Broadway Breakdown

Host: Matt Koplik
Episode: TOMMY, THE OUTSIDERS & Your Tony Predictions!
Date: April 4, 2024

Episode Overview

Broadway Breakdown host Matt Koplik delivers an energetic, candid, and profanity-laced solo episode as he recaps recent Broadway revivals ("Tommy" and "The Outsiders"), offers acute Tony Award predictions, and shares listener-submitted hot takes. True to the podcast's spirit, Matt’s commentary is a blend of history, sharp wit, and unfiltered opinions—offering a lively audio experience for passionate theatre fans ahead of Tony season.

Key Discussion Topics & Insights

1. State of the Season and Tony Timeline

• The Broadway season is fast approaching the Tony nominations, which drop April 30, with awards following in May.
• Matt frames the season as the "gay Super Bowl," highlighting the high stakes and emotional investment for Broadway insiders and fans.

2. TOMMY: Revival Review & Analysis

[Begins ~06:00]

Background & Production History

• "Tommy" began as The Who's rock opera album (1969), then a wild 1975 Ken Russell film, followed by the original Broadway musical (1993, Des McAnuff).
• The current 2024 revival is again directed by McAnuff but with a new design team and choreographer (Lauren Lotaro).

Plot Summary & Interpretation

• Matt describes the plot as "bonkers": a boy traumatized into psychosomatic deafness, muteness, and blindness; pinball prodigy; accidental cult god.
• The show, he notes, always had a nonsensical ending: "The ending of Tommy has never really made sense to me, especially on stage. This revival didn’t help." [22:00]

Production Choices and Audience Reaction

• The revival features video game/simulation aesthetics, prominent neon and (oddly) abundant yellow, much projection, and streamlined staging (no pinball machines).
• While energetic, Matt critiques sensory overload: "Main problem with the production for me is sensory overload... between simple set design, heavy projections, bright lighting, very loud sound..." [41:25]

Performance Observations

• Ensemble: “Giving all the heat that you want from a production of Tommy. They are singing their faces off. Dancing their asses off.” [38:30]
• Leads: “Vocally stellar but I didn’t get a lot of passion—it was a very muted tone from everyone... The actors are just very muted.” [46:40]
• Specific shout-out: "Ali Lewis Borski... Sings incredibly well... a very calming presence. But I think that’s what Des wanted—a more nuanced, human Tommy.” [48:20]

Choreography & Direction

• Matt finds much of the choreo "overdone": "Lauren Lotaro will have moments where the dancing feels organic... and then she’ll just go way too far" [43:00]
• Direction: McAnuff keeps the show moving, a la "Phantom," not allowing the audience to dwell on the wild narrative.

Critical and Fan Reaction

• Mixed, generational responses: “Boomer ladies in front boxes loving it, kids bored/hating it.”
• Reviews are split; major outlets (NYT, New Yorker, Variety) were negative, but some others and fans are enthusiastic. Parallels drawn to "Slave Play" and the unpredictability of Tony races.

Tony Predictions for TOMMY

• Likely Tony nominations: Revival, Lighting, Set, Choreography, maybe Direction.
• Sound design: "Cannot in good faith nominate them for sound design... It was 10 decibels too much."
• Acting categories are tricky, especially with where Ali Lewis Borski is classified (lead vs. featured).

Memorable quote:
"I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. I was very much in the middle." [59:50]

3. THE OUTSIDERS: New Musical on Broadway

[Begins ~01:05:00]

Background

• Based on S.E. Hinton's seminal YA novel (and the 1983 Coppola film), "The Outsiders" tackles class warfare between the "Greasers" and "Socs."
• Creative team: Book by Adam Rapp & Justin Levine (the latter also on the score with Jamestown Revival).

Production Observations

• Direction by Danya Taymor is praised: “She emphasizes that these are sweaty, dirty, probably stinky boys. A lot of wetness. There’s a lot of water in it. There’s rain for the rumble sequence.” [01:25:45]
• Staging of violence is direct, giving the show some real edge, unlike sanitized “Newsies.”

Score, Script, & Choreography

• Score: “Of the new musicals so far this season, Outsiders has the best score. Very melodic, very energetic.”
• Book: “Fine, but doesn't have that drive... It’s A-B-C-D.”
• Choreography (also by Taymor): “Pretty exceptional...It is very theatrical without losing the meat of the violence.”

Performance Notes

• Standouts: Joshua Boone (Dallas), Brent Comer (Darryl), Brody Grant (Ponyboy).
• Discusses "cottonmouth" diction issues for Grant, minor but noticeable.
• Emma Pittman does well as Cherry, though the role is underwritten.

Audience & Critical Reception

• Early buzz is strong; Angelina Jolie’s involvement is helping awareness.
• Matt’s Tony voter friend hated it, showing ongoing split critical response.

Quote:
“For me, right now, [Best Musical] is probably The Outsiders. It's between Outsiders and The Notebook—neither of which I’d give a 10 out of 10, maybe an 8 if I'm generous...” [01:39:20]

Tony Predictions for THE OUTSIDERS

• Potential major contender: Best Musical, Score, Direction, Choreography, Leading and Featured Actor, Lighting, Sound.
• Matt thinks Outsiders is the “most musical theatery” new musical—likely to resonate with nominators.

4. General Tony Race Analysis

[Scattered throughout, esp. from ~01:41:00 onward]

• There’s no clear Best Musical frontrunner—Matt references how this could make for an unpredictable Tonys.
• Comparisons to previous years where “cold” or closed shows “rose from the dead” for nominations, even wins.
• “Reviews don’t always dictate nominations.” Examples: "Paradise Square," "Wicked," "Camelot," and more.
• Shared skepticism for "Gatsby," "Hell’s Kitchen," "Lempicka," and "Harmony" as potential heavy hitters.

5. Listener Tony Predictions – Discussion & Reactions

[~01:56:00 – 02:50:00+]

Structure

• Matt rapidly reacts to about 60 listener-submitted Tony hot takes (many via anonymous Instagram “Ask Me Anything”).
• The tone is playful, snarky, and unpredictable.

Notable Submissions & Responses

• “Jonathan Groff won’t be nominated for Franklin Shepard (Merrily) because the role is boring."
  • Matt: "No. The politics basically guarantee him a spot. He’s beloved."
• “Gatsby gets shut out.”
  • Matt: “Maybe, but it will get at least set and costumes.”
• “Back to the Future” – only deserves technical nominations.
  • Matt: "No one's given this show any real artistic praise backstage…"
• “Kelly O’Hara wins Best Actress.”
  • Matt: “She’ll get nominated, but hard to win when your show is closed. Hasn’t happened in 25 years.”
• “Gail Rankin’s Tony to lose for Cabaret.”
  • Matt: “Sally Bowles doesn’t always win the Tony, but she’s probably a lock to be nominated.”
• “The Wiz gets completely shut out.”
  • Matt: “The word is not good. The Tonys don’t nominate for diversity alone.”
• “The Outsiders is the ‘little show that could’—if it’s not theirs to win, it’s The Notebook's to lose.”
  • Matt generally agrees.
• “Marianne Plunkett MUST win for The Notebook!”
  • Matt: “We’ve got work to do. She needs to win.”
• “Merrily will sweep the Tonys.”
  • Matt: “[Skeptical] It’ll probably win five if I’m being bold. But not a full sweep.”
• Repeated support for "Stereophonic" as a dark horse for Best Score.
• Hot take: “Cabaret wins Revival over Merrily.”
  • Matt: “Could absolutely happen. Remember ‘Into the Woods’ vs. ‘Parade’ last year?”
• "Suffs" and "Lempicka" might get nominations in some areas, but unlikely as Best Musical winners.
• “Mother Play will either be a total letdown or absolutely sweep.”
  • Matt: “There’s no in-between. Garbage mama or mother!”

Throughout, Matt peppers in commentary about the unpredictable nature of this Tony season and how nearly every category (especially Best Musical, Best Revival of a Musical, Lead and Featured Actress in a Musical) is more wide open—or at least contested—than in recent years.

6. Memorable Moments & Quotes

• About "Tommy"’s spectacle:
  “It is sensory overload. It would be nice to have things be a little more simple sometimes.” [41:25]
• On conflicting critical/fan reactions:
  "You're going to hear a lot of that all over the place... We are all over the place, which actually makes it a very interesting Tony season, because anything can happen, anything goes." [01:39:45]
• On the unpredictability of Best Musical:
  "There hasn't been a musical yet that everyone can agree on is, like, the one we're gonna push forward as the contender." [01:39:15]
• On this Tony season’s wildness:
  “It's sort of the whiplash I've been getting from all of these [predictions]: Suffs is winning. Suffs is getting nothing. Hell's Kitchen won't last past the Tonys. Hell's Kitchen is going to win Best Musical...” [02:42:45]
• On “The Wiz”’s prospects:
  “It’ll have crowds, but word is not good… I have a friend who thinks it’ll get a revival nomination because it’s primarily BIPOC, but last year 1776 got shut out. They chose quality over optics.” [02:11:32]
• On his own Tony priorities:
  "There are two narratives we need to start spinning: Marianne Plunkett must win Best Actress in a Musical. And Paul Alexander Nolan must get that Tony nomination yesterday." [02:47:10]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Start Time | |-----------------------------------|--------------------| | Introduction & Tony Season Setup | 00:00 | | Tommy Review & Analysis | ~06:00 | | Audience & Critical Response | ~31:00 | | Performance & Direction | 38:00–55:00 | | Tony Prospects for Tommy | 55:00–01:05:00 | | The Outsiders Review | 01:05:00 | | Outsiders: Score, Staging, Cast | 01:16:00 | | Tony Race Context/Trends | 01:37:00 onward | | Listener Tony Predictions | 01:56:00–02:51:00 | | Notable Quotes & Musings | Throughout |

Tone and Language

Matt maintains his signature blend of bluntness, sarcasm, and absolute theater-geek enthusiasm. He revels in four-letter words, name-drops reviewers and industry folks, and feasts on niche references—delivering an episode that's both informed and refreshingly irreverent. Fans of candid, unfiltered Western theater analysis will find this summary a solid encapsulation of the episode’s spirit.

Conclusion

In this episode, Matt Koplik brings infectious energy, sharp analysis, and a community spirit to Broadway Breakdown. He’s critical but fair—never bitter, always passionate. Both "Tommy" and "The Outsiders" are dissected with equal parts admiration and skepticism. With listener input highlighting just how wide open (and chaotic) the Tony races are in 2024, Matt’s message is clear: the only sure thing on Broadway this spring is unpredictability.