
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Of the cast, only
K. Todd Freeman
and Julie White were nominated for a Tony.
David Zinn (Costume Design) and
Japhy Weideman (Lighting Design)
were nominated as well.
Every year, we have the same complaints about the selections for the Tony Awards. Or more precisely, the plays and musicals the Tony committee left out from their lists.
Our objections are not to suggest that last year’s The Realistic Joneses (reviewed here) should have gotten Best Play honors. However, it should have made the list.
This year, the overlooked drama is Lisa D’Amour’s Airline Highway (our commentary here.) This vibrant piece should have been named in the Best Play category; it is superbly and stylishly presented with a set of a rundown motel in New Orleans that dramatically occupies the entire stage. Set designer, Scott Pask and director Joe Mantello both went unnominated.
Gigi, a revival that could have filled the fourth slot after On the Town and On the Twentieth Century, had only one nomination. We love Victoria Clark, the sole recipient of a Tony nod in Gigi, but what of Catherine Zuber’s luxurious costumes or Derek McLane’s lovely scenery? Gigi, an entertaining and all-around worthy production with a good cast, was all but ignored by the Tony committee.
Clearly, not everyone wins in an Awards contest, but there should be moe runners on the field at the start. For instance, we are deeply committed to seeing a win for The King and I (see our review) for Best Musical Revival. We also favor The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time as the Best Play selection, as our commentary suggests.
Those toiling in theater play to a tough crowd eight times each week.We would just like to see their fine work get its due and hard-won acknowledgement.
For our Tony Double Jeopardy quiz and answers, visit http://wp.me/p5jq0w-sQ (Answers) and http://wp.me/p5jq0w-s5 (Jeopardy quiz) on this site. To see this critic’s Tony picks, please visit VevlynsPen.com