Photo Courtesy of The Huffington Post
Tonight at 8 P.M. The Tony Award winners will be announced in Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Many are wondering who will take home the Best Musical award after last year’s Cyndi Lauper written Kinky Boots took home the gold. The nominees for tonight are an interesting cross section of Brodway musical genres. There’s the bombastic Disney adaptation Aladdin, the nostalgic musical revue After Midnight, the comical farce A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical which is the latest in a long line of musicals utilizing existing songs.
Slowly but surely the mainstream music industry has entered the realm of the Tony Awards. There have been jukebox musicals like Mamma Mia!, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Leader of the Pack for decades but the recent surge has helped drive more outside interest into Broadway. Jersey Boys, American Idiot, Rock of Ages, and Million Dollar Quartet are just a handful of shows that have brought out large crowds all through songs that have been around for years and years.
This year’s Jukebox Musical is the aforementioned nominee Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. The musical chronicles Carole King’s early life as she struggles to start a career while limited by the patriarchal music industry. The musical takes every chance to showcase king’s greatest hits such as One Fine Day, It’s Too Late, and I Feel the Earth Move. Actress Jessie Mueller is nominated for her work as Carole King. Jarrod Spector and Anika Larsen are also nominated for their portrayals of songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
The favorite for Best Musical Revival is Rock & Roll cult show Hedwig and the Angry Inch which details a fictitious group’s attempt at fame through the leadership of their transgender frontman. The musical is heavily influenced by the work of John Lennon, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie. Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust personality is a large influence in regards to the look of title character Hedwig.
This will be Hugh Jackman’s fourth time hosting the awards after three straight years of Neil Patrick Harris performing the duties. The awards will air on CBS at 8 with red carpet footage occurring immediately before.