I am currently on a mission: to see all of the Tony nominated shows and performances before the Awards air on June 10th. Working towards that objective, I took in 2 shows this weekend: "110 In The Shade" & "Curtains"
"110 In The Shade" is a revival of a show that reminisces an old-school quality that can be found in "Oklahoma" and "Carousel". It is the story of a young woman who is on the verge of ending up alone, when a dark stranger wanders into town and inspires her and many townsfolk to believe in themselves and the good things will come.
I know, corny sounding, right? The show is actually really good. Some of the musical numbers were a little chaotic, and some of the characters were a little obnoxious. Yet on the whole, "110" left me with a smile and warmth like does a Grilled Cheese sandwich and a cup of Tomato Soup on a cold day.
Audra McDonald carries the production as "Lizzie", the young plain Jane whose family (of all men) is worried that she will end up alone, and their fears are then projected onto her. It's a role and a show that could be very cliché and predictable, but Audra creates such a beautiful character. She becomes a girl that everyone knows, that hides her insecurities behind a broadly intellectual yet thinly confident façade. Even when she opens herself up, she is guarded in her attempted vulnerability.
The other major standout was Bobby Steggert in the role of "Jimmy", Lizzie's little brother. He is a cock-eyed optimist who is clumsy and passionate and deftly delivers some of the best comic timing in the production.
"110" is nominated for Best Revival, but in spite of it's phenomenal leading lady's performance (much like "The Apple Tree) just won't hold up to this season's "Company".
Audra McDonald is nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, and I think she's definitely a favorite to win. I have yet to see Christine Ebersole (I'll see her next week in "Grey Gardens") or Donna Murphy, but so far I think that Audra has delivered the most deserving performance.
"Curtains" is a new musical by the hit-writing team Kander and Ebb. The story revolves around a 1950-something theater whose new show "Robbin' Hood" is plagued by deaths and tragedies on the Opening Night, beginning when the leading lady drops dead during the bows. An investigator from the Boston Police holds all of the cast and creative team under quarantine inside the theater as he unravels the case. Being a musical theater fan, he proceeds to not only solve the murder, but fall in love and make changes to the musical at the same time.
David Hyde Pierce plays the neurotically quirky "Lieutenant Ciofi". Pierce has received rave reviews, and a Tony nomination for the performance in the Best Actor in a Musical category. While his comedic delivery is wonderful, his dialect kept switching between "Boston cop" and "Niles Crane". I think it is wonderful that he's been recognized for his superbly funny performance, but I would be shocked if he were to win.
The show also features former Tony winners and current Tony Nominee's Karen Ziemba and Debra Monk, in the roles of "Georgia - one half of the show-writing team" and "Carmen - the stage mom turned Producer" respectively. Both deliver great performances. I was actually surprised at the amount of talent that Debra Monk has. Debra is nominated in the Leading Actress category, but won't win. She is up against huge performances from McDonald and Ebersole and Murphy…and while Monk's performance was good, it didn't carry any emotional pay-off or dramatic layering. Ziemba may win her category (Featured Actress). She was incredible as the writer turned star. Her character required a lot of diversity in singing, dancing, and acting. It was very impressive. Her category is also not stocked with the kind of performances that Leading Actress is, so I think she has a wonderful chance of going home with another Tony this year (she previously won for "Contact" back in 2000).
All I have left to see are "Grey Gardens" and "LoveMusik" (which isn't nominated for Best Musical, but it's three leading characters did get nominations.) The Awards are only a few weeks away!
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