Month: May 2024

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” Movie Review

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General Information

Directed by – Wes Ball

Written by – Josh Friedman

Release Year – 2024

Starring – Owen Teague (Noa), Freya Allen (Mae), Kevin Durand (Proximus), Peter Macon (Raka), Eka Darville (Slyva), and William H. Macy (Trevathan)

Synopsis – 300 years after the reign of Caesar, Noa is determined to fight for his clan alongside a human he is surprised is more evolved than previously believed.

 

Review

Now, I have to admit, I was never interested in any of the Planet of the Apes movies until I saw the trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.  I just thought they were silly monkey movies with obnoxiously long titles.  It was my boyfriend that said they were actually pretty good films.  So we indulged in watching the trilogy and man were my original thoughts wrong.  I fell in love with these films – how they were able to tell such human stories while not being told by humans.  We start with humans being the main characters, but as the trilogy continues, the apes take center stage.  By the conclusion of this story arc, the apes have taken over with their leader, Caesar, passing away.  While this was a perfect and beautiful ending to these impressive films, I was excited to see how this next group of movies would take the story, and it is already off to a strong start.

 

Generations after Caesar’s passing, apes are the dominant species with humans believed to be mostly gone with those remaining being feral.  This film follows its new protagonist, Noa (Owen Teague), a young ape who is a part of a clan that raises eagles.  They are a generally peaceful group of apes that keep to themselves.  As soon as the film starts, its visuals stand out.  Since these movies first released in 2011, how realistic the apes look has always been a standout.  With some special effects trying to be so realistic that they come off looking more fake, it is so nice to see a studio and artists who put dedication into making sure the film looks as stunning as it does.  And with this film specifically, most of the human buildings and creations have been overgrown, so there are so many beautiful landscapes of jungles and beaches that take over the world.  How stunning everything looks is reason enough to check out this film.

As part of his clan’s coming-of-age ceremony, Noa and his friends, Soona (Lydia Peckham) and Anaya (Travis Jeffery), have to collect eagle eggs and keep them safe until the ceremony.  After the collection, Noa notices a human scavenger has invaded his clan to steal things and he tries to catch them.  In their scuffle, Noa’s egg breaks and unless he gets a new one before the ceremony, he will have to wait a whole year to get his eagle.  Noa decides to sneak out at night to get a new egg, but as he does that, he runs into another clan of apes who like to raid other ape clans.  These apes claim to do damage in the name of Caesar and travel to Noa’s clan to destroy it and kidnap his people.  When I heard them mention Caesar’s name after their killing and destruction, I audibly gasped in the theater.  It just came as a shock to me because after falling in love with Caesar, I knew this is not what he would have wanted.  While I think that Caesar and his legacy should stay within the original three movies, I did not mind that his ideas are still a driving factor for the war-hungry apes is a great way to transition to this new world we are exploring.

 Noa, having survived the massacre and capture of his clan, seeks revenge and wants to bring them home.  His journey takes him all over the beautiful landscapes the apes have created over the last 300 years.  Along his trek, he runs into two individuals that would impact major aspects of his actions for the rest of the film; Raka (Peter Macon) who teaches about what Caesar’s word really meant and Mae (Freya Allen), the human scavenger who ends up not being as feral as originally believed who is also seeking the same clan as Noa.  Together, they will venture in hopes to take down King Proximus (Kevin Durand) and save the clan.  One of the most interesting components of this trio is how much Raka seems to do in the name of Caesar just like Porximus’ clan.  But both have a completely different interpretation of what he stood for.  A lot of figures in history have had their works dissected for centuries, but we will never know what the true meanings of their works are as we can never talk to them.  We can assume, but in the end, interpretation is up to the individual.  Both Proximus and Raka follow the words of Caesar but in two extremely different ways.

Just like the previous installments, there are so many appealing aspects to this world.  The first, Rise of the Planet of the Apes had a great story that set up the premise for what would become this reboot franchise while the second and third, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, respectively, had masterful direction to tell the rest of Caesar’s story.  All three together make for one of the strongest film trilogies ever created.  Rumors have it that there will be a total of nine movies in this fresh take on the original story broken up into three trilogies similar to the Star Wars franchise.  If that is true, this has the potential to be one of the strongest franchises of all time that deserves its flowers.

One of the most frustrating things about these movies – along with others that focus heavily on motion-capture technology – is that the actors never seem to get as much praise as the actors never seem to get as much praise as the “human” actors. Owen Teague as Noa gives one of the greatest performances of the year.  There is so much naivete and hurt that jumps out during his scenes you forget it is a human being with a bunch of dots on their face in a skin-tight suit.  Every ape actor has so much dedication to their role and it is so easy to tell.  If anything, they have to work extra hard because they do not have the luxury of getting into a physical costume to bring the final elements of the character together.  I could tell every emotion the apes were feeling and that is because of how well those actors are.  Motion-capture performances need to be more recognized in the film industry.

Besides the apes, Freya Allen as the human, Mae, gives one of my favorite performances from a human character in this franchise.  While it seems obligatory to have a human when I would be perfectly fine with a movie of just apes, Allen is able to show audiences in more ways than one why her species is still vital to the franchise.  At this point in the timeline, apes and humans have essentially switched roles in the ecosystem.  So it comes at quite a shock when Mae is actually able to speak.  The best part about her is how unreliable she can be.  She always gives off an aura of not knowing if you should trust her or not.  Having a character like this makes for an interesting view on character development for those around them, keeping you on the edge of your seat at all times.

Noa is the clear standout amongst the ape characters, but two performances that should be overlooked are Raka and Proximus.  Both of them view Caesar as a great being for their kind, but it’s their opposing approaches to him that make them both fascinating characters.  Raka wants the apes to be stronger when they are working together, but Proximus wants to become essentially what humans were in history.  This can be seen with what type of literature they both decide to study.  It is with them how fascinatingly human they are.  All of the apes are able to show the same emotions that it makes it easy to connect to any of them.  It just reminds us how close we truly are to one another.  Hopefully, one of these movies will have all of the apes just having a good time.  But as we can tell from this film, for every Raka there will always be a Proximus.

The film’s biggest issue is its pacing.  Kingdom has one of those issues where every scene feels necessary but how they are laid out makes the film drag in certain places.  There is maybe one or two that I can think of that could have been cut for time, but even then everything felt necessary to have to move the story forward.  This could have potentially been fixed with a little more showing instead of telling, but even in the more dialogue heavy scenes did not seem unimportant.  If some scenes were pulled together tighter, it could have felt better paced.  The action sequences, however, are executed perfectly with great focus on making sure we know exactly why it is taking place.  The final battle is built up throughout the film that the process of it is so satisfying.  There is so much thought that goes into what needs to be expressed to move the franchise to its end goal.  Hopefully its creatives realize that more is not always better; just having a good story no matter how long is what the fans need.

I am so grateful that I was convinced to give this franchise a chance despite the silly long titles.  All of the films tell such a human story even when humans are not the main characters.  I hope this new saga continues with as much love and dedication that have been put into the first four, as it seems like we are about to get interesting very soon!

“Rushmore” Movie Review

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General Information

Directed by – Wes Anderson

Written by – Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson

Release Year – 1998

Starring – Jason Schwartzman (Max Fischer), Bill Murray (Herman Blume), Olivia Williams (Rosemary Cross), Seymour Cassel (Bert Fischer), Sara Tanaka (Margaret Yang) and Luke Wilson (Peter Flynn) 

Synopsis – On the verge of getting expelled from Rushmore, falling in love with the new teacher, and befriending a millionaire, Max Fischer is in for an interesting school year.

 

Review

After the success of “Bottle Rocket”, Wes Anderson followed it up with a film that continued to elevate his career as a filmmaker.  Reviving the career of Bill Murary and launching Jason Schwartzman as an actor, “Rushmore” cemented Anderson as one to watch.

 

Max Fischer (Schwartzman) is the most involved student at Rushmore Academy, but not the most academic.  He is threatened with expulsion, but that does not keep him down.  He befriends the father of twins in his class (Bill Murray) who takes him under his wing.  But that friendship falls apart when they both develop a crush on the new first grade teacher, Rosemary (Williams).

Compared to Bottle Rocket, Rushmore feels a lot more like a classic Wes Anderson film.  We still haven’t reached full Wes yet, but with the delivery of character lines, the cinematography, and the first of many montages it would not be surprising if some people assumed this was Anderson’s debut film.  Title cards between scenes have also been introduced, which is one of my personal favorite touches of any of his films.  You can tell that he wanted to start standing out as an auteur and go away from the more traditional style of movie making he utilized in his first film.

 

Max as a main character perfectly encapsulates what it means to be an over-enthusiastic teenage boy.  You want to be involved in everything to make a name for yourself.  At this point in your life, you are in this weird in-between place where you are no longer completely at the whim of your parents but also discovering who you want to be before you are completely on your own.  Being a teenager can be a lonely experience even when you are surrounded by those you love and care for.  Your emotions and hormones are also all over the place that it is not insane that Max falls in love with the new teacher.  While inappropriate as he continues to pursue her after her constant rejections, he learns some tough lessons when it comes to love and loss that every teenager needs to experience.

It is also inspiring to see how involved Max wants to be with his extracurricular activities.  Not only is he an active participant in clubs like Model U.N. and a variety of sports, but he also runs and creates clubs seemingly every other day.  If you are of the millennial and older gen-z age range, you have probably been told over and over that colleges want to see students who are the most involved inside and outside of school because that will be your best way of getting into the school of your dreams.  While it is good to be a well-rounded individual, it comes at a detriment to Max’s grades.  To stay in Rushmore Academy, you need to maintain a certain grade point average and Max falls below that because of being too involved.  It is a double edged sword I still see as a teacher today; kids are trying to be this “perfect” student, sacrificing important things like sleep, mental and physical health, and potentially their sanity.  This can be seen through Max and how he has this desire to be seen as perfect, but parts of him are being sacrificed.

 

One of the aspects of a classic Wes Anderson film that we first see here is the mentor-mentee relationship.  Usually between an adult man and teenage boy, they form a bond based on either proximity or similar interests.  We see this relationship form between Max and Bill Murray’s character of millionaire Herman Blume.  Not only is he the father of some of Max’s peers, but Max finds inspiration in him as an underdog.  Max doesn’t fit in with the other rich kids and Blume is that shining light in his life.  They form a bond that allows each to be fully themselves.  However, they become too similar to each other as they begin to fall for the same woman at the school, Rosemary.  This puts a riff in their relationship, starting a prank war montage.  It comes across as a silly feud, but something Anderson puts in his movies a lot is the theme of being lost.  Both are lost in the world – not sure what their place is – and they are able to find solace in this one crush.  The chemistry between Schwartzman and Murray make their scenes so enjoyable to watch, whether they are connecting with each other or hating each other.  It makes you want to root for them to get over their silly feud so they can have more happy scenes together.  If one of them was cast differently, it would have taken away from this film’s natural charm and charisma.

With a much better flow and pacing compared to his first film, Anderson gives us a heartfelt and quirky story about what it means to find friendships while also finding yourself.  A lot of classic Wes is felt in this film, and it is always an enjoyable watch from the moment you hit play. 

“Poor Things” Movie Review

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General Information

Directed by – Yorgos Lanthimos

Written by – Tony McNamara

Release Year – 2023

Starring – Emma Stone (Bella Baxter), Mark Ruffalo (Duncan Wdderburn), Willem Dafoe (Dr. Godwin Baxter), Ramy Youssef (Max McCandles), Christopher Abbott (Alfie Blessington), Kathryn Hunter (Madame Swiney) and Jerrod Carmichael (Harry Astley)

Synopsis – After being brought back to life after her suicide, Bella rediscovers the world around her from a new perspective, learning what it means to be a human being.

Review

Yorgos Lanthimos is not an auteur that chooses to tell stories you would expect from the average filmmaker.  What makes him special is that he selects stories that may come off as “weird” and enhances them to be masterpieces – captivating audiences enough that they are brought into his unique worldview.

 

Based on the novel of the same name, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) has been given a second chance at life after Dr. Godwin Baxter (Wllem Dafoe) finds her lifeless body due to a suicide.  In a tale similar to Frankenstein, Bella is reanimated, given a new life to live.  When we meet her, Bella is walking and talking like a child instead of the 30-year-old woman she is supposed to be.  Over the course of the film, we watch Bella grow and develop into a new woman again.  Stone is able to portray this perfectly; the way she waddles and babbles like a toddler you would have thought Lanthimos aged-up an actual two-year-old.  Stone’s performance is full of naivete that makes you wish it was easy to see the world as a kid again.  We are able to see this child mature into a marvelous woman who not only explores what the world has to offer but also not falling for its traps that we are sometimes forced to accept.

Stone is accompanied by a strong supporting cast that helps her character explore her story.  Dafoe adds another weird role to his repertoire as the doctor responsible for bringing Bella back from the dead.  A professional in his field, God – as Bella calls him – has a tragic past that leads him to being the father of all of his adventurous creations.  He’s very protective of Bella and does not want her to venture outside of the comfort he has created for her in his home.  Also observing Bella is Godwin’s assistant Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef).  Youssef adds such a kind and gentle approach to Bella, feeding into her curiosities about the world while falling for her.  Both Godwin and Candles show compassion for Bella, but it is Youssef’s kind nature that makes you fall for him every time he’s on screen.

 

However, everything changes for the three of them when Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) comes into the picture, also falling for Bella and wanting to swoop her away on an adventure.  Ruffalo in this role is utterly hilarious while driving you mad with how rudely he treats Bella.  You know you are in for a good time when Ruffalo appears on screen.  There is something about his performance that contains so many layers of comedy and drama that makes it a perfect role for him without even originally thinking this was a role he needed.  Along their journey around the world, Bella and Duncan run into a wide range of characters that, in their own way, guide Bella on the ways of the world.  These include Harry Astley (Jerrod Charmichael), who shows her the disgusting aspects of what happens to those who are poor, and Madame Swiney (Kathryn Hunter), who takes her in and teaches the value of herself and what it means to earn a wage.  Bella treats each of these people with respect and curiosity for their knowledge of the world.  And every actor brings their all no matter how big their part may be.

This film is one of the most visually pleasing and fantastical looking of the year.  For the first act, the film is black and white and as the film transitions to the second act, it remains fully in color.  The black and white scenes mostly take place in Godwin’s house as we are being introduced to who Bella is through the eyes of her “creator.”  After she demands to travel around the world with Duncan, both us and Bella are opened up to a whole new world.  She is seeing what it is like on the outside for the first time, and I love how this message is shown through Robbie Ryan’s cinematography.  There is also the use of a fisheye lens, showing how Bella’s world is so small before she steps out with Duncan to expand everything around her.  Cinematography choices is a film craft that has taken me a while to fully understand what exactly goes into making certain decisions compared to a director’s vision, and this film really helped me appreciate this outstanding art form. 

Not only is Poor Things visually stunning with its cinematography, but it stands out in the costumes, production and visual effects as well.  Even though the film takes place around the Victorian era, there is such a fantasy-feeling aspect that is felt through the designs.  The costumes are loud and colorful when Bella explores new places – which are also mystical in their own right – until she finds the simplicity of life and thus her wardrobe changes to fit.  The color palette is not too extreme that it blinds the audience but satisfies those who enjoy yellows, greens, and blues.  Even though the film takes place in places like Lisbon and Paris, you feel as though you are somewhere completely created in the mind of Lanthimos.  He was not afraid to expand upon commonly known places to be able to create a world all his own.

Taking what could have been a disastrous concept and making it accessible for adult audiences, Poor Things is a masterpiece of  spectacle.  With stunning performances against the backdrop of beautiful set pieces, you should seek out this award-winning film.












2024 Tony Award Nominations

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It is time for another Broadway award season!  The Tony Awards are my second favorite awards show – just behind the Oscars – because the art of theater is something that I have been a participant in while also appreciating all of the hard work and dedication that goes on behind the scenes.  There is so much to Broadway than just flashy costumes and “annoying” songs, and the Tony Awards showcase that every year.  This year’s ceremony, to be held on Sunday, June 16th on CBS, will be hosted once again by the amazing Ariana DeBose, marking her third year in a row as host.  Shows that are able to be nominated must have opened between April 28th, 2023 until April 25th, 2024.  Tuesday morning, the nominations were announced, so here is a rundown of all of the wonderful musicals and plays that have received nominations and will be up for that glorious silver trophy this summer.

 

Musicals

Hell’s Kitchen – Using the music of Alicia Keys to tell this mid-90s story, teenager Ali is living in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City under the care of her protective mother, but she wants to venture out and make a name for herself and discover who she truly is.

Nominated for:

-Best Musical

-Best Direction of a Musical (Michael Greif)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Maleah Joi Moon)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Brandon Victor Dixon)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Shoshana Bean)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Kecia Lewis)

-Best Book of a Musical (Kristoffer Diaz)

-Best Orchestrations (Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone)

-Best Choreography (Camille A. Brown)

-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini)

-Best Costume Design in a Musical (Dede Ayita)

-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Natasha Katz)

-Best Sound Design in a Musical (Gareth Owen)

 

Illinoise – Based on the Sufjan Stevens album of the same name, friends share the stories of their lives around a campfire as a band performs the music live with them on stage. 

Nominated for:

-Best Musical

-Best Orchestrations (Timo Andres)

-Best Choreography (Justin Peck)

-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Brandon Sterling Baker)

 

The Outsiders – Based on the S.E. Hinton novel of the same name, a group of “outsiders” fight for survival in Tulsa to find where they belong in the world.

Nominated for:

-Best Musical

-Best Direction of a Musical (Danya Taymor)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Brody Grant)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Joshua Boone)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Sky Lakota-Lynch)

-Best Book of a Musical (Adam Rapp and Justin Levine)

-Best Original Score (Jamestown Revival and Justin Levine)

-Best Orchestrations (Justin Levine, Matt Hinkley, and Jamestown Revival)

-Best Choreography (Rick and Jeff Kuperman)

-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Amp featuring Tatianna Kahvegian)

-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim)

-Best Sound Design in a Musical (Cody Spencer)

 

Suffs – Inspired by real-life events, women in the early 20th century begin fighting for the rights of women starting with one major right – voting.

Nominated for:

-Best Musical

-Best Direction of a Musical (Leigh Silverman)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Nikki M. James)

-Best Book of a Musical (Shaina Taub)

-Best Original Score (Shaina Taub)

-Best Costume Design in a Musical (Paul Tazewell)

 

Water for Elephants – Based on the novel by the same name, after a great loss Jacob hops aboard a train that belongs to a traveling circus, finding a new family.

Nominated for:

-Best Musical

-Best Direction of a Musical (Jessica Stone)

-Best Book of a Musical (Rick Elice)

-Best Choreography (Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll)

-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Takeshi Kata)

-Best Costume Design in a Musical (David Israel Renoso)

-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Bradley King and David Bengali)

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club – In 1930s Berlin, Sally Bowles helps keep the Kit Kat Club raging, trying to distract from what is happening in Germany right outside their doors.

Nominated for:

-Best Revival of a Musical

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Eddie Redmayne)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Gayle Rankin)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Steven Skybell)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Bebe Neuwirth)

-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Tom Scutt)

-Best Costume Design in a Musical (Tom Scutt)

-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Isabella Byrd)

-Best Sound Design in a Musical (Nick Lidster for Autograph)

 

Gutenberg! The Musical – Two best friends want to put on a show because they love making shows together, and who better to make a musical about than Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press!

Nominated for:

-Best Revival of a Musical

 

Merrily We Roll Along – Following composer Franklin and his life with his two best friends, Mary and Charley, and how success and fame may damage your personal life more than you may think.

Nominated for:

-Best Revival of a Musical

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Jonathan Groff)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Daniel Radcliffe)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Lindsay Mendez)

-Best Orchestrations (Jonathan Tunick)

-Best Sound Design in a Musical (Kai Harada)

The Who’s Tommy – Based on the concept album of the same name, Tommy witnesses his father commit a crime, his life begins to spiral around him as he begins to feel lost with this major life event.

Nominated for:

-Best Revival of a Musical

 

The Notebook – Based on the novel of the same name, what seems like just a summer romance turns into a decades-long saga of what it means to have a person in your life, even if they are not in it for periods at a time.

Nominated for:

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Dorian Harewood)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Maryann Plunkett)

-Best Book of a Musical

 

Days of Wine and Roses – A couple living in the 1950s falls in love while trying to fix their broken family.

Nominated for:

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Brian D’Arcy James)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Kelli O’Hara)

-Best Original Score (Adam Guettel)

 

Lempicka – After fleeing the Russian revolution, aristocrat Tamara picks up painting to help her and her husband start their new lives, but when Rafaela comes into her life, she has to choose between what she needs to do and what she’s passionate about.

Nominated for:

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Eden Espinosa)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Amber Iman)

-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Riccardo Hernandez and Peter Nigrini)

Back to the Future – Based on the trilogy of the same name, Marty travels back in time from 1985 to 1955, meeting his parents before they have met each other.

Nominated for:

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Roger Bart)

-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Tim Hatley and Finn Ross)

 

Monty Python’s Spamalot – With inspiration from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this takes the classic Authorian legend and turns it on its head with a satirical take for the ages.

Nominated for:

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer)

 

Here Lies Love – Inspired by real life events, we follow former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marco, her rise to power and the Philippine People Power Revolution.

Nominated for:

-Best Original Score (David Byrne and Fatboy Slim)

-Best Choreography (Annie-B Parson)

-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (David Korins)

-Best Sound Design in a Musical (M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer)

 

The Great Gatsby – Based on the novel of the same name, 1920s mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby will stop at nothing when it comes to pursuing his lifelong love, Daisy.

Nominated for:

-Best Costume Design in a Musical (Linda Cho)

Plays

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – During a hot summer in Harlem, African immigrant hairbraiders working at Jaja’s hair salon have secrets revealed that could impact the tight-knit community that has been created.

Nominated for:

-Best Play

-Best Direction of a Play (Whitney White)

-Best Scenic Design in a Play (David Zinn)

-Best Costume Design in a Play (Dede Ayite)

-Best Sound Design in a Play (Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella)

 

Mary Jane – A single mother in the worst of circumstances tries her best to beat the odds against her while trying to make a new family and friendships for herself.

Nominated for:

-Best Play

-Best Direction of a Play (Anne Kauffman)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Rachel McAdams)

-Best Sound Design in a Play (Leah Gelpe)

 

Mother Play – Phyllis and her teenage children are moving into a new apartment, where she tells them what they need to do with their lives as they are all trying to survive the changing world.

Nominated for:

-Best Play

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Jessica Lange)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Jim Parsons)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Celia Keenan-Bolger)

 

Prayer for the French Republic – In 1944 Paris, a Jewish couple looks for news of their missing family, and 70 years later those family members ask themselves the same question.

Nominated for:

-Best Play

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Betsy Aiden)

-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Amith Chandrashaker)

 

Stereophonic – A new rock band in the mid 1970s is recording a new album that could make or  break them.

Nominated for:

-Best Play

-Best Direction of a Play (Daniel Aukin)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Will Brill)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Eli Gelb)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Tom Pecinka)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Juliana Canfield)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Sarah Pidgeon)

-Best Scenic Design in a Play (David Zinn)

-Best Costume Design in a Play (Enver Chakartash)

-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Jiyoun Chang)

-Best Sound Design in a Play (Ryan Rumery)

-Best Original Score (Will Butler)

-Best Orchestrations (Will Butler and Justin Craig)

 

Appropriate – The Lafayettes have returned to Arkansas to help deal with the estate of their father, but when the estranged brother Franz unexpectedly shows up, the family is forced to face their hidden secrets.

Nominated for:

-Best Revival of a Play

-Best Direction of a Play (Lila Neugebauer)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Sarah Paulson)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Corey Stoll)

-Best Scenic Design in a Play (dots)

-Best Costume Design in a Play (Dede Ayite)

-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Jane Cox)

-Best Sound Design in a Play (Bray Poor and Will Pickens)

 

An Enemy of the People – A doctor of a small town discovers that something will risk the lives of everyone, but those in power do not want him warning the people.

Nominated for:

-Best Revival of a Play

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Jeremy Strong)

-Best Scenic Design in a Play (dots)

-Best Costume Design in a Play (David Zinn)

-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Isabella Byrd)

 

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch – A black preacher wants to work at a Georgian church, but their white neighbors have a difficult relationship with its community.

Nominated for:

-Best Revival of a Play

-Best Direction of a Play (Kenny Leon)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Leslie Odom Jr.)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Kara Young)

-Best Scenic Design in a Play (Derek McLane)

-Best Costume Design in a Play (Emilio Sosa)

 

Uncle Vanya – Sonya and Vanya have lived in isolation on their family farm, but when her parents move in, the family is upended as ghosts of their past are dug up.

Nominated for:

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (William Jackson Harper)

 

Doubt: A Parable – Sister Aloysius is feared by her students and coworkers at her Catholic school, but a potential relationship between a priest and student will force her to try to separate her beliefs and how people perceive her.

Nominated for:

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Liev Schriber)

-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Amy Ryan)

-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Quincy Tyler Bernstine)

 

Patriots – Following the fall of the Soviet Union, billionaire Boris is now in charge and responsible for finding a successor to President Yeltsin and suggests a deputy mayor: Vladimir Putin.

Nominated for:

-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Michael Stuhlbarg)

 

Grey House – A couple seeks shelter in an isolated cabin after a car crash, but as the snow and nights drag on, they are not sure what in the house is even real.

Nominated for:

-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Natasha Katz)

-Best Sound Design in a Play (Tom Gibbons)

 

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