With the 70th Annual Tony Awards only a week away, Broadway enthusiasts have been buzzing about one of the most praised theatre seasons in many years. Musicals and plays this season have made groundbreaking impacts in diversity and accessibility to theatre for all. Alas, as one of the best Broadway seasons, it also seems to be one of the toughest seasons, especially for the Tony Awards. Across Broadway this year there are an array of performances all deserving of award nominations, but just not enough space in each respective category. This unfortunately means that shows are left out, which could bring them closer to a closing notice and fan-bases become disappointed when their favorite theatrical experience of the season is not recognized. Although, the dedicated fans of these shows, the performers’ love for what they do, and the connection across the theatre community is the most important part. On June 12th, that community will celebrate the accomplishments of not just those nominated, but all who are in this community, whether it be on-stage or off. Since fans are not the decision-makers in the Tony Award race, we asked fans their reactions the theatre they saw this season. On The Color Purple “I've seen a lot of shows in my day, but The Color Purple was the very best performance I've ever seen. Cynthia Erivo was so moving, I literally couldn't stop crying when it was over. Bravo!” - Fran Favin Weiskopf “Cynthia Erivo's 11th hour performance of "I'm Here," in The Color Purple was life changing for me. I saw the show back in January and still today there is not a day that goes by that I don't reflect on the emotional performance she gave. When things are good, I belt the song, and when times are tough, I sing it through a tear streaked face. While others have done this song justice, Cynthia takes it to a brand new level with a performance that is an emotional roller coaster.” - David Jonathan Pearce On Hamilton “Leslie Odom Jr.'s Aaron Burr in Hamilton is perfection. His performance is like watching a pot boil, starts off slow and steady, steadily getting more agitated, until it boils over. He completely changes by the end. I've never seen a performance so transformative and exhilarating. His crazy eyed look in "the room where it happens" is scary and you know that a switch has turned on. I love everyone in the category, but I think he deserves the Tony.” - Ariana Klarfeld "Leslie Odom Jr. gave possibly the best performance I've ever witnessed. He's a small guy, but he commands the stage in a way, & with an energy, the mesmerizes the audience" - Lisa Tricarico “Leslie Odom Jr. Seeing him as Burr was so much like Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. I laughed with him when he'd keep coming back at the beginning of songs "Do you BELIEVE this sh*t?!" lol, I cried with him when he sang about Fatherhood & his realization. His performances echoed the same feelings I had when Judas sang his numbers in JCS. I was captivated & filled with compassion.” – Patrice Marion On Fiddler on the Roof "Danny Burstein's Tevye made me cry!" - Hayley Goldstein On Spring Awakening “Deaf West's Spring Awakening changed my life. I don't usually get to see Broadway shows more than once, but for this gem of a production, I had to make the trip two more times. Incredible performances from the entire cast. Brilliant direction and choreography. So much passion from everyone involved.” - Becca Parsons “Spring Awakening was my greatest theatre experience ever. I was lucky enough to see the Deaf West production four times, including the closing night performance. The amount of tears shed over the show and my collection of every piece of merchandise the show has to offer proves how life changing and important this show is to me. A good portion of the cast follows me and chats with me on Twitter, and it is incredible to be social with many of my idols. This production also inspired me to learn ASL. Deaf West Spring Awakening is perfection!” - Val Shwalb “I was so moved by Deaf Wests Spring Awakening. I was lucky enough to see it twice but wish that number was higher. I already loved Spring Awakening and the new cast showed me a completely new side of the story. Both times I was moved to tears by the story and acting put on stage.”- Ilana Atwater “Michael Arden's directorial debut in the revival of Spring Awakening is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The production is honestly my favorite production I have ever seen. The choices he made and designers he hired brought even more life and another layer to an already incredible show.” – Hannah May On Disaster! “Jennifer Simard's singing Nun in Disaster! gave a whole new meaning to spiritually uplifting. She took an iconic 70's character and made it wonderfully her own. Loved her performance.” - Lisa Port Weiss “Jennifer Simard is incredible in her break-out role. Despite Disaster!'s all-star cast, it was Jennifer's performance as Sister Mary Downy that kept me coming back for more. Jennifer's delivery was absolute perfection - she had the audience laughing hysterically with every line that she said. Not only that, but her song “Never Can Say Goodbye,” the most hilarious scene I have ever seen on a Broadway stage. Her different mannerisms with the slot machine had me crying laughing. Not only is her comedic timing spot on, but her voice is incredible. While Disaster! did not get the love that it deserved, I am so happy that Jennifer Simard is being recognized and adored by so many people. Jennifer has made history - the first time that a portion of a show has ever been legally filmed and broadcasted live was Jennifer's final "Never Can Say Goodbye" on Playbill's Facebook. The attention and love from everyone that she is getting is so deserved. I am thrilled that she was nominated and hope that she takes the win, or gets to be featured in some way at the Tony's. #PutSimardOn!” – Broadway Jessi “Jen Simard - no other woman on Broadway made me laugh like she did & girl's got PiPES!!!! #PutSimardOn” – Patrice Marion “When I saw Jennifer Simard in Disaster, I said that she must get a tony nomination. She stole the show!” - Jennifer Kennedy Erdody On Bright Star “Carman Cusack seamlessly transitions between 17 and 39 at the blink of an eye. She completely embodies Alice Murphy and is giving a brilliant performance.” - Taylor Clemons "Carmen Cusack punches audiences in the heart with her breathtakingly beautiful performance in Bright Star" – Elizabeth Maxman "When I first heard of Bright Star, I had little interest due to the fact it was known as a "bluegrass musical" and that is definitely not my style. I am not one to like country music at all, but after a friend told me I had to go, I finally insisted. All I can say is wow. The music is not super twangy at all and some songs contain the most wonderful melodic lines I have heard. This show is so beautiful and such the "secret gem" of Broadway. The storyline and the music are both simply and effortlessly moving. The show as a whole has personally helped improve my mood over the past month. Bright Star is led by the outstanding, Tony-nominated Carmen Cusack who gives the best performance of this season I have seen so far. Her role is so raw, tragically beautiful, and relatable to any audience member. She gives hope to anyone who may feel there is none. Despite the little coverage this show gets, I advise everyone to go see Bright Star. It has changed my outlook on life and I'd love for it to do the same for others." – Lauren Ashbrook "I went into Bright Star not knowing anything about it; I wasn't familiar with the plot or the music. Seeing the show ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. In my opinion, a good show is one that stays with you long after you leave the theatre and that's exactly what happened when I saw Bright Star. I found myself not only humming the catchy songs but also I left with a feeling of hope and optimism. The story just has so much heart and I feel like many people are hesitant to see the show because of the music but I think everyone should give this show a chance. There is something in it that will resonate with everyone. I can't express my gratitude for this show enough." - Layla Navidi On She Loves Me “The cast of She Loves Me is just so, so charming.” – Andy Zhang “Laura Benanti was angelic in She Loves Me!” – Hayley Goldstein On School of Rock “The incredible amount of energy, passion and talent that Alex Brightman brings to every performance of School of Rock! He took a well-loved role, kept the essence but added his own flavor and it is marvelous!!” - Hannah May “I am a teacher who has become a little jaded but after seeing Alex Brightman in SCHOOL OF ROCK I am all about getting my "Dewey Finn" back!” - Alanna Perkovich-Smith On Shuffle Along “The folks over at Shuffle Along, including myself, are super excited that this little show that could crank out 10 Tony nominations. That's so crazy and we're super-duper excited.” - Arbender Robinson (Actor in Shuffle Along) “The choreography for Shuffle Along took me to a higher level of consciousness.” – Hayley Goldstein On American Psycho “The lighting in American Psycho - The Musical is the best light show I’ve ever seen on a stage that wasn't a rock concert. And as someone who has seen hundreds of rock concerts, this blew me away!” - Patrice Marion “The American Psycho cast is killer, pun intended. They are all so talented and really love being on stage with one another. I saw it three times and it just doesn't feel like enough. This show is so different and amazing, I wish it lasted longer, but as Benjamin Walker told me the other day, "hey it was a great run, and you just move onto the next project." – Val Shwalb On Noises Off “Noises Off had me laughing from beginning to end. It’s a good old-fashioned slapstick comedy and I hope wins best play revival it's truly something that had a passion behind it” – Patrick Blood "Megan Hilty was brilliant in Noises Off -- her physcial comedy was awesome. She was so PRESENT, it was hard not to watch her even when the dialouge was happening elsewhere on stage. Really phenomenal performance!" - Lisa Tricarico On Tuck Everlasting “Tuck Everlasting had a short run, but I loved all the actors in it. The story has always been one of my favorites and the ensemble numbers looked great. I only wish it had run longer.” – Lilli Briezke You can catch the 70th Annual Tony Awards on CBS, Sunday, June 12th at 8/7c.
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A Look Back
June 2022
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