This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Santino Fontana: Hey, it's Santino Fontana. You're listening to Behind the Awards.

[0:13] Eila Mell: Hello everyone. Welcome to Behind the Awards. This is our third Tony special. And you know, if you haven't listened to one or two, you can go anytime and listen to them. They're out there. But the good thing is that you don't have to listen in any order. So you can listen to this one first and then go back and listen to the others. Yes, while you're here, don't leave.

[0:34] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, don't leave. That's stay right where you are. That's my co-host Bruce, as always. And we are joined today by our awards expert, Matt Stashin.

[0:46] Matt Stashin: Hey there, Matt. Hello, how is everybody? Welcome back. We're ready to predict.

[0:52] Eila Mell: We can try. I don't know this year.

[0:54] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, we don't know if we'll get it right, but we can make our predictions.

[0:57] Matt Stashin: We are very good at wrong.

[0:59] Eila Mell: How about that?

[1:00] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, listen, you did better than we did last year, so I am a competitive person. I would absolutely love to continue that.

[1:08] Matt Stashin: Yeah, so am I. I'm a little mad at you, but that's okay. We're still friends.

[1:12] Bruce Gotlieb: We're cell friends.

[1:14] Eila Mell: That's right. That's right. All right, Bruce. What categories are we diving into today?

[1:19] Bruce Gotlieb: We are going to dive into Book of the Musical, Scenic Design of a Play, Best Revival of a Play, Sound Design of a Musical, and Featured Actress in a Musical.

[1:32] Eila Mell: All right. Now, where would you like to start?

[1:34] Bruce Gotlieb: Let's dive in with book.

[1:36] Eila Mell: Why not? Sounds good. So the nominees for Best Book of a Musical are Will Aronson and Hugh Park for Maybe Happy Ending. David Cumming, Felix Hagen, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts for Operation Mince Meat. Itamar Moses for Dead Outlaw. Marco Pennette for Death Becomes Her. And Marco Ramirez for Buena Vista Social Club.

[2:03] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Well, Matt, you're our guest. We will start off with you. So let's go with what we think will win first.

[2:12] Matt Stashin: It will, I think it will be Maybe Happy Ending. Any particular reason you want to give?

[2:17] Matt Stashin: Um, I think is it just the popularity of the show? It's the popular well, it is the popularity of the show. It is the fact that it is a really a well-constructed book, and I think the voters will appreciate that. It's a very strong book. I think the book is probably the strongest part of the show.

[2:34] Eila Mell: Okay. Fair enough. All right, Bruce. Now, are you looking for anything specific when you go, both of you, really, when you go to see a musical, are you looking for the book to do anything specific for you?

[2:46] Bruce Gotlieb: I certainly don't have a checklist, but you know, I want to be moved by the book as well as the music. You know, I want the book to do as much work as the music does. I want my story to come from both places.

[2:59] Matt Stashin: Yeah, it's got to be a well-con it's got to be a well-told story, either moving and emotional, or even like something like Death Becomes Her just full on funny. It also for me has to work with the score, like the score and the book have to work together to tell the story. If one of them shouldn't fight with one another.

[3:17] Bruce Gotlieb: Exactly.

[3:18] Eila Mell: I can get behind all of that. But I'm also looking for great dialogue, too.

[3:23] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. I don't want it to be serviceable. I want it to be interesting. I don't want to be waiting for the songs.

[3:29] Matt Stashin: Right. And if you're up for best book, then it should be beyond serviceable, right?

[3:34] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes. And I think we definitely have some candidates here who fit that bill.

[3:38] Eila Mell: We definitely do. I think there's a couple of these shows that would have worked as straight plays.

[3:43] Matt Stashin: Would you like to say which ones?

[3:45] Eila Mell: I think Maybe Happy Ending is one.

[3:47] Bruce Gotlieb: Sure. I also honestly, I think the way the script is written, Buena Vista Social Club could have worked as a straight play as well. I mean, I know it exists because of the album because of that music. They weren't not gonna do it. But if you take those songs out, the plot still holds.

[4:02] Matt Stashin: I guess so, but without the music, it's hard to tell that particular story because it's about the music, I think anyway.

[4:08] Eila Mell: No, it is, but the songs there don't really drive the plot forward. If you take them out, the story still works.

[4:15] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes, absolutely. 100%. We know Operation Mince Meat works without the music because it was a movie.

[4:21] Matt Stashin: Right.

[4:21] Bruce Gotlieb: Without music. It was a dramatic movie. Very different tone.

[4:26] Eila Mell: Yes.

[4:26] Bruce Gotlieb: And Death Becomes Her also, we know, works without the music.

[4:29] Matt Stashin: Absolutely.

[4:30] Eila Mell: That was a movie. So all right. Well, Bruce, what do you think will win best book of the musical?

[4:35] Bruce Gotlieb: I agree with Matt. I think it's also going to be Will Aronson and Hugh Park for Maybe Happy Ending. It's a strong book. Um, I think that it there's just a lot of momentum with the storytelling of this show particularly. I think people are really latched on to the story.

[4:58] Eila Mell: Um so I just I think it'd be hard to beat it, although I do think that this year we have a really lot of strong choices.

[5:08] Matt Stashin: I think I agree with both of you. I think it will be Maybe Happy Ending, but I think if there is an upset, it could be Death Becomes Her. I think that's a really great, great book.

[5:19] Bruce Gotlieb: So is that your want?

[5:21] Matt Stashin: That is actually not my want. It's throwing out what you want. Everyone knows, right?

[5:26] Bruce Gotlieb: I know I want Operation Mince Meat because I love it. And I think forgetting that I love the show so much because I love Death Becomes Her too, but Operation Mince Meat, the book has to work, or else the show can't work, right?

[5:38] Eila Mell: It can't just be the music.

[5:39] Matt Stashin: Sure. And every there's it's like jam-packed with stuff. So if the book were weak, you would get so lost. So I think the book is the glue that holds this show together.

[5:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Those are fair points. What about you, Matt? What is your want?

[5:51] Matt Stashin: My want is probably a tie for very different reasons. I want Buena Vista Social Club. I also want Death Becomes Her. They were just both very well written shows that do the job they set out to do extremely well.

[6:06] Eila Mell: Yeah, I mean, if Death Becomes Her wins, I would cheer as loud as everyone else. I think it's a fantastic book. We had Marco Pennette on our show. He's great. You know, I think it's deserving. I just feel like Operation Mince Meat had to do more heavy lifting.

[6:23] Bruce Gotlieb: Sure.

[6:23] Matt Stashin: And Bruce. So ultimately, Matt, you can't have two. What which which one are you picking?

[6:27] Matt Stashin: For my want, it would be Buena Vista Social Club, then. It just quite honestly, that was my favorite show of the entire year. Musical. It's my favorite musical of the year.

[6:35] Bruce Gotlieb: Bruce got tough with you there.

[6:38] Matt Stashin: I can handle it.

[6:39] Eila Mell: All right. And Bruce, what's your want?

[6:42] Bruce Gotlieb: Mine is Marco Pennette for Death Becomes Her. It's such a I just I think the book is great. You know, Marco comes from the TV world, so I think he gets the volley that needs to happen for the masses, you know? That comic writing is just done so well. It's so funny. The show is so funny and it serves it just keeps everything, the camp factor with the music and the book, and everything is just really relies on one another.

[7:13] Matt Stashin: Yeah.

[7:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Um, and I think if it wasn't successful, I don't think, you know, the music isn't enough to hold it.

[7:20] Matt Stashin: Right.

[7:20] Bruce Gotlieb: The music's great and the book is great, but I think they do both need each other. And I just think it's really strong.

[7:26] Eila Mell: Well I hope that Marco writes a comedy next. I mean really because his dialogue is so incredible.

[7:32] Bruce Gotlieb: It would be great. I mean I feel like he should just stay with Broadway and just keep writing.

[7:37] Eila Mell: Yeah. Stay stay with us here on Broadway. We you don't need TV. Stay stay a while. You don't need that TV money.

[7:44] Bruce Gotlieb: No. Who needs that?

[7:45] Eila Mell: That's right. Where are we going next?

[7:48] Bruce Gotlieb: I feel like moving on to scenic design of a play.

[7:51] Eila Mell: Okay. That is a great category. So scenic design of a play our nominees are David Bergman and Marg Horwell for The Picture of Dorian Gray. Miriam Buether and 59 Productions for Stranger Things, The First Shadow. Marsha Ginsberg for English, Rob Howell for The Hills of California. And Scott Pask for Goodnight and Good Luck.

[8:15] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Who's it's me?

[8:18] Eila Mell: Yeah, let's tell me what you what you think will win.

[8:21] Bruce Gotlieb: What I think will win. I think that Stranger Things is going to win. I think that there are a lot of sets. I think the sets have to do a lot of the work. It's a horror play and I think without the right setting it won't work. So um you know and I think it was nominated in a lot of creative categories rather than some of the acting categories and the directing categories. So I think that it has a strong chance here.

[8:51] Matt Stashin: Yeah I do think that the tech aspect of that show and and kind of like we were talking about in a previous episode with some of the musicals that are reliant on tech.

[8:59] Eila Mell: Yeah you know when it when it comes to Stranger Things I think that without the lift that this design team is doing this show doesn't work and it it would be disaster without it.

[8:59] Matt Stashin: No I agree the the book is still strong you know the script is still good it is but it needs it it really is reliant upon a lot of the effects and I want to point out that in this category 59 they are the projections in the video so it's all you know that's part of this.

[8:59] Eila Mell: Yeah, it's interwoven together.

[8:59] Matt Stashin: Yeah, I'm gonna branch out a little bit and I can't really say a lot about it except a gut feeling because I haven't actually seen the show yet. I think Picture of Dorian Gray's taking this one.

[9:46] Matt Stashin: It's honestly my gut. I haven't seen the show yet. I just I'm feeling it.

[9:49] Eila Mell: Okay. Interesting what makes you think it's my gut.

[9:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, I mean it is it's not a bad guess because the video is also David Bergman did the video and that's a huge part of the set. And then there is scenery that comes on and off also. So it's a lot. It's a big job that they did and it you know it's certainly effective. You obviously without having seen the show if you don't see the show from the the previews that you're getting you do know there's a video component but obviously there would be a scenic component as well.

[10:16] Eila Mell: It's just from the little things that you're seeing you don't even get that part of the world. Well sometimes there's a set and sometimes it's just the screens so the sets come on almost like little dioramas and they're really interesting when they do come on.

[10:28] Matt Stashin: Yeah.

[10:29] Matt Stashin: Question well done for sure.

[10:30] Eila Mell: Yes.

[10:31] Eila Mell: Is it are the projections because again, haven't seen it yet? Are the projections pre-recorded, produced videos, or is it like Sunset Boulevard where they're just like recording people in the wings?

[10:41] Matt Stashin: It's both. Much of it is pre-recorded because Sarah Snook has to have dialogue with herself.

[10:47] Eila Mell: Right.

[10:48] Matt Stashin: But there, but it is also live on stage. You see the camera work, like on Sunset Boulevard.

[10:54] Eila Mell: Okay. Interesting. Talk about innovation, right?

[10:57] Matt Stashin: Yes, it's extremely innovative.

[10:59] Bruce Gotlieb: So Bruce, what do you think will win?

[11:01] Eila Mell: I'm with you, Isla. I think Stranger Things.

[11:03] Bruce Gotlieb: I think Miriam and uh 59 are going to take this. Like you said, you know, you have to have a certain tone, right? So you need dramatic, you need horror, you need thriller, you need suspense.

[11:17] Bruce Gotlieb: You also need Vegas, you also need a school room, a school. You also need a church. There's a lot of different locations. An attic. But they all they all have a the a certain vibe to it. They all they're cohesive.

[11:30] Eila Mell: Yes. Um, they really do a great job of telling this story.

[11:37] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Um it would win if it were the most locations.

[11:41] Matt Stashin: That's true.

[11:42] Bruce Gotlieb: That's very true. So I will, and I'll kick off the next layer of conversation.

[11:47] Eila Mell: It's my want, also.

[11:48] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay.

[11:49] Eila Mell: Yeah. I just am so excited by I mean, this year in total, just all the tech stuff, the way that we're just expanding how to tell stories and visually is so exciting.

[12:01] Eila Mell: And I just really, really loved this play and just what they did from a technological perspective. The tricks and the magic, there's so much going. I would be I would actually be sad if it didn't win.

[12:16] Matt Stashin: Yeah, I I agree with you. I feel the same way. Although I do want to give a very, very honorable mention to maybe Happy Ending and what George Reeve is doing with his projections and his video.

[12:28] Matt Stashin: It's incredible. And they're actually using a lot of the same technology. But I just think that maybe Happy Ending could be told without any of that if you had to, and Stranger Things couldn't.

[12:38] Eila Mell: I would agree with that. You do need some, you need the tricks because it's a world that we're not we don't know and we're not living in.

[12:44] Matt Stashin: Right.

[12:45] Eila Mell: So you can't tell that story without some type of sorcery.

[12:49] Matt Stashin: Yeah, exactly. So is Stranger Things your want also?

[12:52] Eila Mell: Yes.

[12:52] Matt Stashin: And Matt.

[12:53] Matt Stashin: Oh, I'm happy being the outlier on this one. My want very strongly is Hills of California.

[12:57] Matt Stashin: Yeah, that's a beautiful set. That set as soon as I as soon as I saw the set, I'm like, this is I think I turned to the person next to me. I'm like, if people are walking down each and every one of those staircases, it needs a Tony just for that alone.

[13:11] Matt Stashin: Um the set is gorgeous. The fact that the set worked for both time periods of the show in the 50s and in the 70s, there was so much attention to detail in every single corner of that set.

[13:22] Eila Mell: Yeah, no, absolutely. Rob Howell's a great designer.

[13:25] Matt Stashin: He never does a bad set.

[13:27] Matt Stashin: So I mean, this would be an easy win in any other season, probably.

[13:32] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I feel like we're we've said it a lot and we're gonna continue to say that through.

[13:36] Eila Mell: I know, I know. That stair that staircase in Hills of California is so symbolic and so important.

[13:43] Bruce Gotlieb: So the fact that it's so tall and such a big part of the set, even though they don't use it a lot, it has to be there and it has to be a presence.

[13:52] Eila Mell: It's it's just such good design.

[13:54] Matt Stashin: And also I will I will point out it's not only one staircase, you have three of them.

[13:58] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, that's true, right?

[13:59] Matt Stashin: It kind of wrapped around.

[14:00] Matt Stashin: He didn't have the rafters.

[14:03] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I know it's so high up. I'd be afraid to go up it.

[14:07] Eila Mell: But also, you know, like it it's great symbolism, so absolutely. Up to the heavens or the sky or whatever you want it to be.

[14:16] Matt Stashin: That's right. But really, in this show, it was like up to her fate, right? She was going up the stairs.

[14:20] Eila Mell: Yeah, yeah. It did a lot. The stairs alone just told a lot.

[14:26] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes. Plus, the rest of it was so cool.

[14:29] Eila Mell: Yeah, absolutely.

[14:37] Jay Harrison G: Hi, this is Jay Harrison G. You're listening to Behind the Awards.

[14:41] Jay Harrison G: We'll be right back.

[14:44] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Well, where are we going, Bruce?

[14:47] Bruce Gotlieb: What's next?

[14:48] Eila Mell: Well, we're we're chugging right along here. Um, our next order of business, we're gonna go to revival of a play.

[14:56] Matt Stashin: Okay.

[14:57] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh boy. So best revival of a play nominees are Eureka Day, Thornton Wilder's Our Town, Romeo and Juliet, and Yellow Face.

[15:09] Eila Mell: All right. Why don't we throw it to you, Bruce? You start this time.

[15:11] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. First of all, I love the diversity.

[15:15] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[15:16] Bruce Gotlieb: That um this category has. I think it's really uh exciting. We have different, we have classic shows that are being told differently.

[15:26] Bruce Gotlieb: We have newer pieces that um, you know, are coming back, you know, so it I think it's really exciting. I yeah, I like that mix.

[15:34] Bruce Gotlieb: My will win, I think is going to be Yellowface.

[15:37] Eila Mell: Mm-hmm.

[15:38] Bruce Gotlieb: Um I think there's a history story. I also think it's timely as much as it was written so many years ago, it's still very timely now.

[15:48] Bruce Gotlieb: I also think we're having a lot of conversations, not only theatrically, but just in the world about representation.

[15:55] Bruce Gotlieb: So I think for for those reasons, and that and it's a great play. So it's not that you know we're we're not sacrificing quality for those other other pieces.

[16:07] Eila Mell: Okay. Matt, your thoughts?

[16:09] Matt Stashin: I'm really torn on this one. It's it's very weird that we have four nominees for this category and all four of them are shows that have already closed.

[16:15] Matt Stashin: Yeah, I guess so. I don't know. The I can't remember the last time that happened.

[16:19] Matt Stashin: Is there a revival that's still running?

[16:21] Matt Stashin: Well, yes, Othello. Othello and Glengarry Glen Ross are both stuff.

[16:24] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, absolutely.

[16:26] Matt Stashin: Well, I think that well, let me not say that I think do you think that's a reflection of the ticket prices? Do you think it's a backlash?

[16:32] Matt Stashin: For Othello, uh honestly, yes. I think that might have been part of it.

[16:38] Matt Stashin: Um also both shows did not get the reviews or the response that I think a lot of people expected.

[16:45] Eila Mell: Mm-hmm.

[16:45] Matt Stashin: Okay. I'm very torn. I mean, and Bruce is right on everything he said about Yellowface about how it's timely and and representation.

[16:52] Matt Stashin: I think a lot of that can also be said for Eureka Day.

[16:55] Eila Mell: Mm-hmm.

[16:56] Matt Stashin: That sure you cannot get much more timely than some of the themes that are talked about in that play.

[17:01] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[17:01] Matt Stashin: And I also genuinely, it might not have been a perfect production, but I loved what they were going for with Romeo and Juliet.

[17:11] Matt Stashin: And absolutely like bringing Shakespeare to a younger audience and making them excited to be in the theater.

[17:17] Matt Stashin: I'm thrilled it got nominated just for that reason. There's like thousands of 20-somethings or teenagers like that never would have watched a Shakespeare show that went and cried their eyes out at the end.

[17:27] Eila Mell: Okay, well, that's a fair point.

[17:28] Matt Stashin: I mean, I I like that too. So I was I wanted that nomination for that reason, and I'm thrilled they got it.

[17:35] Matt Stashin: In terms of who I think is going to win, it's definitely for me, either Eureka Day or Yellowface.

[17:42] Matt Stashin: And I like ask me again 45 minutes from now, I will probably change my mind. I'll go with Yellow Face.

[17:48] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay.

[17:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay. So for me, I agree with you, Matt, about all the things about Romeo and Juliet. It's great that it brought a new audience, but I did not think it was a successful production.

[18:00] Bruce Gotlieb: I really don't know why it's here. I feel like Othello or Glenn Garry, Glenn Ross would probably have been a better choice here.

[18:08] Bruce Gotlieb: You know, I I some of the scenes took place in the rafters. You could barely see them.

[18:13] Bruce Gotlieb: I you know, I I appreciate Sam Gold's work, and I like that he took chances with this and did something different. But for me it was a miss.

[18:22] Bruce Gotlieb: So it that's not going to be my pick. Um, I think I'm going to go with oh, this is this is a very hard prediction.

[18:32] Bruce Gotlieb: I think I'll go with Eureka Day, just because um it got a lot of attention. It it was a great production, but so was Yellowface.

[18:42] Bruce Gotlieb: But I feel like that Zoom meeting kind of put it over the top for a lot of people.

[18:48] Matt Stashin: Sure did.

[18:48] Bruce Gotlieb: That was funny. It you know, it became a moment.

[18:52] Bruce Gotlieb: So I so I think people are going to remember it very fondly, plus Jessica Heck's performance.

[18:57] Bruce Gotlieb: I so anyway, that's my prediction, not necessarily what I want.

[19:01] Matt Stashin: You don't think that Yellowface coming to PBS is gonna put that back in the public mind?

[19:06] Bruce Gotlieb: I absolutely do, yeah.

[19:08] Bruce Gotlieb: I think it yes.

[19:09] Matt Stashin: So I I think it's a 50 50 between these two.

[19:12] Eila Mell: I think I agree with you on that. It really could go either way.

[19:15] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, Yellowface, the producers are so smart to have it come out during the voting process.

[19:21] Eila Mell: You know, I think Yeah, it actually when this airs, this episode airs, it will have just shown on PBS on the 16th.

[19:30] Bruce Gotlieb: Right.

[19:30] Eila Mell: So you couldn't be timed any better.

[19:34] Bruce Gotlieb: And it's great because people should see it. It's a great production.

[19:37] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[19:38] Bruce Gotlieb: So, well, then I will start by saying that is the one that I want to win, Yellow Face.

[19:44] Bruce Gotlieb: Even though I'm predicting Eureka Day, but I'm rooting for Yellow Face.

[19:49] Bruce Gotlieb: I just think it's innovative, it's fun. Um, I think Francis Jews' performance is so outstanding, plus the whole supporting cast.

[20:00] Matt Stashin: Yeah, they're playing you know, 15 characters a piece.

[20:03] Matt Stashin: I know, and Kevin Del Aguila is so good, so so good.

[20:08] Bruce Gotlieb: So, you know, that is the one that I hope will win, but I wouldn't be sorry if it went to our town because I love that production too.

[20:15] Eila Mell: Okay, that's so funny because you picked Eureka Day, but you want Yellow Face.

[20:19] Bruce Gotlieb: I picked Yellowface and I want Eureka Day.

[20:22] Bruce Gotlieb: I absolutely loved Eureka Day.

[20:24] Bruce Gotlieb: And again, that Zoom meeting was one of the funniest things I've seen this entire year.

[20:29] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[20:29] Bruce Gotlieb: And I would love to see Eureka Day win.

[20:32] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[20:32] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay.

[20:33] Bruce Gotlieb: I wouldn't complain, Bruce.

[20:34] Bruce Gotlieb: I was having a little bit of uh a struggle a little back and forth here with what I wanted.

[20:41] Bruce Gotlieb: And ultimately, as much as I I've loved a lot of these productions, I ultimately landed on my want is our town.

[20:51] Eila Mell: Okay.

[20:51] Bruce Gotlieb: Um, and the reason why is just because I felt like they did so many wonderful things with the production that I enjoyed, so many of the acting performances that I enjoyed that I felt like it those didn't were didn't have an opportunity to be recognized.

[21:09] Matt Stashin: And again, not because it's not deserving, I just think this year we're just so packed in every category, yeah, that it gives an opportunity for this show, which is a classic and done differently, a chance to be recognized.

[21:22] Eila Mell: I was so happy when it got the nomination because I was very concerned that it wouldn't. So I was really, yeah, I didn't. I honestly going in, I don't remember if it was on my predict play the nominator. It probably was on that list. But if I was predicting the nominations, I probably wouldn't have because you know, Othello and Glengarry, they're just so big, you know, in terms of buzz and all this and just chatter.

[21:45] Matt Stashin: But the other side of that coin, I know there was a lot of speculation that the reason why is because of the ticket prices that those shows weren't really honored. I'm kind of okay with that. I feel like making a statement isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[21:59] Eila Mell: No, it's not. But I mean, we don't know, right? Because the nominators denominators aren't buying their tickets.

[22:05] Matt Stashin: So I don't know.

[22:06] Eila Mell: That's true too. And I do feel bad if there were performers or designers that did exceptional work. They got frozen out. Like Jake Gyllenhaal's reviews for Othello were through the roof.

[22:17] Matt Stashin: Right.

[22:17] Eila Mell: Um, so were honestly Andrew Burnap's. And that they didn't get honored was seen by a snub as a lot of people because they are so good.

[22:28] Matt Stashin: Yeah. I guess we'll never really know.

[22:30] Eila Mell: No. Listen, we can't be responsible. We didn't nominate.

[22:34] Matt Stashin: That's true. If they want, we're happy to take on responsibility.

[22:38] Eila Mell: That's right. If they need help, we're just reporting here.

[22:41] Matt Stashin: That's right.

[22:42] Eila Mell: I would be happy to help them out. They should just email me.

[22:45] Matt Stashin: Okay. We'll give them your email address.

[22:46] Eila Mell: Thank you very much. That's recorded now. You have to do it.

[22:49] Matt Stashin: Okay.

[22:49] Eila Mell: All right, Bruce. Should we talk about sound design of the musical?

[22:53] Bruce Gotlieb: I think we must do that.

[22:55] Eila Mell: All right. So our nominees for best sound design of a musical are Jonathan Deans for Buena Vista Social Club, Adam Fisher for Sunset Boulevard, Peter Halinski for Just in Time, Peter Halinski for Maybe Happy Ending, and Dan Moses Schreier for Floyd Collins.

[23:16] Matt Stashin: All right, Eila, what do you think?

[23:17] Eila Mell: I have many thoughts. I am torn between two for different reasons. So the first thing that I'm thinking is Buena Vista Social Club, because you know, you hear the music so well. You hear, you know, I think each instrument had its own microphone. You know, it's just it's such a rich sound, and you have to have it. The music has to sound superb for this musical to make sense. So for that reason, I think it could be Buena Vista Social Club. But then there's Sunset Boulevard, and you know, that had great sound, but what I'm thinking is that they had to go outside every single performance on the street, and you could hear everything perfectly. Like there's no sounds that are distracting from outside. Like they sort of had to create how that would work. So that's where I'm torn. But I think ultimately I'll go with Buena Vista Social Club.

[24:16] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay. Very interesting. What do you think, Bruce?

[24:19] Bruce Gotlieb: I am going with for similar reasons, Peter Halinski for Just in Time. I think that he's tasked with creating an environment that needs to sound current like a concert, but also have a feel and sound when we transport back to Bobby Darin's story. And that needs to be done successfully. And it can't be, you know, sometimes if you go to a concert, the mics are hot, or the sound of the instruments are overpowering the singer, or you know, there's so many different levels that need to be maintained. Plus, you're in Circle in the Square, which I think is a really interesting space to then make sure that all this mixes, because you know, on a regular proscenium stage, you're just pushing sound out.

Um, in this environment, it's kind of all encompassing. So I just think there's a bit more of a heavy lift, and it's done so, so well. And you have, you know, throwing back to the old like variety show days, you have the band on stage, all that have to be, you know, mic'd and playing and you know, kind of balanced with your performers. So I just think for those reasons, I think Peter is gonna win.

[25:33] Matt Stashin: Excellent. All right, Matt.

[25:35] Matt Stashin: And I can't predict a five-way tie.

[25:37] Eila Mell: No.

[25:38] Matt Stashin: What's funny is my actual favorite, or the sound design that I walked out admiring the most was not nominated, which was Death Becomes Her. I'm gonna shock you with this one. I think it's gonna be Sunset Boulevard.

[25:50] Eila Mell: Okay.

[25:51] Matt Stashin: And specifically for the walk through Schubert Alley. I think that's done very well. So I will, it is not my want. My want is actually Floyd Collins. You know, Lincoln Center is a hard venue to get great sound in. Right. And I'm not, and on top of that, the sound is so important to Floyd Collins. It has to, they're in a cave for so much of the show, and just outside the cave. But even just for that opening number alone, the call, like basically Jeremy Jordan's voice has to echo himself. And they did it so well. If that wins, I would be very happy.

[26:26] Eila Mell: Okay. Fair enough.

[26:28] Matt Stashin: So is that your want?

[26:29] Matt Stashin: That is my want. Collins is my want.

[26:31] Eila Mell: That's your want.

[26:32] Matt Stashin: Okay. So for me, my want is Sunset Boulevard because of, you know, the walk around, because of, you know, the instruments sounded great, the singing sounded great. But also like the film, the video sounded really good. And you know, you got a sense when it was an old movie, you got a sense of what it was today. So I just think that it did many things. So that's my want.

[26:56] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay.

[26:57] Bruce Gotlieb: My want is also Just in Time. I'm staying with it. It transported me, it captivated me. I'm still thinking about the show for a variety of different reasons. And the sound is one of those.

[27:10] Eila Mell: Okay. So as much as I probably, if I had to make a case for any of the other shows, I probably could because they're all really strong sound design. But I just feel like putting my money where my mouth is.

[27:21] Bruce Gotlieb: Our last category for the evening is going to be Featured Actress in a Musical. So everyone take a deep breath.

[27:31] Eila Mell: I know. Our nominees are Natalie Venetia Belcon for Buena Vista Social Club, Julia Knitel for Dead Outlaw, Gracie Lawrence for Just in Time, Justina Machado for Real Women Have Curves, and Joy Woods for Gypsy.

[27:50] Matt Stashin: Okay. I mean, for me, honestly, for my want and my will might be the one I'm the most sure of. Because my will and my want are the same person. Natalie Venetia Belcon is incredible in Buena Vista Social Club. And one of the best performances of the year. And just to me, that to me, this is the one I'm the most, it was one of my easiest picks.

[28:15] Eila Mell: Now, is it a lead performance or a supporting performance for you though?

[28:19] Matt Stashin: Um, I was gonna say, were you surprised that she wasn't in lead?

[28:23] Matt Stashin: No, because she's offstage for huge chunks of the show, and a lot of the show is given over to the younger version of her character. Her character is the lead, but the stage time is kind of split pretty evenly between the two of them. You could have made a case for her being the lead because the emotional crux of the show and the arc of the show is her.

[28:42] Eila Mell: It's her story.

[28:43] Matt Stashin: It is her story. It's not even, it's and looking back on the other version of herself when she was younger.

[28:48] Eila Mell: Sure.

[28:48] Matt Stashin: But stage time-wise, it's a featured role.

[28:51] Eila Mell: Okay. But she makes so much of it that it does feel like the lead of the show.

[28:55] Matt Stashin: So then I think there is no lead role in this show.

[28:58] Eila Mell: I don't think there is.

[28:59] Matt Stashin: I think, yeah.

[29:00] Eila Mell: No, there's a lead, there's a lead character.

[29:02] Matt Stashin: Exactly.

[29:02] Eila Mell: There's just not a lead performance.

[29:04] Matt Stashin: Right. A per lead performance.

[29:06] Eila Mell: Yeah, that is a good way to put it, Bruce. I'm with you, Matt. I think my will win is Natalie. I think in this category, these of the nominees, I don't think anybody's doing the lift that she is. And I think she's gonna be hard to beat.

[29:21] Matt Stashin: Not to take anything away from any other women.

[29:23] Eila Mell: Oh, not at all. Not at all. They were, yeah, I think I agree. I think this is actually one of the easier ones to predict. I think it is going to be Natalie Venetia Belcon. You know, I mean, it's just, it's sort of a career-making performance, even though she's been working for many years.

[29:39] Matt Stashin: For years.

[29:40] Eila Mell: She was Gary Coleman in Even UQ, if I remember correctly.

[29:44] Matt Stashin: She was.

[29:44] Eila Mell: Right. She was, but this is the first time people are really taking this kind of notice of her.

[29:50] Matt Stashin: So, and I think she is my want also. But it's hard because I think Julia Knitel is doing fantastic work. I love what Joy Woods is doing in Gypsy, Gracie Lawrence. I mean, you know, any of them could win, but I think this one is Natalie's.

[30:05] Matt Stashin: Yeah, she's my want as well. I just think when it comes to the storytelling and like you guys said, you know, the emotional arc that she takes you on. And you know, it's, you know, essentially for her character, a memory play.

[30:19] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[30:19] Matt Stashin: So you do get to revisit, you know, through her eyes, this part of her life, and she does it so well. And you know, I love she's a little snarky, she's a little sassy, and you know, who doesn't love that in a leading, well not a leading, who doesn't love that in a role? And then when she sings, forget about it.

[30:39] Eila Mell: Yeah, forget about it.

[30:41] Matt Stashin: She really is the heart and soul of Buena Vista Social Club.

[30:44] Eila Mell: Oh, yeah.

[30:45] Matt Stashin: So by far.

[30:47] Eila Mell: Yeah. And she's carrying a lot of the show as well.

[30:50] Matt Stashin: So all right. Well, have we done it?

[30:53] Eila Mell: That one was easy.

[30:55] Matt Stashin: That one seemed a little easier.

[30:57] Eila Mell: It'll get harder, don't you worry.

[30:58] Matt Stashin: Oh, I know, I know.

[31:00] Eila Mell: But all right, well, let us know your thoughts. Let us know who you think will win, should win. Anything, Tony's. We're interested to hear what you have to say. And thank you, Matthew, for joining us.

[31:15] Matt Stashin: And we will see everyone next time on Behind the Awards.

[31:19] Eila Mell: Bye bye.