Tonys Weekend Dilemma 2019!

[Johnsylva]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 6:11pm

Update! Here's a rundown of what I had the privilege of seeing this past week in NY -- thank you so much again to everyone for the feedback/input!

Thank you so much to everyone for your feedback for my 2019 Tony Awards Weekend Dilemma! I ended up making it a (very) long weekend and managed to squeeze in 7 shows -- my rankings/brief thoughts for anyone who's interested here...

1) KISS ME KATE -- This one REALLY bowled me over. After a lot of mixed reactions on the forums and among friends, I was expecting serviceable...instead, I got dazzling. I loved this so much I almost bought a ticket to see the matinee the very next day. Also, the energy in the audience was positively ELECTRIC. A shame this didn't find as wide of love as I think it deserves -- but I am very grateful that I chose to find the time to see what immediately became my favorite show I saw this trip.

2) THE FERRYMAN -- What can I say that hasn't been said already? Nary a wasted moment or word. Stunning and stunningly paced drama -- it felt like 90 minutes at most to me -- and seeing it with mostly this new cast certainly did nothing to distract or detract from the powerful choices happening on the page and on the stage for this very, very deserving winner for Best Play.

3) BEETLEJUICE -- Another huge surprise! Saw this mostly out of morbid curiosity and my nostalgia for the film -- but I found this to be a wildly inventive, endlessly energetic new take on the classic, and my face truly hurt from smiling so much for the show's duration. I hope the terrific performance at the Tonys will encourage a wider audience to give this a shot -- I'm sure glad I did.

4) ALL MY SONS -- The fact that this features non-stop acting with a capital "A" is either what would make or break this show for an audience member -- for me, it certainly made it. Bening especially tore me to shreds -- her grace and immeasurable nuance in each gesture and every word was absolutely captivating to behold. Letts, Walker, and the rest of the cast also kept the momentum rolling throughout -- even if I was pretty ready for it to wrap up about halfway through the last act, the impact and power of those final moments made the less successful scenes well worth enduring.

5) HILLARY AND CLINTON -- Loved, loved, loved Metcalf in this. Lithgow is great as well -- but really mostly a foil for Metcalf's Hillary, who lights the stage on fire with a microphone and revels in its burning bright for 90 minutes straight. The final words left me in tears but with some strange sense of hope. If the whole thing feels sort of slight on account of its scope and running time, I think it's only because it's almost too soon to process the weight and the implications of the discussions this excellent show wants to have. There was definitely a sense of 'I'm not ready for this' among much of the audience...and I do not think that's a bad thing.

6) TOOTSIE -- I did not respond to this as well as I had hoped/anticipated. While Fontana is undeniably wonderful -- and such a warm, endearing presence -- the book did very little for me, and its attempts at modernizing the admittedly problematic politics of the film felt far too forced and on the nose for the jokes and words to land. I smiled often throughout -- I laughed once or twice. The production values and choreography did little to smooth things over -- it rarely even felt like a Broadway show to me. Still, the endless cheers from the crowd Fontana received after the quick line about Dorothy possibly winning a Tony Award was one of the greatest moments I've had watching a show -- I saw it Monday night after his win, and he was visibly stirred and shaken by the whole experience.

7) THE CHER SHOW -- Well... aside from the fact that it was announced Block would not be going on literally 5 seconds before the curtain went up (this was the Wednesday matinee yesterday), I struggled a lot of the show's running time to figure out why this was on Broadway. Cher (and Sonny) of course deserves to be, well, wherever she wants to be -- but this just did not capture the essence or energy of her music or life in the way I hoped it would. The three Cher device did not work for me at all -- at least in Summer, the three Donnas were distinctive enough in what areas of Summer's life that all of their presences were more than justified...even welcomed. The self-referential air of having three Chers running around felt truly bizarre -- even desperate. That being said, Dee Roscioli stepped into Star's/Stephanie's shoes with major aplomb, and there are a few numbers that truly did soar. The finale is one of the most joyous things I've seen on Broadway, and I ended up very pleased that I made the time to squeeze in this mixed bag -- but very well-intentioned -- celebration of one of our greats.
 

--

Hi everyone -- I'm back with the 2019 edition of my Tonys weekend dilemma!

I'll be visiting New York from LA Friday June 7 until Monday June 10 and able to catch four shows. ALL MY SONS is unmissable to me (Annette!), and I've seen THE PROM, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and NETWORK, so they're out.

So, Broadway experts, what other THREE shows should I catch in order to have the most diverse, dazzling experience at the theatre -- while being able to see as many Tony nominees/likely winners as possible?

Appreciate your input -- New York, here I come!!

- J

Updated On: 6/13/19 at 06:11 PM

[LxGstv]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 6:46pm

Oklahoma! and Hadestown.
The Cher Show for Stephanie J. Block.

[hveasey]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 6:59pm

Hadestown
Oklahoma!
The Ferryman

Updated On: 4/27/19 at 06:59 PM

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 7:22pm

The Ferryman 100%!!!

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 7:34pm

OKLAHOMA!
THE FERRYMAN
HADESTOWN

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 9:05pm

Another vote for Hadestown and The Ferryman

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 9:14pm

HADESTOWN
TOOTSIE
THE CHER SHOW

[Rogerdellibovi]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 10:54pm

hveasey said: "Hadestown
Oklahoma!
The Ferryman"

Same list same order for me

[ilysespieces]

Posted: 4/27/19 at 11:01pm

Hadestown, The Ferryman, Tootsie

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/28/19 at 9:16am

Hadestown

Oklahoma!

The Ferryman OR What the Constitution Means to Me

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/28/19 at 9:38am

Definetly The Ferryman and Oklahoma! since they are not open runs.

Then Hadestown or Tootsie.

All My Sons was a must for me also because of Benning. Saw it in previews. Enjoy!

[Sytwix]

Posted: 4/28/19 at 9:54am

Hadestown

The Cher Show

Burn This 

[Pippin]

Posted: 4/28/19 at 12:17pm

For diversity -

Hadestown
Oklahoma
Gary- you’ll never see anything like it.

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/28/19 at 12:18pm

Probably best to finalize your decision after April 30th when Tony nominations are announced.

My 3 picks: Hadestown, Oklahoma!, Frankie and Johnny

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 4/28/19 at 12:24pm

Frankie and Johnny is not part of this season if that matters to you. I’d probably see Hadestown, Tootsie, and Oklahoma! If you want to see another play that has good chances on Tony night, substitute in The Ferryman for one of those or Network (for Cranston only - likely their only chance at a win).

[Johnsylva]

Posted: 6/13/19 at 7:21pm

Thank you so much to everyone for your feedback for my 2019 Tony Awards Weekend Dilemma! I ended up making it a (very) long weekend and managed to squeeze in 7 shows -- my rankings/brief thoughts for anyone who's interested here...

1) KISS ME KATE -- This one REALLY bowled me over. After a lot of mixed reactions on the forums and among friends, I was expecting serviceable...instead, I got dazzling. I loved this so much I almost bought a ticket to see the matinee the very next day. Also, the energy in the audience was positively ELECTRIC. A shame this didn't find as wide of love as I think it deserves -- but I am very grateful that I chose to find the time to see what immediately became my favorite show I saw this trip.

2) THE FERRYMAN -- What can I say that hasn't been said already? Nary a wasted moment or word. Stunning and stunningly paced drama -- it felt like 90 minutes at most to me -- and seeing it with mostly this new cast certainly did nothing to distract or detract from the powerful choices happening on the page and on the stage for this very, very deserving winner for Best Play.

3) BEETLEJUICE -- Another huge surprise! Saw this mostly out of morbid curiosity and my nostalgia for the film -- but I found this to be a wildly inventive, endlessly energetic new take on the classic, and my face truly hurt from smiling so much for the show's duration. I hope the terrific performance at the Tonys will encourage a wider audience to give this a shot -- I'm sure glad I did.

4) ALL MY SONS -- The fact that this features non-stop acting with a capital "A" is either what would make or break this show for an audience member -- for me, it certainly made it. Bening especially tore me to shreds -- her grace and immeasurable nuance in each gesture and every word was absolutely captivating to behold. Letts, Walker, and the rest of the cast also kept the momentum rolling throughout -- even if I was pretty ready for it to wrap up about halfway through the last act, the impact and power of those final moments made the less successful scenes well worth enduring.

5) HILLARY AND CLINTON -- Loved, loved, loved Metcalf in this. Lithgow is great as well -- but really mostly a foil for Metcalf's Hillary, who lights the stage on fire with a microphone and revels in its burning bright for 90 minutes straight. The final words left me in tears but with some strange sense of hope. If the whole thing feels sort of slight on account of its scope and running time, I think it's only because it's almost too soon to process the weight and the implications of the discussions this excellent show wants to have. There was definitely a sense of 'I'm not ready for this' among much of the audience...and I do not think that's a bad thing.

6) TOOTSIE -- I did not respond to this as well as I had hoped/anticipated. While Fontana is undeniably wonderful -- and such a warm, endearing presence -- the book did very little for me, and its attempts at modernizing the admittedly problematic politics of the film felt far too forced and on the nose for the jokes and words to land. I smiled often throughout -- I laughed once or twice. The production values and choreography did little to smooth things over -- it rarely even felt like a Broadway show to me. Still, the endless cheers from the crowd Fontana received after the quick line about Dorothy possibly winning a Tony Award was one of the greatest moments I've had watching a show -- I saw it Monday night after his win, and he was visibly stirred and shaken by the whole experience.

7) THE CHER SHOW -- Well... aside from the fact that it was announced Block would not be going on literally 5 seconds before the curtain went up (this was the Wednesday matinee yesterday), I struggled a lot of the show's running time to figure out why this was on Broadway. Cher (and Sonny) of course deserves to be, well, wherever she wants to be -- but this just did not capture the essence or energy of her music or life in the way I hoped it would. The three Cher device did not work for me at all -- at least in Summer, the three Donnas were distinctive enough in what areas of Summer's life that all of their presences were more than justified...even welcomed. The self-referential air of having three Chers running around felt truly bizarre -- even desperate. That being said, Dee Roscioli stepped into Star's/Stephanie's shoes with major aplomb, and there are a few numbers that truly did soar. The finale is one of the most joyous things I've seen on Broadway, and I ended up very pleased that I made the time to squeeze in this mixed bag -- but very well-intentioned -- celebration of one of our greats.

--

Thank you again to everyone for your feedback and input -- until the 2020 Tony Awards Weekend Dilemma!