The biggest night in theatre, the Tony Awards, is rapidly approaching. As of May 1, the nominations have officially been set. Everyone held their breath in a year this competitive as each category was announced. While some nominations were given, others were surprises, and it’s not the Tonys without a few snubs.
So here are the nominations, as well as my wants and predictions of who I think will walk away with an Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, aka a Tony.
- Best Musical
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The nominees for Best Musical are Maybe Happy Ending, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, and The Buena Vista Social Club.
The one I want to win is Maybe Happy Ending, which is great because my prediction for the winner is also Maybe Happy Ending!
- Best Play
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The nominees for Best Play are Purpose, John Proctor is the Villain, English, Oh, Mary!, and The Hills of California.
The play I’d like to win is Oh, Mary! And just like Best Musical, my prediction is the same as what I want. Oh, Mary! again.
- Best Revival of a Musical
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The nominees for Best Revival of a Musical are Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Pirates! The Penzance Musical and Sunset Boulevard.
I’m rooting for Sunset Boulevard. And my prediction? I swear this whole article isn’t just me agreeing with myself, but Sunset Boulevard.
- Best Revival of a Play
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The nominees for Best Revival of a Play are Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector, Romeo + Juliet, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang.
The revival I’d most like to see is Our Town. But my prediction for the winner is Romeo + Juliet.
- Best Leading Actor in a Musical
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The nominees for Best Leading Actor in a Musical are Tom Francis for Sunset Boulevard, James Monroe Iglehart for A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, Andrew Durand for Dead Outlaw, Darren Criss for Maybe Happy Ending, Jeremy Jordan for Floyd Collins, and Jonathan Groff for Just In Time.
The actor I’m hoping takes it home is Darren Criss for Maybe Happy Ending. However, my prediction for the win is Tom Francis for Sunset Boulevard.
- Best Leading Actress in a Musical
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The nominees for Best Leading Actress in a Musical are Audra McDonald for Gypsy, Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard, Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard for Death Becomes Her, and Jasmine Amy Rogers for BOOP! The Musical.
I’m rooting for Megan Hilty for Death Becomes Her; give this woman a Tony. But my prediction is Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard.
- Best Leading Actor in a Play
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The nominees for Best Leading Actor in a Play are Henry Lennix and Jon Michael Hill for Purpose, George Clooney for Good Night and Good Luck, Louis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Daniel Dae Kim for Yellowface, and Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!
My personal pick is Cole Escola for Oh, Mary! I’m predicting they’ll also take home the award.
- Best Leading Actress in a Play
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The nominees for Best Leading Actress in a Play are Sadie Sink for John Proctor is the Villain, LaTanya Richardson Jackson for Purpose, Laura Donnelly for The Hills of California, Sarah Snook for The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Mia Farrow for The Roommate.
My personal wish is that Laura Donnelly wins for The Hills of California. But my prediction is Sarah Snook for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
- Best Featured Actor in a Musical
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The nominees for Best Featured Actor in a Musical are Brooks Ashmanskas for Smash, Jeb Brown for Dead Outlaw, Danny Burstein for Gypsy, Jak Malone for Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, and Taylor Trensch for Floyd Collins.
I’d love to see Jak Malone take the Tony home for Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical. But my prediction is Danny Burstein for Gypsy.
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical
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The nominees for Best Featured Actress in a Musical are Natalie Venetia Belcon for Buena Vista Social Club, Julia Knitel for Dead Outlaw, Gracie Lawrence for Just in Time, Justina Machado for Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, and Joy Woods for Gypsy.
I’m rooting for Gracie Lawrence in Just in Time. However, my prediction is Natalie Venetia Belcon for Buena Vista Social Club.
- Best Featured Actor in a Play
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The nominees for Best Featured Actor in a Play are Glenn Davis for Purpose, Gabriel Ebert for John Proctor is the Villain, Francis Jue for Yellow Face, Bob Odenkirk for Glengarry Glen Ross, and Conrad Ricamora for Oh, Mary!
As a Breaking Bad fan, I’d love to see Bob Odenkirk win for Glengarry Glen Ross.
But my prediction is that Conrad Ricamora will take home the Tony for Oh, Mary!
- Best Featured Actress in a Play
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The nominees for Best Featured Actress in a Play are Tala Ashe for English, Jessica Hecht for Eureka Day, Marjan Neshat for English, Fina Strazza for John Proctor is the Villain, and Kara Young for Purpose.
I’m hoping Fina Strazza wins for John Proctor is the Villain. Contrastingly, my prediction is Jessica Hecht for Eureka Day.
- Best Book of a Musical
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The nominees for Best Book of a Musical are Marco Ramirez for Buena Vista Social Club, Itamar Moses for Dead Outlaw, Marco Pennette for Death Becomes Her, Will Aronson and Hue Park for Maybe Happy Ending, and David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts for Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical.
My personal pick and prediction are Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, written by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts.
- Best Original Score
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The nominees for Best Original Score are David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna for Dead Outlaw, Julia Mattison and Noel Carey for Death Becomes Her, Will Aronson (music) and Will Aronson & Hue Park (lyrics) for Maybe Happy Ending, David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts for Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, and Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez for Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.
I’m hoping Maybe Happy Ending takes the win, with music by Will Aronson and lyrics by Will Aronson and Hue Park. However, I predict that Dead Outlaw, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, will win the Tony.
- Best Scenic Design of a Musical
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The nominees for Best Scenic Design of a Musical are Rachel Hauck for Swept Away, Dane Laffrey and George Reeve for Maybe Happy Ending, Arnulfo Maldonado for Buena Vista Social Club, and Derek McLane for both Death Becomes Her and Just in Time.
I’d like to see Derek McLane win for Death Becomes Her. But my prediction is that Rachel Hauck will be awarded the Tony for her work in Swept Away.
- Best Scenic Design of a Play
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The nominees for Best Scenic Design of a Play are Marsha Ginsberg for English, Rob Howell for The Hills of California, Marg Horwell and David Bergman for The Picture of Dorian Gray, Miriam Buether and 59 for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and Scott Pask for Good Night, and Good Luck.
My personal pick, as well as my prediction, is Miriam Buether and 59 for Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
- Best Costume Design of a Musical
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The nominees for Best Costume Design of a Musical are Dede Ayite for Buena Vista Social Club, Gregg Barnes for BOOP! The Musical, Clint Ramos for Maybe Happy Ending, Paul Tazewell for Death Becomes Her, and Catherine Zuber for Just in Time.
I’m hoping Paul Tazewell wins for Death Becomes Her. My prediction, however, is Gregg Barnes for BOOP! The Musical.
- Best Costume Design of a Play
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The nominees for Best Costume Design of a Play are Brenda Abbandandolo for Good Night, and Good Luck, Marg Horwell for The Picture of Dorian Gray, Rob Howell for The Hills of California, Holly Pierson for Oh, Mary!, and Brigitte Reiffenstuel for Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
I’d love to see Holly Pierson win for her work in Oh, Mary! But my prediction is Marg Horwell for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
- Best Lighting Design of a Musical
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The nominees for Best Lighting Design of a Musical are Jack Knowles for Sunset Boulevard, Tyler Micoleau for Buena Vista Social Club, Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun for Floyd Collins, Ben Stanton for Maybe Happy Ending, and Justin Townsend for Death Becomes Her.
I’m rooting for Ben Stanton to win for Maybe Happy Ending. But my prediction is Justin Townsend for Death Becomes Her.
- Best Lighting Design of a Play
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The nominees for Best Lighting Design of a Play are Natasha Chivers for The Hills of California, Jon Clark for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Heather Gilbert, and David Bengali for Good Night, and Good Luck, Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski for John Proctor is the Villain, and Nick Schlieper for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
My pick, and my prediction, for the win is Jon Clark for his work in Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
- Best Sound Design of a Musical
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The nominees for Best Sound Design of a Musical are Jonathan Deans for Buena Vista Social Club, Adam Fisher for Sunset Boulevard, Peter Hylenski for Just in Time and Maybe Happy Ending, and Dan Moses Schreier for Floyd Collins.
I’m hoping Adam Fisher takes the win for Sunset Boulevard, and I’m predicting he will.
- Best Sound Design of a Play
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The nominees for Best Sound Design of a Play are Paul Arditti for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Palmer Hefferan for John Proctor is the Villain, Daniel Kluger for Good Night, and Good Luck, Nick Powell for The Hills of California, and Clémence Williams for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
My personal pick, and once again my prediction, is Paul Arditti for Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
- Best Direction of a Musical
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The nominees for Best Direction of a Musical are Saheem Ali for Buena Vista Social Club, Michael Arden for Maybe Happy Ending, David Cromer for Dead Outlaw, Christopher Gattelli for Death Becomes Her, and Jamie Lloyd for Sunset Boulevard.
I’m hoping with my entire being, and also predicting, Jamie Lloyd wins for his incredible work on Sunset Boulevard.
- Best Direction of a Play
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The nominees for Best Direction of a Play are Knud Adams for English, Sam Mendes for The Hills of California, Sam Pinkleton for Oh, Mary!, Danya Taymor for John Proctor is the Villain, and Kip Williams for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
I’d like for Sam Pinkleton to take the Tony for Oh, Mary! But my prediction is Kip Williams for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
- Best Choreography
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The nominees for Best Choreography are Joshua Bergasse for Smash, Camille A. Brown for Gypsy, Christopher Gattelli for Death Becomes Her, Jerry Mitchell for BOOP! The Musical, and Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck for Buena Vista Social Club.
I’m rooting for and predicting that Jerry Mitchell will win for BOOP! The Musical.
- Best Orchestrations
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The nominees for Best Orchestrations are Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber for Just in Time, Will Aronson for Maybe Happy Ending, Bruce Coughlin for Floyd Collins, Marco Paguia for Buena Vista Social Club, and David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber for Sunset Boulevard.
I’d love to see David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber win for Sunset Boulevard. But my prediction is Will Aronson will take home the Tony for Maybe Happy Ending.
Whether the winners match my wants, and my predictions, or surprise us entirely, the talent on Broadway this year has set a new standard of quality. Every nominee deserves their moment holding that award and weeping on national television, but only one from each category will get it. I guess we’ll have to wait until June 8 to see!