Broadway season.
Finally, come all the self-congratulations Sunday, you might also spare a thought for poor Huey Lewis, whose poorly titled jukebox show “The Heart of Rock and Roll” (also zestily choreographed by Latarro) not only got shut out of everything but has been dying at the box office, ever since it opened at the end of a long line of shows. Its terrific cast and creative team should hold its collective head high as the closing notice surely comes hard upon. Anyone who has seen it (you may have to look hard) will tell you it’s a very witty and enjoyable night at a Broadway theater.
The 77th annual Tony Awards ceremony will take place June 16 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York, hosted again by Ariana DeBose. It will be broadcast live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ (for subscribers of Paramount+ with Showtime only) from 7 p.m. CT; more information at www.tonyawards.com.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
