![]() It got eleven nominations, including one for Lilli Cooper, securing her place in this generation of leading ladies of color. Tootsie fares somewhat better - it's less cynical, at least, with a genuinely funny book that doesn’t mock its audience for buying a ticket. The principal cast of 'Beetlejuice' on Broadway Matthew Murphy Onstage, Leslie Kritzer, who is half Puerto Rican, does great heavy lifting, but the only other principal cast member of color is Kelvin Moon Loh, who deserves better than the glabrous, effete stereotype he’s forced to embody. But given the studio's poor track record with responsible, inclusive representation (see: the Oompa Loompa number from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Beetlejuice's entirely white male creative team is.disheartening. ![]() It looks like they might finally have it. ![]() “It is really a matter of getting that one big hit,” Gregg Maday, the division’s founder has said. It was to be the last gasp for Warner Bros’ theatrical division, which was on the chopping block after a string of flops and AT&T’s acquisition of its parent company. The mixed-reviewed venture nabbed eight noms, including Best Musical, in a downright Trumpian upending of expectations. However, if you’re concerned the Tonys are becoming a hotbed for a feminist, non-white liberal agenda (gasp!) take a gander at the musical nominees, which are chockablock with big studio affairs written, produced, and directed almost exclusively by white men, namely Tootsie, Beetlejuice, and Ain’t Too Proud.īeetlejuice’s team in particular must be gawping with relief. And its star Jeremy Pope is one of few actors to ever be nominated for two shows in the same season). (Also important: Choir Boy is a great show, full stop. Possible case in point: Choir Boy, Tarell Alvin McCraney’s intimate Broadway debut about a black boarding school, beat out both Mockingbird and Network, the season’s other ginormous hit about a speechifying white man with a conscience. The group of traditional industry insiders has been replaced, as one columnist said, by " professionals who put discernment ahead of cronyism." This year’s nominating committee had more women and people of color on it than ever before, which means closer scrutiny of the world’s Sorkins. This signals a major shift in the way the industry engages with itself, and where its power center lies. One critic offered the choice tweet: "To Kill a Mockingbird getting snubbed for Best Play is the universe making up for Green Book's Oscar." The New York Times called it "rearranged comfort food" for white liberals eager to feel better about their privilege. Others have been more critical. In recent weeks, tastemakers have cooled to it, especially the way in it which approaches its core issue of race. While the show received good reviews, few were unqualified raves. And its advertising campaign is less than subtle, emblazoning the words “ALL RISE” across Times Square like a command from Big Brother.Īlso: lucre isn't value. ![]() Then there were the repeated legal battles, the last of which painted the show as a bully stomping out tiny regional theater productions - not great for its rep on the Rialto. It is the biggest hit of the season, with advance sales over $20 million - and thus the least in need of a win to stay afloat. In the case of Mockingbird, its box office may have worked against it. ![]() (They did snub Rudin's other two shows, Hillary and Clinton and King Lear, each of which earned but one nod). If the nominators wanted to stick it to Hollywood power players, they had a strange way of showing it. Neither are known for their diffidence.īut Rudin is also behind Gary, as well as The Waverly Gallery, now up for Best Revival. On the surface, it seems like simple a rejection of Big Hollywood by its more artsy, East coast cousin: Sorkin is one of few true screenwriting A-listers, and it's produced by EGOT Scott Rudin. ![]()
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