Best Play
The Assembled Parties
Lucky Guy
The Testament of Mary
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
My Thoughts: Probably the biggest miss here was The Other Place, which if they had timed it a bit better, would have been able to land a nomination over Testament. Otherwise, these are roughly what one would have expected.
And the Winner Is...: I'm going to see where our precursors (primarily the Drama Desk Awards) go, but as of this morning, I'd say that Vanya has a lot of momentum here considering the barrage of acting nominations.
Best Musical
Bring It On: The Musical
A Christmas Story, the Musical
Kinky Boots
Matilda the Musical
My Thoughts: The producers of Motown the Musical, the only contender that is still playing on the Great White Way, have to be severely disappointed this morning as this will likely cause a pretty solid hit on their ticket sales. Otherwise, this makes sense-Bring it On has been out for a while, but considering its marketability it certainly will be able to hit the road, and A Christmas Story also has a shot to follow suit. The lineup is a bit disappointing if only because all four are based on movies-does no one like original musicals anymore?
And the Winner Is...: Kinky Boots has a huge boost as a result of this morning, and led the nominations count, but it's hard to believe that critically-acclaimed Matilda doesn't take this.
Best Revival of a Play
Golden Boy
Orphans
The Trip to Bountiful
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
My Thoughts: There were a large number of contenders that were passed over here, including high profile plays featuring Al Pacino, Scarlett Johansson, and Jessica Chastain. The weirdest inclusion is definitely the tabloid-stained Orphans, which has gotten mixed reviews.
And the Winner Is...: This is one that I'd want to wait a bit on to see where the Box Office and precursors go. On paper Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf makes the most sense, as it had the best reviews, but with The Trip to Bountiful still playing we may be in a situation similar to last year where Porgy & Bess upset Follies because it's still running.
Best Revival of a Musical
Annie
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Pippin
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
My Thoughts: Who wants to take a bet on how long Jekyll & Hyde plays the Marquis after it became the only contender here to not get a nomination. Someone really needs to start opening more musical revivals on the Great White Way so this becomes a bit more competitive. Paging Scott Rudin...
And the Winner Is...: With its acrobatics and huge Box Office, Pippin is the one to beat here.
Best Lead Actor in a Play
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tom Sturridge, Orphans
My Thoughts: You have to think that some publicists got fired this morning over the Sturridge nomination. The guy who is best known as Sienna Miller's boy toy beat out Alec Baldwin, Alan Cumming, Nobert Leo Butz, Michael Shannon, Paul Rudd, Douglas Hodge, and Jim Parsons to get a Tony nomination this morning.
And the Winner Is...: Virginia Woolf is going to take an award somewhere, but I am starting to think that Tom Hanks may be unbeatable. They're going to want to give a little bit of celebrity for the show, and Hanks knows how to give a good speech.
Best Lead Actress in a Play
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Amy Morton, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Kristine Nielsen, Vayna and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Holland Taylor, Ann
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful
My Thoughts: I can't figure out what is more bizarre here-that Sigourney Weaver, easily the biggest name in Vanya seems to be the only cast member that didn't get a Tony nomination or that Fiona Shaw missed here and yet her one-woman show scored a Best Play nomination. Bette Midler not making it is a distant third-apparently absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder considering how many decades it's been since she last appeared on the boards.
And the Winner Is...: Cicely Tyson has most of the sentiment in her corner, and though Nielsen or Metcalf both have their proponents, I have trouble believing that people won't want to see the 79-year-old Tyson pick up some hardware.
Best Featured Actor in a Play
Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Billy Magnussen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy
My Thoughts: Al Pacino is missing, proving once again that this year was very celebrity-averse. Considering that mentality, it's probably more shocking that Madison Dirks missed, the only member of the Virginia Woolf team to not score.
And the Winner Is...: Tough call here-Burstein and Shalhoub are probably the most well-known on Broadway, but they're in the same play and could split their vote. I am starting to wonder if this could be Richard Kind, but I want to see if anyone gets a precursor. However, if Magnussen appears shirtless during the ceremony, the winner will be all of us.
Best Featured Actress in a Play
Carrie Coon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful
My Thoughts: It seems odd that a one-time Tony favorite like Vanessa Williams, with a bigger part and a better performance got ousted by Condola Rashad, who is clearly a new favorite with the Tony Awards considering this is her second nomination in as many years.
And the Winner Is...: Hard to tell-Rashad's role is pretty slight, Ivey's is long closed, Light just won, which leaves Coon and Grant, and that's where I'll leave it, as coattails for either play may bring them into the fold.
Best Lead Actor in a Musical
Bertie Carvel, Matilda the Musical
Santino Fontana, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Rob McClure, Chaplin
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Stark Sands, Kinky Boots
My Thoughts: Matthew James Thomas's luck on Broadway continues to be poor, after playing a second title character in a currently running play and not landing a nomination (though I'm not 100% certain if he was eligible), and this time losing out for Pippin.
And the Winner Is...: You'd be hard-pressed to find a more perfect place to honor Kinky Boots and the high-wire performance of Billy Porter. Bertie Carvel is going to look awfully foolish here, as he almost certainly could have won in the supporting category but will end up in second place as the lead.
Best Lead Actress in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Valisia LeKae, Motown the Musical
Patina Miller, Pippin
Laura Osnes, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
My Thoughts: With the Matilda's out of the competition and the sudden Annie aversion (though I still maintain Katie Finneran could have made it in if she'd gone lead), Valisia LeKae was the beneficiary, gaining a nomination for Motown.
And the Winner Is...: Patina Miller got a HUGE break when the Matilda's were taken out of the competition. That leaves Miller, headlining a huge hit and the revival frontrunner, up against two closed plays, a clear fifth place, and Laura Osnes, who has almost completely shaken her reality television roots, but will get there completely after one more loss.
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Charl Brown, Motown the Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Gabriel Ebert, Matilda the Musical
Terrence Mann, Pippin
My Thoughts: It's hard to tell which of these guys would have lost out if Bertie Carvel had gone supporting, but my guess is it would have been Brown or Chase. Since Chase was breathtaking in that show, I'm glad that he managed to skate into the field.
And the Winner Is...: Terrence Mann, like his wife and co-star Charlotte D'Amboise, is a celebrated theater veteran with multiple Tony nominations but no trophy. That should change in a month or so.
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Victoria Clark, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
Andrea Martin, Pippin
Keal Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Lauren Ward, Matilda the Musical
My Thoughts: The legendary Chita Rivera proved that you can't always make it, even if you're a Tony veteran (in a way similar to Angela Lansbury's miss last year for The Best Man).
And the Winner Is...: Andrea Martin is bringing the house down every night in Pippin and seems like a shoo-in, even over the celebrated Clark.
And those are my thoughts-what about you? Are you pumped that we are now in the thick of Tony season? And who do you think should take on hosting duties (I'm hoping for NPHx4)?
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