Broadway.com Handicaps Tonys- Page 2

[Kad]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 12:42pm

I can see their nominees for Best Actress in a Musical now:

Patti Murin, Lysistrata Jones
Audra McDonald, Porgy and Bess
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher
Bernadette Peter's Revised Dress, Follies
An Eclair, from the reception following the awards

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 1:44pm

After seeing Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy in GHOST, I wouldn't count either out of contention for a Tony nomination...(Fleeshman over Ricky Martin and Cassie Levy over Bernadette Peters)

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 2:20pm

Waymons Wong has something against old people.

The only actor who could get a nom from GHOST is the Divine Joy.
For men, it will come down to Berstein vs. Jordan, which is a perfect example of apples and oranges.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 5:09pm

After seeing Streetcar this afternoon, I have a hard time seeing Nicole Ari Parker left out of the leading actress category. Her performance was such a pleasant surprise. I think the category will be:

Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Linda Lavin, The Lyons
Nicole Ari Parker, A Streetcar Named Desire

What a jam-packed season! There are so many deserving actresses this time around, but only 5 can be recognized. I would LOVE to see acknowledgements for Tyne Daly, Jennifer Lim, and Rachel Griffiths as well, but the field is just too crowded.

[downstagecenter]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 5:39pm

The only people who should be arguing about nominations are those of you have seen in person every potential actor/actress in their respective roles.

Those of you who are basing your nominations on reviews do not understand how things work.

Updated On: 4/21/12 at 05:39 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 6:05pm

Luckily, the only play or musical I have yet to see is The Best Man (which I may be seeing tonight). As that doesn't have an eligible leading actress, I feel comfortable making predictions in that category.

[CukorLover]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 11:52pm

"Waymons Wong has something against old people"

I don't know if he does or not, but he surely likes anything young and male.

FYI: It's Waymon.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 11:56pm

Waymons Wong has something against old people.

OK. Curtain, you made me laugh. Love that.

t, but he surely likes anything young and male.

Yup! And Memphis. Please don't forget Memphis.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 4/22/12 at 12:04am

I love Gold Derby, and they make phenomenal predictions / analysis for the Emmy and Academy Awards, but their Tony predictions are always.........

[mikem]

Posted: 4/22/12 at 11:42pm

Tom O'Neil, the owner of GoldDerby, is based in Los Angeles, so his Tony predictions are always a bit random because he hasn't actually seen any of the shows.

It will be interesting to see the Outer Critics Circle's completely random set of nominations on Monday. Usually it's like they wrote all of the candidates' names on slips of paper and just threw them in the air and nominated the first ones that landed.

The Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations on the play side will be particularly interesting this year because I believe that Other Desert Cities, Clybourne Park, and Venus in Fur should all be ineligible because they were eligible in their Off-Broadway incarnations in previous seasons. I would not be suprised to see Linda Lavin win Best Actress for The Lyons by one or both groups.

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 4/22/12 at 11:49pm

Kad, I would replace Audra with Linda Lavin for Other Desert Cities.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/22/12 at 11:50pm

The Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations on the play side will be particularly interesting this year because I believe that Other Desert Cities, Clybourne Park, and Venus in Fur should all be ineligible because they were eligible in their Off-Broadway incarnations in previous seasons. I would not be suprised to see Linda Lavin win Best Actress for The Lyons by one or both groups.

This is SUCH a good point. I had totally forgotten that. It will certainly be between Linda and Tracie Bennett. I suppose Judith Light, Rachel Griffiths, and Hugh Dancy will be eligible though. This could be very interesting.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 12:00am

I suppose the same will go for Peter and the Starcatcher as well. Hopefully that won't ruin Christian's momentum for the Tonys.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 1:18am

As for musicals, anything that opened on Broadway this season (aside from Lyssie J) did not come from off-Broadway, correct? So the Outer Space Critics and Dunkin Doughnut Desk Awards MIGHT be a decent predictor for the musicals.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 1:29am

Once premiered Off-Broadway at NYTW IIRC but transferred only a few months later.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 8:49am

Right, so Once will still be eligible for everything. And actually, didn't Lysistrata Jones open in June off-Broadway? If so, I'm sure it missed the cutoff for all of the awards last season, so it's probably technically eligible as well.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/23/12 at 7:30pm

They covered Best Actor in a Play today. I HIGHLY disagree that Stacy Keach is a frontrunner. He's not even in my top 5. I have a hard time seeing him getting a nomination over Lithgow, Corden, Hoffman, Larroquette, and Dancy. But even if he is nominated, I don't think you can consider him a frontrunner. They really should have petitioned him down to featured.

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/161377/going-for-2012-tony-gold-handicapping-the-race-for-best-actor-in-a-play/

[mmh1019]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 3:06pm

they just put out their handicap for Best Featured Actor in a Musical

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/161359/going-for-2012-tony-gold-handicapping-the-race-for-best-featured-actor-in-a-musical/

can't say I'm surprised by their choices, glad to see Ben Fankhauser & Telly Leung get some love. very interested to see who ends up w/ nominations.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 3:08pm

It's interesting that their "shout-out" is to the person who, I think, is the favorite to win at this point...

[mmh1019]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 3:17pm

you're right, I didn't even catch that at the bottom!! I haven't seen Porgy & Bess, but I hear Phillip is really really good.

[ChildrenwillListen]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 3:21pm

As a technical theatre major, I hate how the tech people get overlooked at the Tonys. I know they have categories but no one seems to care much about them. They get two second snippets of their speeches during commercials and that's it. They deserve more than that because they play a big part in the productions.

[roadmixer]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 3:49pm

One of the problems with the technical awards as I see it is that the Tony voters, for the most part, don't know how to judge the technical merits of a show. Voters are not made up of many designers. A better system would be to have these categories voted on by peers like the Oscars but that would require the Tony voter pool to be opened up to a whole new segment of the industry. Many argue that this would be a good thing though because the Tony's are in danger of being irrelevant these days...

[Kad]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 3:52pm

Tech awards are typically overlooked- simply because most audience members don't know who designers are and don't really care.

[ChildrenwillListen]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 8:21pm

Which is exactly my point. We all work hard to do what we do and get no attention. That's not fair at all

[Back Row]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 9:57pm

If lack of audience interest was the primary reason tech awards are overlooked, the same logic should hold true for awards for straight plays. The television audience, for the most part, has never heard of any of the plays or the actors and doesn't care who wins those awards. If they disappeared from the telecast, I doubt it would have any effect on the ratings. The truth is that most of the television audience tunes in to see singing and dancing, some reality TV star as a presenter and a CBS sitcom star as the host. And more and more, the telecast is geared to that audience. The difference is that the lack of respect for the tech side extends beyond the television executives and into the acting community as well.

I think it's a shame. Years ago, when they first started separating the awards, the technical awards were telecast on PBS, along with some fascinating footage of the actual designs of the nominees, with interviews about the process. It was very well done and gave these artists the recognition and respect they deserved, even if it was relegated to a "lesser" network. I'd love to see a return to that format, because it elevates the presentation to something more than just a variety show.

I do not make my living in the arts. I'm an engineer by trade. For me, the convergence of color and light and materials and movement and sound that creates the backdrop for these performances is a work of art. In my eyes, when it is done right, it can be as breathtaking as the most eloquent soliloquy delivered by the finest actor. It would be wonderful if these professionals got the recognition they deserved.

Updated On: 4/24/12 at 09:57 PM