Tony Awards: Diva Edition
It's Tonys week and the diva drama is fierce!! Will you be watching?
Overheard at one of my favorite events of the Broadway award season—the Drama League Luncheon—courtesy of the fabulous nominee, Jinkx Monsoon:
"Like most of you here, ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to grow up to be a Broadway actress."
Jinkx nailed it. Because truly—don’t we all want to be a big ol’ belting Broadway diva at heart?
With all the new shows now open and the season officially locked, all eyes turn to the Tonys. And with a lineup full of legendary leading ladies, the Diva Showdown is officially underway.
Delightful...
Will the prize go to homicidal Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger? Or will the dueling Death Becomes Her divas—Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard—cancel each other out (so to speak)? Or perhaps a surprise upset for debut diva, Jasmine Amy Rogers? Oh, and did I mention her most royal-diva-ness, Audra? Let's just say this year's competition will be a full-throated fight to the finish.
Bonus Diva: As if there won't be enough main character energy in the room next Sunday, Cynthia Erivo is hosting. Come for the high notes, stay for the high drama.
Watch: The 78th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday at 8pm ET Live on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus (look for me in the audience!)
Delicious…
Right on cue, every June, I start craving a Vodka Stinger. Coincidence? I think not. Also frequently referred to as a Broadway Stinger, this minty fresh mix of vodka and crème de menthe was immortalized by Elaine Stritch in Sondheim’s “The Ladies Who Lunch.”
Diva tip: Crème de menthe comes in white or green. Definitely opt for the white version unless you're planning a Wicked-themed soirée. The emerald hue tastes (and looks!) a little too much like mouthwash for my liking.
Another Vodka Stinger? I’ll drink to that. And one for Mahler.
De-Lovely...
There’s diva—and then there’s Patti.
This week, the Broadway legend became the topic of conversation in every dressing room and group chat from here to Shubert Alley with her New Yorker profile that has everyone in the theater world gossiping (and gasping). The article doesn’t just pull back the curtain—it sets it on fire. Patti throws shade at Audra. She snubs Kecia. And even questions the very idea of Broadway “greatness.”
Is it brutal honesty? Or just bad form? Read the article and decide for yourself. One thing’s certain: when it comes to being a diva, Patti’s making her own rules.
And she enjoys a Vodka Stinger as well:
De-Rest of the Story...
While not Broadway divas themselves, I did get to rub shoulders with two of the world’s most dazzling women on Broadway this week—Michelle Obama and Amal Clooney—backstage at Good Night and Good Luck. I felt very lucky and very short!