Broadway Breakdown: The 2023 Tony Nominations Are HERE! (w/ Kyle Marshall)

Podcast Host: Matt Koplik
Guest: Kyle Marshall
Date: May 4, 2023

Episode Overview

In this special episode, Matt welcomes back Kyle Marshall (host of Putting it Together and Kyle and Dave vs. The Machine) to break down their immediate reactions to the just-announced 2023 Tony Award nominations. With their trademark mix of sharp analysis, passionate opinions, and insider theatre insight (plus plenty of candid, salty humor), Matt and Kyle dive deep into the nominees, snubs, and the state of Broadway. Along the way, they discuss the quirks of Tony voting, trends among the nominations, New York theatre buzz, and make some fearless predictions for this year’s awards.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How the Tonys Work: Rules, Voting, and Nominations

• Tony Nominating Committee:

  • Roughly 50 members, though not everyone votes due to recusals for conflicts or missed shows (03:00).
  • "If you're nominating, I think you do [worry about conflict]. If you're voting, you don't." – Matt (02:54)

• Nomination Process Changes:

  • Used to be a preferential ballot; after controversy in 1996, shifted to simple tallies (04:00).
  • Number of nominees per category can vary based on how many eligible shows and closeness of vote margins (06:00).

• Ties Are Rare:

  • Few precedent cases; most recently, Billy Elliot and Next to Normal for orchestrations (08:12).
  • Memorable historical ties: Anna Maria Alberghetti & Diahann Carroll (Best Actress 1962), Fiorello! & The Sound of Music (Best Musical 1960).

2. Debunking Tony Myths and Trends

• Most Nominations ≠ Certain Winner:

  • "Some Like It Hot" leading with 13 noms doesn’t make it a lock for Best Musical (11:00).
  • Design-heavy or acting-heavy shows can rack up noms but not win the “big ones.”
  • “Drowsy Chaperone had more nominations, but Jersey Boys still won Musical.” – Matt (10:55)

• Key Categories for Best Musical:

  • Book and Direction are crucial for Best Musical chances (11:44).

3. Surprises, Snubs, and Social Media vs. Reality

• Into the Woods’ Acting Nominations:

  • Kyle: Shocked at the number of acting nominations for a revival that's been closed for months (13:00).
  • Matt: "Egg on my face—I said Sara Bareilles would be the only one" (13:41).

• New York, New York’s Mixed Reviews, High Nom Count:

  • Both surprised by 9 nominations given tepid reviews (14:42).
  • Not eligible for Best Score (“It was like five new songs or something.” – Matt, 15:36).

• KPOP's Score Nod:

  • Kyle: “Pleasantly surprised KPOP got Best Original Score” (17:00).

• Camelot's (Lack of) Acting Recognition:

  • Sorkin’s book adaptation criticized for being too stately/realistic; leads not nominated (19:40, 21:00).
  • Matt: "There's no joy in this production of Camelot." (20:00)

• Snub Discourse vs. Reality:

  • Matt argues most social media “snub” outrage comes from people who haven’t seen the show (24:33).

4. Nominated Shows – How They Stand in NYC’s Buzz

• Kimberly Akimbo:

  • Consensus favorite among critical and community circles; the underdog with deep love (43:00).
  • “Everyone I’ve spoken to—except three people—have been very pro-Kimberly.” – Matt (42:00)

• Some Like It Hot:

  • Positive, but described as fun and then quickly forgotten—a big, brassy good time, not a "moment" show (41:00, 43:51).
  • Issues raised about the character arc for Sugar (Marilyn Monroe's role): “They try too hard to make her independent and strong, which makes her less interesting...” (38:00).

• & Juliet and Shucked:

  • Both have energetic fanbases; & Juliet praised for being fun, though Matt wishes its Juliet was more developed (45:55).
  • Shucked: "You could cut half of the jokes and wouldn’t lose anything. In fact, it’d make it all go faster.” – Matt (81:13)

5. Technical and Design Categories

• Sound Design Controversies:

  • Sweeney Todd's sound design: “The moment I made it, I said on the podcast that I would throw my shoe if they got nominated.” (30:13)

• Voting Patterns:

  • “If you are eligible for Best Book and not nominated, you don’t stand a goddamn chance [for Best Musical].” – Matt (82:33)

6. Performances and Predictions – Snappy Analysis

• Featured Actor (Musical):

  • “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Alex Newell's gonna win.” (89:05)
  • “That’s the defining trait for a featured performance in a musical; they have one song that is their moment.” (90:21)

• Lead Actor (Musical):

  • Three-way contest: Jay Harrison Ghee (Some Like it Hot), Ben Platt (Parade), Josh Groban (Sweeney Todd) (99:00).
  • “The people who have been anti [Ben Platt]... still say, ‘He’s doing a good job.’” (100:21)

• Lead Actress (Musical):

  • Overwhelming support for Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo) (97:08).
  • “I don’t think there’s a single woman...where if they won, the homosexuals wouldn’t freak out.” – Matt (100:58)

• Parade as Revival Lock:

  • “Closed shows don’t win Best Revival. It has never happened.” (84:01)
  • “I do still think it’s Parade’s to lose.” (85:31)

7. Plays – Coverage and Critique

• Leopoldstadt vs. Fat Ham:

  • Leopoldstadt seen as front-runner (“I do think Leopoldstadt will still win.” – Matt, 59:10); Fat Ham is the critical favorite and possible spoiler.

• Tony Telecast Play Problem:

  • Both want plays to get actual scene performances like in decades past (67:35).
  • “Just be for the nerds. Show us the things we want to see!” – Matt (69:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tony Conspiracies:

  • “There are a whole lot of theories, tinfoil hat theories, that I want to sort of just debunk right now…” – Matt (09:34)

• On Broadway’s ‘Snub’ Outrage:

  • “That's, again, the issue with so many people on social media when they cry, ‘someone got robbed, someone got snubbed’...A lot haven't seen it.” – Matt (24:33)

• On Earnestness in Musicals:

  • “Earnestness is really difficult to do. Anyone can shoot down a comment in a Reddit thread. Can we maybe do a little better and try a little harder?” – Matt (41:24)

• On Jukebox Musicals:

  • “Normally, I really have a hard time engaging with jukebox musicals...if someone were to take me to & Juliet, I’d probably have a good time.” – Kyle (45:55)

• On Alex Newell’s Tony Chances:

  • “That’s the defining trait for a featured performance in a musical—they have one song that is their moment.” – Matt (90:21)

• Social Commentary:

  • “For a generation that is very loud about the fluidity of gender and sexuality, they're very binary about art.” – Matt (92:14)

• On Tony Trends for Best Musical:

  • “They've gone with the smaller show often.” (104:31)
  • “Kimberly is going on the narrative of the little show that could. The Tonys are weak in the knees for that.” (107:12)

• Theatre Fans as “Nerds”:

  • “Stop trying to be the MTV Movie Awards and just be for the nerds.” – Matt (69:12)

• On Awards in Perspective:

  • “The thing about the Tonys is: awards don't ultimately matter, and yet they also do...it gives us a template—a conversation.” – Matt (108:33)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment / Topic | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02–03:40 | Introductions, Kyle’s background, Tony nomination process | | 06:00–08:12 | Nomination tallies, ties history | | 09:34–11:43 | Debunking Tony myths & nomination trends | | 12:23–15:36 | Initial reactions – Surprises, Into the Woods/Camelot | | 17:00–18:18 | KPOP’s nominations, Almost Famous surprise | | 19:40–24:33 | Camelot, book issues, acting recognition; the “snub” myth | | 30:13–32:07 | Sweeney Todd’s sound design, technical nominees | | 38:00–43:51 | Some Like It Hot, Sugar’s role, overall show “buzz” | | 45:55–47:27 | & Juliet criticism, cast reactions, jukebox musicals | | 59:07–61:16 | Plays: Leopoldstadt, Fat Ham, Audra McDonald's record | | 67:35–69:12 | Why the Tonys should spotlight plays, “show us scene work!” | | 72:12–74:30 | Design/tech categories, predictions, “New York, New York” | | 75:45–82:03 | Best score, book, direction analysis, what really matters | | 89:05–91:12 | Featured Actor/Actress in a Musical: Alex Newell, Bonnie | | 97:08–100:58| Lead Actress/Musical: Victoria Clark, other contenders | | 103:03 | Corey Hawkins’ big year prediction (Color Purple/film) | | 104:22–107:12 | Best Musical: trends, historical precedents & predictions | | 108:33–109:12| Awards as conversation pieces |

Tone & Style

• Language: Frank, irreverent, passionate—deeply theater-insider, but fun and accessible
• Attitude: Witty, critical but celebratory, occasionally foul-mouthed
• Banter: Frequent, friendly, occasionally self-deprecating

Conclusion

This episode is a definitive, spirited breakdown of the 2023 Tony nominations, perfect for theater fans who crave behind-the-scenes context, informed hot takes, and a dash of theater gossip. Matt and Kyle’s love for the art form—along with their exasperations with awards-nighters and internet snub culture—makes for a lively, enlightening listen.

Major Takeaways:

• Don’t trust nomination counts as surefire predictors.
• Kimberly Akimbo is the underdog with all the right momentum—for now.
• The Tony machine is hard to outguess, but trends (book, direction noms, community buzz) still reveal a lot.
• Theatre nerds need more love from the Tony telecast.
• The 2023 Best Musical contest is vibrant, competitive, and full of surprises.

[For full nomination analysis and predictions by category, tune in to the episode between 71:13 and 107:12.]