2018 Tony Award winners

BEST PLAY
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
By LOU HARRY I laughed a lot during Iceboy, the new musical getting what producers hope is a pre-Broadway run at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The new musical concerns a wealthy actress’ acquisition of a frozen caveman who, once thawed, becomes her surrogate child. That is, until he proves a bigger audience pleasing box-office…
By LOU HARRY From 1970 to 1973, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and director Harold Prince masterminded a trio of landmark musicals that focused largely on marriages – their complexities, their frustrations, and their fragility. The first two – Company and Follies – are often discussed together, since they share an edgy, contemporary setting with decidedly contemporary…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) In Shakespeare’s Richard II at the beginning of Act II, there is a famous phrase that is uttered in reference to England. On his deathbed, John of Gaunt vividly connects to the land in saying “This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle. This blessed plot, this…
By AARON KRAUSE In a current engaging co-production of Cabaret, the audience enters the Kit Kat Klub before the first scene. Once we’re inside the small space, cast members invite us to dance with them onstage and pose for photographs. You don’t have to comply; these are just friendly invitations. While the cast invites us…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out”) When John Kander and Fred Ebb first premiered Chicago, they must have thought they had bad timing. That’s because with Gwen Verson, Chita Rivera and Jerry Orbach as stars and Bob Fosse as the director, they had clearly stacked the talent deck and surely figured they would…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) There are so many things to consider about Once that make it a truly special musical experience like few others. The superb direction of the work by Conner Wilson begins with the actors entering the stage one by one. They begin playing instruments impromptu and singing in…