Riedel on the Tony Nominations- Page 2

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 12:59pm

I doubt Mary Poppins will get the nod.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 1:14pm

Although I hate the play, TALK RADIO is a strong production. To me, it deserves the nod over the horrendously long and strangely misfired production of HEARTBREAK HOUSE.

I am seeing LEGALLY BLONDE tonight, but I sure as hell hope that the 4th slot goes to LOVEMUSIK.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 1:29pm

Well Nick Berg Barnes was in the play - I don't think he came in until the battle at the end. He did a lot of set moving, though.

I wonder if that was a mistake on Riedel's part.

I think Boyd Gaines is giving an amazing performance - but I can't believe there's nothing for Hugh Dancy...

Stark Sands is also giving a great performance, Tony worthy. Updated On: 5/11/07 at 01:29 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 1:59pm

I'm kind of suprised that Lovemusik will get a nod. The show itself didn't recieve the best reviews, and I'd say most people would want to sit through Blonde then they would want to sit through Lovemusik. It's sort of like Grey Gardens where the performances make the show look better than it is.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:07pm

did you see GG?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:11pm

No, I'm going off reviews, not the actual show. Which I'm sure is how some of the people vote considering I doubt all of the people have seen all of the shows.

[LaCageAuxFollesFan2]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:13pm

Put me in the - "I hope LOVEMUSIK" takes the 4th slot category.

To nominate LB or MP would be a true waste to me. If the Tony's were honestly honoring excellence in Artistic Merit - LOVEMUSIK gets the 4th slot, no questions asked.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:22pm

out of all the new musicals, Spring Awakening is the only one where the show itself got the best reviews, right? Everything else seemed to praise the performances rather than the show, right?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:28pm

Re-read some of GREY GARDENS' reviews...

[bwaygal1]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:40pm

The show is excellent itself. I love the music and book tremendously. It is a touching story and the acting is superior.
However, the material is very strong, too.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:45pm

Ny Times on Grey Gardens:

"Watching this performance is the best argument I can think of for the survival of the American musical."

"The first act is still too long for its function as an explanatory preface to the second."

"The faults of “Grey Gardens” remain the same on Broadway, including an entire first act that never really takes flight."

It seems to me that the show itself got mixed-to-positive reviews.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:47pm

Grey Gardens is one of my favorite musicals of all time. and i'm not prone to say that about many musicals. seriously, there hasn't been anything this good on Broadway (in my opinion) since Ragtime.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:50pm

I'm not saying it shouldn't be nominated because out of all the shows this season I think Spring Awakening and Grey Gardens deserve to be nominated. They took things that weren't really "musical theater" and turned them into something beautiful. I'm just saying that not many shows this season got flat-out raves, and while LoveMusik is the "artistic" show, it didn't get any more raves than, say, Legally Blonde. The performances got raves, but not the show itself.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:53pm

He focuses in on the performances, but doesn't say TOO much about the show itself and the score.

Though you did only quote one half of a sentence, where he goes on to say that the show is much improved from off-Broadway.

and he made it a NYTimes critics' pic. Not common.

But, by and large, the reviews for GREY GARDENS were positive and enthusiastic.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 2:57pm

RentBoy, wasn't that first comment from the Times in regards to Ebersole's performance and not the show itself?

I was a bit disappointed with Grey Gardens. The book did not work for me at all and it wasn't until the second act that I warmed up to the score. I did like some songs in the first act, but most felt unnecessary to me. Heck, I thought the entire first act was pretty unnecessary. I still think it deserves to be nominated. I just had really high expectations that really weren't met. Except for the performances. Those were great.

~Steven

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:03pm

Did you see the docu?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:05pm

Yeah, well, the review mostly centers on the performances. He does say that this show is a must-see, but because of her performance, not because of the material.

And yes, I saw the documentary.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:05pm

I was asking Mr. Music.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:06pm

I've seen parts of it, but not the whole thing. I plan on renting it sometime soon. Does enjoying Grey Gardens depend on seeing the documentary first?

~Steven

[folkyboy]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:10pm

no i don't think so. though i was obsessed with the documentary for quite sometime before seeing the show itself. when i saw the Broadway show i was really amazed by how my little Edie was walking around right in front of me.

it also fleshed out a lot of the things they bicker about in the documentary by the fictional Act 1. my roommate, however, claims he would've never enjoyed it had he have not been as obsessed with the documentary too

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:14pm

My whole argument is that it's just stupid to say something should be nominated over something else because of "artistic merit." Art is so subjective and to say that LoveMusik is "art" and Legally Blonde is not, is just stupid. I'm not saying either one is better than the other cause I haven't seen either of them.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:19pm

right but unless you've seen both LoveMusik and Legally Blonde, you can't compare the two. LoveMusik is visually stunning. it may be rickety and have more blackouts than a community college theatre production but the vocals and staging are GORGEOUS.

Legally Blonde looks cookie cutter and the score is dreck.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:31pm

But that's your opinion.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:31pm

"If the Tony's were honestly honoring excellence in Artistic Merit - LOVEMUSIK gets the 4th slot, no questions asked."

I disagree. I found "LoveMusik" to be nothing more than a cold, hollow frame showcasing two brilliantly blinding performances. If you go back and read the reviews, almost every critic raved about Murphy and Cerveris but acknowledged that they aren't working in a show worthy of their performances.

For me, though "Legally Blonde" has many faults and a very hit and miss score, I would give it the final nomination. Jerry Mitchell managed to bring all the enjoyable things about the film to the stage in a way that is (most of the time) pretty smart (though I could have done without the hundreth reprise of the opening number.)

In regards to the "road potential" theory-- I really don't see why the producers have already decided to bring "Spring Awakening" out on tour. I can't fathom that show succeeding financially in most towns across the country. Perhaps if they nab Best Musical they'll have a better chance at promoting it as high art, but though it is really pretty spectacular... I just don't see it making it on the road.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 3:43pm

SPRING AWAKENING is 90% a done deal for the best musical tony.