You Know the Tony Award Winners – But Do You Know the Plays?
The 2010 Tony Award winners are hot on the tips of everyone’s tongues: just like it has become popular for stars of the silver screen (Denzel, Catherine ZJ, Scarlett) to find their places on the stage, it is increasingly popular for the public to forgo Hollywood for a bit of theatre.
And that is theatre with an “re.”
Alas, we cannot all partake in the frenzy that is Off-Off(-Off?)-Broadway. Here’s a quick guide to the ringers of last night’s event so you can know just what the heck everyone’s so excited about.
Red
Tony Award Winner of:
Best Play Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Eddie Redmayne), Best Direction of a Play (Michael Grandage), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Christopher Oram), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Neil Austin), Best Sound Design of a Play (Adam Cork)
Photo from The Chicago Tribune
What your friends are taking about:
Red is about Mark Rothko – you know, the guy who painted big blocks of color: 
Red takes place in Rothko’s New York studio in the late-fifties as he paints a series of murals for the elite Four Seasons restaurant. The play is a compelling, intellectual drama between two actors, Rothko and his assistant, as they discuss and debate the role of Rothko’s art, the hypocrisy of “selling out,” and the age-old conundrum of established veteran versus fleeting up-and-comers.
Memphis
Tony Award Winner of:
Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theater, Best Orchestrations (Daryl Waters and David Bryan)
Photo by Christopher Blank
What your friends are talking about:
The titular Memphis is the 1950s segregated version of the city, and the story is loosely based on Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips – the first white DJ to play black music. The play spans multiple years of Huey Calhoun’s life, from teenage obsession with the sounds of black artists, to his raising stardom as disc jockey and on-air personality, to troubled times after a broadcasted interracial kiss. Catchy songs and inspirational moments abound.
Fences
Tony Award Winner of:
Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Denzel Washington), Best Performance by a Leading Actress is a Play (Viola Davis)
Photo by Joan Marcus
What your friends are talking about:
The 1983, Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson examines the changing African-American experience and race relations in 1950s Pittsburgh. With strong allusions to sports, family, and history, we witness the complicated relationships of the Maxson family who, underneath it all, are extremely loving and loyal.
La Cage aux Folles
Tony Award Winner of:
Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge), Best Direction of a Musical (Terry Johnson)
What your friends are talking about:
Set the stage for a flamboyant musical whose story revolves around Georges and Albin (stage name Zaza) at their extravagant St. Tropez drag nightclub. Georges’ son Jean-Michel (from a misbegotten affair 20 years prior) is engaged to a woman; her father is the head of the “Tradition, Family and Morality Party”: Gay equals big no-no. Jean-Michel has lied, saying Georges is a retired (straight) diplomat. Farce ensues.
