IF WE RAN THE TONY'S P.1 - MATEO & RICKY PICK THEIR NOMS

BY MATEO MORENO

BY RICKY JONES

The official Tony Nominations have come and gone! If you missed them, check them out HERE. But if Ricky and Mateo had their say, here is what they would have nominated this year. Many are the same ones that the Tony committee did recognize, but more than not, our two writers saw gold in several other candidates as well.

BEST PLAY

MATEO

• Hand To God
• Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Wolf Hall Parts I & II
• The River
• Disgraced

RICKY

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Hand to God
• Wolf Hall Parts I & II
• The River
• The Audience

MATEO'S THOUGHTS: The Curious Incident is just a flat out brilliant adaptation of the novel that had me in tears with the final line of the show. Great performances and stellar stagework and direction. Wolf Hall Parts I & II are a masterwork of British history theatre. Disgraced is a disturbing, wonderfully directed ticking time bomb of a show that becomes more relevant as every day passes. The River was sadly overlooked by many but I loved the simplicity and eeriness that the unexplained show gave you. But for my money, Hand to God is the one to beat this year. It's simply the most original and thought provoking show I've seen in years.

BEST MUSICAL

MATEO

• Fun Home
• Something Rotten!
• The Last Ship
• The Visit
• An American in Paris

RICKY

• The Last Ship
• Fun Home 
• Something Rotten
• Honeymoon in Vegas
• Dr. Zhivago

RICKY'S THOUGHTS: First of all, this has been a great season! There have been so many new productions that there should be 5 nominees this year. Fun Home and Something Rotten are perfect examples of why I love musical theatre. I don't know which one I love more and it's going to be hard to pick a winner come June. I wish that the Tony voters would have remembered The Last Ship. It was such a beautiful production! Like all the other great JRB musicals, Honeymoon In Vegas got some of the best reviews of the year but just couldn't find an audience. And yes, I am including Dr. Zhivago on this list. Despite it's flaws, I enjoyed Doctor Zhivago much more than many other musicals this season (An American In Paris, It Shoulda Been You).

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

MATEO

• The Real Thing
• Skylight
• The Elephant Man
• Love Letters
• You Can’t Take it With You

RICKY

• Skylight 
• It's Only a Play
• You Cant Take it With You
• The Elephant Man

MATEO'S THOUGHTS: Great revivals this year. Love Letters was simple and eliquant. Basically a staged reading, but what a wallop of an emotional journey. You Can't Take It With You wasn't my favorite, but I have to give it props for so many great aspects of the show. The Real Thing marks another great Stoppard revival on Broadway. The cast made it soar. The Elephant Man is a very good play made brilliant by its remarkable cast and simple staging. And Skylight is so raw, so real that you often forget you're watching a piece of theatre and not just peaking into the window of a neighbors home.

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

MATEO

• The King and I
• On The Twentieth Century
• Side Show
• On The Town

RICKY

• Side Show
• On the Town
• The King and I
• On the 20th Century

RICKY'S THOUGHTS: Sorry Gigi.  I couldn't include you.  While it is a pretty good production, I just don't care for the show itself at all.

MATEO'S THOUGHTS: I'm not sorry Gigi.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play 

 MATEO

• Steven Boyer - Hand To God
• Alex Sharp - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Bradley Cooper – The Elephant Man
• Douglas Sills – Living on Love
• TIE: Hari Dhillion - Disgraced // Hugh Jackman - The River

RICKY

• Alex Sharp - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Steven Boyer - Hand To God
• Bradley Cooper - The Elephant Man
• Ben Miles - Wolf Hall Parts I & II
• Hugh Jackman - The River

RICKY'S THOUGHTS: In a lesser year, Sharp, Boyer, Cooper, & Miles would win easily. I was torn with the fifth slot. Douglas Sills and Jake Gyllenhaal both gave such wonderful performances. But what I loved about Jackman's performance was how subtle it was. It was very different from what he usually does and deserves a spot on this list.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

MATEO

• Geneva Carr - Hand To God
• Maggie Gyllenhaal - The Real Thing
• Helen Mirren – The Audience
• Ruth Wilson - Constellations
• Carrie Mulligan - Skylight

RICKY

• Helen Mirren - The Audience
• Carey Mullengan - Skylight
• Blythe Danner - The Country House
• Ruth Wilson - Constellations
• Geneva Carr - Hand To God

MATEO'S THOUGHTS: What a great year for women in theatre! These five women were all incredible, from the powerhouse that is Helen Mirren to the heartbreaking Carrie Mulligan, the morphing of Ruth Wilson, the ferocity of Geneva Carr, to the sweetness and longing of Maggie Gyllenhaal.

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

 MATEO 

• Michael Ceveris – Fun Home
• Brian D’Arcy James – Something Rotten!
• Rob McClure – Honeymoon in Vegas
• Ryan Silverman - Side Show
• Michael Esper - The Last Ship

RICKY

• Rob McClure - Honeymoon in Vegas
• Brian D'Arcy James - Something Rotten!
• Michael Esper - The Last Ship
• Ken Watanabe - The King & I
• Michael Cerveris - Fun Home

RICKY'S THOUGHTS - Rob McClure's work is always so inspiring! Brian D'Arcy James can do no wrong. Michael Esper was deeply moving in The Last Ship.  I haven't seen King and I yet but am rooting for Ken Watanabe. It's a great role for a great actor. But all of them will eventually lose to Michael Cerveris who gives the best performance of his career.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

MATEO

• Rachel Tucker - The Last Ship
• Kristen Chenowith - On The Twentieth Century
• Kelli O' Hara - The King & I
•  Beth Malone - Fun Home
• Laura Michelle Kelly - Finding Neverland

RICKY

• Chita Rivera - The Visit
• Kelli O'Hara - The King & I
• Kristen Chenoweth - On The Twentieth Century
• Rachel Tucker - The Last Ship
• Leanne Cope - An American in Paris

MATEO'S THOUGHTS: Kristen is a comic marvel this year. Her physicality is pure brilliance. Kelli is always wonderful but sadly is starting to become the Susan Lucci of nominated Broadway performances. Beth Malone sears in her understated Fun Home role and Laura Michelle Kelly is the heart of an uneven Finding Neverland. But the criminally overlooked Rachel Tucker was the truly inspiring performance, knocking the socks off the large male cast night after night in the gone too soon The Last Ship. Had the show opened later in the season and lasted longer, I do feel she would have been recognized.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

 MATEO

• Alessandro Nivola - The Elephant Man
• Kieran Culkin – This Is Our Youth
• Bryce Pinkham - The Heidi Chronicles
• Josh Radnor - Disgraced
• Micah Stock - It’s Only a Play

 RICKY

• Micah Stock - It's Only a Play
• Ian Barford - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Josh Radnor - Disgraced
• Eric Lange - The Country House
• Bryce Pinkham - The Heidi Chronicles

RICKY'S THOUGHTS: This was a great year for supporting actors. I do wish Josh Radnor would have sneaked in there. Micah Stocke stole all the scenes he was in. Bryce was the best part of The Heidi Chronicles while Ian Barford was heartbreaking in Curious Incident. And while he had no real shot of actually get nominated this year, I loved Eric Lange's performance in The Country House.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

MATEO

• Sarah Stiles - Hand To God
• Cush Kimbo  – The River
• Lydia Leonard - Wolf Hall
• Laura Donnelly - The River
• Annaleigh Ashford - You Can’t Take It With You

RICKY

• Cush Jumbo - The River
• Laura Donnelly - The River
• Julie White - Airline Highway
• Lydia Leonard - Wolf Hall Parts I & II
• Julie Halston - You Can't Take It With You

MATEO'S THOUGHTS: The two girls in The River really cast a strong and lasting spell on me. Lydia Leonard was wonderful in Wolf Hall. But my two favorites delivered yet again: Sarah Stiles and Annaleigh Ashford seem to not be able to do any wrong. They're truly hilarious.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

MATEO

• Fred Applegate - The Last Ship
• Christian Borle - Something Rotten!
  
• Brad Oscar - Something Rotten!
  
• Andy Karl - On The Twentieth Century
  
• Jimmy Nail - The Last Ship
  

RICKY

• Christian Bolre - Something Rotten!
• Fred Applegate - The Last Ship
• Tony Danza - Honeymoon in Vegas
• Brooks Ashmankas - Something Rotten!
• Andy Karl - On the Twentieth Century

RICKY'S THOUGHTS - It is a true shame that Fred Applegate didn't get nominated. He is broadway veteran that never fails to deliver. Tony Danza was having the time of this life on stage in Honeymoon In Vegas. Plus, his passion for the process itself was admirable.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

MATEO

• Alysha Umphress - On The Town
• Sydney Lucas - Fun Home
• Emily Skeggs - Fun Home
• Judy Kuhn - Fun Home
• Megan Fairchild - On The Town

RICKY

• Sydney Lucas - Fun Home
• Judy Kuhn - Fun Home
• Harriet Harris - It Shoulda Been You
• Megan Fairchild - On The Town
• Ruth Ann Mile - The King and I

MATEO'S THOUGHTS: You HAVE to nominate the entire female cast of Fun Home. They're all just so damn good. And although Alysha Umphress has the showier comic role, I was also just as entrances by the Prima Ballerina Megan Fairchild. Her comic timing was just as strong as her incredible dance numbers.

And the Rest...

Best Direction of a Play

MATEO

• Moritz Von Stuelpnagel - Hand To God
• Marianne Elliott - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Kathleen Marshall - Living on Love
• Ian Rickson - The River

RICKY

• Marianne Elliott - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Moritz Von Stuelpnagel - Hand to God 
• Jeremy Herrin - Wolf Hall Parts I & II
• Ian Rickson - The River 

Best Direction of a Musical

MATEO 

• Sam Gold - Fun Home
• Casey Nicholas - Something Rotten!
• Joe Mantello - The Last Ship
• Scott Ellis - On The Twentieth Century

RICKY

• Sam Gold - Fun Home
• Casey Nicholas - Something Rotten!
• Joe Mantello - The Last Ship
• Bartlett Sher - The King & I

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

MATEO

• Lisa Kron - Fun Home
• Terrence McNally - The Visit
• John Logan - The Last Ship
• Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell - Something Rotten!

RICKY

• Lisa Kron - Fun Home
• Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell - Something Rotten!
• John Logan - The Last Ship 
• Michael Weller - Doctor Zhivago 

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

MATEO

• Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron - Fun Home
• Sting - The Last Ship
• Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick - Something Rotten!
• John Kander & Fred Ebb - The Visit

RICKY

• Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron - Fun Home 
• Sting - The Last Ship
• Jason Robert Brown - Honeymoon in Vegas
• Wawyne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick - Something Rotten!

Best Scenic Design of a Play

MATEO

• David Rockwell - You Can’t Take It With You
• Ults - The River
• Beowulf Boritt - Hand To God
• Bunny Christie & Finn Ross - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

RICKY

• David Rockwell - You Can't Take it With You
• Beowulf Boritt - Hand to God 
• Bunny Christie & Finn Ross - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Scott Pask - Airline Highway 

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

MATEO

• Michael Scott-Mitchell - Doctor Zhivago
• David Zinn - The Last Ship
• David Rockwell - Side Show
• David Rockwell - On The Twentieth Century

RICKY

• Scott Pask - The Visit 
• Michael Scott-Mitchell- Doctor Zhivago 
• Michael Yeargan - The King and I 
• David Rockwell - On the 20th Century 

Best Costume Design of a Play

MATEO

• Christopher Oram - Wolf Hall Parts I & II
• Jane Greenwood - You Can’t Take It With You
• Derek McLane - Living on Love
• Bob Crowley - The Audience

RICKY

• Bob Crowley - The Audience 
• Christopher Oram - Wolf Hall Parts I & II
• Timothy R Mackabee - The Elephant Man
• David Zinn - Airline Highway

Best Costume Design of a Musical

MATEO

• Paul Tazewell - Side Show
• Catherine Zuber - The King and I
• Finding Neverland
• Something Rotten!

RICKY

• Something Rotten
• The King and I 
• Dr Zhivago
• Side Show 

Best Lighting Design of a Play

MATEO

• Curious Incident
• Hand To God
• The River
• Skylight

RICKY

• Curious Incident 
• Wolf Hall 
• The River 
• Constellations 

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

MATEO

• The Last Ship
• Side Show
• Finding Neverland
• Doctor Zhivago

RICKY

• The King and I  
• The Last Ship 
• Dr. Zhivago 
• The Visit  

Best Sound Design of a Play

MATEO

• The River
• Hand To God
• Wolf Hall Parts I & II
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

MATEO

• Constellations 
• The River 
• Wolf Hall 
• Curious Incident

Best Sound Design of a Musical

MATEO

• The Last Ship
• Something Rotten!
• On The Twentieth Century
• Finding Neverland

RICKY

• Dr Zhivago 
• The Last Ship
• Something Rotten
• Fun Home

Best Choreography

MATEO

• Something Rotten!
• Finding Neverland
• An American in Paris
• On The Town

RICKY

• On the Town
• Something Rotten
• American In Paris
• Curious Incident of the Dog    

Best Orchestrations

MATEO

• The Last Ship
• An American in Paris
• Fun Home
• Side Show

RICKY

• Fun Home
• Something Rotten
• The Last Ship
• Honeymoon in Vegas

AND THE TONY NOMINATED SHOWS ARE...

BY MATEO MORENO

The 69th Annual Tony Awards were announced this morning (Thanks Mary Louise Parker and Bruce Willis!) and there was a lot of love for AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, FUN HOME, SOMETHING ROTTEN, CURIOUS INCIDENT, & HAND TO GOD! Lots of predictable winners, some random inclusions (Hi Victoria Clarke), and noticable exclusions (Sorry The Last Ship...). Here's a list of what the Tony Committee is nominating this year.

Best Play

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Disgraced

Hand to God

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Best Musical

An American in Paris

Fun Home

Something Rotten!

The Visit

Best Revival of a Play

The Elephant Man

Skylight

This Is Our Youth

You Can’t Take It with You

Best Revival of a Musical

The King and I

On the Town

On the Twentieth Century

Best Book of a Musical

An American in Paris

Craig Lucas

Fun Home

Lisa Kron

Something Rotten!

Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell

The Visit

Terrence McNally

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fun Home

Music: Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics: Lisa Kron

The Last Ship

Music & Lyrics: Sting

Something Rotten!

Music & Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick

The Visit

Music: John Kander
Lyrics: Fred Ebb

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O’Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It’s Only a Play

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It with You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can’t Take It with You

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home

Best Costume Design of a Play

Bob Crowley, The Audience
Jane Greenwood, You Can’t Take It with You
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Zinn, Airline Highway

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Catherine Zuber, The King and I

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Natasha Katz, Skylight
Japhy Weideman, Airline Highway

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Donald Holder, The King and I
Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Ben Stanton, Fun Home
Japhy Weideman, The Visit

Best Direction of a Play

Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis, You Can’t Take It with You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Best Direction of a Musical

Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Choreography

Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Christopher Gattelli, The King and I
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Orchestrations

Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Tommy Tune

Special Tony Award

John Cameron Mitchell

Regional Theatre Tony Award

Cleveland Play House, Cleveland, Ohio

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Stephen Schwartz

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre

Arnold Abramson

Adrian Bryan-Brown

Gene O’Donovan

The 69th Annual Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be broadcast live on CBS June 7 from Radio City Music Hall beginning at 8 PM ET.

Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming will host this year's ceremony. 

TOP TEN: SHOW'S WE'D REVIVE OFF BROADWAY

BY MATEO MORENO

BY RICKY JONES

TOP TEN SHOWS WE'D REVIVE OFF BROADWAY

10)

RICKY'S CHOICE - A FEW GOOD MEN - Okay, all cards on the table here. I meant for this to go in my Top 10 Broadway Revivals list.  But really,there has been a revival of this play in the works for around 5 years now, that I'm starting to become worried it may not ever happen. Problem solved: Make it an Off Broadway revival.  I first saw this play(before I even saw the movie) in a very small regional theater, proving that this is a fine choice for an Off Broadway space.  Aaron Sorkin is a genius.  Although his work in cinema and TV has been perfect, it would be a nice reminder that the man started his career writing for the theatre. Plus, based on his name and the popularity of the movie, it would sell tickets and could run Off Broadway for a while.  It is one of my favorite plays and I'd love a revival of it, on or off Broadway. 

MATEO'S CHOICE: DEBBIE D0ES DALLAS THE MUSICAL - It sounds like a joke, but it's actually quite a hilarious show. Based on the 1978 pornographic movie of the same name, the show follows Debbie and her friends as they try to become Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders by any means necessary. BY ANY MEANS. Unlike the actual film, the show doesn't contain any actual sex or nudity but some very funny musical numbers stand in for them. A pre-Next to Normal Tom Kitt worked on the show along with several others. First premiering at the NY International Fringe Festival it eventually made its way Off-Broadway at the now defunct Jane Street Theatre and starred Sherie Rene Scott in the title role. The soundtrack contains much of the dialogue from the film and is a strong reminder of how clever and ridiculous this little show is.

9)

RICKY'S CHOICE: FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE - This show is blast from start to finish.  The musical, featuring hit songs from by Louis Jordan, has a feel of an all man version of Ain't Misbehavin.  It has a brassy upbeat score and throughout the show, breaks the fourth wall with plenty of audience participation.  It was be a perfect Off Broadway revival.

MATEO'S CHOICE: FLOYD COLLINS - A beautiful and heartbreaking musical that only ran Off-Broadway for 25 performances, Flloyd Collins deserves a much longer run. It follows the story of Flloyd Collins who, while exploring Sand Cave, falls through a tight passageway and becomes stuck between rocks. His family and friends desperately try to save him, all the while relaying stories to him to keep his spirits up. Think 127 Hours as a musical, and you're halfway there. The music is Bluegrass, Americana stylings, and is as beautiful as it is original. A long Off-Broadway run here in the city is just what we need!

8)

RICKY'S CHOICE: THE FOREIGNER - The reason this hilarious comedy by Larry Shue makes my Top 10 is because it is wonderfully tourist friendly.  The audience eats this show up!  The characters are very over the top and lovable.  I could see this play having a good run at somewhere like the West Side Theater.  For such a crowd pleaser, this play should be produced soon.     

MATEO'S CHOICE: YEAST NATION - I had the pleasure of seeing this, the follow up to their smash hit Urinetown, at the NY Fringe Festival starring Harriet Harris. Sadly, since then it's never shown back up in New York. An Off Broadway run would be a huge hit for this satire. It's set in the year 3,000,458,000 BC and everyone in the cast play salt-eating yeasts, as they are the only living beings on earth. There's a food shortage and an unknown affection that has appeared called "love." So the King's son dreams of a better life and starts his journey to rise to the top. Even writing that description sounds totallybonkers but trust me that it's side splitting hilarious and the score is ridiculously good. One day, Yeast. One day...

7)

RICKY'S CHOICE: A NEW BRAIN - It wouldn't be a Top 10 Revivals list without me including a William Finn musical.  He is one of my favorite composers and A New Brain is one of his best!  He wrote this show after his own experience with a possibly life ending surgery.  The score is honest and heartbreaking, yet still has Finn's ongoing humor about it all.  This summer at Encores, Jonathan Groff will be starring in a limited engagement of this show.  Hopefully the success of that production will spark another open ended run soon.

MATEO'S CHOICE: HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME - OK, so this seems like a totally ridiculous choice, but hear me out. Last season, Kenny Leon directed this massive Broadway misfire set to Tupac Shakur's music. It was rushed to Broadway, without an out of town pre-Broadway run, with a rushed badly scripted book, and barely a scenic design in sight. It opened at the far too large Palace Theatre in the Summer and was swallowed whole in less than two months. However, if they would have tested it out of town, rewrote that terrible and trivial book, and set it downtown in a small, intimate setting, then I truly feel it would have been the worthy show of the legacy of Tupac Shakur. Restage it with a reworked book downtown on a stage set like an actual alley. Have it emersive, edgy, powerful. Now THAT could be a show to rival the upcoming Hamilton.

6)

RICKY'S CHOICE: SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME - Having only read this play, I have wanted to see of production of it since high school.  It is perfect for an Off Broadway run.  It only has a 3 person cast and doesn't need much as far as production design. This is a play about brotherhood and friendship.  It focuses on an Irishman, an Englishman, and an American who are being held hostage by Arabians in Lebanon.  Throughout the play, they strip away their personal differences in order to help each other survive.  Depressing? Yes. And deeply powerful.

MATEO'S CHOICE: REQUIEM - Jerome McDonough's stunning one act play Requiem is a war play. Not that it takes place during a war, but it takes place in a world, our world, that's been shattered by one war after another. Millions have died. No one remembers why they were fighting anymore. It's a broken world. The story revolves mostly around a Mother and her family and she watches her family one by one taken away and she finally runs away with her children, to escape this dark world she has inherited. A Javert like Sergeant follows her, determined to prove that no one can escape this world. It's powerful, brutal, and breathtaking. New York needs to see this in its city. What an impact it would make.

5)

RICKY'S CHOICE: THE BURNT PART BOYS - After seeing this in its limited run at Playwrights Horizons five years ago, it remains one of the best Off Broadway musicals I've seen.  It deserves another open ended run.  The score has a unique bluegrass feel to it as well as a touching story about fathers and sons.  The original production had very minimal design, using only ropes and ladders to create a small mining town community.  It is another musical that is rarely down even in regional theaters and I wish more people could enjoy this simply powerful musical.

MATEO'S CHOICE: LOVESICK - LOFT ensemble came crashing into NY from LA in 2012 and brought their play with music Lovesick with them. It premiered at the 2012 NY Fringe Festival and was epically beautiful. Written, Directed, and starring Larissa Wise, it follows Benjamin, a man who loves the darkness so much he lives in a graveyard with his best friend. They wax poetically, have jam sessions, play cards and soon discover a new way of thinking by way of Sophia, a girl made up of rainbows. She skips through the graveyard one night with her friends and they are instantly drawn to each other. Think of it as a love story, told in rhyme, funneled through Tim Burton's mind. Similar in concept to the just closed Nevermore, Lovesick grabs the heartstrings much more and would absolutely KILL in this town with a longer run. Or maybe I just miss it so.

4)

RICKY'S CHOICE: ZANNA DON'T - Talk about a feel good musical with an important message.  Set in a world where homosexuality is the norm and to be straight is socially strange, this musical is fun and creative show about acceptance.  It could run well at New World Stages or maybe somewhere more downtown.  Either way, I'd love to see another production of it.   

MATEO'S CHOICE: ANGELS IN AMERICA - My vote is that every few years, a big Off Broadway production of Angels in America:Millennium Approaches and Angels in America:Perestroika should be required to be put up. Two of the most important American plays of our time, Tony Kushner's Tony award winning saga tells many tales, all through the cracked lens of the AIDS crisis in NYC in the 1980's. Epic both in scope and length, they are not only poetic, hilarious, heartbreaking, but also IMPORTANT. So, so very important.

3)

RICKY & MATEO'S CHOICE: BAT BOY - This show remains one of the most hilarious musicals I've ever seen.  With the success of his new musicals like Heathers and Legally Blonde, it is the perfect time to have a revival of composer Laurence O'Keefe's best work! The musical is so unexpected and comically genius.  It is a also great ensemble piece. A true definition of a "cult classic," Bat Boy has gained more and more fans over the years that would RUN out to see a revival of it in an intimate space around NYC's Off-Broadway scene.

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RICKY'S CHOICE: TABOO - I don't think Taboo ever got a fair shot on Broadway.  There are numerous stories about all the drama producer Rosie O'Donnell caused. It opened during one of the most popular and most competitive seasons of Broadway(the year of Wicked, Avenue Q, and Hugh Jackman's The Boy From Oz).  Ever since the show closed, I wondered how Boy George's musical would do in an Off Broadway house.  It would be a risk but produce/market it well and it would have a shot.  Boy George's score proved to be surprisingly effective and the London production played in a much smaller house,so an off Broadway theater could be possible.  I adore this score and think it deserves another chance.

MATEO'S CHOICE: THE HALLWAY TRILOGY - Possibly my favorite project Adam Rapp has ever written, The Hallway Trilogy played at Rattlestick PLaywrights Theatre in 2011 and I hope it comes back soon. The trio of plays all take place in the same Hallway in NYC. The first play takes place in the 1950's, the second during the blackout in 2003, and the third is set in the future. All three have their own unique voices and are terribly original and hearfelt. If only more shows were.

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RICKY'S CHOICE: JASPER IN DEADLAND - How has this show not already transferred to New World Stages after their successful limited run at Prospect Theater last season?!  It was my favorite musical I saw last year by far.  The score was so refreshing and the staging was wonderfully creative. It is perfect show for teenagers as well.   This show is too good to not have a longer run.

MATEO'S CHOICE: THE SHADOWBOX - Michael Cristofer's 1977 Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play has not seen the NY stage in years. It's about time to change that. Set all around a hospital in three separate vacation cabins with three families dying of undisclosed illnesses. There's the husband who's awaiting his son and his wife who can't quite step through the door and accept her husband's fate. There's the gay couple and the ex boozy wife who crashes the party. And there's the dying mother and the neglected daughter. A film adaption, directed by Paul Newman, won a Golden Globe in 1980. Powerful and prime work from some meaty roles for daring actors. It's an evening that'll be a three hankie kind of situation, but we all need a good cry every now and then.