WHERE WAS I? TONY 2008 SPECIAL EDITION

Once again, there's no need to locate me. Just take a shot at predicting the 2008 Tony winners!

As usual, anyone can play, leaving their guesses in the comments section, using a distinct moniker so nobody can be confused with the other players. Please post your final guesses by 6 pm EST on Sunday evening, June 15, 2008, and help me out by self-scoring.

A point goes to the best overall guesser(s); and a point goes to anyone who outscores me. I thought I was at a disadvantage because I hadn't seen a lot of the nominees, but it seems that many of the official voters have not done much better. Outrageous!

BEST PLAY
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

BEST MUSICAL
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
The Little Mermaid
Passing Strange

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Macbeth

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Grease
Gypsy
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton, August: Osage County

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Raúl Esparza, The Homecoming
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll
Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf, November
Martha Plimpton, Top Girls
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Robin De Jesús, In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
de'Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
The 39 Steps
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
August: Osage County
Macbeth

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
In The Heights
The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Cyrano de Bergerac
Boeing-Boeing
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
The 39 Steps

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
Gypsy
In The Heights
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
The 39 Steps
Macbeth
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
August: Osage County

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
In The Heights
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
The Little Mermaid

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Boeing-Boeing
Macbeth
Rock 'n' Roll
The 39 Steps

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
In The Heights
Sunday in the Park with George
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Gypsy

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson, The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail, In The Heights
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

PASSING STRANGE

The first half of the Tony-nominated musical Passing Strange is exhilarating and polished and satisfying, virtually a show in itself. The second half wasn't quite as absorbing for me, but it's got enough smarts and good music to make Passing Strange one of the outstanding shows of recent Broadway seasons.

The story of a young man from Los Angeles seeking his "own reality," Passing Strange is a kind of soulful Siddhartha concocted by Stew with his frequent collaborator Heidi Rodewald. Daniel Breaker does a great job as the Youth, while Stew himself presides as the Narrator, the Youth's older self. The direction of Annie Dorsen and the choreography of Karole Armitage create a strong sense of theater with minimal set elements; in the supporting cast, Colman Domingo stands out in his role as a choir leader.

It's tempting to play with the word "stew" when writing about this musical, which skillfully blends many musical ingredients including gospel, soul, and show tunes. Passing Strange draws on a tried-and-true recipe as a coming-of-age story, but its specifics imbue it with a distinctive and enriching African American flavor. Adventure, confession, romance, revelation, and satire are all part of the mix. Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll are well-represented, too.

I can imagine Passing Strange's producers considering its ingredients and picturing how the show could be a big hit, another sign of how an original and edgy and exciting new Broadway show can be a success. Throughout the show are elements that might have reminded them of musicals such as Rent, Hairspray, and Spring Awakening, to cite just a few examples.

Reaction to the show has been very positive from its early days, when Spike Lee wrote "this fresh musical is an unstoppable force of energy, music and mayhem, just what Broadway needs." The raves continued when Passing Strange made it to Broadway. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called it "wonderful" and "bursting at the seams with melodic songs, [featuring] a handful of theatrical performances to treasure."

Passing Strange has earned such deservedly good reviews—along with three Drama Desk Awards, two Theatre World Awards, two Obies, the top prize from the New York Drama Critics' Circle, and seven Tony nominations—that one might imagine it hard to find tickets to the production. Sadly for the show (but possibly very good for you), many tickets seem to be available at present. The show even has an excellent rush policy that can net you a pair of orchestra seats for $26.50 apiece. I took advantage of the policy last weekend and joined the rest of the audience in giving the show a well-earned standing ovation. If you haven't yet seen Passing Strange, why not give it a try lest it pass you by?

Here's a Passing Strange medley, broadcast on The View, in which the Youth finds a new home in Amsterdam.



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