Tony Night Suprises — Page 2

Ok, haha - lots of confusion around my earlier post, some of which was my fault.

First, I confess that I completely forgot that the OCCs were announced already!! Mea culpa. And yes, they did go with All My Sons, so there's that.

Second, I agree that pre-cursors definitely should not be relied upon exclusively as a predictor for the Tonys. But that doesn't mean they should be dismissed wholesale. At the very least, they can remind the Tony committee of certain shows, and guide their attention and perspective.



carolinaguy said "Also, if BitB opened before Waverly, how did the latter become a front-runner by default?"



Sorry I was unclear. Maybe it's me, but I never thought the term "frontrunner" had anything to do with when something opened, does it? But in any case, the reason I said Waverley seemed to be the default frontrunner is because, when the Spring play revivals started coming out, and most of them ended up not living up to expectations, it seemed like everyone sort of looked to Waverley as the most viable option, not considering that BitB might stick in the voters' minds. Anyway that was my read on the situation, personally.

SomethingPeculiar said: "@AfterEight,

Oh THAT'S the screed??? Sorry, I thought you were talking about different screed. So much screed nowadays, you know. (Assassin's Screed, Appollo Screed, Screed Bratton, etc.)"

Screed Bratton nearly made me spit my tea out. Bravo.

People already have huge problems with Tootsie. is anyone else thinking about how much of an uproar there will be if it wins any awards? Like even one--people will immediately attack the show and say "Tonys are cancelled" and things like that. I can't imagine how wild Twitter will go if it wins awards. The trans community has been incredibly vocal and I can't imagine how much it will explode.

BJR said: "TOOTSIE isn't going home empty handed.

On that note, I have a feeling THE PROM might not either... question is, what category might be the upset. Beth for Actress? Brooks for Actor? Musical (I doubt it)?"

I really don't see PROM winning anything, sadly. If Hadestown had a stronger book, I could maaaaybe see Hades and Tootsie splitting votes with Prom winning, but I think it would be hard to stop Tootsie's Best Book win at this point.

Remember, the voters probably really like Tootsie. They are older, whiter, male-r, and wealthier than most of the Tootsie haters on BWW and Twitter.

BJR said: "TOOTSIE isn'tgoing home empty handed.

On that note, I have a feeling THE PROM might not either... question is, what category might be the upset. Beth for Actress? Brooks for Actor? Musical (I doubt it)?"

While Santino seems pretty locked for Best Actor, I don't think it's out of the question that Brooks could pull the upset. This category could end up being very much like 2007: Raul Esparaza was out in front the whole way (and as much as I love DHP, probably gave the better performance and ultimately deserved to win), but the Tony voters had a much-beloved longtime veteran Broadway character actor giving the performance of his career in a show they wanted to recognize somehow, and so gave it their Best Actor vote.

Also, I could envision a scenario where The Prom only takes Best Musical. I think even the biggest Prom fans agree there are a ton of individual elements in Hadestown that are worthy of awards, but The Prom seems to be a show that people just love, and when it comes time to actually voting for Best Musical, I could definitely see them rewarding it.

Not saying I'm predicting either of these to happen by any means, but these could be definite upsets that work in The Prom's favor.

"I don't think it's out of the question that Brooks could pull the upset. This category could end up being very much like 2007: Raul Esparaza was out in front the whole way (and as much as I love DHP, probably gave the better performance and ultimately deserved to win), but the Tony voters had a much-beloved longtime veteran Broadway character actor giving the performance of his career in a show they wanted to recognize somehow, and so gave it their Best Actor vote."


The biggest difference is that DHP was a character actor who went off to become famous on TV, came back to Broadway, and was selling tickets in a hit show. A lot of the industry (and audiences) were mixed on Esparza. Many people felt his performance was cold and almost psychopathic, which is a lot different than "seven times a godfather!" His Being Alive may have been the best we'll ever see, but it was an isolated moment that didn't quite connect with the rest of his performance.

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME for Best Play

THE PROM for Best Book over TOOTSIE

Jeremy Pope for Best Leading Actor in a Play

HADESTOWN for Best Choreography over KISS ME KATE

Janet McTeer winning would be a great and most deserved surprise. (I know Elaine May is going to win)

Jeremy Pope deserves both of his nominations, but if he wins either it will indeed be a surprise. Ephram Sykes outshines him in Ain't Too Proud, and Cranston ought to walk away with the Tony for Network.

I think Hadestown has the potential to upset in the choreography, set and costume categories (in order from most likely to least likely). I also second the people that say What the Constitution Means to Me could upset Best Play. Would LOVE to see Pope win for Chior Boy as well.

Updated On: 5/21/19 at 01:01 PM