JUNE 8, 2015
It’s the day after the 2015 Tony Awards, so let’s look at the aftermath. Chita Rivera and “The Visit” went 0 for 5, and will close this Sunday. “Something Rotten!” managed only one win (Christian Borle as Best Featured Actor, in a bit of a surprise), but their opening number (“A Musical”) was widely considered to be the best of the entire telecast and will definitely sell tickets. “An American in Paris,” strongly favored to win Best Musical, did not, but the show is selling out, and its 4 technical Tonys will keep that buzz going.
Then there’s “Fun Home.” The story of a lesbian who must deal with the tragic suicide of her closeted gay father won the same award, Best Musical, as did “My Fair Lady” — how times have changed! In addition, “Fun Home” won 4 additional marquee categories — Best Actor, Music, Book and Director. That’s progress. Huge congrats to Alison Bechdel, whose graphic memoir started the ball rolling for this risk-taking musical that will become part of Tony history.
In the musical revival category, Bartlet Sher’s rethinking of “The King and I” swept with four Tonys, including Best Musical Revival, Best Musical Supporting Actress Ruthie Ann Miles (where she bested three actresses from “Fun Home”) and costumes. The show’s co-star, first-time Tony winner Kelli O’Hara won Best Actress on her sixth nomination in a hotly competitive race with Rivera and Tony co-host Kristin Chenoweth, who received critical raves for her performance in the revival of “On the 20th Century.”
The award for Best Play went to the remarkable “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” The production also took awards for Best Director, Scenic Design and Lighting Design, as well as a big one for Alex Sharp, a 26-year-old recent graduate of Julliard who became the youngest Best Actor winner in Tony history.
Helen Mirren won her first Tony Award as Best Actress as Queen Elizabeth in “The Audience,” and her co-star Richard McCabe managed an underdog victory as Best Supporting Actor. I’m amazed that this is Mirren’s first Tony and have no problem with it, but my heart and my vote go to Carey Mulligan for her extraordinary performance in the current production of David Hare’s “Skylight,” which deservedly won the Tony for Best Play Revival.
“Fun Home” is the fourth production from downtown’s Public Theater to transfer to Broadway and win the Tony. Many theater mavens believe next year will produce the fifth, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton,” which opens in August. See you in June, 2016.
