DGA Nominees Solidify Oscar Hopefuls

The 2016 Directors Guild of America announced their annual nominees today. This is an important precursor in the Oscar race since it is a guild of around 1,600 members (much larger than the 377 strong directors branch of The Academy). In fact, this guild award is often more significant in terms of predicting Best Picture nominees than Best Director at the Oscars, because of the large voting body. So while the directors in the Academy sometimes have a slot for a dark horse, quirky candidate, the DGA shows who is leading the pack. And today's nominations reflect the presumed front-runners of this awards season:

Best Director
Alejandro Gonzalez Inaritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Adam McKay, The Big Short
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott, The Martian

In addition, the DGA announced nominees for the inaugural "best directorial achievement for a first time feature film director". Eligible films must be released in New York and Los Angeles within 2015. Foreign films and non-DGA members are eligible for this award.

Best First Feature Film Director
Fernando Coimbra, A Wolf at the Door
Joel Edgerton, The Gift
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Marielle Heller, Diary of a Teenage Girl
Laszlo Nemes, Son of Saul

So are the five DGA picks our Oscar nominees as well? Likely. But the smaller number of voters at the Academy makes room for more distinctive choices. McCarthy, McKay and Miller would all be first time Oscar nominees (they are first time DGA nominees as well) and one does wonder if the Academy has room for 3 "new" faces. Especially with old guard types like Spielberg and Haynes are waiting in the wings. While one of the three Academy newcomers may be unexpectedly snubbed, the DGA shows that all five films have serious widespread appeal. They are all but certain to show up in Best Picture.

PGA Nominations Shake Up Oscar Race

Hello all!

I have been slacking a bit and not posting thoughts about the Oscar race thus far (though as usual, I have kept the contenders pages pretty up to date with my predictions/thoughts). Perhaps slacking isn't the best word: in addition to my day job, I have been lucky enough to do a good deal of traveling and performing. But now I'm back, and today is the make or break day for many Oscar hopeful films.

Below are the just announced 2016 PGA Nominees:

Motion Picture
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton

Animated Motion Picture
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
Minions
The Peanuts Movie

The PGA is the most important of the guild awards in terms of Oscar prognosticators, because it uses the same preferential ballot as the Academy to decide its Best Picture nominees. Last year, the PGA nominees foresaw 7 our of 8 Oscar nominees (The PGA guarantees 10 slots, while the Academy has anywhere from 5-10). So scoring with the producers is a very good omen.

Last year, the three darkest PGA contenders (Gone Girl, Nightcrawler, and Foxcatcher) were the ones to miss at the Oscars. With that in mind, the picture most likely left out of the Academy lineup would be the android thriller Ex Machina (though I will jump for joy if it makes the cut). It also means The Hateful Eight is likely dead in the water in terms of Best Picture odds. Room was also left out of the PGA field, but the intimate nature of the film is more in line with Academy tastes, so don't lose hope on it yet.

The most notable snubs are Carol and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. After dominating many a critic award, Carol also failed to net a Art Directors Guild nomination this morning (the equivalent of Best Production Design at the Oscars). Not great tea leaves for the lesbian period drama. Is it perhaps just an "actor's movie" rather than an all around player? It's also bad news for Star Wars' Best Picture hopes. The movie is essentially tailor made for this guild, and the miss here certainly stings. Though the film is dominating the zeitgeist and easily surpassing Avatar's box office record with no signs of showing. The Force Awakens hasn't played by awards season rules so far, and it could still be "too big to ignore" for the Academy.

The Big Short is looking great. It has been scoring across the board and has me thinking it is the real challenger to Spotlight's frontrunner status. The producers have also revived Straight Outta Compton (showing up on a preferential ballot pairs nicely with its SAG ensemble nomination) and Brooklyn (many pundits fretted about the Globes shunning it from their drama category). And is Sicario is emerging as a real threat in the race, despite being a long shot in most major categories? Watch out.

So how does the Oscar race look now? Based on the guilds it's The Big Short vs. Spotlight for Best Picture. With Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian as potential spoilers. Academy Award nominations are announced on January 14th and voting is underway. Expect campaigns to be in high gear this week. "What a lovely day".

First Tony Administration Meeting for 2016 Awards!

The Tony Administration Committee met for the first time this season on November 12th. They discussed eligibility for the 2015/2016 season, as it pertained to the following productions: An Act of God, Amazing Grace, Hamilton, Spring Awakening, Old Times, Fool for Love, The Gin Game, Sylvia, Dames at Sea, and Therese Raquin.

The following determinations were made:

Lin Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., and Phillipa Soo will all be considered eligible under Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Musical for their respective performances in Hamilton.

Austin P. Mackenzie and Sandra Mae Frank will be considered eligible under Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Musical for their respective performances in Spring Awakening. (Note: Frank portrays Wendla, while Katie Boeck provides her singing voice).

Dane Laffrey and Lucy Mackinnon will be considered jointly eligible for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Spring Awakening. Laffrey is credited as Scenic Designer while Mackinnon is Projections Designer.

Sam Rockwell and Nina Arianda will be considered eligible under Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Play for their respective performances in Fool for Love (it is standard practice for MTC to bill all of their actors below the title in alphabetical order).

Robert Sella and Julie White will be considered eligible under Best Featured Actor/Actress for their respective performances in Sylvia.

Cary Tedder and Eloise Kropp will be considered eligible under Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Musical for their respective performances in Dames at Sea.

Gabriel Ebert and Judith Light will be considered eligible under Best Featured Actor/Actress for their respective performances in Therese Raquin.

No special distinction was made regarding Therese Raquin's prior incarnations, so this new adaptation is eligible under Best Play per Tony Awards rules.

All other eligibility rulings were consistent with opening night billing.


The biggest ruling outcomes center around Hamilton and Spring Awakening. For the latter, there was some speculation over joint nominations for characters portrayed by both a hearing and non-hearing actor (namely, Wendla and Moritz). But per the Tony rulings, each actor will be eligible separately.

As for Hamilton, I always assumed Odom Jr. would fall under lead. It is actually for the show's benefit, since they now have an additional spot open for the talented featured cast. For those of you worrying about the talented Mr. Odom Jr.'s chances: I think he can handily take down his co-star Miranda (they have two other opportunities to reward him in Score and Book). It's Danny Burstein who will pose the real threat for Best Actor.

"Eclipsed" Makes the Jump and "Bright Star" Makes it Official

The Public Theater is moving yet another production to Broadway. After the Best Musical winner Fun Home and (the likely Best Musical winner) Hamilton, the company is bringing their Off-Broadway play Eclipsed to the main stem.

The Public Theater engagement will conclude on November 29th. It's star, recent Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, will transfer with the production. The Broadway production will have its first preview on February 23, 2016 at the Golden Theatre. Opening night is set for March 6th, with a strictly limited run of 17 weeks.

Eclipsed is written by Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead's Michonne) and directed by Liesl Tommy. The play centers on a group of women being held captive during the Liberian civil war. The entire cast from the Public; which includes Saycon Sengbloh (Hair, Fela!), Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia, and Zainab Jah, will transfer with the production.

The Public now finds itself in a unique Tony position. It has a contender in both the Best Musical and Best Play races. Could it nab both top prizes?

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While we knew Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's musical Bright Star was showing up sometime this season, the team has finally announced official dates and cast information.

Following a winter run at the Kennedy Center, Bright Star will begin previews on March 7th with a March 31st opening (which, in case anyone wants to get me some tickets, happens to be this theatre nerd's birthday). The show will fill a Shubert house to be announced at a later date.

Tony winner Walter Bobbie will direct with Josh Rhodes as choreographer. After starring in the premiere at The Old Globe, Carmen Cusack will repeat her performance in her Broadway debut. The rest of the cast features: Paul Alexander Nolan, A.J. Shively, Dee Hoty, Stephen Lee Anderson, Emily Padgett, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Michael X. Martin, William Michals, Tony Roach, and William Youmans.

"Falsettos" Postpones Broadway Bow

Theatre fans rejoiced when Jordan Roth announced a revival of the beloved musical Falsettos was heading to Broadway. But it appears we will have to wait longer than anticipated.

The William Finn/James Lapine musical has officially been pushed back to the 2016-2017 Broadway season. No official reason was given, but sources are citing budget and casting concerns. The reported estimated budget came in at roughly $5 million, more than many expected. The number reportedly had producers concerned over its commercial viability. Roth attempted to strike a deal with the Roundabout Theatre Company, one of Broadway's few non-profit organizations, to insult the production from financial burdens. However, Roundabout's spring season is locked in place and no deal came to fruition.

Casting a movie star seemed to be the only option left to avoid a financial failure. But William Finn's score is tough. And finding a star who can pull it off (and was available for the time frame) proved fruitless.

The postponement of Falsettos has upended the already competitive race for Best Revival of a Musical. With just five revivals remaining, now only three of them are guaranteed Tony nominees. A fourth nominee is possible if they tie for third place. The new tie rule didn't help Side Show or Gigi this past season, nor Roundabout's re-staging of Cabaret the year before. Will a fourth nominee come into play this time? Or will there be lots of unhappy producers come spring?

One upside: Laura Benanti will be done with She Loves Me by next season, and she would make a perfect Trina. Make it happen Mr Lapine!

Frank Langella Returns to Broadway

Three time Tony Award winner Frank Langella will return to Broadway this spring in Manhattan Theatre Club's American premier of The Father. The play, by Florian Zeller, will being previews at the Samuel J. Freidman Theatre on March 22, 2016, with an opening night of April 12th.

Two time Tony winner Christopher Hampton will provide the translation of the play. Tony Award winner Doug Hughes will direct. Hughes and Langella previously collaborated on a Broadway production of A Man for All Seasons.

According to press notes, The Father will offer a look inside the mind of a retired dancer living with his adult daughter Anne and her husband. Or is he a retired engineer receiving a visit from Anne who has moved away, with her boyfriend? Why do strangers keep turning up in his room? And where has he left his watch?

Spring Awakening Makes it Official

Deaf West's rumored revival of Spring Awakening is officially headed to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre for it's Broadway run this fall. Tickets went on sale today.

The show's website lists the production as an 18 week limited run, with previews starting on September 8th and an opening night on September 27th. The site also says it "must close" on January 9th.

The revival is a co-production between Deaf West and Forest of Arden, who's founder Michael Arden will serve as director. Spencer Liff serves as choreographer. Arden previously starred in Deaf West's Broadway transfer of Big River. That production got a special award from the Tonys, as well as nominations for Best Revival of a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

This interpretation of Duncan Sheik's Tony winning musical will utilize both hearing and deaf actors, with several characters being sung and signed by two performers. Casting will be announced at a later date, though it is rumored at least some of the LA cast will transfer to Broadway with the production.