Best Choreography - 2012 Tony Award

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 7:18pm

Iknow. It's early. But as I've been thinking about the shows of the season, it seems as though Follies could (potentially) have a Best Choreo nomination...

Shows (I know this is a partial list)
Nice Work
Evita
JCS
Newsies
Leap of Faith
Follies
Rebecca
Ghost
Godspell

I know many of these haven;'t open yet, but what do people think?

[AMH]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 8:07pm

My vote is for FOLLIES.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 8:10pm

It'll probably be NEWSIES.

[bwayalltheway]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 8:26pm

Out of this list it will probably be Newsies. Which I am totally okay with; I loved the show at Papermill. But Follies deserves a nomination.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 8:26pm

None of the shows that have opened thus far have had choreography anywhere near as good as the choreography in Newsies. I expect it, along with Nice Work, Follies, and perhaps Evita to be nominated.

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 8:31pm

LYSISTRATA JONES, I think, has a VERY good chance of scooping up that award. Not only was the choreography energetic, but also choreographing basketball shots and games into the show has to count for something.

It'll be a tight one between LYSISTRATA and NEWSIES...FOLLIES didn't strike me as very choreographic show other than "Who's That Woman?" and "Lucy and Jessie"

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 8:37pm

Lysistrata Jones is going to receive as many Tony nominations as Bonnie and Clyde- zero.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 9:03pm

I'm assuming Nice Work will have numerous classic Broadway dance numbers and given Marshall's three Tonys for choreography, she could easily end up being the front-runner. The other three nomination slots will likely go to Follies, Newsies and Lysistrata Jones unless Evita has something truly extraordinary in this production. Loads of even the most forgotten flops get nominated for choreography. Scottsboro Boys, 9 to 5, Xanadu, Cry-Baby, Curtains, Wedding Singer, Bombay Dreams, Never Gonna Dance, Urban Cowboy, Swing, Footloose, Steel Pier, The Life, Dream, Big, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Ain't Broadway Grand...the list goes on and on.

Updated On: 1/22/12 at 09:03 PM

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 9:05pm

Yes I imagine it will be Newsies or Nice Work as the winner. As for the other nominees, there really aren't a whole lot of shows with dance this year unless they nominate someone for 'musical staging.' Updated On: 1/22/12 at 09:05 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 9:15pm

Obviously nobody saw Patti & Mandy do their swivel chair dance.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 9:26pm

^If this were facebook, I would "like" that post.

The best part about the chair dance was that they had to hire dance legend Ann Reinking to choreograph it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 9:29pm

Yep. When I saw that I said to my friend "That's so Reinking".

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 10:05pm

Wasn't she credited with the choreo for them? I seem to remember seeing that in the program. (I don't save my progams, so I cannot verify)


AND what about Once? While it isn't traditional, I found the choreography to be stunning in many places.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 10:16pm

Ann Reinking was credited as either "Movement Consultant" or "Choreographer"

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 10:21pm

Mister Matt, many of those shows were still open and had good choreography.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 10:23pm

Looked it up on IBDB.com: Dance Consultant: Anne Reinking.

At least THIS time, I wasn't totally 'off' in my memory!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 10:27pm

Some of the shows were still open for the Tonys, some closed in a matter a weeks long before the Tonys. As to the quality of the choreography, that's purely subjective. I'm just saying a nomination for Lysistrata isn't that remote.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 10:38pm

Matt, Xanadu was open for a year before and 4 months after the Tonys at which it was nominated for Best Choreography... and, you know, Best Musical.

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 10:45pm

I agree if it's not that strong of a year it has a good chance but most of those shows were open.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 10:56pm

The NEWSIES choreo was far better than the early TV clips but it is still more a tumbling fest. (The less flashy KING OF THE WORLD was, for me, the only clever staging in the show.
I hope Marshall does a little better than her usual boy/girl diamond pattern thing.
FOLLIES could have great choreograph but it didn't.
So far a piss poor season for dancing.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 11:00pm

perfectliar - Oh, I know. I was just listing flop musicals that received choreography nominations.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 11:11pm

Once should definitely be nominated for choreography. The staging with the dancing while playing the instruments is absolutely stunning.

[Matt2]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 11:15pm

Not that I think Lysistrata Jones will win Best Choreography (personally I think Newsies will take it) A short list of shows that won the Best Choreography Award after closing:

Touch and Go – 1950
George M! – 1969
Seesaw – 1974
Ballroom – 1979

And a few I can remember off the top of my head that closed shortly (sometimes days) after winning the award.

Destry Rides Again – 1960
The Happy Time – 1968
Follies – 1972
Big Deal – 1986

Still, it's way too early to make any real predictions, yet here we are. Chalk it up to winter boredom.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 11:15pm

The other three nomination slots will likely go to Follies, Newsies and Lysistrata Jones unless Evita has something truly extraordinary in this production.

For better or worse, a lot of the choreography of Evita was built around the fact that Elena Roger was a professional tango dancer. This production requires more from Evita than other productions have. But weren't even those pretty dance heavy?

[Matt2]

Posted: 1/22/12 at 11:46pm

It's just that Rob Ashford is choreographer, and I've really disliked what he did with "Promises, Promises" and "H2$". He lacks any kind of subtlety or nuance. I hate to say it but I've found his work to come across as soulless, overdone and lengthened to the point of tediousness. Yes, his numbers are large and splashy, but all seem to have no heart or purpose. He puts on extravagant routines just because he can-- even if it doesn't work within the context of the show. Just look at what he did to Brotherhood of Man, Grand Old Ivy and Company Way for starters.

I've only seen a clip of the London Cast performing Buenos Aries from "Evita"-- but I really wasn't impressed with it at all.

Who knows, maybe the rest of the show was better. Judge for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkc6BlTSWB8&feature=fvst