Award season is upon us. In the coming weeks and months, a lot of accolades are going to be handed out to Broadway's best. It all leads up to the Tonys on June 10th. 

While some races might be more predictable than others, I feel there are going to be not only some surprises on who takes home an award but also those earning nominations as well. So here are our guesses as to who should expect a call on May 1st. While some of these shows have yet to officially open, the buzz from their previews will most definitely impact the Tony races. These predictions are based on pending eligibility. 

“I opened a small colorful book I found on the used book shelf”, the charming and erudite Ms. Ahrens told me.  She was immediately bewitched by the novel’s first line: “There is an island where rivers run deep/ Where the sea sparkling in the sun earns it/ The name “Jewel of the Antillies.”

“I thought this is the most beautiful poetry”, Ms. Ahrens remembers.  “It just wants to leap to the music.”  Magically, perhaps, it did.

I recently caught up with Ms. Ahrens by phone to discuss Once On This Island’s path to Broadway, the current revival, and the show’s emotional impact on audiences and cast members. 

“You cannot begin to describe the effect that trip had on me as a person but also in feeling equipped to responsibly bring this work to Broadway in 2017 in a way that was true to the piece and what it portrays.”

That is what scenic designer Dane Laffrey told me near the end of our 45-minute phone conversation about the research trip to Haiti that completely changed the way he designed the current Broadway revival of “Once On This Island.” In fact, Laffrey said that expedition changed a lot of things, along with a few other meteorological events that coincidentally happened during the rehearsal process. “Hurricane Maria happened in Puerto Rico and the storms that affected those tiny little islands in the Bahamas. We continued to collect and pull those images because it felt like ‘Island’ is ultimately dealing with, at its core, how you survive in the face of something like that and the restorative power of storytelling. You feel that connection of the human spirit threaded through all these places.”

In response to OnStage Blog reporting on an unauthorized performance of "Bombshell", the fictional musical from the TV show Smash, the theatre group MEDIARTRIX at the University of Santo Tomas, has canceled the production. 

In the Fall of 2016, a musical theatre club at the London School of Public Relations in Jakarta, Indonesia performed Hamilton for their fellow students and friends. However, this was not just a couple of songs that we typically see videos of in talent shows and cabarets. No, this was a fully staged production of the show, complete with sets, costumes, and choreography. And yes, it appears they sold tickets for this production.