Happy Presidents Day! Okay, no one I know actually “celebrates” Presidents Day, but it’s Monday and whether you have today off or not, we could all use something to celebrate. Now, sit back, relax and prepare for the Monday Motivation segue you’ve been waiting for.
Speaking of presidents…
…this evening, as a part of the 58th annual Grammy Awards, Broadway’s “Hamilton” (which features three-ish American presidents) will be performing live from the Richard Rodger’s Theatre in New York. Odds are, if you care about such things, you’ve been counting down the days. But for those of you who have managed to remain ignorant of this behemoth of a show, let me fill you in: THIS IS HUGE.
While coverage of the show and its performers has been everywhere, there have been no televised performances. Meaning there are a lot of people looking forward to tonight’s show.
Oh and the show’s soundtrack is also up for an award, and finds itself in a rather rare situation. All of the other nominees included in the Best Musical Theater Album category were included in the previous Tony Award season, that includes 2015 best new musical winner, “Fun Home” and best revival, “The King and I.” The clear frontrunner here, “Hamilton” will not be up for any Tony Awards until this year.
And while winning the Tony in no way guarantees a Grammy win (for example, last year “Beautiful” took home the Grammy, even though “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” took home the top Tony Award), it doesn’t hurt to have the Tony under your belt into the Grammys. So, if anyone has a shot at beating out “Hamilton,” it’s “Fun Home.” However, I will be stunned if that happen. Stunned.
With that, it’s just about time for official predictions (and surprise, Monday, guest appearance!), but first a quick overview of all the nominees:
Best Musical Theater Album Nominees
“An American in Paris”
Leanne Cope, Max von Essen, Robert Fairchild, Jill Paice & Brandon Uranowitz, principal soloists; Rob Fisher & Scott Lehrer, producers (George Gershwin, composer; Ira Gershwin, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast) Label: Masterworks Broadway
“Fun Home”
Michael Cerveris, Judy Kuhn, Sydney Lucas, Beth Malone & Emily Skeggs, principal soloists; Philip Chaffin & Tommy Krasker, producers (Jeanine Tesori, composer; Lisa Kron, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast) Label: PS Classics
“Hamilton”
Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos & Phillipa Soo, principal soloists; Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bill Sherman, Ahmir Thompson & Tarik Trotter, producers; Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast) Label: Atlantic
“The King and I”
Ruthie Ann Miles, Kelli O’Hara, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora & Ken Watanabe, principal soloists; David Caddick, David Lai & Ted Sperling, producers (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (2015 Broadway Cast) Label: Universal Music Classics
“Something Rotten”
Heidi Blickenstaff, Christian Borle, John Cariani, Brian d’Arcy James, Brad Oscar & Kate Reinders, principal soloists; Kurt Deutsch, Karey Kirkpatrick, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lawrence Manchester, Kevin McCollum & Phil Reno, producers; Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick, composers/lyricists (Originial Broadway Cast) Label: Ghostlight
Best Musical Theater Album Predictions
Stephanie: “Hamilton” — As I said last year of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” I could write many, many posts about posts about how amazing “Hamilton” is, but I’ll stick with this one for now. If you’re not a believer yet, just you wait…
Making a special Monday blog guest appearance, here’s Zer’s prediction…
Zer: “Hamilton” — Wow, so much pressure. There are so many worthy nominees this year, it’s hard to know which way the voters will swing. I mean how do you pick between the Best New Musical (“Fun Home”) and the best revival (“An American in Paris”)…just kidding. While these are all incredibly worthy contenders, there’s no question who will get the Grammy. I will eat my proverbial hat if “Hamilton,” doesn’t win.
…bi-daily smile…
