On the third floor of the Bell Harbor International Conference
Center, on Pier 66, Intiman donors and employees are passing the time
before the live broadcast of the Tony Awards by eating tiny hamburgers
and gasping about ticket prices on Broadway. “I wanted to see South
Pacific,” says Kate, an Intiman subscriber for 35 years, “but
tickets cost $300!” Gasps and tut-tuttting, then cold shrimp and
cocktail sauce.
We’re here to watch a live broadcast of the Tony Awards and see how
many South Pacific, directed by Intiman artistic director Bart
Sher, will win. It’s been nominated for 11, including best
director.
Provincial pride is on the line, even though South Pacific owes nothing to Intiman except its agreeing to part with Sher long
enough for him to direct it—as well as Awake and Sing! (Lincoln Center, 2006), The Barber of Seville (the
Metropolitan Opera, 2006), Roméo et Juliette (the
Salzburg Festival, 2008). Persistent and intensifying rumors say Sher
will decamp to New York permanently to chase his Broadway star. The
people on the third floor of BHICC both desire and fear Sher’s triumph
tonight. If he wins, they’ll savor a little borrowed glory, maybe buy a
third glass of chardonnay. But his victory will also confirm their
darkest fears: He’s too good for us.
The first Tony for South Pacific goes to Donald Holder, the
lighting designer. “First of all, I would like to thank Bart Sher,”
he says. “Who?” an Intiman employee shouts. Self-
conscious
laughter. After a few hours and advertisements for Vesicare, an
incontinence medication (“fewer urges and leaks!”), South
Pacific has dominated the Tony Awards, winning 7 of its 11
nominations, including best director. Someone notes, with a hint of
hurt, that Sher didn’t thank Intiman in his acceptance speech.
