Saturday, June 14, 2008

Happy Mother-Monsters Day!


Most people think of this June 15 as Fathers Day, but at the Tonys I think it's going to be all about the Mothers.

Having seen the Saturday matinee of "Gypsy," I get what all the commotion is about over Patti LuPone's performance as the all-time stage mother, Mama Rose.

LuPone nails it in an over-the-top performance as the mother trying to lead her life through her daughters -- one of whom she turns into America's most famous stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee.

All hail Patti LuPone! Before Saturday's show they announced LuPone had injured her foot but was going ahead with the show wearing isotones. (I had to ask the lady next to me what that was.) You can sort of make them out in the photo above, they're basically dance slippers. Ethel Merman was notorious for never missing a performance and I'm thrilled LuPone decided to go "on with the show."

Light the lights! It's time for my Tony predictions. Last year I got 18 out of 25 predictions right, for a 72% accuracy rate. There are 26 awards this year -- so let's see how I do:

Best Play -- August: Osage County

Best Musical -- Passing Strange

Best Book of a Musical -- Passing Strange

Best Original Score -- In The Heights

Best Revival of a Play -- Boeing - Boeing

Best Revival of a Musical -- South Pacific

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play -- Patrick Stewart/Macbeth

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play -- Deanna Dunagan/August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical -- Paulo Szot/South Pacific

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical -- Patti LuPone/Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play -- Raul Esparza/The Homecoming

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play -- Rondi Reed/August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical -- Boyd Gaines/Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical -- Laura Benanti/Gypsy

Best Direction of a Play -- Anna D. Shapiro/August: Osage County

Best Direction of a Musical -- Bartlett Sher/South Pacific

Best Choreography -- Rob Ashford/Cry-Baby

Best Orchestrations -- Stew and Heidi Rodewald/Passing Strange

Best Scenic Design of a Play -- Todd Rosenthal/August: Osage County

Best Scenic Design of a Musical -- David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network/Sunday in the Park with George

Best Costume Design of a Play -- Rob Howell/Boeing-Boeing

Best Costume Design of a Musical -- David Farley/Sunday in the Park with George

Best Lighting Design of a Play -- Kevin Adams/The 39 Steps

Best Lighting Design of a Musical -- Howell Binkley/In The Heights

Best Sound Design of a Play -- Mic Pool/The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design of a Musical -- Acme Sound Partners/In The Heights

See for yourself at 8 p.m. on CBS.
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