My Tony Nominations Predictions (Revised In Accordance With Final Rulings)

Below are my final predictions for the 2008 Tony Award Nominations, taking into account the final Administration Committee rulings announced today.

Here is the link to the rulings:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/117554.html

These are not my personal picks, but rather who I think will actually be nominated on Tuesday.

I did not select winners, since we are only at the nominations stage.

Best Musical
A CATERED AFFAIR
IN THE HEIGHTS
PASSING STRANGE
XANADU

Best Revival Of A Musical
GREASE
GYPSY
SOUTH PACIFIC
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

Best Play
THE 39 STEPS
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
ROCK ’N’ ROLL
THE SEAFARER

Best Revival Of A Play
BOEING-BOEING
THE HOMECOMING
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
MACBETH

Best Director Of A Musical
Sam Buntrock, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Thomas Kail, IN THE HEIGHTS
Bartlett Sher, SOUTH PACIFIC
Christopher Ashley, XANADU

Best Director Of A Play
Daniel Sullivan, THE HOMECOMING
Rupert Goold, MACBETH
Anna D. Shapiro, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
David Leveaux, CYRANO DE BERGERAC

Best Leading Actor In A Musical
Daniel Evans, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Cheyenne Jackson, XANADU
Lin Manuel Miranda, IN THE HEIGHTS
Paulo Szot, SOUTH PACIFIC
Tom Wopat, A CATERED AFFAIR

Best Leading Actress In A Musical
Kerry Butler, XANADU
Patti LuPone, GYPSY
Kelli O’Hara, SOUTH PACIFIC
Faith Prince, A CATERED AFFAIR
Jenna Russell, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

Best Featured Actor In A Musical
Daniel Breaker, PASSING STRANGE
Danny Burstein, SOUTH PACIFIC
Robin De Jesús, IN THE HEIGHTS
Christopher Fitzgerald, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
Boyd Gaines, GYPSY

Best Featured Actress In A Musical
Laura Benanti, GYPSY
Mary Testa, XANADU
Jackie Hoffman, XANADU
Olga Merediz, IN THE HEIGHTS
Loretta Ables Sayre, SOUTH PACIFIC

Best Leading Actor In A Play
Laurence Fishburne, THURGOOD
Kevin Kline, CYRANO DE BERGERAC
Mark Rylance, BOEING-BOEING
Ian McShane, THE HOMECOMING
Nathan Lane, NOVEMBER

Best Leading Actress In A Play
Kate Fleetwood, MACBETH
Deanna Dunagan, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Amy Morton, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Anika Noni Rose, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
Sinéad Cusack, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

Best Featured Actor In A Play
Raúl Esparza, THE HOMECOMING
Michael McKean, THE HOMECOMING
Jim Norton, THE SEAFARER
Jeff Perry, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
David Pittu, IS HE DEAD?

Best Featured Actress In A Play
Christine Baranski, BOEING-BOEING
Mary McCormack, BOEING-BOEING
Rosie Perez, THE RITZ
Rondi Reed, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Marisa Tomei, TOP GIRLS

Best Book Of A Musical
A CATERED AFFAIR (Book by Harvey Fierstein)
IN THE HEIGHTS (Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes)
PASSING STRANGE (Book by Stew)
XANADU (Book by Douglas Carter Beane)

Best Original Score
A CATERED AFFAIR (Music and Lyrics by John Bucchino)
IN THE HEIGHTS (Music and Lyrics by Lin Manuel-Miranda)
PASSING STRANGE (Music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Lyrics by Stew)
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks)

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, CRY-BABY
Andy Blankenbuehler, IN THE HEIGHTS
Christopher Gattelli, SOUTH PACIFIC
Dan Knechtges, XANADU

Best Orchestrations
A CATERED AFFAIR (Music Orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick)
IN THE HEIGHTS (Music Orchestrated by Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman)
PASSING STRANGE (Music Orchestrated by Stew and Heidi Rodewald)
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Music Orchestrated by Doug Besterman)

Best Scenic Design Of A Play
OLD ACQUAINTANCE (Scenic Design by Alexander Dodge)
IS HE DEAD? (Scenic Design by Peter J. Davison)
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Scenic Design by Todd Rosenthal)
MACBETH (Scenic Design by Anthony Ward and Lorna Heavey)

Best Scenic Design Of A Musical
IN THE HEIGHTS (Scenic Design by Anna Louizos)
SOUTH PACIFIC (Scenic Design by Michael Yeargan)
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Scenic Design by Robin Wagner)
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Scenic Design by David Farley, Tim Bird and The Knifedge Creative Network)

Best Costume Design Of A Play
CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Costume Design by Gregory Gale)
OLD ACQUAINTANCE (Costume Design by David C. Woolard)
CYMBELINE (Costume Design by Jess Goldstein)
LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES (Costume Design by Katrina Lindsay)

Best Costume Design Of A Musical
A CATERED AFFAIR (Costume Design by Ann Hould-Ward)
IN THE HEIGHTS (Costume Design by Paul Tazewell)
SOUTH PACIFIC (Costume Design by Catherine Zuber)
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Costume Design by David Farley)

Best Lighting Design Of A Play
THE 39 STEPS (Lighting Design by Kevin Adams)
CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Costume Design by Gregory Gale)
LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES (Lighting Design by Donald Holder)
MACBETH (Lighting Design by Howard Harrison)

Best Lighting Design Of A Musical
IN THE HEIGHTS (Lighting Design by Howell Binkley)
PASSING STRANGE (Lighting Design by Kevin Adams)
SOUTH PACIFIC (Lighting Design by Donald Holder)
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Lighting Design by Ken Billington)

Best Sound Design Of A Play
THE 39 STEPS (Sound Design by Mic Pool)
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Sound Design by Richard Woodbury)
MACBETH (Sound Design by Adam Cork)
THE SEAFARER (Sound Design by Matthew Smethurst Evans)

Best Sound Design Of A Musical
GYPSY (Sound Design by Dan Moses Schreier)
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Sound Design by Jonathan Deans)
IN THE HEIGHTS (Sound Design by Acme Sound Partners)
SOUTH PACIFIC (Sound Design by Scott Lehrer)

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Updated On: 5/8/08 at 12:15 PM

This is the way I see it. Personally, I think YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN has the better score than GLORY DAYS, but the Nominating Committee knows that if they nominate Mel Brooks, he's going to go on and on in his pre- and post-show interviews about how they deserved a Best Musical nomination. The GLORY DAYS guys at least will be humbled to be recognized. The only other options are CRY-BABY, which is a corporate funded movie-to-musical mess, and THE LITTLE MERMAID, which is only really half of a new score.

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The travesty about LITTLE MERMAID and the reason it shouldn't be nominated is that Howard Ashman's beautiful work in the original film sticks out so much from the generic mess that Glenn Slater and Alan Menken wrote, they didn't even try to do an original mess.
I follow exactly the same logic you're following re the possible nod to GLORY DAYS, that's why I said it pretty much makes sense, at least to me.

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I'm also expecting some more YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN nominations. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it snagged a Best Musical nomination over XANADU.

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It has just been ruled that Arthur Laurents will be eligible for directing Gypsy, so he may bump someone out of that category.

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Yeah, when was this announced about Laurents?


This should make that category interesting now.

I think YF will grab a few. And INTH for book and costumes. I must say the book is the weak part of the show. Thank goodness for the most unorginal dancing(seen it on MTV). It made the show some what bearable. Costumes, they wear street clothes.

Updated On: 5/8/08 at 03:05 PM

I'm with munk.

I think YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN might steal the last spot away from XANADU or even possibly A CATERED AFFAIR. And I think Andrea Martin will get a nod as will Chris Fitzgerald, the score, the scenic design, the sound design, choreography, and costume designs.


It's so funny that after YF came out everyone deemed it the Tony snub-ee of the season...it goes to show that you shouldn't talk too soon. Glory Days...Cry-Baby...The Little Mermaid..etc etc.

I do think, however, that the last score nod is up in the air with YF and TLM both fighting for it. GLORY DAYS will not get any Tony nominations.

Updated On: 5/8/08 at 03:51 PM

To those who think YF might get a Best Musical nomination over Xanadu, why? I'm just curious.

I'm suprised because I thought Xanadu was raved about and praised for most all aspects, while Young Frankenstein was pretty much written off, and despised in some cases, in its critical reception.

As of now IMO:

Best Musical
A CATERED AFFAIR
IN THE HEIGHTS *winner*
PASSING STRANGE
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Best Play
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY *winner*
ROCK 'N ROLL
THE SEAFARER
THE 39 STEPS

Best Revival of a Musical
GREASE
GYPSY
SOUTH PACIFIC *winner*
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

Best Revival of a Play
THE HOMECOMING
TOP GIRLS
BOEING-BOEING
MACBETH *winner*

And I pretty much agree with everyone's performance nominees...I think the acting races are pretty boring this year. Besides Best Featured Actress in a Musical for which I think the nominees will be:
MEGAN MULLALLY, YF
ANDREA MARTIN, YF
JACKIE HOFFMAN, XANADU
MARY TESTA, XANADU
LAURA BENANTI, GYPSY *winner*

LUPONE, BUNTROCK, SHAPIRO, GAINES, MORTON, REED, NORTON, STEWART, and MIRANDA are my other picks to win at this point.

Also, I think Cheyenne will get a nod over Stew for Actor.

Score will go to ITH, book to XANADU.

I agree almost completely.

1.) I don't think GLORY DAYS will be nominated for Best Original Score.

2.) I don't think Testa and Hoffman will be nominated for Featured Actress.

Other than that, the predictions look pretty golden.

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Glory Days is not eligible

The score nod?

Yeah, I think it's pretty much going to be In the Heights, Passing Strange, Young Frankenstein, and A Catered Affair duking it out.

I don't think Cry-Baby has much of a chance of winning or being nominated for anything beyond Choreography or possibly Costume Design.