The Tony Awards were announced today. There were not a lot of musical nominees to choose from because Broadway’s season was cut short due to the coronavirus. There was Moulin Rogue! The Musical, Jagged Little Pill, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, and that is it.
The choices were even slimmer when it came to Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. They only had one choice, and it was Aaron Tveit for Moulin Rogue. You would think he is a shoe in to win. However, he needs to get 60% of the vote to walk away with the gold statuette. If he fails to get that percentage, then Broadway’s biggest night could be his saddest.
Could you imagine if he lost? His face would break everyone’s heart. How do you lose when you are the only one nominated? It can happen. It probably won’t. But it could.
He also better write a speech in case he does win. I mean, he can’t say he didn’t think he would win. He is the only nominee.
When will we find out if he will win or lose? The Tonys still does not have an air date. I hope they get Billy Porter to host. They are going to need his huge personality more than he needs them.
Today the Great White Way got some terrible news. Broadway will remain closed until at least May 30, 2021. That means the curtains will have been down for over 14 months by then, devasting the community and Manhattan.
“With nearly 97,000 workers who rely on Broadway for their livelihood and an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion to the city, our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so. We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League.
As someone who grew up in NYC and spent many hours watching Broadway shows, this news is so depressing. Why can’t people realize this is a deadly virus, and we need to treat it as such. Wear a mask, wash your hands, social distance, get the flu show, and stop being a covidiot. It is not that much to ask for.
I want to go back to normal. However, I can’t because people think they are invincible and don’t believe in science. Well, they are not, and science is real. Stop being selfish, and think of others. WWJD? Not what those covidiots are doing. He sacrificed himself for us, what have you done for him?
As of now, they are hoping for the curtain to finally go up again in the early part of 2021. There are just a lot of things that need to be fine-tuned so that they can open up safely in the COVID-19 world.
Chairman of the Board of The Broadway League Thomas Schumacher said, “The alchemy of 1000 strangers bonding into a single audience fueling each performer on stage and behind the scenes will be possible again when Broadway theatres can safely host full houses. Every single member of our community is eager to get back to work sharing stories that inspire our audience through the transformative power of a shared live experience. The safety of our cast, crew, orchestra and audience is our highest priority and we look forward to returning to our stages only when it’s safe to do so. One thing is for sure, when we return we will be stronger and more needed than ever.”
I am sure they will come back even more even stronger and with more energy than revivals like Chicago, Cabaret, and La Cage aux Folles. Manhattan needs them to come back. Heck, I need them to come back. I need to add some new songs to my repertoire because my cat is sick of me singing songs from Cats. Who am I kidding? I would not even hiss the songs from that show. It is all Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cabaret, Annie, Hamilton, Wicked, Hairspray, Hair, A Chorus Line, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and 42nd Street at my place!
On that note, we need to hear the Lullaby of Broadway roaring from The Lion King again. We need actresses to sing Dance Ten, Looks Three, aka T!ts & A$$. We cannot wait 525,600 minutes for another for the lights to go on again. However, we understand why! Come back when you can, we will be waiting for you.
In case you haven’t heard, the movie Cats was so bad that real cats wished they were any other species but a feline after it came out. We heard this, but we had never seen how they reacted to it when they were around the man who created the awful 1981 musical.
That is until now. Andrew Lloyd Weber was walking on a secluded path when he came up to a pussy that was in front of him. As the producer (who has created several amazing musicals) got near the kitty, it fell to the floor. Then Weber caught up to the cat; it turned its back on him. Which makes you wonder if it is sending him a message to the playwright. Something like you had me at Memory but lost me when the curtain went up.
Luckily for Weber, he came upon a nicer kitty. I don’t think most cats would have given such subtle messages. They would be more like the kitty in Pet Semetary. Me-ow! At least that was how mine was when I pressed play on the theatrical release. Thus, I have never seen the film.
Broadway no longer wants to build a snowman because Disney Theatrical Productions announced today that Frozen will not be returning to the Great White Way when the curtain finally goes back up after September 6th.
Even though the Frozen is done with Broadway, it will live on via tours, according to Playbill. That is when there are tours again.
Frozen is the first musical and third show to close on Broadway during the coronavirus hiatus. The two stage plays that ended their runs early are Hangmen and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Sadly, I am sure there will be more.
