New York City Theater

I spent the beginning of the day at Theater on Film and Tape to watch the Hal Prince Livent revival of SHOWBOAT, which actually marked the first time I've ever watched a stage production of this oh so holyest of shows in musical theater history, though I know the score like by heart and have seen each of its film versions countless times.

Then went over to Chatterbox for the second day in a row for the Talent Showcase of my friend Seth Bisen-Hersh. I had to leave halfway through, but what I saw looked pretty promising.

He opened with "If Only I Were Gay," a song from his musical MEANINGLESS SEX, which I actually reviewed at Fringe 2003 far before I ever met Seth. It's probably one of Seth's best songs, but a questionable choice to open up his show, considering how many sexual explitives the song involves. I'm not sure whether this was meant to be a showcase only for his songs as a composer, or for both that as well as his piano playing abilities, from which he leads a pretty successful life as an audition pianist. If the former, then he should probably reconsider letting his performers sing material from other authors. Why? Because it creates an unnecessary frame of comparison between his original songs and famed stuff.

Anyhow, tonight marked my fifth time at CHICAGO over the past year. The other recent trips have included to see Usher, The 10th Anniversary Concert Dress, Bebe Neuwirth, Joey Lawrence, and now Lisa Rinna and her husband Harry Hamlin, the first husband and wife to play Roxie and Billy - though Barrie Weissler has always dreamed of having Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones do Billy/Roxie.

Hamlin was one of the most genuine looking Billys I've ever seen. And Lisa of course was gorgeous looking, maybe too good looking for Roxie. Neither was too strong vocally, but I think they pulled the roles off pretty decently.

Harry's best moment occurred at the end of Act One, after Lisa had fainted and done the "I'm gonna have a baby" bit. Harry says that he'll get her the best doctor. BIG PAUSE. Now finally he says to the journalists/dance chorus in a pseudocaring politican manner - SOMEBODY, PICK THAT GIRL UP!

Attendance at today's Chatterbox at Don't Tell Mama was at a medium level, not really packed, but also not desolate. I was surprised when, upon bringing Debra Monk into the room, Rudetsky sat her down next to me prior to bringing her onstage. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi, Ms. Monk. I'm Matt Windman.
Debra: Oh yeah.
Me: Congrats on winning the Drama Desk.
Debra: Thanks.
Me: How's it going?
Debra: It's going well. Didn't we talk about this? (Pause) It's nice to be in a show that's doing well. (i.e. not closing)

As I've gone to more and more Chatterbox sessions, I've developed an appreciation for Rudetsky's friendly interviewing manner, where he invites his guests to go over their background/growing up/past for the first thirty minutes, then he delves into his or her current show or project, and tends to wrap up by showing some kind of video of him or her in a show or a TV pilot or whatever.

As Monk has done numerous times, she denied the assertion that her character in CURTAINS is based on Fran Weissler, insisting it's instead based on a producer that Peter Stone knew in the 70s. "She is relentless," describing the key to her character.

Guess what the first title for CURTAINS was, way back: WHO KILLED DAVID MERRICK?

She went into detail over the cast's first performance following the Tonys. There was a power shortage and the computers running the scenery were out, forcing the cast and crew to work together to move everything. Intermission ran 45 minutes. But afterwards, David got champagne to celebrate his Tony win, et al.

She and David are signed to stay with CURTAINS through February 27.

Best comment she got from Arthur Laurents while working on NICK AND NORA: "Deb, you look like a whore onstage."

Rudetsky asked if she'll eventually play Mama Rose. She answers: "We'll see."

He asks about THOU SHALT NOT: "I didn't know people would hate it."

Describing her first play ever, Pinter's THE BIRTHDAY PARTY: "I didn't know what the fuck I was doing."

At Feinstein's, I think the most surreal moment in Mary Wilson's mostly excellent show came when she performed "I Am Changing" from DREAMGIRLS. So, here was one of the original Supremes, singing a song from the show that is unofficially about The Supremes. Got a standing ovation, first one I've seen at Feinstein's since Carol Channing was there, and that was given to Channing only out of respect.

I remember when I first went to see the new Off-Broadway revival of THE FANTASTICKS quite vividly cause it was the night following my first day of law school. I enjoyed it so much that I had to see it again merely four days later on another critic's spare press ticket.

A while back, I was offered the chance to interview Anthony Federov, the AMERICAN IDOL alum who stepped into the show a bit ago. I finally took up the opportunity last week. I will interview him later in the week, but first went back to the show tonight. It just so happens that the show's home, on the first of two floors of the Snapple Theater Complex, is run by my former acting professor Cathy Russell, who is the general manager and long-running lead actress of PERFECT CRIME, the theater's other tenant. FANTASTICKS also came into the news last week by renaming its space the Jerry Orbach Theater.

At tonight's performance, Luisa, the young female lead, was performed by understudy Whitney Bashor, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan's Musical Theatre Program. I don't know how many performances she has performed the role, but she was really quite wonderful.

In terms of Bashor, it's a weird comment to make, but hear me on this. She was probably the prettiest actress I've ever seen play Luisa; and incidentally, she also had the largest breasts. And it made me realize for the first time - Tom Jones (librettist) didn't just mean that this 16-year-old girl, according to the show's narrator, had underwent a change from ugly duckling to "quite pretty" - she's gone through puberty! And as in this case manifested by the girl's breasts, such a sudden change in the girl's physique has resulted in her wild emotions. (Think Lea Michele in the first scene of SPRING AWAKENING, where she is feeling her breasts.)

One other comment on Bashor - her character, Luisa, prizes a worthless neckless that supposedly once belonged to her mother. It just so happened that Bashor was also wearing earrings while performing the role. Though, as I've said, Bashor looked very pretty, she should not have been wearing the earrings. That took away from the importance of Luisa's necklace. That should be the character's only piece of jewelry, making it far more significant when El Gallo steals it from her in Act Two.

But anyway...Federov was quite good in the role. He may not have had much stage presence, but he gave a sincere, affecting performance. It was also interesting how both he and Bashor had light blonde hair - making them look very alike. And in terms of hair, Federov's hair style is very modern model-ish, and not in synch with the dramaturgical style/culture of this old-fashioned musical from 1959.

But here's the weirdest thing to note about tonight's performance - not only has the book change significantly from the original production, it's changed tremendously merely since I saw the revival a year ago. Is Tom Jones doing rewrites??? Seriously, there was so many! I couldn't believe it.

There was also a lot more camping about by the adult male actors - a lot of which was funny, some of which was really too much, especially from the adult actors playing the fathers. And in one odd moment in "Soon Its Gonna Rain," the Mute did not merely sprinkle Matt and Luisa with "rain"/glitter, but immersed them in a huge diluge of such confetti.

But overall, I truly enjoyed the show again - and I look forward to seeing it again and again. Just yesterday, i was thinking about what I consider to be the 10 perfect musicals - you know, like GYPSY, SWEENEY TODD, GUYS AND DOLLS, ect. I'd put FANTASTICKS on that list.

And having seen ROMEO AND JULIET merely days ago, I was reminded how FANTASTICKS is the postmodern ROMEO AND JULIET, where Romeo/Matt and Juliet/Luisa learn that the feuds between the fathers (i.e. Capulets and Montagues) was in reality a hoax devised by their parents to set them up. In the Public Theater's production, as I stated in my review, I wish the actors playing Romeo and Juliet had been younger. What Federov and Bashor do have is that youth (or at least they look it), and it made the performance all the more powerful.

The performance was well-filled, though not sold out. I hope it's selling well, and can continue to live on at that space.

They say that you don't became a real country until you lose a war.

Likewise, you might say that you don't become a real theater company until you have a big, fat flop show.

So, I'd like to congratulate Disney Theatricals on the demise of TARZAN in two weeks and finally welcome it to Broadway. Honestly, I think this is an important stepping stone for them. Maybe Tom Shumacher and the rest of the Disney gang can learn some EMPATHY, and understand what it's like to lose millions on a show.

So, how is it that TARZAN couldn't work, whereas BEAUTY, LION KING, AIDA and now MARY POPPINS are raking in the big bucks? Are those shows really that much better than TARZAN?

Well, frankly, no Disney show has been what I would call "good." But TARZAN was just particularly bad, excruciatingly embarassing.

I've now been to about five editions of Seth Rudetsky's excellent interview show Chatterbox, and the attendance level can be at either two extremes: a mere handful of regulars, or a filled-to-capacity room. Two weeks ago, Orfeh and her husband Andy Karl sold the place out, thanks mainly to the presence of the American Theater Wing's Springboard series. Last week, hardly anyone came to see Broadway legend Jonathan Tunick. But today, recent Tony winner David Hyde Pierce was able to fill the entire place to capacity.

Rudetsky and Pierce displayed fantastic comic chemistry, leading to a very enjoyable hour-long conversation. Pierce did not reveal much news, other than that he will stay in CURTAINS at least through February 2008, and that he will not return to SPAMALOT again.

Pierce noted how his father, an insurance agent, resembled his character in CURTAINS, who covertly dreams of being a Broadway actor. He talked about how he began as a music major at Yale, turned into a double major in theater and English. Other anecdotes included understudying Christopher Reeve, and making his Broadway debut in the 2-week flop BEYOND THERAPY alongside John Lithgow.

As a grand finale, we watched a clip of his guest spot on CAROLINE IN THE CITY where he played a CPA who makes an unexpected audition for the musical CATS.

OH - wait - there was some news. Seth announced that the Chatterbox guests for the next two weeks are set. Next Thursday will be Debra Monk, followed by Victoria Clark in two weeks.

I happened to re-attend LES MIZ Thursday night of last week, tentatively planning to re-review the current cast including Lea Salonga. As it turns out, on Sunday night, it was revealed that Cameron Macintosh had apparently re-attended the show himself and didn't exactly love a lot of what he saw. The actress playing Eponine and the actor playing Javert, both of whom I had seen, were dismissed. I won't comment on whether or not I agree with what Macintosh did, but for the time being, I will not be reviewing that performance. Instead, I plan to re-attend in like a month or so and review that performance.

Tonight, Wednesday, marked my 6th trip to INTIMATE EXCHANGES. Tomorrow I'll go back, which will assumedly be my last time, meaning I'll have seen 7 of the 8 pieces. As many of the critics have noted, the more of these Alan Ayckbourn plays you see, the more you become attached to his characters, all 10 of which are featured in all eight plays. It may be early to say, but this might be my "show of the summer." I tend to have one of these each year- the show that somehow defines the best of my theatergoing experience of that summer. Past summer shows for me have included the Nine revival (2003), The Frogs (2004), As You Like It/2 Gentlement of Verona at Shakespeare in the Park (2005), and Spring Awakening's Off-Broadway production (2006). Of course, I've yet to see Patti in Gypsy, so we'll see what happens with that.

I also got the chance to attend ROMEO AND JULIETTE at American Theater Ballet on Tuesday, prior to attending ROMEO AND JULIET at Shakespeare in the Park on Friday. To prepare for each, I reread the play on Monday. It had been about two years since I've attended an American Ballet Theatre production, and probably any ballet for that matter. It'll take a lot more time before I can persuasively and analytically review ballet performance, but I'm hoping that's something I'll be able to achieve in time, just as I've tried to increase my aptitude in reviewing opera and avant-garde performance art.

Why is it that during each Broadway By the Year season, the concerts of the earlier decades are far more compelling and artistically satisfying - at least for me?

I'd point to the fact that as we go into concerts dedicated to material from the 1960s, we're facing songs that we are more familiar with, and we bring higher expectations. Plus, the 60s brought the rise of the Broadway superstar (ie Streisand, Channing, Lansbury), who truly did put their signatures on showtunes. And in the case of tonight's concert, 1964, it was a sequel to an earlier one from 5 years ago, and thus they were forbidden from re-using songs previously used.

So, while I would not go as far as saying tonight's concert was weak, it was "weaker" than this year's previous three ones - BUT that says more about how artistically successful the previous three were, especially Broadway Musicals of 1959, which was absolutely superb. Poor sound design also marred about a quarter of tonight's songs. Scott Siegel mentioned that tonight's sound system was different than usual because a jazz event had just installed its own system for another event at Town Hall this week.

Out of everyone, the one who really impressed me was Gregg Edelman, who has not been on the boards since WONDERFUL TOWN. Isn't there anything out there right now for him? Maybe Javert? Something in MAMMA MIA?

Unlike in past years, Scott did not mention the highlighted years for next year's concerts. He did, however, note to me later that the series would begin in the 1940s, and end in the 1970s.

Here's tonight's running order:

ACT ONE

To Life - All
Everbody Says Don't - Gregg Edelman
This is the Life - Devin Richards
You Better Love Me - Stephanie J Block
Everything I Want - Sean Martin Hingston
Night Liz - Lizz Callaway
You Are Woman - Edelman/Block
Do You Love Me? - David Pittu/Beth Leavel
My Hometown - Scott Coulter
Far From the Home I Love - Sarah Uriarte Berry
My Fortune Is In My Face - Edelman
Now I Have Everything - Pittu/Callaway
God Bless the Human Elbow - Berry

ACT TWO

Soon - Band
Yes I Can - Pittu
To Be Alone with You - Berry and Coulter
Come Play Wiz Me - Sean Martin Hingston and Joyce Chittick
See What It Gets You - Callaway
Funny Girl - Leavel
I Wanna Be With You - Richards
There's Always a Woman - Block/Leavel
With So Little to Be Sure Of - Edelman/Callaway
It Only Takes a Moment - Coulter
Don't Rain On My Parade - Block
Keep the Home Fires Burning - Callaway and All
To Life Reprise - All

Rather like the case of the recent HIGH FIDELITY recording, the CURTAINS recording comes off a lot stronger than CURTAINS the performance. Why? Becuase we don't need to deal with its slow, hoaky book.

Kicking off with its overture, its musical comedy score feels as though it comes from another era entirely, with cute, often smart, songs performed by an amiable ensemble cast including recent Tony winner David Hyde Pierce (how did he beat Raul?), Debra Monk, Michael X. Martin, Jason Danieley, Karen Ziemba and so on.

I found it interesting how the sampler I had received beforehand for Tony voters chose not to include the song about critics. Coincidence?

Particularly liked how they included all three junior version of "In the Same Boat" prior to the completed version, making for a particularly compelling track.

Of course, the weaker numbers remain too - "The Man is Dead," for instance, merely filling up space. But overall, I recommend the recording.

Amazon.com link to CURTAINS RECORDING

As picked up from imdb.com:

Veteran actress Cloris Leachman has challenged theatre star Mel Brooks to a fight so she can prove she is healthy enough for a role in his forthcoming Broadway musical Young Frankenstein. Leachman, 81, was devastated to learn she had been snubbed for the part of Frau Blucher, Dr. Frankenstein's household servant - a role she originally played in the 1974 movie version of Young Frankenstein - despite having reportedly breezed through the audition process. Theatre insiders told New York Post's gossip column, Page Six, "(Leachman had) a wonderful audition... She was involved in a workshop recently and everyone loved her... but it was obvious she was too old." And Brooks, 80, fears the Broadway musical would be too strenuous for the star. He tells former industry columnist Army Archerd, "We're afraid the show might stop her - it could kill her... We don't want her to die on stage." But Leachman's representative Steve Rohr says, "Cloris challenges Mel to three rounds in the ring, and we'll see who's left standing."

Caught the first performance of IT'S A BIRD IT'S A PLANE IT'S SUPERMAN! at the York Theatre's Musicals in Mufti series, an Encores-style series using typically only piano and drums and no costumes. And unlike Encores, where the performers only pretend to be reading from a script, here they really do read from the scripts.

SUPERMAN has been on the Encores short list for some time. It was set to be done in 2002, but was cancelled immediately after 9/11 - it's plot involves a terrorist attack on several Metropolis buildings at once (sound eerily familiar? exactly).

Tonight's performance was totally sold out, and I suspect it's due to Cheyenne Jackson, who will be joining the cast of XANADU as of next week, replacing the injured James Carpinello as the painter Sonny.

Needless to say, there was no "flying." It was also devoid of any color, with the performers all wearing black. As such, the real focus was on Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' score. Strouse, in fact, made a cameo in the show and began as its narrator.

Cheyenne was wonderfully campy. Shoshana Bean gave a nice performance of the score's best song, "You've Got Possibilities." Lea Delaria was nicely cast as the villain, but improvised far too much, taking focus away from the show.

Please note that this is not meant to be a review. This was merely the first public performance of a concert with little rehearsal time, though quite a few of the cast members already did the show in the Reprise series. I highly recommend the reading to anyone who's ever been intrigued to see a performance of SUPERMAN.

When LES MIZ reopened on Broadway in November, it was far too early for it to be back. Though its technically a revival, it's really not - it's a remounting of the original production in a micro-sized format - less orchestrations, smaller stage, younger cast, using the national tour's set pieces.

The show is now significantly better than it was six months ago for one primary reason - NO DAPHNE RUBIN VEGA, who was truly awful as Fantine. Not that she's a bad performer. The fact is that, no matter the actor, if he or she is cast in LES MIZ, he/she really has no leg room to deviate from the role's pre-expectations. After all, the show is all song and you really shouldn't deviate from the proper diction of the lyrics and necessary belting.

Lea Salonga, as Fantine, gives a pretty fine performance. My only comment would that I didn't buy into the idea that she died. She seemed too full of life, even in her death scene.

Max von Essen, who takes over for Aaron Lazar, was also quite good.

Anyhow, I attended Chatterbox both last Thursday night and tonight.

Last Thursday's Chatterbox was overstuffed to capacity with college students participating in the Wing's Springboard program. Seth's guests were Orfeh and husband Andy karl of LEGALLY BLONDE. No news was revealed, but it provided an entertaining episode.

Today's guest was Jonathan Tunick, providing a far more meaningful, if less sexy, hour. Seth asked Tunick to define what the orchestrator does. Tunick described it as adding subtext, or color, to the score, like adding lighting to the set. Seth actually seemed less confident than usual around Tunick, as though he felt the need to display how much he knew and cared about orchestrations. This is understandable, as Tunick is the God of modern Broadway orchestrations, including the best Sondheim orchestrations (i.e. COMPANY, MERRILY, LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC...).

And speaking of Seth, rumors suggest that he has been cast in the upcoming Broadway revival of THE RITZ in a music director role.

'PIRATES' marks the final show of NJ's Paper Mill Playhouse's 2006-07 season. Two months ago, it was not clear whether this and SEVEN BRIDES would even happen due to Paper Mill's ongoing, surmounting financial difficulties.

In response, Paper Mill's next season looks like non-equity summerstock with HAPPY DAYS, LITTLE SHOP, MEET ME IN ST LOUIS, STEEL MAGNOLIAS and KISS ME KATE.

The final piece of this season, PIRATES!, is a PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN style adaptation of PIRATES OF PENZANCE. Its being advertised as a theatrical concert, in the sense that it has been staged in the Encores! style of orchestra onstage, but it's really no different from any other production I imagine.

Many of the tempos changed, as did the lyrics and even some plot points. But with the jazzed up humor and spice, it was like watching Gilbert & Sullivan on steroids. I think that should be my headline: GILBERT & SULLIVAN ON STEROIDS. Or maybe: GILBERT & SULLIVAN ON CRACK.

My full review will be in on Tuesday. But to my great surprise, this marked one of the best Paper Mill productions I've ever attended. It's lyrics and book were reworked by Nell Benjamin, who was nominated for Best Score for LEGALLY BLONDE with her husband Larry O'Keefe.

To think of it, I've seen PIRATES OF PENZANCE performed many times, but almost always by an opera company, or by the Gilbert & Sullivan Players. Though the Paper Mill performers were all wonderful vocally, the real highlight of this production, in addition to the rewriting, was in the comic abilities of the gifted, well-cast performers, something you probably can't find with an opera company. I'd say 4 stars!

If you were at the Tonys and have the commemorative Playbill, turn to ten pages from the back. I wrote a feature article interviewing the Tonys talent coordinator. It wasn't listed in the table of contents.

I'm hardly surprised by the COMPANY closing notice. Too bad it didn't make any $$$. Couldn't be good for the future of Sondheim revivals on Broadway, but SUNDAY is still set for Roundabout next season.

Paper Mill's new season announcement is identical to that which they introduced two months ago except for HAPPY DAYS, in lieu of FRANKENSTEIN. I saw a reading of the HAPPY DAYS musical two years ago. It was quite bad, but I understand it's been reworked extensively, including what is essentially a whole new plot.

Following last night's unexpected tryst back to SPRING AWAKENING, here is the rest of my tentative theatergoing schedule:

Tuesday - Intimate Exchanges, Trip No. 5 for me to this eight-part series
Wednesday - Pirates at Paper Mill Playhouse
Thursday - Back to Les Miz, now with Lea Salonga
Friday - It's a Bird Its a Plane Its Superman at the York's Musicals in Mufti series
Sat afternoon - Butcher of Baraboo at Second Stage Uptown
Sat night - Euridyce at Second Stage
Sun afternoon - Falsettoland at National Asian American Theater Festival
Sun night - East Village Fragments

After partying into late Sunday night with the SPRING AWAKENING cast and its hundreds of producers, I decided it was time for me to take a break - wait maybe a few months till I go back to see it again.

Then I woke up the next morning to an offer from a friend to use his spare onstage seat for that night's performance. As it happens, my grandparents were attending tonight, and I was very curious as to what their reaction to the show would be, so I took up the offer.

I sat onstage four times when the show was Off-Broadway, but had yet to do so on Broadway. Though onstage seating has its issues - you miss essentially all the lighting effects, and the actors' backs are often turned to you - I truly prefer it to sitting most anywhere in the theater. Sitting alongside the actors at the side of the stage is a truly intimate experience that cannot be paralleled elsewhere.

The performance was sold out, with a nice cancellation line stemming through 49th Street. When the cast entered, it was greated with a minute-long applause. The cast, after all, was walking onstage for the first time as the winners of the Best Musical Award. And John Gallagher Jr. received a well-deserved round of entrance applause when the schoolmaster woke him up in the second scene.

At curtain call, during the the third round of bows, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik were brought onstage from their seats in the third row of the orchestra to bow with the cast. The applause still would not die down. Suddenly, Michael Mayer, also present, ran through the audience and onto the stage, gave Gallagher a huge hug, and joined the cast and his co-creators in another bow.

Not since AVENUE Q have I sensed such a sense of community amongst a Broadway musical cast and its fans. Though a show like SPAMALOT or JERSEY BOYS also has its share of fans, they are not the kind who will return over and over again to the show, partly cause tickets for those are not as easy to come by - or in the case of SPAMALOT, were hard to come by two years ago. At SPRING, it's great to see that it's doing well, but thanks to its generous student rush policy and the onstage seats, a SPRING fan can easily see the show over and over again at liberty in a RENT style.

Tonight was a truly electric performance. The entire cast was in except for Hanschen, with Matt Doyle stepping in. Doyle was quite good in the role, but will need more work till he can parallel Jonathan B. Wright's brilliantly campy performance in his makeout scene with Gideon Glick.

So, should I now take a break from SPRING AWAKENING - maybe two months or so? We'll see what happens.

The press does not sit in the audience of Radio City Music Hall. We're next door at the Rainbow Room on the 64th floor of Rockefeller Center. We dress in tuxes, watch the awards on two TVs, and the winning actors are ushered into our hideaway for a mini-press conference of sorts.

The weirdest moment occurred at about 8:30 PM, when it was unexpectedly announced that CURTAINS had won Best Score. Sound weird? It should. The press people had misinterpreted seeing John Kander onstage as meaning that CURTAINS had won the award, which in fact had not yet been decided. It was a scary moment because it occurred to me - What if CURTAINS is going to beat SPRING AWAKENING for best musical?

So, let's go through what notes I scribbled down during the interviews, in no particular order...

Boyd Gaines will join JOURNEY'S END co-star Jefferson Mays in the Roundabout revival of PYGMALION, probably to play Pickering opposite Mays' Higgens.

I asked the producers of JOURNEY'S END why the show closed today - since they all but knew it would win Best Revival, why not wait at least another week to see if grosses picked up? The producers claimed they did it because Stark Sands, Hugh Dancy and Boyd Gaines are all about to begin new projects, and having the show run an extra week would have cost them months of future work.

David Hyde Pierce was on the verge of tears while speaking with us. Clearly, he was both surprised and stunned that he had won. We were surprised too...

Fantastia unexpectedly came to the press room after having performed late in the broadcast from COLOR PURPLE. I asked if she had read her reviews. Her voice was unexpectedly very hoarse. I couldn't really understand what she said, but she appeared to thank God quite a number of times.

I asked the Lincoln Center people, high on their COAST wins, why they decided to produce Shakespeare's CYMBELINE in the fall. Bernie said that it's his favorite Shakespeare play, that it's easy to do badly and hard to do well, and that they begin casting it this week.

Asked Bill T. Jones, choreographer of SPRING, what Jonathan Groff's crazy hand gestures in "Totally F&*cked" means. He referred to how those movements are used throughout the show, as when Lea and the girls caress their chests and arms. He referred to this as "the virus." So in "Totally," the pace suddenly speeds up and it is out of control.

I will write up more of my notes tomorrow. As luck would have it, I was able to get into the SPRING AWAKENING post Tony party, which was one of the most elaborate Tony parties I've ever attended, which filled all three floors of a trendy Times Square nightclub. Not much to report from that, just that it felt great to be there, part of the moment. Or, as Sondheim would say, I was "Someone in a Tree," somehow part of the event.

Before we break into applause at what will likely be SPRING AWAKENING winning Best Musical, let's take a moment to consider the past decade of Tony winning musicals, where or if SPRING fits into this pattern, and what this means for the rest of the decade and so forth.

Why begin with 1996? That's when RENT won. I can't even remember what won in 1995. RENT, if we recall, was going to revolutionize the Broadway musical! Well, it didn't. Rather like HAIR in 1969, it was a one-time wonder, particularly also cause Jonathan Larson had already left us, tragically. In fact, the next few years were particularly bad for the American musical.

In 1997, a truly weak year, TITANIC won, a critically maligned, super spectacle with a quasi operatic score. It truly scored thanks to Rosie O'Donnell's unwaving support and ran about two years at the Lunt Fontanne, which was then taken over by BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

In 1998, what a depressing outcome - RAGTIME, a flawed but often beautiful work, losing out to THE LION KING, the least bad of the Disney shlock, but still Disney kiddy fare.

In 1999, we had an even worse year. The award goes to FOSSE, not an original musical, but a Bob Fosse dance compilation. Not interesting, not arrestingly visually, not much of anything. But let's face it - did we really expect PARADE to win?

In 2000, even worse! CONTACT, not a musical, wins Best Musical. It's was a f&#cking dance show! A great dance show, but not a musical. But let's face it - did we really expect THE WILD PARTY to win?

In 2001, things change..... THE PRODUCERS revolutionizes/de-revolutionizes Broadway by bringing back 1950s musical comedy. This change will go far beyond this show alone.

In 2002, two campy musical comedies compete - URINETOWN and the far less worthy THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. The award goes to MILLIE, suppsedly a sign of the road's clout. But to be fair, URINETOWN was not as beloved or well-reviewed or popular as say THE PRODUCERS. In retrospect, I'm surprised the award didn't go to the still running MAMMA MIA.

In 2003, HAIRSPRAY, the new muscial comedy hit in the tradition of THE PRODUCERS, beats MOVIN' OUT, Twyla Tharp's compelling dance spectacle set to Billy Joel tunes. Frankly, that was the right outcome.

In 2004, What a circus! What a show! WICKED is brought down suddenly and unexpectedly by AVENUE Q, the little show using puppets thanks to its "Follow Your Heart" campaign.

In 2005, SPAMALOT, another campy, well-reviewed musical comedy wins out against THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, Guettel's challenging contemporary Lincoln Center musical, and SPELLING BEE, William Finn's heartwarming, intimitate look at kids as they compete.

In 2006, the comedy tradition is breaking. JERSEY BOYS, a dramatic, autobiographical play with songs/jukebox musical about The Four Seasons beats out THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, the year's new camp comedy, for Best musical.

In 2007, SPRING AWAKENING will most likely win. And what does this mean? Are we back where we started with RENT? If so, where will it lead us - to years of drought, with crap like FOSSE and CONTACT and TITANIC? Will we retreat back into musical comedy, with YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and CRY BABY on the way? Or, will be move forward, and keep looking for challenging titles? Where? I don't know. We need to find them!

Tonight, Sat night June 9, marked my tenth time seeing SPRING AWAKENING, the fifth time on Broadway, after seeing it five times Off-Broadway. Oddly enough, the night before, Fri the 8th, I went back to the Atlantic Theater Company to review TEN MILLION MILES, the new musical co-produced by SPRING's Tom Hulce and Ira Pittleman. And to think that exactly one year ago, I had gone to the Atlantic to see SPRING for the very first time.

Anyhow, tonight was a big night of understudies - not a surprise since tomorrow is the Tonys and the cast will need its energy. Phoebe Strole, who regularly plays Anna, was on for Lea Michele as Wendla. Jennifer Damiano in turn filled in as Anna. And Gerard Canonico was on for Skyler Austin as Georg.

I don't know how often Phoebe has gone on as Wendla, and it was be inappropriate for me to "review" her performance. She was more or less alright, maybe too laid back and lacking in energy. If anything, it really made me appreciate the incredible and brilliant nuance that Lea Michele brings to the character. She soooo deserved to be nominated over Debra Monk or Laura Bell Bundy. Bundy is totally devoid of charm, and Debra Monk is giving a performance that deserves a Tony nomination - BUT FOR BEST FEATURED ACTRESS. She would not have won, but she deserved a nomination nevertheless.

After Act One, intermission unexpectedly took almost a half hour. By its end, an announcement was made that Remy Zaken would not return for Act Two, and that Krysta Rodriguez, who is traditionally in the on-stage seating ensemble, would play Thea. As it happens, Thea has literally no lines in Act Two. In any case, I really hope Remy is alright and that she will be there tomorrow for the Tonys.

Also, tonight marked the first time I've seen the show from the mezzanine? Why is that? Because I paid for my tix tonight, so I opted for the $86.25 seats in Mezz row F rather than paying $111.25 for orchestra. As such, this marked the first time I've noticed so much of the show's spectacular lighting design. I never even noticed the oak tree image on the show's center platform, which is not viewable from the orchestra.

And though I'm not making any generic observations about behavior in the mezzanine, there does seem to be some kind of belief that it is okay to make noise in the mezz, as though you're further away from the performers. Seriously, I was on the verge of smacking some pre-teen girl in back of me who faked snoring during the "Whispering" solo.

But what I think that I found most fascinating about this performance, which was quite easily the "worst" or "weakest" of the ten I've seen, was the realization that it was still quite good, still quite powerful. And those around me who had never seen it before were still powerfully moved, as was I still. It's what I call the RENT EFFECT, for those who've seen RENT one too many times, and see its cast nowadays, as half-filled with leads and half-filled with understudies. Even if this becomes the fate of a long-running SPRING AWAKENING, it will still retain its emotional power, just as RENT does.

Please note that some of my own predictions have changed over the past few days.

The Broadway.com pundit comparison is now online, which is more clear and has fraction-based analysis - WHO WILL WIN THE 2007 TONYS? BROADWAY PUNDITS MAKE THEIR PREDICTIONS

Best Musical
AM New York – Spring Awakening
New York Post – Spring Awakening
AP – Spring Awakening
USA Today – Spring Awakening
New York Times-Spring Awakening
Newsday – Spring Awakening
TONY – Spring Awakening
Entertainment Weekly – Spring Awakening
Gold Derby - Spring Awakening
NYTheatre - Spring Awakening
Backstage - Spring Awakening
Daily News - Spring Awakening

Best Play
AM New York – Coast of Utopia
New York Post – Coast of Utopia
AP – Coast of Utopia
USA Today – Coast of Utopia
New York Times – Coast of Utopia
Newsday – Coast of Utopia
TONY – Coast of Utopia
EW – Frost/Nixon
GD - Coast of Utopia
NYTheatre - Coast of Utopia
Backstage - Coast of Utopia
Daily News - Coast of Utopia

Revival of a Musical
AM New York - Company
New York Post – Company
USA Today - Company
New York Times - Company
Newsday – A Chorus Line
TONY - Company
EW - Company
GD - Company
NYTheatre - Company
Backstage - Company
Daily News - A Chorus Line

Revival of a Play
AM New York – Journey’s End
New York Post – Journey’s End
AP – Journey’s End
USA Today – Talk Radio
New York Times – Journey’s End
Newsday – Journey’s End
TONY – Journey’s End
EW - Journey’s End
GD - Journey's End
NYTheatre - Journey's End
Backstage - Journey's End
Daily News - Journey's End

Special Theatrical Event
AM New York – Jay Johnson
Newsday – Jay Johnson
Theatrical Event – Jay Johnson

Best Score
AM New York – Spring Awakening
New York Post – Spring Awakening
New York Times – Spring Awakening
Newsday – Spring Awakening
TONY – Spring Awakening
EW – Spring Awakening
GD - Spring Awakening
NYTheatre - Spring Awakening
Backstage - Spring Awakening
Daily News - Spring Awakening

Best Book
AM New York – Grey Gardens
New York Post – Grey Gardens
New York Times – Spring Awakening
Newsday – Grey Gardens
TONY – Grey Gardens
EW – Grey Gardens
GD - Grey Gardens
NYTheatre - Grey Gardens
Backstage - Grey Gardens
Daily News - Spring Awakening

Lead Actor in a Play
AM New York – Frank Langella
New York Post – Frank Langella
AP – Frank Langella
USA Today – Frank Langella
New York Times – Frank Langella
Newsday – Frank Langella
TONY – Frank Langella
EW – Frank Langella
GD - Frank Langella
NYTheatre - Frank Langella
Backstage - Frank Langella
Daily News - Frank Langella

Lead Actress in a Play
AM New York – Eve Best
New York Post – Julie White
USA Today – Julie White
New York Times – Julie White
Newsday – Eve Best
TONY – Julie White
EW – Julie White
GD - Eve Best
NYTheatre - Angela Lansbury
Backstage - Eve Best
Daily News - Eve Best

Lead Actor in a Musical
AM New York – Raul Esparza
New York Post – Raul Esparza
AP – Raul Esparza
USA Today – Raul Esparza
New York Times – David Hyde Pierce
Newsday – Raul Esparza
TONY – Raul Esparza
EW – Raul Esparza
GD - Raul Esparza
NYTheatre - Raul Esparza
Backstage - Raul Esparza
Daily News - Raul Esparza

Lead Actress in a Musical
AM New York – Christine Ebersole
New York Post – Christine Ebersole
AP – Christine Ebersole
USA Today – Christine Ebersole
New York Times – Christine Ebersole
Newsday – Christine Ebersole
TONY – Christine Ebersole
EW – Christine Ebersole
GD - Christine Ebersole
NYTheatre - Christine Ebersole
Backstage - Christine Ebersole
Daily News - Christine Ebersole

Featured Actor in a Musical
AM New York – John Gallagher Jr.
New York Post – John Gallagher Jr.
New York Times – John Gallagher Jr.
Newsday – John Gallagher Jr.
TONY – John Gallagher Jr.
EW – John Gallagher Jr.
GD - John Gallagher Jr.
NYTheatre - David Pittu
Backstage - John Gallagher Jr.
Daily New s- John Gallagher r.

Featured Actress in a Musical
AM New York – Mary Louise Wilson
New York Post – Mary Louise Wilson
Newsday – Mary Louise Wilson
TONY – Mary Louise Wilson
EW – Mary Louise Wilson
GD - Mary Louise Wilson
NYTheatre - Orfeh
Backstage - Mary Louise Wilson
Daily News - Mary Louise Wilson

Featured Actor in a Play
AM New York – Billy Crudup
New York Post – Anthony Chisolm
New York Times – Billy Crudup
Newsday – Billy Crudup
TONY – Billy Crudup
EW – Billy Crudup
GD - Billy Crudup
NYTheatre - Billy Crudup
Backstage - Billy Crudup
Daily News - Anthony Chisholm

Featured Actress in a Play
AM New York –Martha Plimpton
New York Post – Jennifer Ehle
New York Times – Martha Plimpton
Newsday – Jennifer Ehle
TONY – Martha Plimpton
EW- Martha Plimpton
NYTheatre - Martha Plimpton
Backstage - Martha Plimpton
Daily News - Martha Plimpton

Director of a Musical
AM New York – Michael Mayer
New York Post – Michael Mayer
New York Times – Michael Mayer
Newsday – Michael Mayer
TONY – Michael Mayer
EW – Michael Mayer
GD - Michael Mayer
NYTheatre - Michael Mayer
Backstage - Michael Mayer
Daily News - Michael Mayer

Director of a Play
AM New York – Jack O’Brien
New York Post – Jack O’Brien
New York times – Jack O’Brien
Newsday – Jack O’Brien
USA Today - Michael Grandage
TONY – Jack O’Brien
EW – Jack O’Brien
GD - Jack O'Brien
NYTheatre - Jack O'Brien
Backstage - Jack O'Brien
Daily News - Jack O'Brien

Choreography
AM New York – Spring Awakening
New York Post – Spring Awakening
New York Times – Spring Awakening
Newsday – Legally Blonde
TONY – Spring Awakening
GD - Spring Awakening
NYTheatre - Spring Awakening
Backstage - Mary Poppins
Daily News - Mary Poppins

Lighting Design of a Musical
AM New York – Spring Awakening
New York Post – Spring Awakening
New York Times – Spring Awakening
Newsday – Grey Gardens
TONY – Spring Awakening

Scenic Design of a Musical
AM New York – Mary Poppins
New York Post – Spring Awakening
Newsday – Mary Poppins
TONY – Mary Poppins
EW – Mary Poppins

Costume Design of a Musical
AM New York – Grey Gardens
New York Post – Spring Awakening
Newsday – Grey Gardens
TONY – Grey Gardens
EW – Grey Gardens

Scenic Design of a Play
AM New York – Coast of Utopia
New York Times – Coast of Utopia
Newsday – Coast of Utopia
TONY – Coram Boy
EW – Coast of Utopia

Lighting Design of a Play
AM New York – Coast of Utopia
New York Times – Coast of Utopia
Newsday – Coast of Utopia
TONY – Coast of Utopia
EW – Coast of Utopia

Costume Design of a Play
AM New York – Coast of Utopia
New York Times – Coast of Utopia
Newsday – Coast of Utopia
TONY – Coast of Utopia
EW – Coast of Utopia

Orchestrations
AM New York – Spring Awakening
New York Post – Spring Awakening
New York Times – Spring Awakening
Newsday – Lovemusik
TONY – Spring Awakening
EW – Spring Awakening

Best Play Nominees:

The Coast of Utopia
Frost/Nixon
The Little Dog Laughed
Radio Golf

What will win: The Coast of Utopia
What deserves to win: Frost/Nixon or Coast
What I voted for: The Coast of Utopia

FROST/NIXON was the year's most compelling and dramatically successful play. Still, we can't help but give credit to Lincoln Center for giving a mammouth production to COAST, which seemed to defy all contemporary commercial logic, even for a non-profit theater, giving it a 40 person cast and spectacular production values.

Best Musical

Curtains
Grey Gardens
Mary Poppins
Spring Awakening

What will win: Spring Awakening
What deserves to win: Spring Awakening
What I voted for: Spring Awakening

Where is LEGALLY BLONDE? Oh yeah, politics... MARY POPPINS is probably the worst musical in the last 5 years to receive a nom for Best Musical. If it wins, I will literally scream "What the f*&k" in the Tonys press room. GREY GARDENS is a pretty great musical, but it's got no shot. And even if SPRING was not around, POPPINS would probably beat it. SPRING, at least, has commercial potential. And CURTAINS, frankly, is just filling space.

Best Book of a Musical

Curtains, Rupert Holmes & Peter Stone
Grey Gardens, Doug Wright
Legally Blonde The Musical, Heather Hach
Spring Awakening, Steven Sater

What will win:Grey Gardens
What deserves to win: Grey Gardens or Spring
What I voted for: Spring Awakening

CURTAINS, frankly, has a bad book. The sudden consensus around town is that GREY will take book over SPRING. But while this is an attempt to be proportional, I think it overlooks how many people might be voting for SPRING as block voters. Still, Wright is a Pulitzer winner and a familiar name.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Curtains
Grey Gardens
Legally Blonde The Musical
Spring Awakening

What will win: Spring Awakening
What deserves to win: Both Spring Awakening and Grey Gardens
What I voted for: Spring Awakening

SPRING has this in the bag - deservedly so. How many times have you listened to it on your IPOD?

Best Revival of a Play

Inherit the Wind
Journey's End
Talk Radio
Translations

What will win: Journey's End
What deserves to win: A Moon for the Misbegotten, which was not nominated
What I voted for: Journey's End

JOURNEY'S END was a great production of an uncomfortably dated show. TALK RADIO was an adequate production of a mediocre play. TRANSLATIONS was a great production of a totally boring play. INHERIT THE WIND was a bad production of a historically intriguing play.

Best Revival of a Musical

The Apple Tree
A Chorus Line
Company
110 in the Shade

What will win: Company
What deserves to win: A Chorus Line
What I voted for: A Chorus Line

The award is for BEST REVIVAL, not BEST REINVENTION. I admire what Doyle did with COMPANY, for the most part. But I believe it took guts on the part of the CHORUS LINE producers to recreate its original staging -based on most contemporary revivals, that was not a conservative choice, but an alternative one. What if Jerry Mitchell had directed it? Would we be any happier? Probably not.

Best Special Theatrical Event

Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!
Kiki & Herb Alive on Broadway

What will win: Jay Johnson
What deserves to win: Neither
What I voted for: Jay Johnson

The category should have been scrapped again. KIKI AND HERB, though consistently entertaining, presented a half-baked Broadway show. So, whatever, just give it to JAY JOHNSON and his puppet crew and be done with it. He can think of it as his Broadway souvenir.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Boyd Gaines, Journey's End
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Brían F. O'Byrne, The Coast of Utopia
Christopher Plummer, Inherit the Wind
Liev Schreiber, Talk Radio

Who will win: Frank Langella
Who deserves to win: All of them!
Who I voted for: Frank Langella

They were all great. Langella, of course, will win, the only thing FROST/NIXON will probably win, which received a surprisingly small # of nominations.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Swoosie Kurtz, Heartbreak House
Angela Lansbury, Deuce
Vanessa Redgrave, The Year of Magical Thinking
Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed

Who will win: Eve Best
Who deserves to win: Julie White or Eve Best
Who I voted for: Julie White

We all love Angela, but Terrence McNally's play truly sucks and is an embarassment of contemporary playwriting.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Michael Cerveris, LoveMusik
Raúl Esparza, Company
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
David Hyde Pierce, Curtains

Who will win: Raul Esparza
Who deserves to win: Raul Esparza
Who I voted for: Raul Esparza

You know, they're all worthy of the award. Gavin's "Step in Time" is the only decent moment in POPPINS. Groff exhibits great charm in SPRING, as does Pierce in CURTAINS. But Esparza had the hardest role and has done a pretty fantastic job mastering its ambiguities and challenges. And besides, he's done a lot of great work over the past four years and deserves some recognition.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde The Musical
Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens
Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade
Debra Monk, Curtains
Donna Murphy, LoveMusik

Who will win: Christine Ebersole
Who deserves to win: Christine, Audra and Donna
Who I voted for: Christine Ebersole

Audra, Christine and Donna are all great. But this is Christine's year. Give her the award. Seriously.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

Anthony Chisholm, Radio Golf
Billy Crudup, The Coast of Utopia
Ethan Hawke, The Coast of Utopia
John Earl Jelks, Radio Golf
Stark Sands, Journey's End

Who will win: Stark Sands
Who deserves to win: All of them are worthy
Who I voted for: Stark Sands

They were all fine within their shows. Will Crudup win? Possibly, but Sands could get it in the end since he's the only one there from JOURNEY, while the 2 from COAST and 2 from RADIO GOLF could cancel themselves out in terms of numbers of voters.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Jennifer Ehle, The Coast of Utopia
Xanthe Elbrick, Coram Boy
Dana Ivey, Butley
Jan Maxwell, Coram Boy
Martha Plimpton, The Coast of Utopia

Who will win: Martha Plimpton
Who deserves to win: None
Who I voted for: Xanthe Elbrick

This is truly the weakest category this year...

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Brooks Ashmanskas, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Christian Borle, Legally Blonde The Musical
John Cullum, 110 in the Shade
John Gallagher, Jr., Spring Awakening
David Pittu, LoveMusik

Who will win: David Pittu
Who deserves to win: John Gallagher Jr.
Who I voted for: John Gallagher Jr.

How the hell did Brooks get a nomination for that piece of self-indulgent MARTIN SHORT musical thing? I hope Gallagher gets it.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Charlotte d'Amboise, A Chorus Line
Rebecca Luker, Mary Poppins
Orfeh, Legally Blonde The Musical
Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens
Karen Ziemba, Curtains

Who will win: Mary Louise Wilson
Who deserves to win: Mary Louise Wilson
Who I voted for: Mary Louise Wilson

Another truly weak category. Wilson is the only nominated person who is deserving of the award. I'd personally give it to Lauren Pritchard of SPRING.

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Bob Crowley & Scott Pask, The Coast of Utopia
Jonathan Fensom, Journey's End
David Gallo, Radio Golf
Ti Green and Melly Still, Coram Boy

What will win: The Coast of Utopia
What deserves to win: The Coast of Utopia
What I voted for: The Coast of Utopia

Another year, another win for Bob Crowley, even in spite of putting TARZAN on Broadway. Now that's love!

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins
Christine Jones, Spring Awakening
Anna Louizos, High Fidelity
Allen Moyer, Grey Gardens

What will win: Mary Poppins
What deserves to win: Grey Gardens or Spring
What I voted for: Spring Awakening

Beats me.... Do we really want to give any award to MARY POPPINS?

Best Costume Design of a Play

Ti Green and Melly Still, Coram Boy
Jane Greenwood, Heartbreak House
Santo Loquasto, Inherit the Wind
Catherine Zuber, The Coast of Utopia

What will win: The Coast of Utopia
What deserves to win: The Coast of Utopia
What I voted for: The Coast of Utopia

Catherine Zuber must have been pretty busy this year, creating wardrobes for 40 people in three different epic plays.

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, Legally Blonde The Musical
Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins
Susan Hilferty, Spring Awakening
William Ivey Long, Grey Gardens

What will win: Spring Awakening
What deserves to win: Grey Gardens
What I voted for: Grey Gardens

That "Revolutionary Costume" was pretty great... Give something else to Grey!

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Paule Constable, Coram Boy
Brian MacDevitt, Inherit the Wind
Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner and Natasha Katz, The Coast of Utopia
Jason Taylor, Journey's End

What will win: The Coast of Utopia
What deserves to win: Journey's End
What I voted for: Journey's End

The lighting of JOURNEY'S END, disturbingly dark with candlelight, was extraordinary.

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, Spring Awakening
Christopher Akerlind, 110 in the Shade
Howard Harrison, Mary Poppins
Peter Kaczorowski, Grey Gardens

What will win: Spring Awakening
What deserves to win: Spring Awakening
What I voted for: Spring Awakening

No question. Moving on...

Best Direction of a Play

Michael Grandage, Frost/Nixon
David Grindley, Journey's End
Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia
Melly Still, Coram Boy

Who will win: The Coast of Utopia
Who deserves to win: The Coast of Utopia
Who I voted for: The Coast of Utopia

Again, we're giving COAST the award out of recognition of its size.

Best Direction of a Musical

John Doyle, Company
Scott Ellis, Curtains
Michael Greif, Grey Gardens
Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening

Who will win: Michael Mayer
Who deserves to win: Michael Mayer
Who I voted for: Michael Mayer

No question. Moving on....

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, Curtains
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins
Bill T. Jones, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde The Musical

Who will win: Bill T. Jones
Who deserves to win: Bill T. Jones
Who I voted for: Bill T. Jones

No question. Moving on...

Best Orchestrations

Bruce Coughlin, Grey Gardens
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening
Jonathan Tunick, LoveMusik
Jonathan Tunick, 110 in the Shade

Who will win: Duncan Sheik
Who deserves to win: Bruce Coughlin or Sheik
Who I voted for: Duncan Sheik

The winner of Orchestrations is usually also the winner of score. So, Sheik will probably walk away with not one, but two Tonys.

This press release details the changes made to the content of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE when Bill and Chelsea were in the audience:

Monday, June 4, 2007 -- On Friday, June 1, BILL CLINTON and CHELSEA CLINTON
celebrated DOROTHY RODHAM'S (Hilary's mother) 88th birthday by taking her to
the Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Since the
show allows for an element of improvisation, the cast, lead by humorist MO
ROCCA, couldn't help but pay tribute to their special guests with a few
Clinton-inspired jokes.

1) One of the audience volunteer spellers was asked to spell the following
word and was given its definition and sentence to help with the spelling:

Word: VERMEIL
Definition: gold-plated or gilded silver, often used in formal table
settings.
Sentence: Had he known that his official duties would include selecting a
china pattern to match the vermeil tableware, Billy never would have
supported his wife's candidacy.

2) Later in the show, the character Logainne Schwartzandgrubineirre, she of
the two gay dads and easily the most liberal of the characters, launched
into her nightly diatribe:

"This bee is almost as unruly as President Bush! Just yesterday, he
suggested that we all reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and then
proceeded to let out a whole bunch of hot air into the atmosphere! This
morning, while my dads were reading me the NY Times over a glass of wheat
grass, I got inspired to write this limerick:

There once was a President named Bush -
He spoke from the depths of his tush -
He leaked information,
He spied on his nation,
And his English was barely a mush!

My dads think I should send that into the New Yorker, but I'd rather just
wait for President Bush to wiretap my phone so I can recite it for him
personally!!"

3) And finally, in the show's epilogue, Logainne says "she grows up to
become the Secretary of Education under President Chelsea Clinton," which
got a huge round of applause.