That's Infotainment!

With the Tony awards around the corner (June 2), we visited the websites of the nominated Best Musicals to see if they have any legs. Our first stop: Thoroughly Modern Millie (modernmillie.com). The ad blurbs boast that the show (right) ”takes audiences back to…the Jazz Age,” and given the site’s crude design, that might have been when this page went up as well. In contrast, a Flash-y screen provides a snappy red carpet for Sweet Smell of Success (sweetsmellthemusical.com). Conspicuously missing, though, is Marvin Hamlisch’s music, held captive at Sony Classical’s site (sweetsmellofsuccessmusic.com). Anyone unfamiliar with the title song from Mamma Mia! can become familiar with the ABBA hit after hearing it endlessly at Welcome to Mamma Mia! (mamma-mia.com), a standard-issue site chockablock with photos, bios, and even a downloadable TV spot. Far more imaginative is the multimedia collage of Urinetown: The Musical (urinetown.com). And though its Dada-esque mix of info, audio, and imagery downplays the sense of fun that has made the show a sweet (but stinkily titled) success, the site’s atmosphere, originality, and thoroughness make it a prizewinner.