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Here are all the 2023 Tony Award winners.
Much like Warren G. Harding, this current Broadway season has campaigned on a return to normalcy.
Also much like Warren G. Harding, that campaign has had mixed results.
Devon Ivie:Lets start off swinging here.
Which of these nominations do you feel was theleastdeserved?
Because I have one show in mind.
Jackson McHenry:Wow.
Ivie:Is that too pointed?
Which of these nominees gave you the most pause?
Looking back, it was in some ways a thin-feeling season.
So I guess you have to fill out the list of nominations with something.
Ivie:New York, New Yorkwas also the show I was thinking of.
The show just left a lot to be desired.
I remember walking away thinking,Lin-Manuel Miranda actually contributed to this?
But we should talk aboutSome Like It Hot, which did get a ton of nominations.
Ivie:I was eagerly awaiting your firstSmashmention.
McHenry:I know you likedSome Like It Hot.
Ivie:I did.
I thought the most spectacular musical number of the season was the shows chase choreography for Tip Tap Trouble.
That is what Broadway is to me being swept away by a meticulously crafted song-and-dance routine.
How did they make all of those doors dance?
I always suggestSome Like It Hot.Is it a little slick?
Sure, but theres a lot of joy there.
McHenry:See, when people ask me that, I send them toKimberly Akimbo.
Its certainly a smaller-scale show, but it has such an emotional loveliness and texture.
Theres so much heart in it.
McHenry:Isupport a nerdical.
Who wouldnt like a show with a character who speaks Elvish?
Nobody I want to know.
McHenry:For ticket buyers, its great.& Julietis making tons of money.
I love getting shot at by confetti cannons.
But I was never convinced of its being well crafted.
Ivie:Its the perfect bookend to a cocktails with the girls jot down of night.
I assume itll have a very long touring run.
So what about theShuckedphenomenon?
Its having adeservedly viral moment.
It leans into the corniness.
I thought the original songs were fantastic.
McHenry:Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark are really good at their jobs.
Its cookie-cutter, and thats fine, but it doesnt feel like it has any larger ambitions.
Ivie:Are you saying puns cant win Tonys?
McHenry:Avenue Qwon!
MaybeShuckedhas a good chance of pulling off a surprise where you vote with your funny bone.
Its a number built to stop the show, and they do.
I assume they will win the Tony for Best Featured Actor.
Tear the roof off.The same goes for Bonnie MilligansBetter inKimberly Akimbo.
The two of them have all but locked down their categories with those high notes alone.
McHenry:Honestly, no Im confident in my opinions, at least the recent ones.
Maybe even more so with a little distance.
Did you seeFat Ham?
Ivie:I did, and I understand what you mean.
I thought it worked until the Vegas-style sequence at the end, which seemed tacked on.
McHenry:I got frustrated.
Its just a really thorough portrait of a vivid New York character.
You lean back in your seat and trust in the confidence of the writing.
McHenry:Go on.
Ivie:The more I thought about it, the more issues I had with the staging decisions.
Its a huge deprivation that most of the audience couldnt experience that catharsis.
All that said, Im going to be rooting for Jodie Comer for Best Lead Actress in a Play.
You would never,everthink doing this in London and now here was her first professional stage-acting role.
McHenry:There are only four nominees in that category.
It doesnt feel like a complete thematic statement.
Ivie:It was almost like they were still in rehearsals.
McHenry:I had good seats, so I had a perfect view of her leaving.
But Ive talked to so many people after the show who werent able to see the final moment.
I think the voters will shift their Jessica affection right over toA Dolls Houseas a whole.
Ivie:That reminds me of something:A Dolls HouseandParadeshare a staging decision.
We get more quality time with the actors, so Ill call it a plus either way.
Jessicas picking up where the Jellicles left off.
Ivie:It always comes back toCats.
McHenry:Good on Ben Platt just sitting there drinking his water during intermission.
Ivie:It seems Josh Groban is the main competition against Ben Platt.
Josh isnt exactly a frightening guy, you know what I mean?
Hes got a marvelous baritone.
Hes just not physically who I wouldve envisioned for the role.
But I also think Josh and Ben are solid competition!
I feel like its important in life to never underestimate what an Evan Hansen might accomplish.
I wasnt as won over by Grobans performance.
To me, Annaleigh Ashford is the standout in that show.
Personally, I would also give it to Victoria, but ImAkimbo-pilled.
Ivie:Who are these people against Annaleigh?
Can I have a strong word with them?
She had me in stitches with The Worst Pies in London.
Another vote for her!
But I thought Ben was terrific.
He has a gorgeous singing voice, and I felt the emotional weight of every note.
I think the Tony should go to her.
I could seeInto the Woods,Parade,orSweeney Toddwinning.Camelots nomination is a happy to be here situation.
Its a true three-way race, which I thinkParadewill win by a hair.
Ivie:If I may introduce another metric, can we praise theSweeney Toddorchestra?
I went to check out the pit at intermission and it was staggeringly robust.
So many bassoons and French horns!
Id now love to hear your thoughts on the acting nominations for plays.
I wasnt able to see them all, butTopdog/Underdogblew me away.
I walked away with emotional whiplash from the two leads.
McHenry:Its great that Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II were nominated.
His work inBetween Riverside and Crazyis just towering.
But Stephens performance lingers in a lot of peoples minds.
Ill predict he wins, giving in to my own hopeful bias.
Ivie:Lets not leave out Wendell Pierce inDeath of a Salesman.
Ive appreciated reading further about how an all-Black cast adds an additional layer of subtleties to the text.
It was a timely production.
I didnt likeAlmost Famous,but Im not mad that it has a nomination for Original Score.
Cameron Crowe knows how to rock out.
Led Zeppelin even relented and gave the show Ramble On.
Lord knows theyre difficult when it comes to their music rights.
I was also happy to see the number of featured performances inCost of Livingrecognized.
Id vote for Arian, the best performance inA Dolls House, but my moneys still on Brandon Uranowitz.
Hes on his fourth nomination and really does stand out amongLeopoldstadtsgiant ensemble, so nows the time.
Patrick Marber will also win for Direction of a Play for wrangling that ensemble.
If a production wins Best Play, the director usually wins too.
McHenry:I like ending on a positive note.
One wants to go to MIT; another thinks about living in Rome.
I think about that moment so much.
Ivie:My moment was also aKimberly Akimbosong Bonnie Milligans big solo number Better.
Shes enlisting everyone in her weird moneymaking schemes and trying to get them to have fun with her.
Youre just like,Okay, more of that in every show, c’mon.
McHenry:I do love that the quartet of show-choir kids comes in and sings harmony there.
Wow, were just sitting here pluggingKimberly Akimbo.
Ivie:Team New Jersey!
