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I found Jamie Lloyd’s austere direction of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” –black modern dress, no sets, the actors barely get out of their chairs - largely off-putting, even as I welcomed the new adaptation of Amy Herzog. They are adept at handling the horror, but also capturing August Wilson’s inimitable cadences, and his abundant humor, which elevates bickering into an art form. Jackson, Danielle Brooks, and John David Washington, but they and the rest of the eight-member cast work as an ensemble, portraying a family of storytellers in a play haunted by ghosts – literal, metaphoric, historic…above all, by August Wilson.

“The Piano Lesson” features a starry cast, including Samuel L. My preference: August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog Poll pick: A Doll’s House To paraphrase the reasoning in a jury verdict, my preference is based on the preponderance of the elements. Each has at least one aspect that turned me off - the glib resolution to the love relay among the teenagers in “Kimberly Akimbo,” the bang-us-on-the-head direction of “Some Like It Hot” - but my preference is largely a matter of personal taste.Īnd that’s always the question I have about these awards: How much are they based on collective taste rather than some comparative measure of “quality?” My preference is admittedly among the least likely to be chosen by Tony voters, judging by the musical’s mixed critical reception and by the love shown in the other New York theater awards for “Kimberly Akimbo” and “Some Like It Hot.” There is much I admire in both of these musicals, as you’ll see in some of the other categories below. I prefer to think of “New York, New York” - with its focus on (among others) a Black veteran, a Cuban immigrant, a Jewish refugee - as a musical that should have been made seventy years ago, shortly after the show is set, but Broadway wasn’t ready for it then. But I’m a native New Yorker unembarrassed by such boosterism. Jaded New Yorkers might find the overlapping storylines’ eventual convergence too much like an old I Love New York commercial. Granted, the individual stories the show tells of a diverse group of new New Yorkers each trying to make it here can feel overly familiar. It wins me over with its score, its breathtaking scenic design, the lively choreography, a finale that left me exhilarated, and its subtle resonance to current times: Set in the aftermath of World War II, the musical presents characters who each experienced the collective trauma in personal ways, and together are trying to recover from it. “New York, New York”is a new musical by the 96-year-old John Kander (who is receiving a Special Tony Award Sunday for lifetime achievement), with an assist from his long-deceased partner Fred Ebb and his new collaborator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Some Like It Hot Poll pick: Kimberly Akimbo What I hope is that the Tony broadcast, which already promises to differ from its usual format (to accommodate requests by striking members of the Writers Guild of America) will find a way to highlight these worthy plays, not just the musicals. And it’s the right play to highlight in a time that’s seen a surge in antisemitism.Īll of the other nominated plays deserve recognition the middle three have received it, each of them winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It’s epic and intimate, intellectual and ultimately moving.

#AUGUST RUSH PARAMOUNT REVIEWS FULL#

It’s bustling with characters, bristling with debate, packed full of facts. “Leopoldstadt,” a play by the 85-year-old Tom Stoppard inspired by the death of his own extended family in the Holocaust, traces four generations and fifty-six years in the life of a Jewish family in Vienna. on CBS and Paramount+).īut I also continue another annual tradition, a survey of my readers for their preferences (again, not their predictions) in 12 of the 26 categories, which helps gauge the nominees’ popularity. We’ll learn the choices of the 769 Tony voters soon enough - this Sunday, June 11th (6:30 p.m. Below are my preferences – not predictions – for the 2023 Tony Awards, in keeping with a tradition I’ve been maintaining for more than a decade.