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Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Show Showdown's Totally Unscientific, Completely Biased, Absolutely Pointless Tony Forecast, 2015


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

BEST MUSICAL
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 ingĂ©nue 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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