While I have friends (actors, of course) who have annual Tony parties, I rarely if ever watch the
awards since I don’t get down to Broadway to see the choices often enough. This year I did take the time to peek in on the awards to see how our uptown contenders were doing.
While In the Heights took 4 awards home, they were nominated for 13. They did wind up being the top winners of the night for best musical, however. I was really impressed with the job that host, Whoopi Goldberg did. Not sure who her stylist at “The View” is but her hair looks fabulous! Also, as the gals on CBS mentioned this morning, the Hollywood girls have really glammed up the red carpet at the Tonys. Many of the dresses were gorgeous. Some excerpts from Bloomberg.com after the jump.
“In the Heights,” which won four awards, is a $10 million drama set in upper Manhattan that integrates rap, salsa and traditional Broadway ballads. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show’s 28- year-old star, composer and lyricist, performed a rap in accepting his Tony for creating the season’s best score. One line referenced “Finishing the Hat,” from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine‘s “Sunday in the Park with George,” a nominee for best musical revival.
“Look Mr. Sondheim,” Miranda said, “I made a hat where there never was a hat — a Latin hat at that.”
The chief competition for “In the Heights” was the rock musical “Passing Strange,” whose star and librettist, known by the single name Stew, had to console himself with just one award, for best book of a musical.
`In the Heights” also won for choreography and orchestrations. In a testament to the tight race among the 797 Tony voters, both the New York Times and New York Post predicted that “Passing” would prevail.
“Heights” is set in Washington Heights, a northern Manhattan neighborhood culturally shaped by its large Dominican population. Miranda grew up in neighboring Inwood and created an early version of the show as a sophomore at Wesleyan University. Director Thomas Kail, three years ahead of Miranda at Wesleyan, helped develop it after they both graduated and relocated to Manhattan.
“`In the Heights’ is a show about family and chasing your dreams,” Furman said upon accepting the award. “We chased our dreams as they’ve been realized.”
On Broadway, the show opened to mostly favorable reviews. Some critics complained that the intertwined love stories are too predictable and rose-colored for a drama set in the barrio. Bloomberg’s John Simon was among those won over.
“Unreal, unbelievable? Sure enough. But I for one wouldn’t sneeze at 135 minutes of lovable lies.”
Posted on June 16, 2008 by D. Bell