Stage

EW.com's coverage from the Great White Way and beyond

All Headlines

Continued

Mo' Broadway

More

Previous Page 2 of 2

The Darling: Spring Awakening, a rock musical about the sexual (mis)education of a group of German adolescents, came away with 11 nominations — and deserved every one of them. (Well, maybe not the one for costumes. Come on, they're school uniforms.) We're so hungry for soul, for grit of any kind in TV, films, or theater — and Spring Awakening is more than arousing. Expect this to electrify audiences on the all-important Tony telecast (June 10 at 8 p.m. on CBS).

The Women: Here's where theater can really take the moral high ground over film. This category — for both musicals and plays — is packed with women of all ages in rich roles that put them center stage. Christine Ebersole, playing two parts in Grey Gardens (based on the documentary of the same name), manages the feat of improving upon the performances of real people. (Seriously, she's more heartbreaking and believable as Big Edie and Little Edie than they were.) Now that's a performance.

The Men: On the non-musical play side, there are some heavy-hitters. Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon, Christopher Plummer in Inherit the Wind, and Liev Schreiber in Talk Radio — all of them veterans of film...and at the top of their game on stage. (Whatever Plummer, age 77, is eating for breakfast, I'll have some.) On the musical side is the brilliant Michael Cerveris from LoveMusik. He and Donna Murphy play the German composer and actress Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya. Beware, it's pretty heady stuff. I saw them perform a number from the show at a benefit recently. Afterward I turned to the woman next to me and said, ''I have no idea what the hell just happened — but it was brilliant.''

The Plays: Oh, right, the plays. This is where everyone feels a little bit guilty. They don't get the attention of the press. They don't get the dollars from the tourists. They don't get much play on the Tony telecast. (To be fair: Would you rather watch the cast of Mary Poppins kick up their heels to ''Supercalifragilistic'' or...listen to The Year of Magical Thinking's Vanessa Redgrave drone on about what a drag it is being a widow? Be honest!) Still, this year's crop of Best Play nominees is imposing, Tom Stoppard's Coast of Utopia and Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon among them. I really should go see them.

So there are my quick reactions. Hope I didn't make any enemies through admission or omission. I'm really hoping for a good seat at the Tonys.

Sign up for EW.com's The 25 newsletter!

Stay in the know and get EW.com's top 5 stories, 5 days a week (sent weekday afternoons).

Posted May 21, 2007 | Order Article Reprints