On Thursday, Tony Nominations will be announced by the Broadway League, with the awards scheduled for June 8 in Radio City Music Hall and broadcast on CBS. Who will be nominated and who should be?
As usual, most media attention focuses on the nominees for best musical, the only prize win that really makes a difference at checkout. Again, do it? Last year, “The Outsiders” was favored by its best musical Tony, but “The Great Gatsby”, which only received a nomination (for suits), now exceeds the very nominated and very distributed “Hell’s Kitchen” at the cash register as the other two shows that were nominated for the best musical, “waters” and “waters for.
Look for the nomination committee to expand the musical category to five nominees this year. I would like to see a complete American sweep: “Buena Vista Social Club”, “Dead Outlaw”, “Death becomes her”, “maybe happy ending” and “real women have curves.” The absolutely upcoming “sope away” should also be on that list, but its very unfortunate short life on Broadway makes it very unlikely. Expect the British “Operation Mincemeat” to throw out one of my favorites. The show that is most in need of a Tony nomination for best musical is “Boop!” With its cash office currently down, cartoon memories appear to be Tony’s earliest accidents due to few nominations.
Best game nominees are probably Sanaz toossis “English”, Jez Butterworth’s “The Hills of California”, Cole Escolas “Oh, Mary!” and the fire Jacob -jenkin’s “Purpose.” George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s “Good Night and Happiness” should be on that list, but can be bumped by Kimberly Belflower’s “John Proctor is the villain.” The nominators can see “Good Night” as a two decades old script that has recently been transferred to the stage.
If there is another movie guy, expect it to be Denzel Washington (“Othello”) in the category for best actors in a game. He deserves to be nominated, but the more likely nominees are Cole Escola (“Oh, Mary!”), Daniel Dae Kim (“Yellow Face”), Jake Gyllenhaal (“Othello”) and Louis McCartney (“Stranger Things”). Look for George Clooney (“Good Night and Happiness”) and Jim Parsons (“Our City”) to crash for the fifth place, which the nominators can very well expand into sex.
The competition for best actress in a play is much less competitive, and that is the Tony Administration Committee’s fault. Three of the best lead performances of the season – Jessica Hecht (“Eureka Day”), Marjan Neshat (“English”) and Mare Winningham (“Cult of Love”) – are instead entitled to the future actress in a play. It leaves Laura Donnelly (“The Hills of California”), Latanya Richardson Jackson (“Purpose”) and Sarah Snook (“The Picture of Dorian Gray”) to lead this package. Will Tony’s look to Mia Farrow (“roommates”) and/or Sadie Sink (“John Proctor is the villain”) simply to fill the (s) required?
Much more competitive are the two director categories for games and musicals. As far as the latter is concerned, I would once again want to see Saheem Ali (“Buena Vista Social Club”), Michael Arden (“Maybe Happy Ending”), David Cromer (“Dead Outlaw”), Sergio Trujillo (“Real Women Have Curves”) and George C. Wolfe. Don’t expect the list to materialize intact. Jamie Lloyd (“Sunset Blvd.”) and Robert Hastie (“Operation Mincemeat”) will very likely make the cut out of five nominees.
I expect more of my choices will be nominated for the best director for a game. They are David Cromer (“Good Night and Good luck”), Kenny Leon (“Our City”), Sam Mendes (“The Hills of California”), Sam Pinkleton (“Oh, Mary!”) And Phycicia Rashad (“Purpose”). I bet Danya Taymor (“John Proctor is the villain”) pushes aside one of these Helmers.
My choices for best actors in a musical also have a good chance of being the nomination committee. They are Darren Criss (“maybe happy ending”), Andrew Durand (“Dead Outlaw”) David Hyde Pierce (“Pirates!”) And Jeremy Jordan (“Floyd Collins”). John Gallagher Jr. (“Sope Away”) should also be on that list. Since his show only ran 48 regular performances last year, I expect Jonathan Groff (“just in time”) would be there instead.
I predict my choices for best principal actress in a musical will deviate radically from the committee. Mine is Robyn Hurter (“Smash”), Audra McDonald (“Gypsy”) Helen J. Shen (“Maybe Happy Ending”), Jennifer Simard (“Death Becoms Her”) and Adrienne Warren (“The Last Years”). Of course, Nicole Scherzinger (“Sunset Blvd.”) will be nominated; It does not matter that I think her Norma Desmond is more broad parody than sensitive depiction. Her overaction could very well put her on a final list of Sutton Foster (“Once Upon A Mattress”) and Jasmine Amy Rogers (“Boop!”).
Too often, the most spectacle wins, rather than the best. In musicals it also helps to be high rather than good. I can never come close to predicting who presented artists will be picked. I will simply mention the performances I cannot forget. They Include The Already Mentioned Jessica Hecht (“Eureka Day”), Marjan Neshat (“English) And Mare Winningham (” Cult of Love “). Other Memorable Supporting Performances in Plays Were Leaw by Andrew Burnap (” Othalo “), (“Purpose”), Michael McKean (“Glengarry Glen Ross”) and James Scully (“Oh, Mary!”). Rodriguez.
Cynthia Erivo hosts the 78th Tony Awards June 8 at CBS and Paramount+. Nominations will be revealed on Thursday.
