NYTimes' Brantley & Green Make Their 2017 Tony Award Predictions- Page 3

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 1:26am

''To be clear, this is Mary Beth Peil's second Tony nomination. She was nominated for Best Feautred Actress in a Musical in 1985 for The King and I (she was below the title).''

True, Peil was below the title. But that was also that skimpy season where the Tonys did away with the categories of Leading Actor and Leading Actress in a Musical. Otherwise, she would've been petitioned or bumped up to Leading. ... Gertrude Lawrence, Donna Murphy and Kelli O'Hara all won the Tony for playing Anna in Leading. ... While Peil has a resume worthy of a Tony winner, it would be disappointing (to me) to see her win one for such a skimpy role in ''Anastasia.'' It would be a disservice to the other featured actresses in this category who have meatier and more substantial roles.
 

Updated On: 5/12/17 at 01:26 AM

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 1:52am

I love Peil.  I honestly love her in everything she does, but I agree that it would be a shame to give her a pitty Tony.  She doesn't deserve a win and I'm sure she even knows that.  She's on Broadway a lot so I'm sure it won't be long before she snatches an award, though.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 3:32am

I would hardly think this would be a pity Tony. Peil is the emotional driving force of act two of Anastasia and arguably has the largest character arc in the show. She performs the role with such grace and ferocity and is still in good voice. If we're comparing quality of roles on paper, that may be another story, but Mary Beth Peil isn't just strolling through the park; she steals the entire show.

The argument of "she's on Broadway a lot, it won't be long until she wins one" is a stronger argument for the other four nominees and much less probable for an actress of Mary Beth Peil's age, even if we're just talking about available roles for her to play. 

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 3:51am

I NEVER understand EVERY YEAR why the hell Brantley includes things that are simply NOT ELIGABLE for his "Should Have Been Nominated" lists. And Green is doing it as well this year! It just seems so damn pretentious and downright obnoxious that he doesn't fill that spot with something that legit was left out of the spot.

Also, what's he smoking that he picked Mary Beth Peil not just for will win but should as well? Where can I get some because that just must be the BEST trip EVER.

[evic]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 4:19am

The producers of Band's Visit are shoppinq around for a theater do next season now that both critics ridiculously included an off b'way show in Broadway catagories.  What exactly were they trying to say?

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 9:10am

To me, Jenn Colella is a substitute for the entire cast of Come From Away. I think that Tony voters wanted to acknowledge the entire ensemble, and did this. Seeing the show, I can say that if anyone in the cast was nominated it would, be the same thing. 

[MoveOnGypsy]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 9:10am

I was so hoping for Circle in the Square but that's been taken.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 9:34am

I didn't think Present Laughter warrants winning anything. I didn't hate the show but the laughs were few and far between for me. Just was a rather ok show to me. 

[Kad]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 9:35am

evic said: "The producers of Band's Visit are shoppinq around for a theater do next season now that both critics ridiculously included an off b'way show in Broadway catagories.  What exactly were they trying to say?"

A transfer was being worked on way before this article.

The Band's Visit was in a good position to transfer anyway- picking up awards and great reviews.

 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 9:41am

fashionguru_23 said: "To me, Jenn Colella is a substitute for the entire cast of Come From Away. I think that Tony voters wanted to acknowledge the entire ensemble, and did this. Seeing the show, I can say that if anyone in the cast was nominated it would, be the same thing. "

 

Yeah, sure. But Jenn Colella is also much beloved in the community. She's a great human and she's been in a lot of flops. I still don't think she'll win.

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 10:13am

Although it ends up seeming like a bad joke when it is repeated so often, Ben's inclusion of Off-B shows is rooted in a very specific point and one that is at the core of his perspective on the theatre, viz., that there is way more to NY theatre than Broadway and that he does not want to be fully complicit in the corporate/media elevation of the Tonys and thus Broadway to so prominent a place in the assessment of what deserves recognition. Green obviously agrees and presumably do does the Times editorially.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 10:24am

That's certainly a respectable motivation, but the execution just is continuously poor and potentially confusing.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 10:41am

Mary Beth Peil ''steals the entire show.''

I thought if anyone deserved a Featured Actress nom in ''Anastasia,'' it's Caroline O'Connor, who WAS nominated by the Outer Critics.

Jenn Colella scored Featured Actress nominations from the Outer Critics, Drama Desk and the Tonys. One, because she's wonderful in the show. Two, she's the focus of attention as the pilot, and has a big solo. Colella just won her category at Outer Critics, and three of her fellow nominees (Baldwin, Block and Peil) are also her Tony competition. Will she repeat at Drama Desk, where she goes head-to-head with the same 3 (and Nora Schell from ''Spamilton'' )?

But at the Tonys, they all square off against Rachel Bay Jones, whom many pundits say is the one to beat. Stay tuned.

Updated On: 5/12/17 at 10:41 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 10:47am

The nominators for the OCC, Drama Desks, Drama Critics Circle, and the Tonys are all separate groups with little, if any, overlap and they range in size from just 8 people to several dozen, and they each have different voting bodies and different rules.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 10:51am

True, there is often little overlap among the OCC, Drama Desks and Tonys, and their winners could vary greatly, but at least in Featured Actress in a Musical, they agree on 4 of the 5 nominees.

Updated On: 5/12/17 at 10:51 AM

[ethan231h]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 10:56am

I love Jenn Colella but I want to see her win when she is a major force to a show. Yes she has a huge solo in the CFA, but technically speaking the show is ensemble force with Jenn having a solo. I don't think this is her year. I think one of the major locks for this year is Rachel Bay Jones in DEH and Comet for set and orchestrations. Oy can it just be June 11 already!!!! 

[showchoirguy]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 12:23pm

I don't thinks it's necessisarily wrong that Come From Away could win. Clybourne Park won Best Play without winning anything else that night. That being said, it's going to be a battle to the ends between Comet and DEH for score and orchestrations. Set, Lights, and director for Comet and DEH taking home something in the acting catagories. I also think the fight for book is between CFA and DEH. Both really strong, but we will see what the voters think.

[cam5y]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 12:56pm

showchoirguy said: "I don't thinks it's necessisarily wrong that Come From Away could win. Clybourne Park won Best Play without winning anything else that night. That being said, it's going to be a battle to the ends between Comet and DEH for score and orchestrations. Set, Lights, and director for Comet and DEH taking home something in the acting catagories. I also think the fight for book is between CFA and DEH. Both really strong, but we will see what the voters think."

I agree, and so it seems does Peter Marks: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/the-surprise-smash-of-the-broadway-season-come-from-away/2017/05/11/85259c4e-1fb2-11e7-ad74-3a742a6e93a7_story.html?tid=pm_entertainment_pop&utm_term=.ec81c741f19f 

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 1:23pm

I think Orchestrations will solidly go to Malloy for Comet. Book and Score are the real wild cards. 

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 1:34pm

Kad said: "evic said: "The producers of Band's Visit are shoppinq around for a theater do next season now that both critics ridiculously included an off b'way show in Broadway catagories.  What exactly were they trying to say?"

A transfer was being worked on way before this article.

The Band's Visit was in a good position to transfer anyway- picking up awards and great reviews.

The producers of The Band's Visit have been actively raising money for some time for a Broadway transfer. I think they will have a choice of theaters and are looking for one that will best suit the show. i.e. one on the smaller side. Obviously, the choice of a theater will impact on whether it opens in the fall of 2017 or spring of 2018, but from what I've heard, a transfer next season is pretty much a done deal.

 

 

"

 

[millermil]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 8:45pm

Sauja said: "I'm surprised no one thinks Zaks could get Director for Dolly. It just feels like enough of a juggernaut that I wouldn't be surprised if it came through with a bit of a sweep (costumes, scenic, lighting, direction all feel possible to me with actress, featured actor and revival being locks). I'm not basing this on which awards I think it deserves. I just have that strange kind of hunch that while everyone's debating Comet vs. Hansen vs. Come from Away, Dolly could surge and take home a bucketful of Tonys.

I agree, Zaks's did Dolly perfectly. 

 

[Chicken_Flavor]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 8:50pm

LOL! Brantleys picks gave me a good chuckle. He should put his money where his mouth is...

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 10:54pm

Earlier today, BroadwayWorld did a comparison of Ben Brantley's and Charles Isherwood's Tony predictions from 2012-16, and figured out their accuracy rate. Brantley got 64% of his predictions right, and Isherwood did only slightly better with 68%. ... What's more, if this year's Tony predictions are any indication, they didn't even predict all 24 categories. Brantley and Jesse Green just made the call in 16 categories, skipping the design ones, orchestrations and choreography. Of course, those latter categories often make all the difference in who wins a Tony pool.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 5/13/17 at 2:18pm

broadwayboy223 said: "Any chance that Block could win and pull an upset?"

I think if Falsettos was still running, she'd be a lot more in the conversation, but you have to go all the way back to 1999 when a closed production of a musical won an acting award (which was Martin Short for Little Me).

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 5/13/17 at 2:30pm

Here's how I see the Best Musical race at this point...

If Come From Away ends up winning, it would be the third time a show won Best Musical, but wasn't nominated for Best Orchestrations (the other two being Contact and Avenue Q). I think two other possible wins for them would be Featured Actress and Book.

If Dear Evan Hansen wins, it could also receive Lead Actor, Featured Actress, Book, and Score.

If The Great Comet wins, it could also receive Featured Actor, Director, Score, Orchestrations, Lighting, Sets, and Costumes. If The Great Comet doesn't win, it could mark the first time since 2002 that a show lost Best Musical, but still won Director (which was Urinetown). Could The Great Comet also set a record for the most Tony wins by a production that ended up losing Best Musical?

Updated On: 5/13/17 at 02:30 PM