Tony Winners and Reactions

Another season completed. Tony hosts Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth lead a telecast full of huge performances and a couple shocking wins. I went 19 for 24 in my own predictions. I'm kicking myself for not going with my gut on a couple of them (Christian Borle) and ever so happy to be wrong on some others (KELLI!).

Now that the wine is starting to work its way out of my system after a night of screaming at the TV, its time for some of my takeaways and thoughts on the show. You also may have noticed a new page on the site for the 2015-2016 season, because the coverage isnt stopping! Jim Parsons kicked off the new season with An Act of God, and I will continue to update the production listing page with announcements of new shows and stars.

On to the good stuff:

Fun Home FTW!
Every year we are told "the road voters will propel [insert jukebox musical here] to a Tony win". But we are living in a post-Jersey Boys era where original scores rule. And Tony voters, even commercially minded ones on the road, are savvy theatergoers. When you have something as unique, challenging, and moving as Fun Home you can't ignore it. The financial success of Fun Home's national tour is up for debate, but the property is sure to become a huge property in regional markets thanks to its small cast and intimate setting. How many local theatre do you know who can afford to produce An American in Paris? It was always Fun Home out front.

But They Lose Featured Actress
I was shocked when Ruthie Ann Miles won. Don't get me wrong, she's a wonderful performer. But the roles in Fun Home had more meat on their bones, so to speak. The issue may have been a failure to unite voters around one lady. Judy Kuhn was the perceived winner, but she has the most subtle performance. Tough to win with one of those, even if you are overdue. Sydney Lucas is the best find of the season (and holy cow did she slay that Tony number), but after the Billy Elliot controversy and a recent not-so-great-article on child Tony winners in Playbill, there is a bit of hesitancy to reward young performers. Emily Skeggs didn't find as strong of a "narrative" for awards season, yet her song "Changing my Major" is often cited by fans as their favorite of the whole season. Ruthie Ann Miles had been on the radar for a while thanks to Here Lies Love earlier in the season. Combine that success with the obvious support for The King and I, and you have your winner.

Featured Actor goes to: Natha...Richard McCabe?!?! Dammit.
I'm assuming this was most everyone's reaction to Best Featured Actor in a Play. It was always the wildcard category that no one ever figured out. I had considered changing my prediction to one of the likable charmers (Micah Stock, Matthew Beard) or the respected Alessandro Nivola. But The Audience went 2 for 3 last night. Impressive for a show without a Best Play nomination. Mr. McCabe: congrats on your upset Tony moment (even if you totally screwed up my ballot).

Where's Tyronne?
Honestly, I think Hand to God missed a huge opportunity last night. I was saddened, but not surprised the play went home empty handed (it was one of my favorite experiences in a theatre this season, behind only Curious Incident and Fun Home), but I expected them to at least get some airtime for Steven Boyer. Did anyone think to have the nominated actor and his demonic sidekick Tyronne introduce a category? To be fair I have no idea if producers tried to get him on the telecast, but it would have been a great way to highlight a deserving show which faces an uphill financial battle with no Tony wins to advertise. And I was looking forward to the angry emails CBS would get.

Off Camera Winners
It's sad that a history making win for Best Score didn't make it to the telecast. Fun Home became the first musical by an all female writing team to take the award. But the creators' wins for Score and book were relegated to the pre-show. Hmm, I wonder how we could fit those important categories on the telecast? How long were those performances from Gigi and Finding Neverland again?

The Sammys (Or, If I Was a Tony Voter)

The 2015 Tony season comes to an end tomorrow night, but not before one import final precursor award: my own! I do my best to take in as much theatre as possible every year, and though I didn't make it to everything (sorry The Country House...well, not really) I caught over two dozen Broadway productions this season. I marveled at legends like Chita Rivera and Carol Burnett, laughed and cried at revivals that went too soon (Side Show) or not soon enough (The Real Thing), and I even saw a Tupac musical on Tupac's birthday and had better seats than Madonna (but she definitely had the better outfit). The following list of nominations and winners is the best of the best, in one blogger's humble opinion.

I have stuck to the Tony rulings on eligibility with one exception: The ladies from Side Show are nominated together. If you're mad about it: take it up with the Tony administration who broke their own precedent. Together, they gave one of the fiercest performances of any gender this season. Tonys also grant the use of additional nominees in certain categories, so I have increased a few categories by one where I felt it necessary.

Finally, I also forced myself to avoid ties this year. No copping out, even in Lead Actress in a Musical (where a four way tie would have me ecstatic) or Featured Actress in a Musical (with "Ring of Keys" and "I Can Cook Too" being the two best performed numbers of the season). I made several Sophie's Choices and will have to live with them.

THE 2015 SAMMYS

Best Musical
*Fun Home (winner)
Honeymoon in Vegas
The Last Ship
Something Rotten! (runner-up)
The Visit

Best Play
Constellations
*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (winner)
Hand to God (runner-up)
Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two

Revival of a Musical
*The King and I (winner)
On the Town (runner-up)
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

Best Revival of a Play
A Delicate Balance
The Elephant Man (runner-up)
The Heidi Chronicles
*You Can't Take it with You (winner)

Best Lead Actor in a Play
*Steven Boyer, Hand to God (winner)
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Kieran Culkin, This is Our Youth
Jake Gyllenhaal, Constellations
Alex Sharp, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (runner-up)

Best Lead Actress in a Play
Geneva Carr, Hand to God (runner-up)
Glenn Close, A Delicate Balance
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elizabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
*Ruth Wilson, Constellations (winner)

Best Lead Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home (runner-up)
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
*Brian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten! (winner)
Rob McClure, Honeymoon in Vegas
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best Lead Actress in a Musical
*Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century (winner)
Erin Davie & Emily Padgett, Side Show (runner-up)
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Best Featured Actor in a Play
Ian Barford, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man (runner-up)
Michael Oberholtzer, Hand to God
*Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two (winner)
Bryce Pinkham, The Heidi Chronicles
Micah Stock, It's Only a Play

Best Featured Actress in a Play
*Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You (winner)
Lucy Briers, Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two
Enid Graham, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two (runner-up)
Kristine Nielsen, You Can't Take it With You
Julie White, Airline Highway

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
*Fred Applegate, The Last Ship (winner)
Brooks Ashmanskas, Something Rotten!
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century (runner-up)
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
*Syndey Lucas, Fun Home (winner)
Ashley Park, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home
Alysha Umphress, On the Town (runner-up)

Best Director of a Musical
Bill Condon, Side Show
*Sam Gold, Fun Home (winner)
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I (runner-up)

Best Director of a Play
*Marianne Elliot, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (winner)
Scott Ellis, The Elephant Man
Scott Ellis, You Can't Take it With You (runner-up)
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Best Original Score
*Fun Home (Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron) (winner)
The Last Ship (Sting) (runner-up)
Something Rotten! (Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick)
The Visit (John Kander and Fred Ebb)

Best Book of a Musical
*Fun Home (Lisa Kron) (winner)
Honeymoon in Vegas (Andrew Bergman)
Something Rotten! (Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell) (runner-up)
The Visit (Terrence McNally) 

Best Choreography
An American in Paris (Christopher Wheeldon) (runner-up)
Finding Neverland (Mia Michaels)
The King and I (Christopher Gattelli)
*On the Town (Joshua Bergasse) (winner)
Something Rotten! (Casey Nicholaw)

Best Orchestrations
*An American in Paris (winner)
Fun Home (runner-up) 
Honeymoon in Vegas
The Visit

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
*An American in Paris (winner)
The King and I
Something Rotten!
The Visit (runner-up)

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Airline Highway (runner-up)
*Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (winner)
Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two
You Can't Take it With You

Best Costume Design of a Musical
An American in Paris (runner-up)
*The King and I (winner)
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

Best Costume Design of a Play
A Delicate Balance
The Audience (runner-up)
*Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two (winner)
You Can't Take it With You

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Fun Home
The King and I
The Last Ship (runner-up)
*The Visit (winner)

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Constellations
*Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (winner)
Skylight
Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two (runner-up)

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Finding Neverland
*Fun Home (winner)
The Last Ship (runner-up)
Something Rotten!

Best Sound Design of a Play
Constellations
*Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (winner)
Skylight (runner-up)
Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two

Top Ten New Songs
10. 'We Got Now't Else', The Last Ship
9. 'Days and Days', Fun Home
8. 'I Love Betsy', Honeymoon in Vegas
7. 'The Last Ship', The Last Ship
6. 'Welcome to the Renaissance', Something Rotten!
5. 'A Musical', Something Rotten!
4. 'Changing My Major', Fun Home
3. 'Love and Love Alone', The Visit
2. 'Telephone Wire', Fun Home
1. 'Ring of Keys', Fun Home



WINS
Fun Home: 6
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: 5
An American in Paris: 2
The King and I: 2
Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two: 2
You Can't Take it With You: 2
Constellations: 1
Hand to God: 1
On the Town: 1
On the Twentieth Century: 1
Something Rotten!: 1
The Visit: 1

Final Predictions: 2015 Tony Winners

The Tonys are upon us! Sunday's ceremony is fast approaching, and many categories are still up for grabs. Will it be Kelli or Kristin? Fun Home or An American in Paris? Can anyone take down Helen Mirren? (Spoiler: No, they can't).

For your convenience, and office pool assistance, I have broken down each category into who will, could, and should win Broadway's highest honor. Note: I've stuck with the actual nominees for my "should win" citations. But stay tuned for this years edition of The Sammys where I right the wrongs of the Tonys and nominate/award whoever I please. There will be justice for Side Show and Honeymoon in Vegas. The North remembers...or at least I do.

Here's your fearless final Tony predictions. As always, I invite you to tell me how foolish I am. And remember to click over to the individual Contenders pages for rankings and further thoughts.

BEST MUSICAL
Will Win: Fun Home
Could Win: An American in Paris
Should Win: Fun Home
Big commercial show vs. the intimate artistic achievement. Fun Home is just plain better (sorry I'm not sorry) but Paris has built a huge swell of support. Tesori and Kron have changed the landscape of what types of stories can be told in a Broadway musical and they deserve to take home the award. I'm praying that Tony voters are savvy enough to repeat last year's pattern and realize that we need to endorse this type of creative achievement.

BEST PLAY
Will Win: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Could Win: Hand to God
Should Win: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
This is a lock. Hand to God or Wolf Hall could win in another year, but the ingenious adaptation from across the pond is too well done and too well liked to fail. Hand to God smartly marketed themselves as the American alternative, but it won't be enough for a win.

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Will Win: The King and I
Could Win: On the Town
Should Win: On the Town
Any of the three nominees would make a worthy winner. On the 20th Century was hysterical and vibrant. On the Town has actually stayed with me the most thanks to its winning performances. It would also be a chance to reward the only "for profit" nominee. But the grand scope of The King and I will be too much to ignore.

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Will Win: Skylight
Could Win: The Elephant Man
Should Win: You Can't Take it With You
Does Skylight win by default of being the only nominee still open? Not so fast. You Can't Take it With You also scored a director nod, and had very healthy run. The Elephant Man may pose more of a threat given the sheer number of producers (read: voters) involved. It also helps that it's back on the radar thanks to its London transfer. But Skylight has an air of "importance" and sophistication around it...and it's still here.

BEST SCORE
Will Win: Fun Home
Could Win: The Last Ship
Should Win: Fun Home
Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron should handily win this for the best new score of the season. There is a slight possibility that voters will feel bad for Sting and want to reward the artist for the passion and hard work he put in to his show, only to see it scuttled.

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Will Win: Fun Home
Could Win: Something Rotten!
Should Win: Fun Home
Points must be rewarded for creating something out of nothing, and Something Rotten! nails its intended goals. Comedic books also tend to do well here. But Lisa Kron should pick up an additional Tony for the moving and heart-wrenching Fun Home.

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Will Win: Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Could Win: Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Should Win: Brian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
One of the toughest races to predict. Support seems to be uniting behind ballet star turned Broadway leading man Robert Fairchild. He won the Drama Desk and OCC. He beat out Broadway vet d'Arcy James in those races, but industry favorite Michael Cerveris wasn't eligible. Cerveris turns in a remarkably nuanced performance, but he might make it look to easy. Fairchild is as charming as they come so I give him the slight edge. It's anyone's game.

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Will Win: Kristin Chenoweth, On the 20th Century
Could Win: Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Should Win: Tie Please?
The race between Kelly and Kristin sparks some of the most fiery debates of the year in theatre circles. But I don't think voters sit with ballots and think "well, she's been nominated so many times...". They see everything and vote for what grabs them. Chenoweth has a role that utilizes all of her skills and prowess. It might be the role of her lifetime, so I think Kelli will sadly have to play bridesmaid again.

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
Will Win: Alex Sharp, Curious Incident
Could Win: Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Should Win: ...A Tie Again?
Seems like a lock for Mr. Sharp despite Boyer's stunning work. If they want to spread the wealth, this is the one category they can give to Hand to God. Not likely though, as Bradley Cooper is also there to siphon votes from the stargazers.

BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Will Win: Helen Mirren, The Audience
Could Win: LOL
Should Win: Ruth Wilson, Constellations
Do I need to convince you on this one? It's Helen. #bowdown

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Will Win: Andy Karl, On the 20th Century
Could Win: Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Should Win: Andy Karl, On the 20th Century
Brad Oscar has the standing O's, but Borle has the awards support (and Drama Desk win). The industry loves Christian Borle and he could be the one win for Something Rotten! But many will be tempted to reward Andy Karl, another beloved New York actor. And he shows tremendous contrast from his nominated dramatic performance last year.

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Will Win: Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Could Win: Sydney Lucas, Fun Home -or- Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Should Win: Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
A tough one to call. Logic would say that Broadway veteran Judy Kuhn will finally win for her quietly devastating performance (her dedicated Times article will help), but her co-star Sydney Lucas is just so damn good. And Lucas' song "Ring of Keys" is poignant, catchy, and complex. Ruthie Ann Miles could be the benefactor of vote splitting, but I have a hard time imaging  Fun Home losing this category.

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Will Win: Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall
Could Win: Richard McCabe, The Audience -or- Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Should Win: Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall
Days away from the Tonys and still no one has a damn clue about this category. K. Todd Freeman surprised at the Drama Desk...but he was the only Tony nominee in contention. Micah Stock still has buzz, but will find it hard to win as the sole nominee of his show. So the Olivier winners Nathaniel Parker and Richard McCabe and "lead-hiding-in-featured" Alessandro Nivola, will battle it out for the win. Go with God, or the Kabbalah Monster, or whoever on this one.

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Will Win: Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Could Win: Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall
Should Win: Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
If you were thinking that the closing of You Can't Take it With You would hurt Ms. Ashford's chances, she just gave a great showing at the Drama Desk ceremony which reminded everyone why it is time to finally reward this sought after, hard working actress. Lydia Leonard and Patricia Clarkson will provide compelling alternatives, but Ashford's chances look better every day.

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Will Win: Sam Gold, Fun Home
Could Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Should Win: Sam Gold, Fun Home
Will they think Wheeldon needs two Tonys? I'm more inclined to think Sam Gold takes it for expertly utilizing the unique space of the Circle in the Square. Fun Home fans were concerned about losing magic in the re-staging for the round, when in fact the show got more magical.

BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Will Win: Marianne Elliott, Curious Incident
Could Win: It's Hers
Should Win: Marianne Elliott, Curious Incident
Scott Ellis could be remembered, Jeremy Herrin admired, and Stephen Daldry saluted. But Ms. Elliott should handily beat them all for creating spectacle with substance in her Best Play juggernaut.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Will Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Could Win: Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Should Win: Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
How wonderful would it be if Bergasse and Wheeldon could tie in this category? It's a shame they have to compete. Bergasse is the likely runner-up given the massive surge of support for An American in Paris. It's Wheeldon's to lose.

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Will Win: An American in Paris
Could Win: Fun Home
Should Win: Fun Home
An American in Paris sounds grand and lush, and that will tip the scales in its favor. This is the category most voters know the least about, so I don't think they will appreciate Fun Home's intimate and haunting assemblage enough for it to win.

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Will Win: An American in Paris
Could Win: The King and I
Should Win: An American in Paris
The King and I would be a worthy choice (that boat!), and it has a shot. But An American in Paris is the prettiest show of the year. The romantic Paris setting will seal the deal.

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Will Win: Curious Incident
Could Win: Wolf Hall
Should Win: Curious Incident
There's a ton of striking designs in this category, but Bunny Christie's set is so integral to the storytelling of Curious Incident it couldn't possibly lose. The team behind expertly designed Wolf Hall is cursing the gods for opening against this juggernaut.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Will Win: The King and I
Could Win: An American in Paris
Should Win: The King and I
The King and I will get revenge on the Paris design team's coup with Catherine Zuber's gorgeous costumes. It's hard to ignore that sweeping ballgown. Or the fact that she designed for a cast of 50.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Will Win: Wolf Hall
Could Win: The Audience
Should Win: Wolf Hall
Christopher Oram is probably super grateful that Curious Incident isn't a period piece. The sheer amount of costumes he created for Wolf Hall is impressive enough, but the detail is astounding. The Audience has an impressive costume showcase as well. Given the costumes' importance to the Queen's aging (and all of Helen's quick changes), it won't go down without a fight.

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Will Win: An American in Paris
Could Win: The Visit
Should Win: The Visit
Well, The Visit should win by a landslide for Japhy Weideman's evocative, moody work. For my money, easily the best of the season. But the freight train to Paris is headed straight for this design category too.

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Will Win: Curious Incident
Could Win: Wolf Hall
Should Win: Wolf Hall
I actually find the lighting work in Wolf Hall a daring choice, and its use of space and shadow is essential to every scene. But voters won't be able to separate the lighting in Curious Incident from the scenic and projection design, and the play should easily win here.