There’s no Tony for chemistry, but it can make or break a Broadway show
Why some shows sizzled & others fizzled.
In many ways, the Tony Awards broadcast feels like a high-profile audition. This year, the broadcast reached 4.85 million viewers. Nominated musicals were allotted three to five minutes to pitch their show to potential audiences.
But what that pressure-cooker excerpt rarely conveys, no matter the overzealous camera work or decibel-cranked money notes, is live theater’s ephemeral quality: chemistry. If you’ve sat in the dark and felt that quiver in your stomach, you know what I’m talking about. It’s that first glance between characters, or a held pose during a rapturous mid-show standing ovation. It’s our visceral response to music, dance, and visual stimuli—tools long used in therapy and healing.
In a 1,000-seat theater, chemistry can transcend the conventional pheromone response. Can I really pick up on Darren Criss’s scent from Row F in the balcony of the Belasco? This Broadway season proved, as Mama Rose sings, “You either have it, or you’ve had it.”
In our first Take 5 feature, 1 Minute Critic takes more than our usual 60 seconds for a deeper dive into the 2024-25 Broadway season.