It's the End of the Theatre Season and Time for...Tony Predictions

Best Play
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps
Winner: August: Osage County
Spoiler: Rock 'n' Roll
Rock 'n' Roll is extremely deserving of the award, but it did close in March, and since then August has been on a roll, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Drama Desk, and several other critics' awards. The compelling family drama is now the one to beat.



Best Musical
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu
Winner: In the Heights
Spoiler: Xanadu It has been well publicized that Heights is creator/star Lin-Manuel Miranda's labor of love. This knowledge, the show's graduation from Off Broadway and its sense of community make it incredibly endearing to voters. However, the campy, yet critically embraced Xanadu could steal the trophy (and the brilliant Cubby Bernstein campaign certainly helps). Side note: It personally breaks my heart a little that Cry Baby was even nominated. A Catered Affair was much more deserving.





Best Book of a Musical

Cry-Baby
Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan
In The Heights
Quiara Alegría Hudes
Passing Strange
Stew
Xanadu
Douglas Carter Beane
Winner: Stew, Passing Strange
Spoiler: Douglas Carter Beane, Xanadu




Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics)
Cry-Baby
Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger
In The Heights
Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Little Mermaid
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
Passing Strange
Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Lyrics: Stew
Winner: Lin-Manuel-Miranda, In the Heights
Spoiler: Stew, Passing Strange




Best Revival of a Play

Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Macbeth
Winner: Boeing-Boeing
Spoiler: Macbeth





Best Revival of a Musical

Grease
Gypsy
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George
Winner: South Pacific
Spoiler: Gypsy or Sunday in the Park with George; To be perfectly honest, Grease doesn't deserve to be in the company of these three. The other three revivals this season were absolutely stellar, and I'd go as far as to say that the revivals produced this season were far better than the original works that premiered. That said, this is South Pacific's to lose.





Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth
Winner: Patrick Stewart, Macbeth
Spoiler: Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing This is a truly great set of male performers; while Rylance did not have the heaviest material to work with, he is central to Boeing's success, and I can see him taking home the trophy over Stewart's intense, passionate Macbeth portrayal.




Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton, August: Osage County
Winner: Deanna Dunnagan, August: Osage County
Spoiler: Amy Morton, August: Osage County or S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba  Dunnagan, as the matriarch from hell Violet, is the favorite, but I was absolutely floored by Morton's performance as Dunnagan's eldest daughter Barbara. Morton has a good chance of winning, especially since Dunagan is leaving the show two days after the Tonys, which voters may not be too keen on. Though Morton and Dunagan's performances complement each other in the show, they could work against each other in the voting process, splitting the vote and leading to a Merkerson victory.





Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair
Winner: Paulo Szot, South Pacific
Spoiler: Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights





Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George
Winner: Patti Lupone, Gypsy
Spoiler: Kelli O'Hara, South Pacific  Kelli O'Hara is dazzling, but Lupone's turn as Mama Rose is a star turn.   O'Hara will have her turn, but this isn't it.





Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Raúl Esparza, The Homecoming
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?
Winner: Raul Esparza, The Homecoming
Spoiler: Jim Norton, The Seafarer Tony will most likely want to make amends for Raul's Company loss last year.






Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll
Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf, November
Martha Plimpton, Top Girls
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County
Winner: Rondi Reed
Spoiler: Mary McCormack or Martha Plimpton





Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Robin De Jesús, In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy
Winner: Boyd Gaines, Gypsy
Spoiler: Danny Burstein, South Pacific I would love for Robin De Jesus to win; I remember him as pimply faced cross dresser Michael from Camp, but it's simply not in the cards.





Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
de'Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Winner: Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Spoiler: Loretta Ables Sayre, South Pacific




Best Scenic Design of a Play
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County
Anthony Ward, Macbeth

Winner: Todd Rosenthal, August Osage County
Spoiler: Scott Pask, Les Liasons Dangereuses




Best Scenic Design of a Musical
David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George
Anna Louizos, In The Heights
Robin Wagner, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Winner: Michael Yeargan, South Pacific
Spoiler: David Farley and Timothy Bird, Sunday in the Park with George






Best Costume Design of a Play
Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac
Rob Howell, Boeing-Boeing
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps
Winner: Katrine Lindsay, Les Liasons Dangereuses
Spoiler: Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac





Best Costume Design of a Musical
David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George
Martin Pakledinaz, Gypsy
Paul Tazewell, In The Heights
Catherine Zuber, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Winner: Catherine Zuber, South Pacific
Spoiler: David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George




Best Lighting Design of a Play
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
Howard Harrison, Macbeth
Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County
Winner: Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
Spoiler: Howard Harrison, Macbeth




Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George
Howell Binkley, In The Heights
Donald Holder, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid
Winner: Donald Holder, South Pacific
Spoiler: Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George





Best Sound Design of a Play
Simon Baker, Boeing-Boeing
Adam Cork, Macbeth
Ian Dickinson, Rock 'n' Roll
Mic Pool, The 39 Steps
Winner: Mic Pool, The 39 Steps
Spoiler: Adam Cork, Macbeth




Best Sound Design of a Musical
Acme Sound Partners, In The Heights
Sebastian Frost, Sunday in the Park with George
Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Moses Schreier, Gypsy
Winner: Scott Lehrer, South Pacific
Spoiler: Acme Sound Partners, In the Heights




Best Direction of a Play
Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson, The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing
Winner: Anna D. Shapiro, August Osage County
Spoiler: Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing




Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail, In The Heights
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Winner: Bartlett Sher, South Pacific
Spoiler: Arthur Laurents, Gypsy



Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu
Winner: Rob Ashford, Cry Baby
Spoiler: Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights

Best Orchestrations
Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair
Winner: Whoever gets Best Score.