• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Tony Award Predictions

    And the winners at the Tony Awards are.....Broadway's biggest night promises to be a nail-biter

    Fran Macferran
    Jun 5, 2015 | 2:25 pm

    Editors' Note: In a CultureMap tradition, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts president and Tony Awards voter Fran Macferran shares his take on the favorites for this year's awards.

    The 69th Annual Tony Awards are upon us and this year's race promises to be a nail-biter. The show, which airs Sunday night on CBS, will showcase an incredible array of new and revived works that are receiving a lot of buzz from both the press and audiences alike.

    This marks my ninth year as a Tony voter and a member of The Broadway League (the national association for the Broadway industry), and I continue to relish the opportunity to see the amazing works that could make their way from New York to the Hobby Center one day.

    I've cast my ballot for who I think is the best, and now I give to you my preview of the rumored favorites and which races are going to be tight.

    A Boy Playing Detective vs. a Sadistic Sock Puppet

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time tells the story of a teenage boy, Christopher Boone (played by newcomer Alex Sharp), with an incredible mind, but a bit of trouble with the real world, who must find a way to prove his innocence when he's accused of a crime. This is the one to beat.

    The show has ties to the Houston area through its playwright, Robert Askins, who is from Cypress, which also happens to be the setting for the play.

    The British import — one of two featured in the race for Best Play — is a unique story that is crafted in such a visually compelling way that it easily pulls its audience into the world of its protagonist.

    Another show chronicling the life of a teenage boy takes a much darker approach. Hand to God is a show about sex, violence and religion, much of which is caused by sadistic sock puppet named Tyrone. Hand to God is a dark show, frighteningly dark, but it never pretends for a moment that it is anything other than exactly what it is.

    The show has ties to the Houston area through its playwright, Robert Askins, who is from Cypress, which also happens to be the setting for the play. It's not surprising that the controversial content of the show has garnered it much attention. It will be interesting to see how the show plays outside of New York.

    Reviving a Man

    The top contenders for Best Revival of a Play are anchored by incredibly talented lead actors and ensembles giving these two the edge over the competition. The Elephant Man and Skylight are dramatically different stories, but thanks to each show's remarkable cast, I see it being a race between these two.

    The Elephant Man features Bradley Cooper, one the sexiest actors around, in the title role. What's so interesting about his performance is how he transforms into this disfigured character without the aid of prosthetics or makeup, using only his body and facial expressions. Cooper does a terrific job convincing the audience that he is the character.

    The Best Man for the Job

    The race for Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play is a tough one. We have star-powered performances with nominees like Bill Nighy in Skylight and Bradley Cooper in The Elephant Man, but then you also have newcomer Alex Sharp from The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-Time who turned in an amazing performance in a challenging role. This one is anyone's race and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

    Choosing a Queen

    Talk about star power. The race for Best Performance By an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, which includes nominees Helen Mirren for The Audience, Geneva Carr for Hand to God and Carey Mulligan for Skylight, is going to be a close one. However, I think Mirren has the edge here with her performance as Queen Elizabeth II, which she is superb in.

    Featured — Play

    In the race for Best Performance By an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play one man who has been getting a lot of attention is Micah Stock for his role in It's Only a Play. In his Broadway debut role, he holds his own on stage with a powerful ensemble cast including Nathan Lane, Stockard Channing, Matthew Broderick and F. Murray Abraham.

    A number of the nominated performances stand out in the race for Best Performance By an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, but I like Patricia Clarkson for her role in The Elephant Man. It's a courageous move for any actress to tackle the role of this vulnerable character. That said, I must also mention the courageous performance of Julie White as an aging, drug-addicted prostitute in Airline Highway as another strong contender.

    The American Musical

    The race for Best Musical finds two shows — An American in Paris and Fun Home — each with an equally large number of nominations (12 each). However, An American in Paris really has the edge over its competition in this category. This show is the quintessential Broadway musical with beautiful music and lyrics and stunning costumes all giving it strength. Telling the story of a soldier and a beautiful French girl and filled with classic Gershwin music, this show is the one to beat.

    Another competitor in the race for Best Musical garnering the attention of the press is Something Rotten!, a show that combines Shakespeare, the Renaissance and two disgruntled playwrights setting out to write the very first musical.

    The juxtaposition of Something Rotten! and An American in Paris gave the voters a yin and yang in this category pitting a traditional Broadway show against something completely different.

    Reviving the King a Second Time

    The obvious leader for Best Revival Of a Musical is The King and I. First of all, everything that Lincoln Center Theater produces is just incredibly well-crafted, and The King and I is no exception.

    King is a huge, visually compelling production featuring star-powered singers including six-time Tony nominee, Kelli O'Hara. The set is incredible. The show is wowing both critics and audiences alike and has already announced it will go on tour in 2016. I know that any production from Lincoln Center that goes out on tour is going to be top-notch and a winner for our audiences.

    Another Close One

    Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical is another toss-up. The men in this category all turned out incredible performances in their respective roles. It's also another race with star power including nominations for Michael Cerveris in Fun Home and Brian d'Arcy James in Something Rotten!

    Leading Ladies

    The actresses up for Best Performance By an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical are all incredible, but I think it's a race between three of theatre's leading ladies — Kristin Chenoweth for On the Twentieth Century, Kelli O'Hara for The King and I and Chita Rivera for The Visit. As a grand dame of the theater, Rivera — who last won for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1996 — may have a slight edge over the others.

    Featured — Musicals

    The men seem to have all the tight races this year! The category for Best Performance By an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical is another one that's simply too close to call. It is interesting to note that Something Rotten! garnered nominations for two of its actors in this category — Christian Borle and Brad Oscar.

    Also interesting, the race for Best Performance By an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical includes three actresses from Fun Home, giving it a statistical edge over the competition. It also features the only nomination for Gigi with Victoria Clark, who was wonderful in her role.

    A Couple to Watch

    It will be interesting to see how voters respond to Sting's debut on Broadway with music and lyrics for The Last Ship, up for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre. While Broadway is not a familiar genre for Sting, he even appeared in the cast for a brief stretch in December — not unlike Billie Joe Armstrong did with the character of St. Jimmy throughout the run of American Idiot — and reports were that he did a powerful job both on stage and with the music.

    Another one to watch is Best Choreography, which really means the designing of sequences of movement. This one will be another tight race with five really dynamic, unique performances. You have On the Town, which is old school Broadway and all about the dancing, and then something like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which is so unique and is more about movement than actual dance. Also, Something Rotten! is so much fun and features cleaver choreography and An American in Paris, which features ballet and really beautiful dance.

    There's no doubt this year's Tony Awards will be a race that keeps you on the edge of your seat and really just a joy to watch with all of the featured performances, not to mention Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming as hosts. It's an evening you don’t want to miss!

    The picks below reflect my opinions only, and not necessarily even my personal favorites nor do they necessarily reflect how I voted.

    Best Play:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
    Best Musical:An American in Paris
    Best Revival Of a Play: Toss up between The Elephant Man and Skylight
    Best Revival Of a Musical:The King and I
    Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Too close to call
    Best Performance By an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play: Helen Mirren for The Audience
    Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Too close to call
    Best Performance By an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Race between Kristin Chenoweth for On the Twentieth Century, Kelli O'Hara for The King and I and Chita Rivera for The Visit
    Best Performance By an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Micah Stock for It's Only a Play
    Best Performance By an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Patricia Clarkson for The Elephant Man
    Best Performance By an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Too close to call
    Best Performance By an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Victoria Clark for Gigi

    The Broadway at The Hobby Center 2015-2016 Season begins in October with Pippin — a winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival. For more information on the entire season, click here.

    Cypress-born Robert Askins wrote the Tony-nominated Hand To God.

    Robert Askins author of Hand to God
      
    Broadway.com
    Cypress-born Robert Askins wrote the Tony-nominated Hand To God.
    unspecified
    news/entertainment

    Movie Review

    New movie Friendship pairs Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in a bizarre bromance

    Alex Bentley
    May 16, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship
    Photo courtesy of A24
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

    Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

    Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

    He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin — a weatherman at a local TV channel — even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

    Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

    The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

    Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, many things in the story go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

    Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

    There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

    ---

    Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

    moviesfilm
    news/entertainment
    Loading...