Can Kiss Me Kate Upset Oklahoma! for Best Revival Of A Musical?

[Soaring29]

I keep thinking about the year that the more traditional revival(The Pajama Game) beat out the less traditional one(Sweeney Todd). Could we see a repeat this year? The new Oklahoma! is such a departure from the original that many Tony voters may be turned off by it but will give it it's due in other categories. What do you think?

[qolbinau]

Highly unlikely. Maybe if it was Hello, Dolly! But as much as I enjoyed parts of it I don’t know if this revival of Kiss Me Kate is really inspirising audiences. A nice night of song and dance with some decent performances. But nothing revelatory.

[Broadway61004]

Soaring29 said: "I keep thinking about the year that the more traditional revival(The Pajama Game) beat out the less traditional one(Sweeney Todd). Could we see a repeat this year? The new Oklahoma! is such a departure from the original that many Tony voters may be turned off by it but will give it it's due in other categories. What do you think?"

Yes, that year the more traditional revival one. But we've also seen a re-imagined Pippin beat a traditional Edwin Drood, a re-imagined Color Purple beat a traditional She Loves Me, a re-imagined Porgy and Bess beat a traditional Follies, etc. And I think the most important difference is that there were a lot of people really passionate about that Pajama Game revival. This Kate revival? Not nearly enough.

[carolinaguy]

Oklahoma! lost out to Kiss Me, Kate at the Drama League and to Fiddler at Drama Desk. Granted, different eligibility and voting body for those, but I won't say an upset is impossible. The Times poll this week will tell all (probably, unless the vote is as close as last year).

[NYadgal]

Yes.  It can.

[QueenAlice]

I just wish the Yiddish production of FIDDLER had been eligible. It's the best revival of the year.

[BJR]

The precursors only really tell one thing: OK is more divisive and so sent some votes elsewhere, landing on FIDDLER because it's a great production with a lot of good will. Drama League is an older and often more conservative voting block, so it wasn't completely surprising. That said, Tony voters are often less adventurous than the nominating committee. 

It's very possible Tony voters were divided by this production and some want to send a message. But no one is enthused by this KATE revival. The message it would send was not that they liked KATE but they hated OK's untraditional approach so much they gave it something they aren't even enthusiastic for, but safe. And ick what a message.

All of this is possible but I imagine more likely, if it turns out voters were more divided by OK, than I'd look to them possibly losing the other close races they're in while holding on to this.

[Wick3]

The roadie Tony voter block will probably vote for Oklahoma! simply because it'll have a national tour next year. It would certainly help with selling tickets if this production won a Tony for Best Musical Revival.

[QueenAlice]

It has become SUCH a ploy though to announce a national tour in tandem with Tony voting. Half the time the tours never manifest, and I think the roadie Tony block has become hip to that. And I still think if it were to tour this would be a very 'limited' tour. I can not imagine this production of OKLAHOMA playing well in a lot of markets. KISS ME KATE would likely tour better.

[Hot Pants]

I really enjoyed Kiss Me Kate, but I’m pretty sure Oklahoma is winning. It’s got much more passion going for it, which will likely get it the win. However, it is worth noting that even if many people love it, there’s about as many who hate it. So while I don’t currently expect it to happen, Oklahoma’s divisive nature could lead to Kiss Me Kate winning

[musikman]

QueenAlice said: "It has become SUCH a ploy though to announce a national tour in tandem with Tony voting. Half the time the tours never manifest, and I think the roadie Tony block has become hip to that. And I still think if it were to tour this would be a very 'limited' tour. I can not imagine this production of OKLAHOMA playing well in a lot of markets. KISS ME KATE would likely tour better."

Yea, most touring markets outside of the big theatre cities are probably shying away from this production Oklahoma, if anything.  Their subscriber base (read: usually older and less adventurous) will most likely want a more traditional version of the show. 

[HeyMrMusic]

I do think it’s divisive enough for Kiss Me, Kate to win and for Rachel Chavkin to take Best Director. They may throw Oklahoma a bone and vote for Revival just because it tried something different. I’m actually on the fence about this. I can see many road voters being totally turned off by this production.

[Scarlet Leigh]

It can and I don't really know if one could call it an 'upset' if it does. As innovative as the revival of Oklahoma is, it's also proven to be a highly polarizing production as well. There are likely a number of people that hate, hate, hated it that will would not feel like Kiss Me Kate beating it would be an upset at all. An 'upset' would have been more like.... Waitress beating Hamilton. It was never gonna happen in a million years so if it had, it would have been one. This one is a total toss up especially since Oklahoma has yet to actually win a best revival award leading up to the Tonys in the other awards. It only shows that it's chances are not as set in stone as many might believe. Do I think it SHOULD win. Oh yes. Do I think it WILL win. It might not.

[HeyMrMusic]

If Drama League Awards were more conservative, as someone suggested, then something like The Prom or Tootsie would have won, but Hadestown prevailed. I don’t think they’re afraid to give an innovative, less traditional show an award. Kiss Me, Kate will probably also get choreography, so voters will already vote for it somewhere else on the ballot. Oklahoma has a good chance at Orchestrations and Featured Actress, but those two awards could very easily go to Hadestown as well if voters truly didn’t like Oklahoma. It’ll be very fascinating to see where all these votes will land.

[AEA AGMA SM]

I don't think the touring market plays into the revival race nearly as much as it does for the Best Musical race. The most recent tours of Roundabout shows were Cabaret and Fiasco's Into the Woods. Giving one of their revivals the award because it might boost hypothetical subscription sales is definitely putting the cart before the horse for the voters.

[Pose2]

I think it has a great chance of winning, actually. Far better show than Oklahoma!

[CATSNYrevival]

My worry is a win for Oklahoma encouraging more of these kinds of stripped down productions which could be a blessing or a curse if they’re no good and just trying to formulaically imitate the success of Oklahoma.

[Kad]

Stripped down productions have been a thing for a while and will continue to be a thing as long as producing musicals remains a costly endeavor, regardless of whether this particular production wins a Tony. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Maybe that was the wrong description. I feel like this production is a little different in concept than the stripped down revivals we’ve seen in the past.

[SisterGeorge]

God, I hope not. I saw this Kiss Me Kate last week for the first time and felt like I'd already seen it before.

[JBroadway]

CATSNYrevival said: "Maybe that was the wrong description. I feel like this production is a little different in concept than the stripped down revivals we’ve seen in the past."

 

I wouldn't call it stripped down, it's just been re-conceived as a smaller, more intimate production. I think a better word would be "experimental." Maybe that's the same thing? I don't know. I think the difference is that we aren't meant to imagine what isn't there, per se. It's just that it's no longer meant to feel like we are out in the streets of an Oklahoma settlement - it's inside a cozy barn instead. 

[Mike Barrett]

I haven’t seen Oklahome, but just got out of Kiss Me Kate and I cannot see it winning. It’s a fine and enjoyable production, but from what I’ve heard or Oklahoma on here and with friends, that’s got it in the bag

[jdrye222]

This is a year in which the category should have been eliminated. There is nothing about KMK to warrant an award for Revival, as it is a mediocre staging of a very dated show with great songs. And the editing of Shakespeare at the end should immediately have taken it out of the running.
Oklahoma could have easily been nominated in its current production amongst the plays. It will only win the category because KMK is just fine, nothing different.

[GeorgeandDot]

Oklahoma! is a beatifully designed and acted, atmospheric and relevant production that takes a lot of risks and makes a lot of bold choices. Kiss Me, Kate is lovely, but nothing else. It lacks the fire that made She Loves Me feel fresh and new. Oklahoma! should be rewarded here. It's taken a musical that I've heard many call tired and dusty and made it sexy, scary, and funnier than ever.

[bear88]

I didn't see Kiss Me, Kate and I know it has admirers, but the consensus view seems to be that it's a traditional, somewhat uninspired revival with a few tweaks to the book and some good choreography.

That doesn't mean it won't win the Tony, though. The revival "contest" feels like a referendum on the Oklahoma! revival. I liked it a lot, despite some experiments that I didn't think worked, but there are plenty of people who hated the show. If those people make up a majority of Tony voters, Kiss Me, Kate wins.

My hypothetical comparison, based on current revivals I've actually seen, would be Oklahoma! and My Fair Lady, which we saw on consecutive days last month. I know my family would be divided if we were Tony voters. We enjoyed both musicals.