2014 TONY Awards Predictions

I will preface this post by saying that these picks do not represent my personal feelings on who SHOULD win, but rather my predictions for who I believe will actually win the Antoinette Perry on Sunday night. I will be live tweeting the Red Carpet & the Awards on Sunday so follow along @barbiebackstage!

Best Play (Prediction: All The Way)

Act One

Author:  James Lapine

 All The Way

Author:  Robert Schenkkan

 Casa Valentina

Author:  Harvey Fierstein

Mothers and Sons

Author:  Terrence McNally

Outside Mullingar

Author:  John Patrick Shanley

Best Musical (Prediction: A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder)

After Midnight

Aladdin

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Revival of a Play (Prediction: Twelfth Night)

 The Cripple of Inishmaan

The Glass Menagerie

A Raisin in the Sun

Twelfth Night

Best Revival of a Musical (Prediction: Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Les Misérables

Violet

Best Book of a Musical (Prediction: Robert L. Freedman, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder)

Aladdin

Chad Beguelin

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Douglas McGrath

Bullets Over Broadway

Woody Allen

A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Robert L. Freedman

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Prediction: Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County)

Aladdin

Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin

The Bridges of Madison County

Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown

A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Music: Steven Lutvak
Lyrics: Robert L. Freedman & Steven Lutvak

If/Then

Music: Tom Kitt
Lyrics: Brian Yorkey

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Prediction: Bryan Cranston, All The Way)

Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night
Bryan Cranston, All The Way
Chris O'Dowd, Of Mice and Men
Mark Rylance, Richard III
Tony Shalhoub, Act One

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Prediction: Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill)

Tyne Daly, Mothers and Sons
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, A Raisin in the Sun
Cherry Jones, The Glass Menagerie
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Estelle Parsons, The Velocity of Autumn

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Prediction: Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder) 

Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Ramin Karimloo, Les Misérables
Andy Karl, Rocky
Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Bryce Pinkham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Prediction: Jessie Mueller, Beautiful)

Mary Bridget Davies, A Night with Janis Joplin
Sutton Foster, Violet
Idina Menzel, If/Then
Jessie Mueller, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Kelli O'Hara, The Bridges of Madison County

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Prediction: Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night)

Reed Birney, Casa Valentina
Paul Chahidi, Twelfth Night
Stephen Fry, Twelfth Night
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Brian J. Smith, The Glass Menagerie

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Prediction: Celia Keenan-Bolger, A Raisin in the Sun) 

Sarah Greene, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The Glass Menagerie
Sophie Okonedo, A Raisin in the Sun
Anika Noni Rose, A Raisin in the Sun
Mare Winningham, Casa Valentina

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Prediction: James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin)

Danny Burstein, Cabaret
Nick Cordero, Bullets Over Broadway
Joshua Henry, Violet
James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin
Jarrod Spector, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Prediction: Lena Hall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Linda Emond, Cabaret
Lena Hall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Anika Larsen, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Adriane Lenox, After Midnight
Lauren Worsham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Scenic Design of a Play (Prediction: Beowulf Boritt, Act One) 

Beowulf Boritt, Act One
Bob Crowley, The Glass Menagerie
Es Devlin, Machinal
Christopher Oram, The Cripple of Inishmaan

Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Prediction: Christopher Barreca, Rocky)

Christopher Barreca, Rocky
Julian Crouch, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Alexander Dodge, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Santo Loquasto, Bullets Over Broadway

Best Costume Design of a Play (Prediction: Jenny Tiramani, Twelfth Night)

Jane Greenwood, Act One
Michael Krass, Machinal
Rita Ryack, Casa Valentina
Jenny Tiramani, Twelfth Night

Best Costume Design of a Musical (Prediction: William Ivey Long, Bullets Over Broadway)

Linda Cho, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
William Ivey Long, Bullets Over Broadway
Arianne Phillips, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Isabel Toledo, After Midnight

Best Lighting Design of a Play (Prediction: Jane Cox, Machinal)

Paule Constable, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Jane Cox, Machinal
Natasha Katz, The Glass Menagerie
Japhy Weideman, Of Mice and Men

Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Prediction: Christopher Akerlind, Rocky)

Kevin Adams, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Christopher Akerlind, Rocky
Howell Binkley, After Midnight
Donald Holder, The Bridges of Madison County

Best Sound Design of a Play (Prediction: Matt Tierney, Machinal)

Alex Baranowski, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Dan Moses Schreier, Act One
Matt Tierney, Machinal

Best Sound Design of a Musical (Prediction: Brian Ronan, Beautiful) 

Peter Hylenski, After Midnight
Tim O'Heir, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Mick Potter, Les Misérables
Brian Ronan, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Best Direction of a Play (Prediction: Tim Carroll, Twelfth Night) 

Tim Carroll, Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Kenny Leon, A Raisin in the Sun
John Tiffany, The Glass Menagerie

Best Direction of a Musical (Predition: Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder)

Warren Carlyle, After Midnight
Michael Mayer, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Leigh Silverman, Violet
Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Choreography (Prediction: Warren Carlyle, After Midnight)

Warren Carlyle, After Midnight
Steven Hoggett & Kelly Devine, Rocky
Casey Nicholaw, Aladdin

Susan Stroman, Bullets Over Broadway

Best Orchestrations (Prediction: Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County) 

Doug Besterman, Bullets Over Broadway
Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County
Steve Sidwell, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Jonathan Tunick, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

The Bridges of Madison County is Almost Real(ly Good)

Soaring melodies, lush arrangements, romantic performances, and the voice of a Broadway generation, these are Hallmarks of The Bridges of Madison County, based on the novel and movie of the same name. If you don't mind sacrificing plot depth for musical complexity, then skip on down to the Schoenfeld where Bartlett Sher is taking audiences on a tour of Iowa eight times per week. It is a simple story where we learn about the Johnsons, a seemingly average Iowa family. Bud is a former soldier and his wife Francesca (Franny to the locals) is an Italian war bride. They live on a farm with their two children and all is well until Francesca is left home alone for a few days and Robert Kincaid, a mysterious photographer and soon-to-be love of her life appears on the farm.

Kelli O'Hara and her voice are the true stars of this production. I've seen her in other shows and concerts, and while she is always fantastic, she was born to play this role. It is a different type of character than we've seen her play in the past, no longer an ingenue, and Brown's music sits right in her sweet spot. Her Francesca feels like a Rodgers and Hammerstein's leading lady with a lot more issues. These flaws make her Francesca feel more contemporary and therefore, relatable in a way that she's "Almost Real," hence my title. Francesca is every woman who has ever been in a loveless marriage, has regrets, or wishes her life would have turned out differently. I'm slightly appalled that I would get behind a character who would sacrifice her family for another man, but when Francesca takes us through her past and we see how much she has endured, we want her to have every bit of happiness. O'Hara does an Italian accent, and I thought it would be a distraction, but after the first few minutes of the piece it seems so natural that you don't even question in. In fact, in makes her seem more exotic and even more out of place in the flat Iowa farmland. Vocally, this is the best she has ever been. Her soprano is a breath of fresh air in an era where you can't go into a Broadway house without hearing belting, or even worse, screlting. Her singing is very controlled for the majority of the show, but there are a few times that she really let's it fly, especially in "Almost Real" when she takes us back to Italy and in "Before and After You/One Second & a Million Miles," during her last moments with Robert.

It's hard to believe that this is Steven Pasquale's Broadway musical debut. Why on earth hasn't some director scooped him up? Because he is fresh for the musical theatre audience, he works even more perfectly as Robert. First of all, he is terribly handsome and just rugged enough to make us believe he was a former cowboy and current vagrant artist. His brilliant baritone really makes Brown's music sing, no pun intended, and his chemistry with Francesca Kelli O'Hara is undeniable. It is a credit to their acting that the forbidden affair between their characters becomes something that the audience not only accepts, but actually roots for. Pasquale portrays Robert as a shy, polite gentleman who simply tries to keep to himself until fate puts him on Francesca's front porch. His intensity grows throughout the show in a way that feels natural and honest, peaking during his final moments of Francesca. When we see Robert again at the end of the show, he is quiet and reflective, resigning himself to the fact that he will live his final days alone in such a way that we as the audience and heartbroken that he never tried to go after her again.

The songs are the heart and soul of the show, as they should be with a composer such as Brown who is known for his nuanced and layered music, but this also highlights the weaknesses of the book. Outside of the songs, the characters aren't particularly well-developed. This is fine for Francesca and Robert, who sing the majority of the songs, but it is a true disservice to the rest of the characters. For example, Bud, (Hunter Foster) Francesca's husband, is written as so flat and boring that the audience roots for the affair and pulls for Francesca to leave him. It is only the presence of their children that makes Francesca's decision a true moral dilemma, not only for her, but for the audience. And even the children, Carolyn (Caitlin Kinnunen) and Michael (Derek Klena) have few redeeming qualities. Both are written, and acted, as so whiny and annoying that it's no wonder Francesca can finally let her hair down when her family goes off to the Indiana State Fair. Marge (Cass Morgan) is the one likable member of the supporting cast. The nosy neighbor could easily become a caricature, but as she nails the one-liners with such zip, she also shows her heart in the end when she just subtly lets on that she knew about Francesca's affair all those years ago and never once judged her for it.

Bartlett Sher's direction is pretty traditional, highlighting the romance and beauty of the score and his two leads. It's actually quite similar to his work in The Light in the Piazza. He does spice things up a little, particularly in Act I, with a scene that can best be described as a flashback. As Robert tells Francesca about his first wife, Marian (Whitney Bashor) actually takes the stage to sing the story. Sher took a stab at a different type of storytelling, but it just doesn't feel particularly necessary. Bashor does have a fantastic voice, but it seems like Sher liked the actress and created a character for her that wasn't integral to the story. The montage scene near the end of Act II is a triumph for Sher in that it covers several decades seamlessly without feeling forced. In another director's hands this scene could have really dragged on, but he keeps it moving with Brown's bluegrassy/folksy "When I'm Gone".

The Bridges of Madison County has the makings of Jason Robert Brown's first big broadway hit. He is known for The Last Five Years, Parade, and other slightly more offbeat shows, but this piece was clearly written with Broadway patrons in mind. It is a "big show" in every sense of the word. You have a marriage-turned-love triangle unfolding in a gossipy small town in the ever changing 1960s. All of this is the perfect framework for drama and music. We've all heard the old theatrical adage "we sing because we can't speak anymore," and it plays out perfectly in this show. Emotions are running high throughout, which leads perfectly into the songs, particularly in Act II. Brown blends his layered, complex musical sensibility with the local character of Iowa to create a folksy, yet sweeping piece of Americana. This score harkens back to Aaron Copland as much as Stephen Sondheim. If you're looking for a perfect production, this show isn't that, but then again what is? I, and I think most people, see musicals for the score and the performances, so if you go in the right frame of mind, O'Hara and Pasquale's voices and Brown's music will sweep you away.

Win a Nice Work If You Can Get It cast album!

Nice Work If You Can Get It, one of the biggest hits of the 2011-2012 Broadway season has recently release a cast album!

To win, answer the following question along with your email address in the comments section below. Please reply by Saturday 10/20 at 11:59 pm.

NICE WORK star Kelli O'Hara is a 3-time TONY nominee. For which shows has she been nominated?

Win a pair of tickets to Nice Work If You Can Get It on Broadway!

Hilarious Broadway entertainment is back in high style!
Don’t miss the high-stepping new musical comedy extravaganza from Kathleen Marshall, the Tony®-winning director/choreographer of The Pajama Game who turned Anything Goes into last year’s most effervescent delight, and Joe DiPietro, Tony®-winning writer of Memphis. Matthew Broderick (The Producers) and Kelli O'Hara (South Pacific) star in this sparkling tale of playboys, politicians, bootleggers and leggy chorus girls, all running loose in a glorious Long Island mansion in the rip-roaring 1920s. Let the fun begin!

Leading lady Kelli O'Hara is a graduate of Oklahoma City University. She studied with the same voice teacher as which TONY-winning Broadway actress?

Post your answer to the question in the comments section below this post with an email address where I can contact the winner. The contest will run until 11:59 pm on Sunday March 11th. The winner will be selected randomly from those who answer correctly and will be notified by email.

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2010: The Year I Saw All Of My Broadway Idols On Stage!

For me as a theatre-goer, 2010 was a year of firsts, my first time seeing my idols on stage that is.


My quest to see all of my musical theatre heroes started in May when I saw Kristin Chenoweth in Promises, Promises. We had these tickets particularly far in advance but Kristin gave us a little scare the week we were set to see the show, announcing on twitter that she was sick and would be missing shows. Luckily, she was well enough to perform the night we had tickets and seeing her live was unreal such a special experience for me. I've loved Kristin since before I can remember but I just happened to miss her in Wicked and The Apple Tree but was so grateful to have caught her in Promises, Promises. 

Read my review of Promises Promises here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/06/promises-promises.html

Barbara Cook is a performer that I have come to admire more recently than some of the others. I started listening to Barbara after Kristin Chenoweth mentioned in an interview that she was "her idol." After purchasing one of her  albums, I understood why. As a fellow soprano, I related to Barbara and her recording of "Glitter and Be Gay" was my savior when I was learning this complicated aria. While Sondheim on Sondheim had its flaws, it was the perfect vehicle to showcase Cook because while her coloratura notes are gone, she is still the master of interpreting a lyric, and that is exactly the kind of singer that Sondheim requires.


Read my review of Sondheim on Sondheim here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/06/roundabout-theatre-companys-sondheim-on.html

I've said this many times, but prior to seeing Everyday Rapture, I was not a fan of Sherie Rene Scott. I went to the show because a good friend of mine was a big fan and needless to say I was blown away by Sherie. Yes she has talent, but many people have talent. What really struck me about her was her commitment to the show and her performance energy. Having seen her later in the year in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, where she clearly was not as committed to the piece, I realized just how important it is that an actor is invested in the work and how much of a difference that makes to an audience.

Read my review of Everyday Rapture here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-would-judy-do.html

When I heard that Bernadette Peters may be replacing Catherine Zeta-Jones in A Little Night Music, I held off seeing the show and I am so glad I waited. Bernadette was a revelation in the role of Desiree and I have never been so captivated by a performer. I idolize Bernadette in a big way, but oddly enough, I was only star struck for a moment. After the initial exhilaration wore off, she was no longer Bernadette Peters, but rather she became the character of Desiree Armfeldt. Her Send in the Clowns was phenomenal, but I remember it more as a scene than as a song. And in my opinion, forsaking the vocals for the character is the mark of a true actress. For the price of that one theatre ticket, I saw a remarkable performance and took an acting class from a legend. How often can you say that?

Read my review of A Little Night Music here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/09/barbie-award-for-acting-song-miss.html

I will probably never forgive myself for missing Kelli O'Hara in South Pacific (I saw Laura Osnes as Nellie) but I was fortunate enough to see her in concert at the Kennedy Center this season. I'm actually glad that my experience with Kelli was in concert because her voice is simply divine and you get to hear more songs in a concert than in a musical. Because I am a soprano, most of my repertoire is from the Golden Age of Broadway and Kelli happened to perform songs mostly from that genre so it was like a master class for me in that respect. I  thoroughly enjoyed her musical selections and I felt that I got to know her a little better through her banter between songs, and though she was cheesy at times, my goodness was she genuine. I think she truly is a cockeyed optimist.


Read my review of Kelli's concert here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/10/kelli-ohara-in-concert-at-kennedy.html

The Broadway show I saw most recently was Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and it marked my first live experience with Patti LuPone. Though I wished I'd seen her in a better show where she was the star, like Gypsy, Patti has that rare ability to turn any role into a star performance. I recall the hilights of the show being Patti with a gun, Patti on a motorcycle, and Patti hanging from the proscenium. What I love most about Patti is her respect for the theatre and her commitment to preserving it as a high art form. Her respect for the theatre translates into her performance and from this show and from Patti, I learned that the actor's job is to commit to the character and deliver an engaging performance, regardless of how good or bad the show is.

Read my review of Women on the Verge here: http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/11/women-on-verge-of-nervous-breakdown.html

This was just a brief overview of my experiences with my Broadway idols in 2010. Check back throughout the week for posts dedicated to each of these divas and what it is exactly that I love about them!

Barbie's Showtune of the Day #16: I Could Have Danced All Night

This is one of my all time favorite showtunes and I'm actually surprised I haven't posted it yet. The version I'm uploading here actually isn't Julie Andrews. This video actually has a long introduction where New York Pops Music Director Steven Reineke discusses an evening of Lerner and Loewe music performed by Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot, of South Pacific fame. At the end of the video, Kelli O'Hara, one of my musical idols, sings I Could Have Danced All Night. I think her rendition of this song is completely inspired and I'm going to say it for the millionth time, somebody needs to mount a Broadway revival of My Fair Lady starring Kelli O'Hara as Eliza Doolittle.

Kelli O'Hara in Concert at the Kennedy Center

I have been waiting for years to see Kelli O'Hara perform live, and when I attended her solo concert tonight at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, I was certainly not disappointed. She opened with He Loves Me, a tweaked version of the song She Loves Me. She then continued into Wonderful Guy from South Pacific and also sang a selection from Most Happy Fella. After the first two to three songs, Kelli addressed the audience. She seemed incredibly comfortable speaking to the audience and while she wasn't as funny as other performers I've seen in concert, she was incredibly sweet and charming in her own way, not to mention incredibly gracious. She told us that this was a new concert and it is the same she will be performing at her upcoming show at Feinstein's in New York. The theme of this concert was her growth as an artist and she began with ingénue songs and progressed into songs sung by more adult characters to reflect her maturity and life experience. She did a lovely rendition of Kurt Weill's My Ship and we were also privileged to hear The Beauty Is from The Light in the Piazza as her final ingénue number.

She then continued into Something Wonderful from the King and I and an absolutely stunning rendition of This Nearly Was Mine. She spoke of how much she fell in love with this song hearing Paulo Szot perform it nightly in South Pacific. She even acknowledged that performing the song was a huge risk but I found it to be a phenomenal rendition. She then gave a small discussion of her appreciation for Sondheim, performing Finishing the Hat, and a song written for her by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey in the style of Sondheim for the brilliant composer's 80th birthday celebration. The one selection she chose from her solo album Wonder in the World, which is great I might add, was All The Way.

Kelli discussed the importance of family in her life, specifically her husband and son, and the balance it takes to be a mom and a performer. Everything she said was just so incredibly charming that I darn near fell in love with her! She then sang Opera-Country a number written for her by her musical director that discusses a country singer who secretly wants to be an opera star. This song made use of her lovely upper range and in its use of character voices and a somewhat autobiographical storyline, I found it quite similar to the Kristin Chenoweth standard The Girl in 14G. For her final number, Kelli performed West Side Story's Somewhere, which she also did two years ago for Barbra Streisand at the Kennedy Center Honors.

After tremendous applause and a standing ovation, she returned for an encore, I Could Have Danced All Night, which I thought was her best number. I've been saying for what seems like forever that she needs to play Eliza Doolittle in a Broadway revival of My Fair Lady and I stand by that choice.

In conclusion, I found Kelli's voice to be in tip top shape, and for someone who I admire primarily for her voice, this concert was the perfect medium for me to have my first live experience with Kelli. I could listen to her sing for hours. What I love about her is that her vocal training is definitely apparent, but when she sings, it sounds effortless. Singing clearly gives her great joy and it is very evident in her performance. And as for her stage presence? There were definitely times where her jokes didn't land or she didn't say exactly what she was meaning to say, but she is so darn sweet that you can't help but fall in love with her. I left the concert as an even bigger fan that I was when I arrived and from the mood in the theatre, she was a hit!

My Most Memorable Theatre Experiences: #9 South Pacific (2008 Revival)

Like most theatre fans, I grew up watching the Rogers and Hammerstein musicals on video. I started with The Sound of Music and a bit later I fell in love with Carousel, and then South Pacific. I loved the romance of these shows and the glorious, sweeping scores. When I began to study vocal performance, I gravitated toward the R&H songs as they fit wonderfully into my soprano voice. They are still among my favorite repertory pieces today. Unfortunately for me, most contemporary musicals are written for belters so when I knew that Lincoln Center Theatre was reviving South Pacific, I jumped at the chance to see it. I had seen a charming little community theatre production of South Pacific in Walla Walla, WA a few years before and fell in love with the score and staging, but what I saw and experienced at Lincoln Center blew me away. I had listened to the cast recording before I saw the show and fell in love with the voice of Kelli O'Hara. She has a glorious soprano and while she mixes down into her chest voice, she is definitely not a power belter, and she became a singer that I could relate to. Unfortunately when I saw the performance Miss O'Hara was on maternity leave, but Laura Osnes was perfectly lovely in the role of Nellie Forbush and Paulo Szot was, and I do not use this word lightly, a revelation in the role of Emile de Becque.

Now while I have always said I'm an old soul, contrary to popular belief I was not around in 1949 for the original Broadway production of South Pacific. But you could have convinced me otherwise as the opening notes of the overture transported me to the 1940s when full orchestras and romance trumped rock scores and electronic music. When the stage retracted from the thrust to reveal the orchestra as they played excerpts from Bali Hai and Some Enchanted Evening, the water works began and continued throughout the opening sequence (did I mention I love a good cry at the theatre). The opening sequence of Cockeyed Optimist, Twin Soliloquies, and Some Enchanted Evening was enrapturing. Everything about the production was captivating, from the wonderful performances by Danny Burstein as Luther Billis and Loretta Ables Sayre as Bloody Mary and picture perfect direction of Bartlett Sher, to the visually stunning scenic and lighting designs. One of the most unique aspects of this experience, for me, was the fact that I was one of the youngest people in the audience of the Vivian Beaumont theatre that night. It felt so wonderful to be in the presence of a more mature generation that may indeed have seen the original production with Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, and above all, that truly maintained respect for the theatre as a venerated art form, and not simply as entertainment. I guess what really touched me the most about this production of South Pacific was the realization that classical musical theatre and timeless talents like Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot still have a place on The Great White Way.

Fun Fact of the Day: South Pacific becomes the longest running R&H revival

Lincoln Center Theatre's 2008 revival of South Pacific, directed by Bartlett Sher, played its final performance on August 22nd. The production was recently broadcast live as part of PBS' Great Performances series. Paulo Szot and Kelli O'Hara, the production's original Emile de Beque and Nellie Forbush returned for the final performance. This production, which ran for more than 2 years, will go down as the longest running Broadway revival of a Rogers & Hammerstein show.

Barbie's Showtune(s) of the Day #7: A South Pacific Medley

In honor of my girl Kelli O'Hara's return to South Pacific, I've chosen a medley of songs from the gorgeous revival as performed at the 2008 TONY awards. Enjoy her glorious voice and the rest of the amazing cast of South Pacific.

Fun Fact of the Day: Kelli O'Hara Returns to South Pacific

Tonight marks the return of three-time Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara to the Tony winning revival of South Pacific. She will continue in the role of Ensign Nellie Forbush until the production closes on August 22nd. O'Hara originated the role in 2008, but Nellie has been played by  Laura Osnes since O'Hara left the production in 2009 to give birth to a son. South Pacific is produced by Lincoln Center and plays at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Although I did not see O'Hara in the role, (I saw Osnes,) this really is a fantastic production, not to mention your chance to see one of my top five all time favorite Broadway sopranos live. The August 18th performance will be broadcast live on PBS stations.

Fun Fact of the Day: Sorority Sisters on Broadway!

Not only did Broadway sopranos Kristin Chenoweth and Kelli O'Hara both study voice under Florence Birdwell at Oklahoma City University, but they are also sorority sisters! Both are alumae of the Beta Omicron chapter of Gamma Phi Beta. Kristin graduated in the class of 1990 and Kelli in1998. Gamma Phi Beta is one of the seven founding chapters of the National Panhellenic conference along with Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Pi Beta Phi.

My Fave Five Broadway Sopranos

Kelli O'Hara

This southern gal is a product of the same teacher, Florence Birdwell of Oklahoma City University, that produced Kristin Chenoweth. She is best known for her Tony nominated roles: Clara in The Light In The Pizza, Babe in The Pajama Game, and Nellie in South Pacific. Her earlier Broadway work shows off her light, sweet, airy sound, but her later work and her solo album, Wonder in the World, demonstrate that there is more to this girl than blonde hair and high notes. There is genuine soul behind that glorious voice. Because her voice and her look are so classical, she seems more inclined to revivals and I think that if My Fair Lady is ever revived on Broadway, the role of Eliza Doolittle just may be her ticket to finally winning that TONY. Listen to the title track of The Light in the Piazza for a taste of Kelli's impeccable control and sweeping vibrato. 

Audra McDonald

Television fans will know her as Dr. Naomi Bennet on ABC's Private Pactice, but theatre fans know she is a Broadway Baby at heart. She is a classically trained soprano from Julliard. Many know her as a belter, which is not untrue, but her power in her lower register actually comes from her soprano training.She performed an unthinkable feat, winning 3 TONY awards in 5 years as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel(1994), Sharon in Master Class (1996), and Sarah in Ragtime (1998). She won a 4th TONY in 2004, portraying the role of Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun. She shares the title of "4-time TONY winner" with legends like Gwen Verdon and Mary Martin. She continues to perform concerts worldwide, specializing in opera and classical song cycles. My personal favorite Audra recording is "Your Daddy's Son" from Ragtime.

Julie Andrews

Perhaps the most well known of these 5 sopranos, Julie Andrews captured the hearts of audiences world-wide on film as Mary in Mary Poppins and Maria in The Sound of Music. Her stage highlights include My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Victor/Victoria. Vocally, she is known for her crisp diction and perfect pitch. Unfortunately, in recent years, she has been limited to non-singing roles due to a botched throat surgery that rendered her singing voice unusable. But she has continued to perform in films and her speaking voice is just as fluid and mesmerizing as when she had the use of vibrato. And we will always remember her as the silvery-voiced soprano we fell in love with. The title track from The Sound of Music is a classic Julie Andrews piece that is not to be missed.

Kristin Chenoweth

Anybody who has ever met me knows that Kristin Chenoweth is my idol. I've loved her ever since I began to study voice and found that I too was a soprano. I thought that only belters could have Broadway careers until I began following Kristin's career and then I decided I wanted to be just like her. Her Broadway highlights are certainly her performances as Glinda in Wicked and her TONY winning turn as Sally in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown where she showed off her upper register and her belting capabilities that, like in Audra's case, stem from her classical training. As Cunegonde in Candide, she showed off her coloratura range in what every soprano considers the most demanding song written for the musical theatre, Glitter & Be Gay. She is currently showing a darker side to her performance in the revival of Promises, Promises and though it is great to hear her sing the classic Burt Bacharach tunes, I miss hearing those great high C's, otherwise known as the "cheno note". "The Girl in 14G," written specifically for Kristin by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan is a shining example of her abilities to shift from operatic arias to jazz riffs and belting all in one song.

Barbara Cook

And last but not least, the woman who has inspired every soprano in the musical theatre, the Queen herself, Barbara Cook. Her earliest roles were in the ingenue category, from her TONY winning portrayal of Marian in The Music Man to originating the role of Cunegonde in Bernstein's operetta Candide. After a hiatus from Broadway, Cook embarked upon a very successful cabaret and concert career. She has also become known as one of the greatest living interpreters of Stephen Sondheim's work and made a triumphant return to the Broadway stage this season in the musical Sondheim on Sondheim where she delivered sensational versions of In Buddy's Eyes, Not A Day Goes By, and Send In The Clowns. Although her voice has dropped a bit over the years and she no longer has her high E-flats, she will always be the singer that all other sopranos try to live up to. There is no song in the musical theatre that is more spectacular than Barbara Cook singing "Glitter & be Gay".

Annie Revival 2012

If we must have yet another revival of this show on Broadway, can we at least have a fierce cast? And by "fierce cast" I mean I want to choose the cast. Here goes...



Annie...Erin Whyland
She made her Broadway debut last year as Debbie in Billy Elliot: The Musical and she is hilarious. I think she can really shine in a starring role. She can even bring along all of her ballet class friends from Billy Elliot to play the rest of the orphans.

Miss Hannigan...Allison Janney
She is a complete scene stealer and the gruff, untrained quality in her voice will suit this orphanage matron very well, not to mention that fact that the woman's height is enough to intimidate any small child. She plays comedy in such a way that she walks the line between grounded humor and over-the-top but never crosses it.

Daddy Warbucks...Michael Cerveris
He has a tough outer shell that commands attention, but is really a big ball of love on the inside. Plus, his head is already shaved.

Grace Farrell...Kelli O'Hara
Nobody can play sweet and loving onstage like Ms. O'Hara and with a soprano like that, how could Annie and Warbucks help but fall in love with her?

Rooster...Raul Esparza
True, he usually plays a leading man, but I think this featured role could show off a different side of Esparza as he channels his inner con artist.

Lily St. Regis...Sutton Foster
I can just hear her singing Easy Street right now and it is over the top and campy, but it is Sutton Foster so some how it is fabulous at the same time.,