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B’way actors, producers take desperate measures to land Tony nominations
THE Plastics want their gold.
The four main ladies of Broadway’s “Mean Girls” — Erika Henningsen, Taylor Louderman, Ashley Park and Kate Rockwell — all have separate personal publicists waging their Tony Award campaigns, multiple sources tell The Post.
Ahead of the Tonys nomination announcements on Tuesday, insiders are buzzing that the 2018 race is shaping up to be one of the most cutthroat in years, with productions sending out branded swag and staging midnight shows to woo voters. (Tony Awards hosts Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban will hand out the trophies June 10 at Radio City Music Hall.)
And those “Mean Girls” flacks fetch a high price tag.
The cost for a rep who can secure the right interviews, appearances and performances — all to ensure maximum visibility during Tonys season — is $4,000 to $6,000 a month. That’s a big bill for a Broadway actor.
Insiders say the cash is worth it if the cast can get a leg up on Katrina Lenk of “The Band’s Visit” — the Best Actress in a Musical front-runner, who sources say won’t be doing much splashy campaigning — not to mention each other.
A show spokesman said, “We’ve been working closely with [individual] reps over the past five to six months.”
As many major musicals and plays have had trouble gaining a footing at the box office of late, getting a win — or even high-profile nominations — can mean the difference between running a few more months and closing in mere days.
“Let’s face it: They need to do whatever they can,” a source said.
“Escape to Margaritaville,” boosted by an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Musical, is pulling out all the stops. The show — which has been struggling to sell full-price seats — has sent beach towels and cast recordings to all 50 nominators (a group that includes playwrights, actors, producers and designers).
Should “Margaritaville” land any Tony nods, expect to see composer Jimmy Buffett strumming onstage at curtain call during performances packed with voters, a source said.
“They’re very serious about it,” a person close to the production said of the “Margaritaville” team. “And they’re expecting nominations.”
So is the spectacular “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” — but that play might be wounded by keeping a stiff upper lip.
Broadway insiders say “Potter” producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender desperately want to win awards but refuse to campaign. One person close to the production said that the British powerhouses think it “lowers the integrity of the brand.” (Never mind that the brand has its own theme park in Orlando, Fla.)
Friedman noted: “Of course we will be a part of the Tony campaign season. We need to wait for the Tony nominations and take it from there.”
For most shows, the big challenge is getting the butts of all 800 Tonys voters in seats. “In a good year, 60 percent see all the shows,” said one insider, adding that voters often just choose popular names and titles.
Hundreds of out-of-town voters will hit Manhattan during the Spring Road Conference in mid-May to see nominated shows, but even then producers know they have to lure them in with extra-special events. Power player Scott Rudin has shrewdly planned a performance of his play revival “Three Tall Women” (which is hotly vying with “Angels in America”) at 12:01 a.m. Complete with an open bar, it will be more of an exclusive party than a normal show.
“Angels” will need to step it up, according to an insider at the show, who said, “They should be pushing [Nathan Lane] and Andrew [Garfield’s strong] reviews.”
The duo are in competition with actors from across the pond, such as Anthony Boyle in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and Mark Rylance in “Farinelli and the King.” Garfield holds dual citizenship in the US and UK; Lane is a New Jersey native.
“They should take out ads that say ‘Great American Actors,’ ” the “Angels” source said, adding that voters tend to favor stateside performers.
Asked if the “American” label is a stretch with Garfield, who was born in California but has spent most of his life in Great Britain, the source stayed firm: “No. He can be president!”