Brian's NYC

*I edited this post and included the winners with an asterisk, just for your reference!! :)

Best Play:
*August: Osage County
Rock N’ Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

Who Will Win: August
Who Should Win: August

It won the Pullitzer, for chrissakes (and it’s one of the two that are still open)!

Best Musical:
*In The Heights
Passing Strange
Cry Baby
Xanadu

Who Will Win: In The Heights
Who Should Win: In The Heights

In The Heights is re-inventing the Broadway musical with their hip-hop, latin score. Never before seen on Broadway. Passing Strange is new and different as well, and is possibly the dark horse of the competition, but does not necessarily showcase the qualities necessary to win Best Musical. Cry Baby is a weak show, and Xanadu is great, but isn’t done on an explosive scale like Heights or Passing.

Best Book of a Musical:
Cry Baby
Xanadu
*Passing Strange
In The Heights

Who Will Win: In The Heights
Who Should Win: Xanadu

Xanadu’s book is the best part of the show, so I feel like it SHOULD get some recognition, but I’m not sure it will. In The Heights is the strongest contender, especially considering the story of the creation and development of the show!

Best Original Score:
Cry Baby
*In The Heights
Little Mermaid
Passing Strange

Who Will Win: In The Heights
Who Should Win: In The Heights

Cry Baby’s lyrics are clever, but their music doesn’t compare. Passing Strange could take this prize if the voters want to give them some recognition, but Heights will be on fire.

Best Revival of a Play:
*Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereux
Macbeth

Who Will Win: Boeing-Boeing
Who Should Win: Macbeth

I’m not sure Boeing reinvented the play or if it just brought it a new fresh perspective. Macbeth reinvented the play, which I think is great and truly notable, and should be where revival votes go.

Best Revival of a Musical:
*South Pacific
Grease
Sunday in the Park with George
Gypsy

Who Will Win: South Pacific
Who Should Win: Sunday

The original guidelines of rewarding a revival was a production that reinvents the show and brings it to the modern day. That is what Sunday does, although it is a little gimmicky. South Pacific is a great homage to the original production of the show, as well as classical musical theater itself, so it will take the prize.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play:
Ben Daniels (Liaisons)
Laurence Fishburne (Thurgood)
*Mark Rylance (Boeing)
Patrick Stewart (Macbeth)
Rufus Sewell (Rock N’ Roll)

Who Will Win: Mark Rylance
Who Should Win: Patrick Stewart
Give the guy a Tony, already! Mark Rylance will probably take the prize because apparently he carries the show and is the best thing about it!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play:
Eve Best (Homecoming)
*Deanna Dunnagan (August)
Amy Morton (August)
Kate Fleetwood (Macbeth)
S. Epatha Merkerson (Little Sheba)

Who Will Win: Deanna Dunnagan
Who Should Win: Amy Morton

Dunnagan’s character is the center of the play, and she has some of the best lines and delivers them well. But I think Morton deserves the prize for the emotion and power she displays onstage.

Best Leading Actor in a Musical:
Daniel Evans (Sunday)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (Heights)
Stew (Passing Strange)
*Paul Szot (South Pacific)
Tom Wopat (Catered Affair)

Who Will Win: Paul Szot
Who Should Win: ??

Don’t really care with this category, honestly. The performances are all really strong. Evans probably won’t take it because his costar stands out more than he does in the show. Wopat won’t take it because the show isn’t that great, and Stew probably won’t take it because he does limited ‘acting.’ I’d put it between Szot or Miranda.

Best Leading Actress in a Musical:
Kerry Butler (Xanadu)
Kelli O’Hara (South Pacific)
Jenna Russel (Sunday)
Faith Prince (Catered Affair)
*Patti LuPone (Gypsy)

Who Will Win: Patti LuPone
Who Should Win: Patti or Jenna Russel

So obviously there isn’t so much a race in this category. But I think Jenna Russell was so fantastic in Sunday, just wanted to give her a little bit of a shout out. Kerry Butler is great in Xanadu, and Faith Prince was sweet in Catered Affair, but the shows they represent are just not on the same level as Gypsy, which is so huge. And Kelli O’Hara is great and has a pretty voice, but cannot match up to LuPone’s power, even if her show is equally as grand.

Best Featured Actor in a Play
Bobby Canavale (Mauritius)
Raul Esparza (Homecoming)
*Conleth Hill (Seafarer)
Jim Norton (Seafarer)
David Pittu (Is He Dead?)

Who Will Win: Conleth Hill
Who Should Win: Raul Esparza

Didn’t see any of these shows, sadly, but I think Conleth Hill’s performance was probably the most hyped and celebrated out of the lot.

Best Featured Actress in a Play
Sinead Cussack (Rock n’ Roll)
Mary McCormack (Boeing)
Martha Plimpton (Top Girls)
*Rondi Reed (August)
Laurie Metcalf (November)

Who Will Win: Rondi Reed
Who Should Win: Rondi Reed

She is hilarious in the show. While she is not one of the central characters, she stands out so much and steals the stage with her commanding performance whenever she is onstage.

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Daniel Breaker (Passing)
Danny Burstein (South Pacific)
Robin de Jesus (Heights)
Christopher Fitzgerald (Young Frankenstein)
*Boyd Gaines (Gypsy)

Who Will Win: Boyd Gaines
Who Should Win: Christopher Fitzgerald

Boyd has the Gypsy card with him, but Christopher Fitzgerald completely transformed himself and was the only thing I loved about Young Frankenstein.

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
De’Andre Aziza (Passing)
*Laura Benanti (Gyspy)
Andrea Martin (Young Frankenstein)
Olga Merediz (In The Heights)
Loretta Ables Sayre (South Pacific)

Who Will Win: Laura Benanti
Who Should Win: Laura Benanti

The woman has arrived!

Best Direction of a Play
39 Steps
*August: Osage County
Seafarer
Boeing-Boeing

Who Will Win: August
Who Should Win: August

Best Direction of a Musical:
Sam Buntrock (Sunday)
*Bartlett Sher (South Pacific)
Thomas Kail (In The Heights)
Arthur Laurents (Gypsy)

Who Will Win: Arthur Laurents
Who Should Win: Sam Buntrock

It takes a lot to direct a show based around projection art and multimedia, as well as having the vision to successfully reinvent a musical. But the Gypsy card will go a long way with the awards.

Best Choreography:
Rob Ashford (Cry-Baby)
*Andy Blankenbueher (In The Heights)
Christopher Gatelli (South Pacific)
Dan Knechtges (Xanadu)

Who Will Win: Andy Blankenbuehler
Who Should Win: Rob Ashford

The choreography in Cry-Baby was decently brilliant, and the only thing I liked about the show. But the inventive hip-hop choreography of In The Heights will take the prize based on originality.