This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eila Mell: Hello and welcome to Behind the Awards. I'm Eila. I am here with Bruce and our special guest, awards expert Matt Stashin. For our Tony Special number 3. Hello everyone.

[0:14] Bruce Gotlieb: Hi.

[0:15] Eila Mell: This is our midway point. Already. Already. This Tony season is flying by.

[0:23] Matt Stashin: It is. It is.

[0:24] Eila Mell: The excitement is in the air. You can almost taste it. It's so fun to go to the theater.

[0:29] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. Isn't it fun to go to the theater during the season?

[0:34] Eila Mell: Oh yeah. There's a different buzz for sure. Especially from people who go often or are now trying to like, you know, make sure they see everything before. It's like, you know, during the Oscars people try to get to the movies to see every movie. It's, you know, it's the same but it's a different energy because it's a live performance.

[0:49] Matt Stashin: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, people are trying to see their friends and trying to see the shows that they need to vote for and, you know, just trying to catch up. Even if you don't have an active interest.

[1:04] Eila Mell: Exactly. You're saying your Super Bowl, your Oscars.

[1:07] Bruce Gotlieb: For sure. And, you know, conceivably those of us that don't have the opportunity to vote in the process or nominate, you know, we still have our pecking order, if you will.

[1:17] Eila Mell: And we are going to go through our top 10 shows of the season today. I think we should dive into it because we have much to cover.

[1:25] Matt Stashin: I know.

[1:26] Eila Mell: Then we have our actual categories to get to. But I thought this would be a fun thing to see.

[1:30] Bruce Gotlieb: I love it.

[1:31] Eila Mell: Where we rank the shows. We're not doing all 30 eligible shows or, you know, all the shows. We thought 10 would be enough.

[1:40] Matt Stashin: I think 10 is enough.

[1:41] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. Otherwise we'd have a four hour episode.

[1:45] Eila Mell: That's right. Although, you know, Betty Buckley might say that eight is enough. But, you know.

[1:51] Bruce Gotlieb: I think we should start with number 10.

[1:53] Eila Mell: Of course.

[1:54] Bruce Gotlieb: And build tension to number one. So, Matt, why don't we since you are a guest, why don't we let you say what your number 10 is first?

[2:05] Matt Stashin: My number 10 was Rank Time.

[2:07] Bruce Gotlieb: OK.

[2:08] Matt Stashin: All right. Very successful production. I just it's such a great show.

[2:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[2:14] Eila Mell: And let's say that, you know, wherever these shows rank in our top 10, just to be in the top 10.

[2:23] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. Means that we love them.

[2:24] Eila Mell: Of course.

[2:25] Bruce Gotlieb: My number 10 is Proof. I thought that the performances really, really stayed with me. The tech of what they did, I found so successful. It just I thought it was a really, really great performance.

[2:41] Matt Stashin: Yeah, I'm surprised that the reviews didn't reflect what you're saying.

[2:47] Bruce Gotlieb: I am as well. I know people who have gone that have really enjoyed it. I know people who have gone and just, you know, thought it was decent. You know, I did expect it to get a little bit more love from the critics and from the voters, nominees, you know, all of that. But it stayed with me and I felt that deserved a spot on my top 10.

[3:13] Eila Mell: All right. Well, something that stayed with me is my number 10, and that's Punch.

[3:19] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, everyone knows that I love Punch.

[3:21] Eila Mell: I think that was such an impactful show. So well acted, directed. So I'm glad it got a nomination. You'll be hearing about Punch again later.

[3:31] Matt Stashin: It's on my list, too.

[3:32] Eila Mell: Okay. All right. Well, Matt, how about number nine for you?

[3:39] Matt Stashin: Number nine for me was Marjorie Prime. I went way back with that one as well. I just thought it was such a well done show. I knew nothing about it going in, to be perfectly honest. And it was just such a like consistently surprising production. And that cast, all four of them were just amazing.

[3:55] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I agree with you. I had seen the movie before I saw the show, but it didn't, you know, didn't change anything. And it felt a little different than the movie, although the movie is a pretty good adaptation of the play.

[4:05] Matt Stashin: Okay. Let's check it out.

[4:06] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Gina Davis is the Cynthia Nixon part.

[4:13] Matt Stashin: Oh, nice. She's really good.

[4:14] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. All right, Bruce, number nine.

[4:20] Bruce Gotlieb: Number nine for me is Chess. I think that the vocals are outstanding, you know, just really, really special. I loved what the ensemble was doing, the energy that it brought, the choreography. The book is the book, you know, but I think there are so many, so many really amazing things that are happening on that stage that it is a special show this season, even with some of its flaws.

[4:41] Eila Mell: Okay, great. And I have Bug for my number nine. I love Bug. I thought it was so much fun. I like Dark. And it was certainly that.

[5:00] Matt Stashin: Yes, it was.

[5:01] Bruce Gotlieb: It sure was. You know, the performances were great. I think it's a great script. Visually, it was exciting. So, you know, I would have seen it again had I had the opportunity.

[5:13] Eila Mell: Okay. Awesome. All right. Number eight, Matt.

[5:21] Matt Stashin: My number eight is, I'm gonna say at second stage, my number eight is Becky Shaw. A lot of the same as Marjorie Prime. It was just, I had no idea where that show was going. I knew nothing about it. I did expect Madeline Brewer to be playing the lead. And she was the catalyst for the entire story. It sparked everything. But again, just a brilliantly acted show. And I just I walked out loving it. I really did.

[5:54] Bruce Gotlieb: Did you see they have a commercial for it? It's pretty good.

[5:57] Matt Stashin: No, I haven't seen it yet.

[5:58] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, look for it.

[6:00] Eila Mell: Okay. Bruce.

[6:01] Bruce Gotlieb: My number eight is Mamma Mia. I know you love Mamma Mia. Mamma Mia will be forever in my top 10 of any season that it gets done. I just love it. It's so joyful. It's the music, the nostalgia, it checks all the boxes. And I really, there was, I think there was a chance in some early conversations of Christine Sherrill getting a nomination, and she would have been deserving. Her performance as Donna was really, really special.

[6:31] Matt Stashin: Yeah, I think it was just too early and too similar to other productions of it.

[6:37] Bruce Gotlieb: You're probably right on both of those accounts. But yeah, forever a top 10 of my heart. It was the original production in a lot of ways. I think the only places it was eligible, it was eligible in revival, the acting was eligible, and the sound design was eligible because sound wasn't a category for the original production.

[6:54] Eila Mell: But you're right, because it was the tour from the original that just went back to Broadway.

[6:58] Bruce Gotlieb: Correct. So it wasn't even eligible for anything else except for those.

[7:01] Eila Mell: No. So I think that did hurt it a little bit.

[7:07] Bruce Gotlieb: So my number eight is, it's our first repeat on the list, Ragtime. For all the reasons that has been said, it's such a beautiful show. It's a great production of it. And all the reasons everyone knows. Honestly, the opening number of that show is one of the best pieces of music ever written.

[7:27] Matt Stashin: You're so right. And they did not disappoint with it.

[7:30] Eila Mell: All right, so number seven, Matt.

[7:35] Matt Stashin: For number seven for me is Two Strangers, Carry Cake Across New York. It's just a very deceptively simple show. Both of them are giving outstanding performances. Sam Tuddy is just a revelation. And it's just an adorable, heartwarming show.

[7:52] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Agreed.

[7:53] Eila Mell: Bruce?

[7:57] Bruce Gotlieb: My number seven, and I won't bore everybody with an explanation, is probably the third time this will appear is Ragtime.

[8:02] Eila Mell: Okay.

[8:03] Bruce Gotlieb: And then my number seven is Every Brilliant Thing. I think this is a brilliant show. I love it. It's so much fun, so unique, so different from what I expected. I'm a big curmudgeon when it comes to a one-person show. I don't love them. I kind of get bored. Even if the person is brilliant, it feels a little monotonous to me. And this did not at all. And it really isn't a one-person show. Spoiler alert. So, you know, if you haven't seen Every Brilliant Thing, I would really try to see it. And Mariska Hargitay is coming into it, so you'll have plenty of chances.

[8:41] Matt Stashin: Absolutely.

[8:42] Eila Mell: All right. Number six?

[8:49] Matt Stashin: Number six is, for me, it's The Ballisters. Again, I'm just a sucker for this kind of like an ensemble acting show, something that reminded me of like Eureka Day and English. And it was just so well done. The entire cast was just incredible.

[9:02] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[9:03] Eila Mell: Bruce?

[9:04] Bruce Gotlieb: Number six for me was Marjorie Prime. Okay. I didn't know anything going in, and I like sometimes having that surprise of, you know, no spoiler, not knowing where the story is going. I was just so taken by June Squibb, what she's doing up there at her age. There are people, you know, half her age can't do, so.

[9:25] Matt Stashin: Oh, yeah. You know.

[9:26] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. She hasn't lost anything.

[9:32] Eila Mell: No.

[9:33] Matt Stashin: So for me, number six was The Ballisters, Matt.

[9:38] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I just, I love this show. It's so well written. So much fun. And, you know, I mean, you've said the reasons, so I don't have to reiterate.

[9:49] Eila Mell: Number five, back to you, Matt.

[9:50] Matt Stashin: I'm now on to the one we talked about before. Number five for me is Punch.

[9:53] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay, wow.

[9:54] Matt Stashin: I thought Punch was such a powerful show. I thought Will Harrison, apparently I'm the only person that did not know what a good actor Will Harrison was until this show, because he just blew me away. The entire cast, Victoria Clark, Lucy Taylor, who had a couple of roles as well, just incredible. It was so effective and so well done.

[10:17] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I think if it had come out later in the season, Victoria Clark could have gotten a nomination.

[10:23] Matt Stashin: Yeah, I hope so.

[10:24] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. I think it probably could have gotten into Best Play also.

[10:29] Matt Stashin: Yeah.

[10:30] Bruce Gotlieb: My number five is Cats, The Jellicle Ball. The reimagination, the dance hall of it all, the ballroom scene, all of it is just really, really fun and special and, you know, takes a show that, to me personally, the original is a little flat for me.

[10:48] Matt Stashin: Many people, not just you.

[10:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, I didn't want to speak for everybody, but you're speaking for me. You know, it's a little flat. It's a little boring, to be quite honest. The original costuming and makeup is amazing, but, you know, after, I don't know, 20 minutes, I'm like, okay, can we fast forward to the end? Who is the winner?

[11:07] Eila Mell: Right.

[11:08] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. But in this version, the audience is the winner.

[11:13] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[11:14] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. So for me, number five is Death of a Salesman. I love this reimagining of Death of a Salesman, and I also love the 80s version with John Malkovich and Dustin Hoffman. I thought that that was great too. This is just so different from any other production of it I've seen, and it's so well done, so well acted. So, you know, I've said it before in other episodes just how much I love the show. So I'll leave it at that, but I think that this show is really great.

[11:43] Matt Stashin: All right, Matt, number four.

[11:44] Matt Stashin: Okay. I'm probably the only one who has this one on the list, but I will die on this hill. Number four is Titanic.

[11:48] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay.

[11:49] Matt Stashin: I just think Titanic is, we've all seen shows like Titanic fail miserably, and Titanic succeeds. It soars. It is so smart, and it's so well written. I just think it's outstanding, and the cast is incredible. Marlon Mandel just knocks it out of the park every single day. I actually went back and saw it again last night, actually, for the second time on Broadway, and they are just killing it.

[12:17] Bruce Gotlieb: No, they are.

[12:18] Matt Stashin: But the way you set it up, I thought you were going to say Queen of Versailles or something like that.

[12:24] Bruce Gotlieb: I don't think this is a controversial pick.

[12:27] Matt Stashin: Well, you said you're going to die on the hill. I don't think you need to die on this hill.

[12:33] Bruce Gotlieb: I don't think it's controversial either.

[12:35] Matt Stashin: Right.

[12:36] Bruce Gotlieb: Now, just remind me, how many times did you see it off-Broadway?

[12:39] Matt Stashin: Three.

[12:40] Bruce Gotlieb: So you've seen your share of Titanic.

[12:46] Matt Stashin: Bruce?

[12:47] Bruce Gotlieb: My number four is Schmigadoon. I think it is just so much fun. I mean, the TV show I loved. It brings you that blend of modern update, sprinkled with some camp, and also with a dose of that old Broadway-style dance and show, and it mixes them all up in a blender, and you get just a great time of theater.

[13:18] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[13:19] Bruce Gotlieb: So for me, it's also Schmigadoon number four.

[13:24] Eila Mell: And I totally agree with you. I'm just going to continue on what you're saying. It's got camp, but it's also got depth, too. It's not just camp. And it is a modern version of a Golden Age musical. You know, it's a hybrid, and it's just Christopher Cattelli's stamp on it is so strong, and just creates such a wonderful evening of theater. I just love this show.

[13:52] Matt Stashin: And I think the leads are so great. I mean, just so, so great.

[14:01] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. There's so much solid casting, and just everything is just going on all cylinders.

[14:08] Eila Mell: Yeah. I was rooting for Alex Brightman to get a nomination. I think it's a little bit of a thankless part, and I think he was so good in it, but it didn't work out.

[14:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, well. Number three. We're getting into some tough territory, I think.

[14:19] Eila Mell: I know.

[14:22] Matt Stashin: Yeah, for me, the top three were pretty easy. I just had to figure out what order to put them in. Number three is Jellicle Ball, is Cats. And for all the reasons you already said, it just is such a brilliant reimagining of the show. And it's bringing a whole new audience into the theater, which I love.

[14:39] Bruce Gotlieb: My number three is Titanic. The only reason probably, because there's so many, you know, between that and Schmigadoon, it was like, well, which one, you know, goes here? For me, it's that, you know, improv that Marla does in the show that is just, you know, to be inside her brain, you know, and the thrill of watching the other players get kind of looped into her mind and watching the audience discover it's just, it's something that few people can do. I will say, sorry to cut you off, my favorite moment of that improv, every time I've seen the show, is the look on Konstantin Rousouli's face when he realizes where she's going and what he's about to have to do. And he really can't say no.

[15:35] Matt Stashin: Yeah, they're both great. So I agree with you, Matt. I have Cats, The Jellicle Ball, number three. You know, just the way they reimagined the show is so smart, so current. But also, I love that they honor the past, that they honor the pioneers of the ballroom scene. I love that. It's just pure joy. It's so much fun. So anyway, that cast is incredible.

[16:08] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, every single person on that stage is a complete star.

[16:12] Matt Stashin: Yeah, I saw a couple of understudies when I went and I don't feel like I missed anything. Everybody's great. So yeah, it's just a great night of the theater. And also the fact that they have some people from the ballroom scene, especially Junior LaBeija, who is just a complete legend. It's just, you know, I think they do a really great job of honoring the past. And also that Ken Ard is in the show from the original Cats. I just think that they really give everyone their due. And there is an homage to the original production at the very beginning of the show.

[16:46] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes, there is.

[16:48] Matt Stashin: All right, number two. Number two is Liberation. It's just an incredible piece of theater, top to bottom, just brilliantly done, brilliantly written, brilliantly staged, brilliantly acted, completely surprising every step of the way. As far as I'm concerned, Susanna Flood is now, I liked her already from other shows I'd seen her in.

[17:07] Bruce Gotlieb: The Counter, right?

[17:11] Matt Stashin: The Counter. And from TV. She was on a TV show that I actually used to watch called For the People. And she's now a star. She's an absolute star. She's incredible.

[17:21] Bruce Gotlieb: My number two is Two Strangers Carry Cake Across New York. I left there and it's still, I still think about it. The book is just really, really great. It's a two-hander. So you have this volley and this chemistry that's going on between the two of them that, I mean, if it wasn't for that, I think as good as the book is, it wouldn't be as successful. I love the juxtaposition between, you know, Sam and Christiane. It's just really such a special show. And I'm so glad that something that is original and like that is having such success this season. Because it could easily just fall to the side. It was early, but, you know, when it started, everybody who went just started talking about it and how much they enjoyed it. And I'm so happy to see its success. And I think it could come away with a couple of trophies on Tony night.

[18:24] Matt Stashin: Yeah, I think it will. But that remains to be seen.

[18:28] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes.

[18:28] Matt Stashin: So for me, number two is Oedipus. I loved it. Wow. What a way, you know, again, it's a reimagining of a show, a very old, you know, classic Greek drama. We all know, you know, what an Oedipal complex is, you know, it's just something that's in the zeitgeist. But really, it's not a story that we think about all the time. And so to put it in modern day terms, I think was really smart. And the cast obviously is incredible. And just the end is so haunting. And just what a show. It's really, really great. I know, Matt, you're gonna have it. It's somewhere on your list.

[19:12] Matt Stashin: We haven't said yet.

[19:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. So why don't we jump in?

[19:15] Matt Stashin: Well, surprise, surprise. Number one is Oedipus for me. For all the reasons you said the fact that the show is literally I just looked it up 2500 years old. And the story is still relevant. And they updated it and made it completely relevant. And everybody may know what the Oedipal complex is. And yet, when the when it happened in the show, people still gasped and were stunned. And that's just a testament to Robert Icke, to Mark Strong, to Leslie Manville, like incredible.

[19:45] Bruce Gotlieb: And also, didn't you find that in when you're in the theater, everyone knows how it's going to end. So, you know, things that aren't necessarily funny, get a laugh because they know where the show is going, right? You just don't know how it's going to unfold. And that's kind of the tension.

[20:03] Matt Stashin: Right, exactly. And they have that countdown clock on stage.

[20:07] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes, I know.

[20:09] Matt Stashin: I don't know how they did how they managed to time that out so perfectly every single day.

[20:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I don't know how they did that.

[20:15] Matt Stashin: But yeah, it's so good.

[20:18] Bruce Gotlieb: All right, I will be shocked if we don't share the same number one, Isla, and for me, that is Liberation. Just such a beautiful piece, like Matt said, from top to bottom, you know, Whitney White's direction of the piece. I was so sad that I didn't get to see it when it was off-Broadway. And then I remember you and I, Isla, being in an event and we ran into our friend Cecilia Keenan-Bolger, who said, you know, how special it was and that she felt like, don't, if you haven't seen it, you should. But she believed there would be life after off-Broadway. And we were like, well, hopefully. And thank God there is because it's just so good. And all of these performers on stage are just giving, I think, you know, really, really top-notch performances. Betsy's, especially that last scene with her and Susanna, is still like etched in my memory.

[21:17] Matt Stashin: Yeah. So yes, it is Liberation for me as well, as you knew it would be.

[21:25] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. I mean, everything you said, and also every member of the cast could have gotten nominated, in my opinion. Everyone was outstanding. It's so perfectly written, I think. You know, I love how at the top of the show, you don't know if it's Susanna talking to the audience or her character talking to the audience. So many surprises in it, too, I felt. And Whitney White is such a collaborator as a director in this piece. You just feel her voice.

[21:56] Matt Stashin: Yeah. And let's not forget Queen Jean's incredible costumes that are nominated for the show. It just felt like you really got a genuine look at what it was like to be alive and these women at that period of history.

[22:11] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. I also will say one surprise, and maybe even a snub, which we were discussing the other day, is that that set that was created for Liberation is so good. And there were certain little, just nuanced things that were done that were really, really special to me.

[22:35] Matt Stashin: Yeah. Well, set by David Zinn, David's got so many Tonys already. So maybe they thought, I don't know, there were some set nominations this season that I thought should have happened and didn't, especially in this category. So yeah, I agree with you. But, you know, not to take away from the ones that were nominated.

[22:58] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right. That's right.

[23:03] Keri Preston: Hi, this is Keri Preston, and Behind the Awards will be right back.

[23:08] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Well, I think we've built up to our predictions, our wants and our thinks for these categories. So, Bruce, what categories are we delving into today?

[23:22] Bruce Gotlieb: Our categories today are Featured Actress in a Musical, Book of a Musical, Scenic Design of a Play, Best Revival of a Play, and Sound Design of a Musical.

[23:35] Matt Stashin: All right. So we have our work cut out for us.

[23:38] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. So as always, Bruce, I'd like you to decide where we start. You're good at navigating this list.

[23:42] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, we're going to start with Book of a Musical.

[23:48] Matt Stashin: Okay.

[23:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Our nominees are Jim Barn and Kit Buchan for Two Strangers Carrying a Cake Across New York, Ty Blue, Marla Mindell, and Constantine Rizzulli for Titanic, Chris Hotch and David Hornsby for The Lost Boys, and Cinco Paul for Schmigadoon. Now, I'm going to say nothing against bookwriters, but I feel normally most seasons there's a clear path. You know what's happening in terms of, you know, this is going to be the winner. This season, I can make a case for every single one of them.

[24:33] Matt Stashin: I know. It's true. And it is really, really difficult. I know. I'm going to just start and say my want is Two Strangers. I said it after I saw the show. One of the first things I said was the storyline of this is so good and stands out so well on its own that it could be a straight play. And I think that you can't deny that. And that if it wasn't a musical, it still would be as successful. And I think that says a lot to the piece. So I am leaving that as my want. And I'm going to just go out on a limb and say it's going to win, too, because my desire is strong.

[25:14] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, I agree with you on both fronts. So it's my pick. And I think I also think that because it's an original idea that's going to go a long way with voters, because, you know, it's hard to come up with a great idea. It's a little bit easier. Not that it's not a really, you know, important skill to adapt someone else's idea. But just to come up with the idea is hard enough. And then to write such a successful book. So, yes, I agree with you on both fronts.

[25:49] Matt Stashin: I'm going to go different. I think my should and my will is Titanic.

[25:57] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay. I think Two Strangers. I did already say Two Strangers. I think will win best score. They are going to win the Tony. This is the category where traditionally the edgy offbeat show gets to win. Avenue Q won best book. Spelling Bee won best book. And I think Titanic would continue in that vein.

[26:19] Matt Stashin: Okay. Yeah. It's a great book. It's hilarious. Yeah. It's also much smarter than it appears to be on the surface. And like you were saying, Isla, it's, you know, it also does something that's difficult. You can't, you know, that camp parody style is not something that's easy. And we've seen it done and not done well before.

[26:40] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. So to do it and do it successfully also is something that, you know, will stand out.

[26:47] Matt Stashin: Yeah. And if you've seen the show off Broadway, it's even tighter now.

[27:01] Bruce Gotlieb: All right, Bruce, what's next?

[27:06] Matt Stashin: We're going to dive into Scenic Design of a Play, being we were just, we were just there talking about it.

[27:12] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, this is a tough one. What are the nominees?

[27:19] Matt Stashin: So we have Hildegard Betchler for Oedipus, Takashi Ikata for Bug, David Korns for Dog Day Afternoon, Chloe Lamford, Death of a Salesman, and David Rockwell for Fallen Angels.

[27:28] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, I'll start. The one that I want to win is Oedipus. I thought it was a really, really impactful set. I thought it was so interesting with those huge doors. It was an apartment that I'd like to have. I thought it served the story really well. But I don't think it, well, I think it has a really strong chance of winning. But I chose Dog Day Afternoon because I think it's a little bit of a showier set.

[28:00] Matt Stashin: Okay. David Korns hasn't won yet. So I think maybe, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does go to Oedipus. It's just like a thin little, little edge that I think Dog Day Afternoon might have. And it's also a way to give an award to this show I don't think is going to get rewarded anywhere else.

[28:19] Bruce Gotlieb: Fair.

[28:22] Matt Stashin: I don't know that people feel like they have to give an award to Dog Day Afternoon, but if it's going to get anything, I think it'll be here.

[28:43] Eila Mell: Welcome back to Behind the Awards. This is our third Tony special, and we are diving deep into the nominations for the 2026 Tony Awards.

[29:13] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right, Eila. We have a lot to cover today, including some exciting categories and predictions.

[29:43] Eila Mell: Let's start with Featured Actress in a Musical. There are some incredible talents nominated this year.

[30:03] Bruce Gotlieb: Absolutely! I mean, we have Shoshana Bean, Hannah Cruz, and Ana Gasteyer, just to name a few. Who do you think is going to take it home?

[30:23] Eila Mell: I really think Shoshana has a strong chance. Her performance has been getting a lot of buzz.

[30:43] Bruce Gotlieb: I agree, but I also think Hannah Cruz could surprise us. Her role is so unique and powerful.

[31:03] Eila Mell: That's true! And Ana Gasteyer always brings her A-game. It’s going to be a tough competition.

[31:23] Bruce Gotlieb: Moving on to the Book of a Musical category, we have some fantastic contenders as well.

[31:43] Eila Mell: Yes, we do! I’m particularly excited about the nominations for Cinco Paul and Marla Mindelle.

[31:53] Bruce Gotlieb: They both have such distinct styles. Who do you think will win?

[32:03] Eila Mell: I think Cinco Paul has the edge this year. His work has been so innovative.

[32:13] Bruce Gotlieb: I can see that. Now, let’s talk about Scenic Design of a Play. This category is always so visually stunning.

[32:23] Eila Mell: It really is! Hildegard Bechtler and David Korins are among the nominees, and both have created breathtaking designs.

[32:43] Bruce Gotlieb: I’m leaning towards David Korins. His designs have a way of enhancing the storytelling.

[33:03] Eila Mell: I agree! Now, Best Revival of a Play is another exciting category. We have some classics in the running.

[33:23] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes, plays like Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Oedipus are nominated. It’s going to be a tough call.

[33:43] Eila Mell: I think Death of a Salesman has a strong chance, especially with the cast they’ve assembled.

[34:03] Bruce Gotlieb: Definitely! And finally, let’s discuss Sound Design of a Musical. This is often an overlooked category but so crucial.

[34:23] Eila Mell: Absolutely! The nominees this year include David Rockwell and Takeshi Kata. Their work is phenomenal.

[34:43] Bruce Gotlieb: I’m excited to see who takes home the award. Now, let’s share our Top 10 Shows of the 2026 Season!

[35:03] Eila Mell: Yes! This is always a fun segment. I’ll start with my number one pick.

[35:23] Bruce Gotlieb: Go for it!

[35:43] Eila Mell: My top pick is Titaníque. It’s such a clever and entertaining show.

[36:03] Bruce Gotlieb: Great choice! I’m going with Schmigadoon! It’s so unique and has a fantastic cast.

[36:23] Eila Mell: I love that one too! What’s your number three?

[36:43] Bruce Gotlieb: I’d say Ragtime. It’s a classic that always resonates.

[37:03] Eila Mell: Absolutely! And I have to mention The Lost Boys. It’s such a fresh take on a beloved story.

[37:31] Bruce Gotlieb: That’s a solid pick! I think we’re going to see some amazing performances this season.

[37:51] Eila Mell: For sure! It’s going to be an exciting year for theater lovers.

[38:11] Bruce Gotlieb: And that wraps up our Tony deep dive for today. Thanks for joining us!

[38:31] Eila Mell: Don’t forget to check out my book, "The Tony Awards," for more insights into the world of theater.

[38:59] Bruce Gotlieb: And connect with us on Instagram @behind_the_awards for more updates.

[39:27] Eila Mell: We’ll see you next time for more behind-the-scenes stories!

[39:55] Bruce Gotlieb: Bye for now!

[40:23] Eila Mell: Bye!

[40:51] Bruce Gotlieb: Take care!

[41:19] Eila Mell: Until next time!

[41:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Bye!

[42:17] Eila Mell: Bye!

[42:45] Bruce Gotlieb: See you soon!