Carousel has always been one of my favorite musicals, unyielding and passionate in its telling of two imperfect people entwined in an ill-fated relationship. Yes, it isn’t the easiest pill to swallow, but it was daring musical for its time and continues to be in a world where domestic abuse and misguided codependency still flourish. Part of the reason why this musical continues to resonate is the glorious Rodgers and Hammerstein score.
The cost of funding a new musical can be overwhelming, a daunting feat for only the bravest among us? Or is it? Eliyahu Kheel, administrator of the Facebook site All Things Broadway, rallied the troops of its 62,000-plus members and crowd-funded $4,000 of the $5,000 needed to produce the new musical Island Song which will receive a two performance run on June 19th and 26th.
I was thoroughly glad when last night’s Tony Awards was over. I’ve religiously watched the Tony Awards for decades and, for me, they have devolved from a classy evening that truly celebrated theatre performers to a commercially driven freight train that lacks nuance and direction. That is not to say that there weren’t some tasteful and touching moments, but in general, I mostly found myself praying for 11 PM to get here.
Here is how the Tony Awards let us down this year…
Every year, I try to predict the Tony Award winners, and I do a pretty good job getting most of them right. This year, however, may very well be my downfall. I suspect that the Tony Awards are going to be spilt over several shows, and that there are not many locks in most of the categories. This season has been underwhelming for me in some ways, with only a few standouts in my mind. I am most likely in the minority on this feeling, as it has been a blockbuster year in ticket sales and everyone else seems to be very excited about the Tonys. I think that is great (anytime theatre is well-attended and celebrated, that is great), so I am not going to try to rain on everyone else’s parade. Let us get on to business.
