This year’s five nominees for Best Musical have a diverse portfolio. Some will be divided between artistic independence and commercial pleasure. But the audience’s attraction ultimately lies in the eye (and ear) of the viewer. One theatergoer’s thoughtless fluff is another’s inspired whim.
Few people would call this a bountiful harvest. But this yield is a reminder that originality is not a function of ingredients. Movies, music catalogs, plays, and even forgotten old TV shows are fine. It doesn’t matter if your starting point is classic or pop candy. What matters is what is done with inspiration: the depth and momentum of creative transformation.
Rankings are no more justified for works of art than for prize contests, but competition has been a part of theater since the ancient Greeks began giving prizes to plays at dramatic festivals. In that spirit, I present the numbered order of the new musicals that have risen to the top of this awards season.
“New York, New York” at the St. James Theatre.
(Paul Kornik)
5. “New York, New York” St. James Theater
The highly anticipated musical adaptation of Martin Scorsese’s 1977 film starring Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. And why not use music by living legend Jon Kander (lyrics supplemented by Lin-Manuel Miranda) and a production directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman?
Unfortunately, an overabundance of talent has resulted in more well-meaning shows than can fit into a single, coherent musical. Filled with breathtaking showmanship, choreographic brilliance, and visual brilliance like a postcard set, New York, New York is a compelling, serious show. Too restrained by a poorly dramatized book.
Set in the height of post-World War II optimism, the show is steeped in old New York nostalgia but viewed through a modern political lens. History becomes sentimental, and the rough storyline looks even more contrived. The numbers have momentum of their own, but they rarely yield dramatic gains. Still, when Anna Uzere (Colton Ryan’s opposite) rises up for a stronger version of “New York, New York” at the end, the song is slammed out of the park by Minnelli and Frank Sinatra in the film. It is an unofficial song. National anthems, musicals make a tourist’s dream come true.
Christian Ball and J. Harrison Gee with the cast of Some Like It Hot at the Shubert Theatre.
(Mark J. Franklin)
4. “Some Like It Hot” Sam S. Shubert Theater
The show with the most nominations (13), Some Like It Hot is a modern take on Billy Wilder’s classic 1959 comedy. The premise of two men cross-dressing to hide in the streets with an all-female band to escape the wrath of an angry gang is flavorful, but the treatment of gender and identity issues is refreshing.
This book by Matthew Lopez (author of the Tony Award-winning The Inheritance) and Amber Ruffin subtly updates the narrative, but all the complexity achieved is due to J. Harrison Gee (nominated (One of the two non-binary actors in the film) has a charming performance. This year), the characters find true veracity through what began as a Shakespearean play.
Some Like It Hot, one half of the buddy comedy starring Christian Ball, is scored by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (the Tony Award-winning team for “Hairspray”). We work tirelessly to inspire our viewers. time. Unfortunately, the big band sound has a generic nature, and the cast’s feisty female vocalists (Natasha Yvette Williams, Adrianna Hicks) have to work overtime to recapture it.
Some of the early songs look like they were pulled from an assembly line. It’s not until the second act that the songwriting becomes more intimately tied to the characters. Guy’s Daphne, of course, but so is Kevin Del Aguila as Osgood, a billionaire hotelier who falls in love with the glorious, gorgeous human being once known as Jerry. Now called Daphne. The “love is love” message is put to a farcical test, but Casey Nicolaou’s staging and choreography have no problem keeping up with the reckless hijinks.
Ben Jackson-Walker, Lorna Courtney, Betsy Wolfe and Melanie La Barry star in ‘& Juliet’ at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
(Matthew Murphy)
3. “& Juliet”, Stephen Sondheim Theater
I kissed the jukebox musical and loved it. As I look back on having an amazing time working on this re-edited version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” to fit the pop treasures in producer Max Martin’s music vault, Katy Perry’s tunes are on my mind. I can’t help but flow inside. (Perry’s hits show up prominently.)
Usually in this kind of show, famous songs are crammed into a book without much emphasis on dramatic details. Logic and plausibility are put on hold, making way for the next juicy pop number. That’s not the case here, as we find a flexible framework for neo-Shakespearean fun and games thanks to David West Reed’s clever script.
Anne (the fiery Betsy Wolfe) has left her husband Shakespeare (Stark Sands) some notes about the new script. What if Juliet hadn’t died? What if he ends up writing a young female character who actually has powers? What if you find love?
The spirit of “& Juliet” is so welcoming and tolerant that any new nasty elements introduced into this post-tragic comedy are easily embraced. Everything is easily submerged by a masterful singing that rivals Gold Record’s original vocals on her track. I was curious about the romantic fate of Lorna Courtney’s Juliet and her traveling party love affairs, but mostly I just want to join them on the dance floor. Directed by Luke Shepard and choreographed by Jennifer Webber, this production turns a clever musical comedy into a fun and engaging rave.
Alex Newell (left), Caroline Innerbichler, Kevin Cahoun and Andrew Durand in “Shucked” at the Nederlander Theatre.
(Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman)
2. “Shacked”, Dutch Theater
A musical about corn? With a book by Robert Horn and music by Brandi Clarke and Shane McAnally, “Shacked” is not only the most hilarious musical of the year. The first-class production by director Jack O’Brien is also very attractive. Imagine the old TV variety show Hee Ho in a post-Book of Mormon world. Tony Award-winning author of the musical Tootsie, Horn is arguably one of today’s most entertaining musical playwrights.
“Shucked”‘s corny setting involves a crop crisis. Engaged to Beau (winner Andrew Durand), Maisie (Caroline Innervikler) makes a pilgrimage to Tampa, Florida, to consult corn expert Gordy (John Behrman), who is just a handsome con man. is. A romantic turmoil ensues, narrated by two kind and sarcastic observers (played capriciously by Ashley D. Kelly and Gray Henson) and featuring outstanding supporting roles from Alex Newell and Kevin Cahoon And both of them were nominated for a Tony Award for the way they wore their hay seed traits with a dignified difference.
The story is overblown, but Clark and McAnally’s fresh country music more than makes up for the slack, especially when Durand is in full flight and Newell is in showstopper mode. The most hilarious musical of the year, “Shacked,” has brought a new Americana bounty that’s nicer and naughtier than its predecessor. This reborn version of “Hee Haw” may unite a strained America and bring some much-needed laughs.
Victoria Clarke (left), Justin Cooley and Stephen Boyer in Broadway’s “Kimberly Akimbo.”
(Joan Marcus)
1. “Kimberly Akimbo” Booth Theater
Kimberly Akimbo, David Lindsay-Abaire and Janine Tesori’s musical adaptation of Lindsay-Abaire’s 2001 play, is this year’s critically acclaimed production. This quirky show has a sharp satirical surface that exposes the casual cruelty and hypocrisy of home life, as well as the torturous mind games of high school. But its gentle inner world brings a keen awareness of the ephemeral nature of life, the fluctuations of joy and sorrow, and the inevitability of loss.
The best of the five nominated shows for its spiteful, poetic originality, Kimberly Akimbo follows the title character, a teen who suffers from a genetic disorder and undergoes rapid personality changes. It’s built around a towering lead performance by Victoria Clarke, who plays she is an elderly woman. For Kimberly, time literally speeds up. Her emotional maturity has already surpassed that of her parents, but like other adults in her musicals, they still seem to be stuck in adolescence. But as Kimberly discovers through her friendship with Seth (Justin Cooley, her haunting Broadway debut) that she’s the only classmate who finds her glowing soul beneath her ruffled exterior, Her youth is no barrier to her wisdom.
This is a small show and probably should have been smaller. Having two acts makes it feel longer. The theatrical hype machine needs winners, but let’s not object to how Kimberly Akimbo has been overrated. Featuring pastiche music with Tesori’s bespoke versatility, the musical is best regarded as The Unexpected Skylark. It’s a mischievous, companionable delight, deepened by mortal shadows that encourage eternal release in a bygone moment of shared gratification.
