Staff Picks Blog
Most of the buzz surrounding the Best Musical category for the 2010 Tony Awards is about the stage adaptation of Green Day’s brilliant 2004 rock opera American Idiot. Unlike most rock music-based Broadway musicals, this show is touted as an authentic rock experience. Green Day even appears as the house band for the original cast recording. The new musical about legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, aptly titled Fela!, has cornered the most nominations at 11, including Best Musical, but the reviews have been mixed. Memphis, set in the underground dance clubs of 1950′s Memphis has 8 nominations. The fourth Best Musical nominee, Million Dollar Quartet, inspired by the famed recording session by music legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, is the only show that doesn’t have a cast album available yet.
Nominations for best revival of a musical include A Little Night Music with nominee Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Finian’s Rainbow. La Cage aux Folles, starring nominee Kelsey Grammer and Ragtime aren’t yet available on disc. Sean Hayes, best known for his role on the TV comedy series Will & Grace, is nominated for his Broadway debut performance in the revival of Neil Simon’s Promises, Promises. Hayes will also be hosting the award show that airs June 13 on CBS.
