Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – 2015 Tony Predictions

• By drediman
• June 4, 2015
• No Comments

It’s that time of year again. That’s right, it’s Tony time! With only a few days left before the 69th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, the time seems ripe to present my predictions and assess the Broadway season that’s just concluded. Overall, it was a successful year on Broadway, both artistically and commercially — even with “Hamilton” not being in the mix (the much-hyped musical arrives on Broadway this summer after a sensational sold out run at the Public). The 2014-2015 season saw records broken both in terms of attendance (approximately 13 million tickets sold) and dollars grossed ($1.37 billion). This season was also notable for the unusually high number of British imports, particularly well-received, high-minded dramas like “Wolf Hall”, “Skylight”, “The Audience”, “Constellations”, and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”. As ever, the stars shone on Broadway. The long list of recognizable names that graced the marquees of the Great White Way this season included Helen Mirren, Bradley Cooper, Ken Watanabe, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Nighy, Carey Mulligan, Michael Cera, Tavi Gevinson, Kieran Culkin, and Elisabeth Moss. What’s striking was the quality of their work; with only a few exceptions, these celebrities proved that they belonged up on those hallowed boards. The season also happily saw the Broadway transfers of three daring Off-Broadway productions: Ayad Akhtar’s searing Pulitzer Prize-winning “Disgraced” from Lincoln Center Theater’s tiny Claire Tow Theater, Robert Askins’ hilarious and edgy “Hand to God” courtesy of MCC and EST, and Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron’s extraordinary musical “Fun Home” from the Public. I’m rooting for one of these to be this year’s “Avenue Q”. The Tonys also smartly shut out two musical head-scratchers: the deadly new musicals “Dr. Zhivago” and “It Shoulda Been You”. However, I’m still bummed that Jason Robert Brown’s highly entertaining “Honeymoon in Vegas” failed to garner any nominations. Without further ado, here are my predictions and sentimental picks for this year’s Tony Awards.

 

Best Play

WILL WIN: “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

SHOULD WIN: “Hand to God”

 

Best Musical

WILL WIN: “An American in Paris”

SHOULD WIN: “Fun Home”

 

Best Revival of a Play

WILL WIN: “Skylight”

SHOULD WIN: “The Elephant Man”

 

Best Revival of a Musical

WILL WIN: “The King and I”

SHOULD WIN: “On the Twentieth Century”

 

Best Book of a Musical

WILL WIN: Lisa Kron, “Fun Home”

SHOULD WIN: Lisa Kron, “Fun Home”

 

Best Original Score

WILL WIN: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, “Fun Home”

SHOULD WIN: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, “Fun Home”

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

WILL WIN: Alex Sharp, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

SHOULD WIN: Steven Boyer, “Hand to God”

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

WILL WIN: Helen Mirren, “The Audience”

SHOULD WIN: Carey Mulligan, “Skylight”

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

WILL WIN: Michael Cerveris, “Fun Home”

SHOULD WIN: Michael Cerveris, “Fun Home”

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

WILL WIN: Kristin Chenoweth, “On the Twentieth Century”

SHOULD WIN: Chita Rivera, “The Visit”

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

WILL WIN: K. Todd Freeman, “Airline Highway”

SHOULD WIN: K. Todd Freeman, “Airline Highway”

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

WILL WIN: Annaleigh Ashford, “You Can’t Take It With You”

SHOULD WIN: Julie White, “Airline Highway”

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

WILL WIN: Brad Oscar, “Something Rotten!”

SHOULD WIN: Max von Essen, “An American in Paris”

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

WILL WIN: Judy Kuhn, “Fun Home”

SHOULD WIN: Sydney Lucas, “Fun Home”

 

Best Direction of a Play

WILL WIN: Marianne Elliott, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

SHOULD WIN: Marianne Elliott, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

 

Best Direction of a Musical

WILL WIN: Christopher Wheeldon, “An American in Paris”

SHOULD WIN: Christopher Wheeldon, “An American in Paris”

 

Best Choreography

WILL WIN: Christopher Wheeldon, “An American in Paris”

SHOULD WIN: Christopher Wheeldon, “An American in Paris”

 

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

WILL WIN: Bob Crowley, “An American in Paris”

SHOULD WIN: Michael Yeargan, “The King and I”

 

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

WILL WIN: Natasha Katz, “An American in Paris”

SHOULD WIN: Japhy Weidman, “The Visit”

 

Best Costume Design of a Musical

WILL WIN: Gregg Barnes, “Something Rotten!”

SHOULD WIN: Gregg Barnes, “Something Rotten!”

 

Best Scenic Design of a Play

WILL WIN: Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

SHOULD WIN: Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

 

Best Lighting Design of a Play

WILL WIN: Paule Constable, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

SHOULD WIN: Paule Constable, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”

 

Best Costume Design of a Play

WILL WIN: Christopher Oram, “Wolf Hall”

SHOULD WIN: Christopher Oram, “Wolf Hall”

 

Best Orchestrations

WILL WIN: Rob Mathes, “The Last Ship”

SHOULD WIN: John Clancy, “Fun Home”