A STRANGE LOOP On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread — Page 10

if anyone knows where comp offers might be floating around please feel free to message me....

If the Tony Awards mean anything then all of Best Musical, Score & Book will go to A Strange Loop. It would just feel like a travesty for any of these awards to go to Six. 

And I really believe SIX will win Best Musical.  It’s the better show in my opinion. We also can’t discount GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY and how votes will get split, etc. 

SIX is incredibly clever for a show that's "just a concert" (which I think is a gross understatement). It knows what it is, does it well, doesn't overstay its welcome, and received rave reviews here and in London. It's got a solid store, performances, and production values, and it is written/created by queer & female newcomers to the field. It creates interesting and specific characters without bogging us down with the mundane stuff. And above all, it's a crowdpleaser. Some people here are talking about it as though it's a jukebox revue.

It's not more artful, of course. They simply don't understand what a different opinion is. 

Girl from the North Country has not been able to translate its critical success into commercial or popular success on Broadway… it couldn’t do it pre-pandemic, it hasn’t been able to do it following Broadway’s reopening, and I see no reason why that would change when it re-opens again. It’s just not a show that seems to make people passionate about it. 

MadsonMelo said: "Cant believe Hudson will EGOT for giving money to this show LOL

Also, very sad that COVID prevent me from seeing the show, the score is amazing.

But I hear more and more people saying Jacquey is no Larry. Is this good news to Frost or Jackman or voters who hasnt seen Larry will like Spivey anyway?"


It really depends on the campaign the show is able to run to boost Spivey. Frost has missed a ton of shows and MJ is a weaker role as a whole than Usher, except the dancing. Jackman could slip in, but the guy doesn’t need another Tony, especially for this.

VotePeron said: "MadsonMelo said: "But I hear more and more people saying Jacquel is no Larry. Is this good news to Frost or Jackman or voters who hasn't seen Larry will like Spivey anyway?"

It really depends on the campaign the show is able to run to boost Spivey. Frost has missed a ton of shows and MJ is a weaker role as a whole than Usher, except the dancing. Jackman could slip in, but the guy doesn’t need another Tony, especially for this."

I'm currently predicting Spivey to win because A Strange Loop is expected to be the strongest contender between that, MJ, and The Music Man. Which was pretty much how Tony Shalhoub managed to win for The Band's Visit back in 2018. In what was a hotly contested race for Best Lead Actor in a Musical, he benefited from his show being the strongest contender.

Myles Frost could also be vulnerable due to outside factors regarding the person he's playing. Although I've heard that people within the industry have liked MJ more than the critics did. I guess it could have a similar trajectory to Bohemian Rhapsody’s at the 2018 Oscars. Despite not being a critical favorite and being plagued with controversy, it not only proves to be a commercial hit, but people within the industry like it more. Hugh Jackman could be vulnerable due to his production not living up to everyone's expectations.

Kad said: "There will be a percentage of folks who don’t like the show and/or are put off by its language, frank (blunt?) sexuality, subject matter, or even its skewering of the industry. But as of now, it’s not clear what that percentage will be. The production has a lot of very strong allies, and Michael R. Jackson is doing his part as an actively involved creator to help boost it. I would hope that voters would want to reward a new voice in musical theater at a time when we seeing many make it to Broadway."

I know there's a longstanding debate about the impact (or lack thereof) of the "out-of-town" voters. But *if* they are indeed a factor, they'll certainly be a factor this year. I just saw Strange Loop last weekend, and I think it was a fine piece of art. But my feelings aren't really the point here. Objectively, I have been trying to imagine it touring North America, and it's a little tough to envision. I live in Pittsburgh and reviewed shows on the radio here. I saw some folks leave the Spring Awakening tour at intermission, balk at Book of Mormon, etc. But this seems pretty next-level in terms of how challenging it will be to a lot of people.

 

binau said: "If the Tony Awards mean anything then all of Best Musical, Score & Book will go to A Strange Loop. It would just feel like a travesty for any of these awards to go to Six."

I think there are years we all feel this way. I'll never be able to make sense of Next to Normal losing to Billy Elliott, but in the end, it doesn't affect my personal relationship to and enjoyment of the show.

I also think hope that discussions about SL don't get too politically overheated, in the sense that it may actually be possible to separate feelings about the subject matter and its importance from the show itself. Not to get too sports-y, but people frequently argue about the definition of Most Valuable Player in baseball. There are many interpretations of the word "valuable." Just as there can be many interpretations of "Best" in "Best Musical."

For the record, if I were a Tony voter I'd agree with you 100% on Book and Score....and I'd sit there staring at the paper/screen for a *long* time on Best Musical.

dwwst12 said: "Kad said: "There will be a percentage of folks who don’t like the show and/or are put off by its language, frank (blunt?) sexuality, subject matter, or even its skewering of the industry. But as of now, it’s not clear what that percentage will be. The production has a lot of very strong allies, and Michael R. Jackson is doing his part as an actively involved creator to help boost it. I would hope that voters would want to reward a new voice in musical theater at a time when we seeing many make it to Broadway."

I know there's a longstanding debate about the impact (or lack thereof) of the "out-of-town" voters. But *if* they are indeed a factor, they'll certainly be a factor this year. I just saw Strange Loop last weekend, and I think it was a fine piece of art. But my feelings aren't really the point here. Objectively, I have been trying to imagine it touring North America, and it's a little tough to envision. I live in Pittsburgh and reviewed shows on the radio here. I saw some folks leave the Spring Awakening tour at intermission, balk at Book of Mormon, etc. But this seems pretty next-level in terms of how challenging it will be to a lot of people.

"

I think this is a really solid point, and one I have found myself thinking about. If/when A Strange Loop tours, it's going to be very interesting to see how it is marketed as part of a subscription. I have not seen the show yet, but based on the cast album alone, it is clear this show is not for everyone and is a lot more "challenging" in many ways than other shows that have sparked some controversies when they went out on the road. Hell, the current Oklahoma! tour has people losing their sh*t (reading the comments on the social media channels of the venues that the tour has played is very entertaining if you're looking to kill some time and see some ignorance on display, btw). 

It is going to be interesting to see how road voters will vote. SIX is already touring, and I can see road voters going with that just to have that added "BEST MUSICAL" prestige to add to the marketing when the tour comes to their cities, but at the same time, SIX doesn't NEED that marketing at all to sell out, and I'm sure road voters are aware of that as well... On this note, does anyone happen to know what percentage of Tony voters are road house presenters?

QueenAlice said: "VintageSnarker said: "VotePeron said: "A Strange Loop winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and then losing the Tony Award to a pop concert written in a university class is just…chaos."

This is the correct take. Privileged white Cambridge grads are "new voices"? Get out of here."

A pretty insulting comment. Michael J. Jackson also has an MFA in musical theatre writing from NYU, which is its own kind of privilege."

It’s a privilege to get in, but not a privilege to be saddled with the debt. And NYU’s musical theatre writing program is not comparable to Cambridge, c’mon now.