This year's Tony Awards are going to be aired on Sunday, June 7, and we
at Show Showdown are so excited that we couldn't help but weigh in with our
first ever forecast. There are a number of categories that are totally up for
grabs this time around, and the close competition should make for a ceremony
that is filled with surprises.
Our picks are listed below, with occasional commentary, and omissions
when one or the other of us had no strong opinions about a particular category,
or hadn't seen enough to weigh in comfortably.
BEST PLAY
Cameron, Wendy, Sandra and Liz
Will win: The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wendy: Curious Incident couldn't do what it does as a movie or TV show; it
makes full use of the magic of theatre to take us on a journey both with
someone and in his head.
Cameron
Should win: Disgraced
Cameron
Will win: An American in
Paris
Should win: Fun Home
Wendy
Should win: Fun Home
Wendy: I won't even pick a "will
win" because I'm not certain that Fun
Home will win, but I will be horrified if any of the others do. American in Paris is awkward and boring;
Something Rotten! is derivative,
dumb, and unrelenting. The Visit is a
missed opportunity. Fun Home is
brilliant, ground-breaking, and beautiful. It Should win, but, hey, Caroline,
or Change and Follies lost. It would be in good company.
Sandra
Will win: An American in
Paris
Should win: Fun Home
Liz
Will and Should win: Fun
Home
Liz: Fun Home is a masterpiece. The rest are enjoyable. I know Paris
is favored, but I'm hoping for a major upset.
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Cameron
Will win: Skylight
Should win: The Elephant
Man
Wendy
Will win: You Can't Take
It With You
Sandra
Will win: Skylight
Should win: You Can’t Take
It with You
Sandra: I disliked the original Skylight with Michael Gambon and Lia
Williams. I'm so tired of the older man/younger woman relationship play,
written by a man.
Liz
Will win: Skylight
Should win: You Can’t Take
It with You
Liz: Critics have slobbered joyfully
all over Skylight, while every
non-critic I know who has seen it thinks it's boring and lame. I'll take the
feel-good comedy about a family of weirdos over the snob hit, thanks.
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Cameron
Will win: The King and I
Should win: On the
Twentieth Century
Wendy
Will win: On the Twentieth
Century
Should win: On the Town
Wendy: Although in general I prefer
both On the Twentieth Century and the
King and I to On the Town, for this
particular trio of productions On the
Town was easily the best. The King and I made me like the show less. On the Twentieth Century was good but
should have been better. On the Town
was funny and warm and incredibly well danced. It's the most I've ever liked
the show.
·
Sandra
Will win: The King and I
Should win: On the
Twentieth Century
Sandra: Both got good reviews but King has more flash than Twentieth Century’s luxury train cars.
Liz
Will win: On the Twentieth
Century
Should win: On the Town
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Cameron, Wendy, Sandra, Liz
Will and should win: Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Liz: Clearly, this is the category to
bet your life's savings on. (But seriously, if you do, we at Show Showdown
aren't responsible for what happens. Unless you win big, in which case we all
want a cut.)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Cameron, Wendy, Liz
Will and should win: Fun
Home
Wendy: ...though Sting's music was
beautiful, and Kander and Ebb are Kander and Ebb.
Sandra
Should win: Fun Home
Will win: The Last Ship
Sandra: I loved the Fun Home score – so much feeling
inserted into mere phrases. But Sting is Sting. His reputation and popularity
could help him take this.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Cameron
Will win: Alex Sharp, Curious
Incident
Should win: Bradley Cooper, Elephant
Man
Wendy
Will win: Alex Sharp, Curious
Incident
Liz
Will win: Either Steven Boyer, Hand to God or Alex Sharp, The Curious
Incident
Should win: Alex Sharp
Liz: Boyer's work with Tyrone the
Satanic Puppet is brilliant and nearly as physically demanding as Sharp's role,
but Sharp's character is more three-dimensional and gives him just that much
more to work with.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Cameron, Wendy, Sandra, Liz
Will win: Helen Mirren
Cameron
Should win: Ruth Wilson
Cameron: Constellations was the best play I saw
on Broadway last season; I expected to see it nominated more widely. I would
love to see Wilson win not just for her thrillingly vivid performance, but as
recognition of what she, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Longhurst, and Nick Payne
helped create.
Liz: This whole category is packed with
monstrously talented women, but you can't fuck with Helen "She's the
Goddamn Queen of England" Mirren.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING
ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Cameron
Will win: Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Should win: Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Wendy and Liz
Will win: Michael Cerveris, Fun
Home
Should win: Tony Yazbeck, On
the Town
Sandra
Will win: Ken Watanabe, The
King and I
Should win: Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Cameron
Will and should win: Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Cameron: Still, I want to acknowledge
the momentously important performance Beth Malone delivers nightly in Fun Home. Rarely have I seen such a
subtle, probing performance anchor a musical. Malone's Big Alison felt remote
and distant when I first saw this musical at the Public nearly two years
ago--the character seemed relegated to the periphery of the Newman's large,
deep stage, flitting in and out only to comment briefly on the activities of
the other characters. Living, breathing comic book tags, if you will. I do not
say this to fault Malone's artistry, because when she did take center stage in
"Telephone Wire," she stopped the show.
Malone benefits
greatly from the new staging Sam Gold created from the Broadway run. She is in
the action now, an integral presence, an actual narrator. The audience is ever
aware of Alison watching the progression of her life and shaping it into the
work of art we are consuming. This awareness elevates the musical, which was
pretty fucking spotless to begin with. Big Alison is still not a large role, but
it's a leading one, and I can't imagine it better played by anyone else. I'm
thankful that the nominating committee recognized Malone's breathtaking
performance.
Wendy
Will win: Kristin Chenoweth, On
the Twentieth Century
Should win: Chita Rivera, The
Visit
Sandra
Will win: Leanne Cope, An American
in Paris
Should win: Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Sandra: Chenoweth takes this role over
the top without resorting to campiness, but it’s hard to beat the ingénue of
the moment, who makes her Broadway debut to great success.
Liz
Will and should win: Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Liz: Kelli O'Hara, I love you and am
sure it'll happen for you in a very big way. Just not this year. Sorry.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Cameron
Will win: Richard McCabe, The
Audience
Should win: K. Todd Freeman, Airline
Highway
Cameron: Tempted to vote for Micah
Stock, who elevates a rather schlocky affair. I didn't love Airline Highway--in
fact, I was so ambivalent towards it that I didn't bother reviewing it--but
veteran actor K. Todd Freeman creates such a lived-in character with Sissy Na
Na that he deserves wide recognition. He won the Drama Desk Award, and while I
don't think he'll win the Tony, I hope I'm surprised.
Wendy
Will win: Micah Stock, It's
Only a Play
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN
ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Cameron, Wendy, Liz
Will win: Annaleigh Ashford, You
Can't Take It With You
Cameron: Shout-out to my former college
classmate, Annaleigh -- go MMC! Can't wait to see her and fellow funny-lady
(and category buddy) Julie White in Sylvia.
Liz: This should make up for the even
weirder and more hilarious performance she gave in Kinky Boots.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Cameron
Will win: Brad Oscar, Something
Rotten!
Wendy
Will win: Christian Borle, Something
Rotten!
Should win: Max von Essen, An American in Paris
Sandra
Will win: Christian Borle, Something
Rotten!
Should win: Andy Karl, On
the Twentieth Century
Sandra: Tony voters may use this
category to award Borle for a string of good performances.
Liz
Should win: Andy Karl, On
the Twentieth Century
Liz: I loved his performance, but also
think he should be acknowledged for surviving Rocky intact.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN
ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Cameron
Will win: Ruthie Ann Miles, The
King and I
Should win: Judy Kuhn, Fun
Home
Wendy
Will win: Judy Kuhn, Fun
Home
Should win: Sydney Lucas, Fun
Home
Wendy: This is an amazingly strong
category where at least four of the nominees completely deserve to win. If I
were a Tony voter, I have no idea who I'd vote for. At this moment, I give
Sydney Lucas the edge, but tomorrow I might pick someone else.
Sandra
Will win: Sydney Lucas, Fun
Home
Should win: Judy Kuhn, Fun
Home
Sandra: Kuhn delivers a knockout punch
to the most devastating song in Fun Home,
but the maturity of young Lucas’ performance will take the prize.
Liz: I agree with Wendy: I just cannot even deal with this category.
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Cameron
Will win: Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall
Wendy and Liz
Will and Should win: Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, Curious Incident
Wendy: The show would be a completely
different animal without the impressive and smart design.
Liz: The props department should also
get an award for not completely losing their shit on a daily basis.
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A
MUSICAL
Cameron, Wendy, Sandra, Liz
Will win: The King and I
Wendy: Gorgeous, luscious, scrumptious.
Cameron
Should win: Fun Home
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Cameron
Will and should win: You
Can't Take It With You
Wendy
Will win: Christopher
Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Liz
Will win: Bob Crowley, The
Audience
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A
MUSICAL
Cameron
Will and should win: William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Wendy, Sandra, Liz
Will and should win: Catherine Zuber, The King and I
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A
PLAY
Cameron, Wendy, Liz
Will and should win: Paule Constable, Curious Incident
Wendy: The lighting is practically a
character in the play.
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A
MUSICAL
Cameron
Will and Should win: The
Visit
Wendy
Will win: Donald Holder, The
King and I
Should win: Ben Stanton, Fun
Home
Wendy: If only for the challenges of
lighting in the round.
Sandra
Will win: Donald Holder, The King and I, or Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Should win: Ben Stanton, Fun
Home
Sandra: The big, grand musicals will
overtake the subtleties of Fun Home’s
quiet moments.
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Cameron, Wendy, Liz
Will and should win: Marianne Elliott, Curious Incident
Wendy: An extraordinary accomplishment.
Liz: Again--just minding the props
department and making sure it remains sane is alone worth acknowledgment.
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Cameron
Will and Should win: Sam Gold, Fun Home
Wendy
Will win: Casey Nicholaw, Something
Rotten!
Should win: Sam Gold, Fun
Home
Liz
Should win: Sam Gold, Fun
Home, or John Rando, On the Town
Sandra
Will win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Should win: Sam Gold, Fun
Home
Sandra: Wheeldon made dancers into
musical theater stars, but I'm still in awe of everything that is Fun Home.
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Cameron
Will win: Joshua Bergasse, On
the Town
Wendy
Will win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Should win: Joshua Bergasse, On
the Town
Wendy: While it's hard to know what the
choreography would be like without its echoes of Jerome Robbins' work,
Bergasse's choreography on Smash attests to his own talent.
Sandra
Will and should win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Liz
Will win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Should win: Joshua Bergasse, On
the Town
BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Cameron
Will and should win: John Clancy, Fun Home
Wendy
Will win: Christopher
Austin, Don Sebesky and Bill Elliott, An American
in Paris
Should win: Rob Mathes, The
Last Ship
Sandra and Liz
Will win: Rob Mathes, The
Last Ship
Should win: John Clancy, Fun
Home
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