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They think its one of the strongest years for plays in recent memory.
Eh, maybe some shouldnt have made the transfer from across the pond.
Ahead of the June 16 ceremony at Lincoln Center, they weighed in on where they stand and why.
Im going to decide betweenIllinoiseandThe Outsiders.
I honestly dont know where I land.
Ill see all three of those again to make my decision.
Voter 2:I thinkSuffs.
I took my medicine, but this thing needs work.And you know what?
They did the work.
It has a whole new mood and a whole new feeling.
It felt more upbeat and energized.
I know a lot of people are saying, Its justHamiltonfor girls or Its just aHamiltonknockoff.
Maybe thats a fair comparison.
I think its a little reductive, but I thought it was so clever.
Best Revival of a Musical
Cabaret at the Kit Kat ClubGutenberg!
Im disappointed that it was snubbed.
But for me, itsMerrilyin a walk.
I really liked it downtown and I fucking loved it uptown.
Voter 2:Merrily.Its always been my favorite.
Brody and Brian are extraordinary, but my vote is going to Jonathan.
His performance is the best of the year in any category, actually.
Its a staggering achievement.
Voter 2:My winner is Jonathan.
But I do want to say its an interesting list of names.
I wouldve put money on Brian because that was an amazing performance.
I probably wouldve predicted Eddie, even though it was a very divisive performance.
I thought it was very stylized.
I thought,Okay, you know what?
Brody is saddled with two of the worst wigs on Broadway he overcame them.
The one glaring omission here is the star ofTommy,Ali Louis Bourzgui.
That kid is a star.
I was enraptured from start to finish and I dont understand why hes not included.
Her performance was absolutely fearless and devastating.
Its such an uncompromising, brilliant, and vanity-free performance.
It took my breath away.
Honestly, I didnt love the show.
A lot of times I was like,Ugh, this is rough.
I dont think it belonged on Broadway because its such a difficult show to watch.
Voter 2:I think Maleah.
I feel like thats one of those a star is born performances.
Shes not just imitating Alicia Keys, shes doing her own thing.
One other nomination I was really pleased to see was Maryann getting in there.
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Voter 1:This is another great category.
I loved Steven and really loved Brandon.
I thought both of the guys fromThe Outsiderswere wonderful, but Im all about Daniel.
His delivery of Franklin Shepard, Inc. is award-worthy just for that song.
Watching him grow as a stage actor has been a privilege.
Hes one of the biggest stars in the world and he keeps coming back to the stage.
In this production, he just takes it all to another level.
She recently got married Jonathan was the officiant and Daniel was the ring bearer.
Its acting at the highest level.
Oh my gosh, her voice.
She anchors the show in a lot of ways.
Shes also one of those actors whos always been around and doing fantastic work.
She made her Broadway debut at age 18 inDreamgirls, playing Effie.
This show is just another reminder of her talents.
Thats the god-honest truth.
That achievement was very impressive for me.
If I stray from that, its probably forThe Outsiders, which I admire greatly.
Theres a kind of youthful masculinity that didnt feel like a sugarcoated story for Broadway.
It didnt feel dumbed down or softened to make it more digestible for audiences.
Voter 2:Is there any book I feel like was over-the-top good?
I dont think so.
Im still thinking about this.
Im going betweenThe OutsidersandSuffs.
The book was actually one of the issues I had withHells Kitchen.
I wouldve nominated the book forDays of Wine and Rosesover that.
Its the most depressing show Ive ever seen, but it was well done.
Whatever the show didnt deliver, I absolutely love the score and its the most successful of those entries.
But this was one of those years when theStereophonicscore had to be nominated because its that good.
I was very glad to seeHere Lies Lovein here.
So Im glad to see the score there, because its really good.
I think you only hear two in their entirety.
When they release the album, theyre going to include the full songs.
People have been clamoring for a while for it.
They also felt really modern.
Thats the score Ive heard people buzzing about the most by a long shot.
Best Choreography
Camille A. Theres a lot of really wonderful choreography.
The muscularity ofThe Outsidersis thrilling and fresh to me, and in another season would be award-worthy.
But what Justin achieved is astonishing.
Voter 2:I wouldve left outHere Lies Livebecause I thought nothing was memorable.
She was the one I was a little annoyed to get left out.
I liked it; I didnt love it.
Its an incredible year for new plays.
But if any one of these were announced as Best Play, I would applaud.
How nice am I?
I really thought all five were terrific.
Voter 2:I think Ill go withStereophonic, which I loved.
Its kind of incredible.
Usually its like, Well, this one isnt so great.
Its a really, really impressive list.
It says a lot about the current state of playwriting.
Im impressed and hope those theaters continue to invest in new plays and new playwrights.
It never disturbed or provoked me, which it set out to do with its audience.
I think Ill be voting forAppropriatein the end.
The truth is, the first time I saw it years ago, I didnt like it at all.
But this production I loved.
In the spirit of whats the best revival, it revived my notion of what the play is.
Voter 2:ProbablyAppropriate.
The interesting thing was there was a debate about, IsAppropriategoing to be a new play or a revival?
I think this is the best way to recognize the play.
ButAppropriateis a terrific play, and that might be what gives it the edge for me in this category.
That said, I think its a great production ofEnemy of the Peopleand super timely.
Im not sure where Im going to land.
Both them are award-worthy.
I didnt care for Jeremy or Michaels performances theres no conflict there.
They never transcended just fine.
When I was walking out, I said to my friend,Michael might win.
I mean, hes always been good, but hes exceptional here.
Playing a Russian oligarch who helped put Putin in power and youre actually rooting for him?
Thats no easy task.
Jeremy is so good, too.
Hes done a lot of theater and these people are misinformed.
Hes been in plays by John Patrick Shanley, Theresa Rebeck, and Amy Herzog.
Its not like hes just waltzing in and expecting to clean up with a Tony Award.
Im leaning toward Michael.
Im also really glad to see William recognized.
ThisUncle Vanyawas very uneven, but he was the clear standout.
I think Jessica has the edge for me.
Theres a scene in the play where shes alone onstage in silence for about five minutes.
I was in awe of what she did.
Very few people could pull that off.
Jessica just took it to another level in a very complicated role.
She knocked me out.
Voter 2:Theyre all really good.
I do think its between Rachel and Sarah.
Im leaning heavily toward Sarah because shes spitting bile for two and a half hours.
She plays a really awful person, lets be honest.
Its hard to play a terrible person.
I think its harder than people realize, and I really commend her for that.
That show is tough.
Ive always liked her onstage, but I was kind of knocked out by her here.
It almost seems cruel to single oneStereophonicactor out.
This is the prime argument to have that new category.
Will has the showiest role, and Tom plays the genius that everybody hates.
I might end up going with Corey for that reason, because hes amazing.
Going toe-to-toe with Sarah Paulson is no small feat.
Not that Corey is a second choice by any means.
Jim is fine and exactly the performance I expected him to give.
Im going to give the edge to Kara she was so fresh and exciting.
Shes just always good.
Thats where my allegiance lies.
Voter 2:Im leaning toward Kara.
I also have to say, poor Zoe Kazan, the only one fromDoubtwho wasnt nominated.
I thought she was fantastic in it.
I think Sarah might win because shes framed inStereophonicas the standout the Stevie Nicks, if you will.
Theyre all sensational, gosh.
But Ill vote for Kara.
Shes been nominated the past two years in the same category.
She keeps getting nominated and keeps getting better.
