Best Tony Moments 2015

1.) Sydney Lucas, Ring of Keys

The little girl is amazing. She obviously possesses an understanding of humanity that exceeds her years. Her performance was raw… profound… moving…

I also loved the camera shots with Beth Malone (Alison) sitting behind Sydney (small Alison) and the final shot of Michael Cerveris (Bruce, father). Very nicely done. 

2.) Kelly O’Hara dancing off the stage

It’s all over Twitter. I suppose I would be dancing too, if it took me six Tony nominations to finally win a Tony. She waited a long time to make that exit. 

3.) Alan Cumming’s shorts. 

A bold, yet effective fashion choice. 

4.) Banter between Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming. 

I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a big opening number, such as the enthralling 2013 opening number performed by Neil Patrick Harris, but I did enjoy the comical exchanges between the two co-hosts and I definitely appreciated their comedic approach to hosting. They had great chemistry and were fun to watch, like a flashback to when they played Rooster and Lily in the 1999 Annie movie. 

5.) Lisa Howard’s performance (from It Shoulda Been You with Tyne Daly)

Having seen her live, I knew she would knock this out of the park. She was fierce, and yes, she sang “like a big black woman”. If anything or anyone can help this show sell more tickets, it’s this performance. I hope Tony viewers feel the same as I do because I want this show to be around for a long time! 

6.) Fun Home Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori win for Best Book and Best Score. 

In all of Broadway history, Fun Home is the first musical with an all-female writing team to win Best Book and Best Score categories. In other words, we witnessed Fun Home making history tonight! 

7.) Chita Rivera performing Kander & Ebb’s final musical at the young age of 82 years. 

An inspirational sight to see. 

What were your favorite Tony moments???? 

THE VISIT

Broadway
Lyceum Theatre
May 23, 2015 matinee

5 Reasons To See The Visit on Broadway

The Visit is an intriguing notion of a musical, a story centered on themes of avarice and vengeance. Claire Zachanassian, played by the legendary Chita Rivera, is merely a teenager when she falls in love with Anton Schell and becomes pregnant. Following Anton’s public denial of her, she is forced to leave their small town of Brachen, Switzerland. However, Claire accumulates a substantial fortune when she is repeatedly widowed through the years, and in her older age, she returns to the town that deserted her as a teenager. The townspeople are destitute and hope that Claire will offer a piece of her fortune to help revitalize the town. Instead, Claire offers the townspeople money in exchange for the murder of Anton Schell, her former lover, and the people must determine if the murder of a neighbor is a suitable exchange for wealth. 

1.) Chita Rivera

Chita’s performance is everything Broadway audiences desire from a legendary Broadway diva. She is a formidable presence on stage. Her performance is satirical and even comedic in some moments, insinuating the irony of the visit. Whenever Chita was on stage, which was most of the time, I was engaged and interested- she exuded a certain magnetism. 

2.) Chita Rivera is 82 years young. 

Who wouldn’t want to witness an 82 year old carrying a lead role on Broadway eight times per week? Actors such as Chita, Angela Lansbury, and Elaine Stritch, who have worked well into their ninth decade of life, simply amaze me. Such dedication to the craft is very admirable. After seeing The Visit, I can attest to the fact that Chita’s light has not dimmed with age! Her mobility and gracefulness on stage were quite remarkable.  

3.) Satire

I love a good satire, and it’s not every day that we see this musical “genre” on Broadway. Broadway abounds with Walt Disney, drag queens, youthful ingenues, and reimagined movies (to name a few). Let’s engage our imaginations with something unique and unconventional. The Visit may be a bit macabre, but it’s also a thought-provoking piece of theatre, depicting humanity in a much more realistic light than those musicals which culminate in a pleasant resolution.

4.) Jason Danieley

Admittedly, I am a fan. Jason Danieley’s performance of “The Only One” as Frederich Kuhn was one of the non-Chita highlights for me. The melody and lyrics are haunting, and I was transfixed. A great song performed by a great singer and actor. 

5.) It’s Kander & Ebb’s last musical. Need I say more? 

Gigi

Broadway
Neil Simon Theatre
May 30, 2015 matinee



Happy Tony Awards week, everyone! This past weekend, I saw the revival of the Lerner and Loewe musical, Gigi, which is currently playing on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre following a short run at the Kennedy Center in January. Gigi was originally conceived by the French writer Colette in her 1945 novel, and the novel was later adapted into an Academy Award winning movie and then a Broadway musical in 1973. The musical ran for only 110 performances on Broadway. 

My interpretation of Gigi evokes themes of female empowerment and feminism, and although these themes are often present on a Broadway stage, perhaps they are not present often enough. The story begins with Gigi as a young, carefree girl begrudgingly taking “society” lessons from her Aunt Alicia, who wishes to mold Gigi into a high class mistress, a common pursuit for privileged women in 1900’s Paris. Gigi is bored by the apparent obsession with “making love” in Parisian society, and prefers to explore the world beyond Paris. Gigi spends much of her time with her grandmother, Mamita, and the nephew of her grandmother’s former lover, Gaston, who is a rich socialite. Aunt Alicia and Mamita conspire to mold Gigi into a high-society woman, so that she may catch the eye of Gaston. Before long, Gaston falls in love with Gigi, and the clandestine plan is effective until Gigi decides that she does not wish to be someone’s mistress; rather, she desires something more meaningful. Gigi and Gaston must decide if they have a future together. 

I enjoyed this production of Gigi very much. First of all, the costumes by Catherine Zuber are stunningly beautiful. In particular, Victoria Clark (Mamita) and many ensemble actors wore gorgeous turn-of-the-century hats that I wish were still in style so I could have an excuse to wear one. (Costumes- Major Tony snub). I enjoyed all of the music and choreography. I think that Lerner and Loewe’s score is a bit underrated and I will very likely add this cast recording to my collection of Broadway music.   

Although this is a revival of an old musical, the production is youthful (like its lead character), energetic, and new. It doesn’t feel “old” or outdated at all. As Gigi, Vanessa Hudgens gives a respectable and solid performance. Unlike some movie stars cast in Broadway musicals, Hudgens can actually sing and dance and act, which is refreshing, and she appears to be working very hard to give a Broadway-caliber performance. Her performance is youthful, vibrant, and spirited. I enjoyed watching her perform on stage. 

Tony-nominated Victoria Clark is pretty much perfect in this part. She is the epitome of class and grace. In addition to wearing stunning costumes and hats, her voice is like butter, her singing is perfectly effortless. What I liked most about her performance was that it didn’t only serve the purpose of portraying Gigi’s grandmother and telling Gigi’s story- her character possessed a unique story of her own and offered the audience some depth and intrigue. 

Coming from the recent Broadway production of Newsies, Corey Cott was fantastic as Gaston and I enjoyed seeing him tackle a more mature role on stage. After seeing him in two shows, I really think he has the potential to have a long and productive career on Broadway. It’s hard to put into words, but he has an impressionable stage presence. His second act number, “Gigi”, was lovely. 

As Aunt Alicia, Dee Hoty nailed this comedic character. I particularly enjoyed her scenes with her “sister”, Victoria Clark- they had good chemistry together. Howard McGillin as Honore was also very good, and I also enjoyed his scenes with Victoria Clark. Come to think of it, Victoria Clark had good chemistry with everyone on stage. Though not the most likable character, Steffanie Leigh was very entertaining as the over-dramatic and wandering mistress of Gaston, Liane. 

Gigi was a very enjoyable afternoon at the theatre. I hope that you will consider checking it out at the Neil Simon Theatre!