WAY TOO EARLY 2023 Tony Award Predictions — Page 13

ElephantLoveMedley said: "I also think that this award is Groban's to lose. And I say that as someone who typically detests Platt but thought he was extraordinary inParade, as well as someone who thought that Ghee was one of the best parts of an otherwise terrible show. Groban is vocally staggering, and I thought his acting was unique in a refreshing way.

I personally think nominations are all but guaranteed for those three men (Ghee, Groban, and Platt). This leaves the other two nomination spots open to Christian Borle, Andrew Burnap, Brian D'Arcy James, Casey Likes, Colton Ryan, and Will Swenson.

What are our thoughts on how those remaining nominations will play out? I would personally nominate Burnap and D'Arcy James."

I see Burnap and Swenson being the most likely people to sneak in for those final two slots, purely just because of recency bias. We all love Brian D'Arcy James, but it's undeniable that Swenson is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that show, and he'll probably get the nod for it.

bwayphreak234 said: "Having seen Borle, Burnap, Ghee, Groban, James, Platt, and Swenson, I would hands down give it to Burnap. His Arthur is truly magnificent."

Could not agree more. I have seen every leading performance and Burnap gave the strongest and most memorable of the bunch. All the others have slight detractions (Platt a very solid return, Groban mostly great, Ghee a highlight in an average show), but Burnap is giving an incredible performance in an incredible production, only complemented by his co-stars, not outshined. I will await reviews but for my money I could see him end up a serious contender.

bwayphreak234 said: "Having seen Borle, Burnap, Ghee, Groban, James, Platt, and Swenson, I would hands down give it to Burnap. His Arthur is truly magnificent."



Funny, but having seen all of these performances, I would rank Burnap dead last (in fact I wouldn't even nominate him). I saw the 2nd preview -- so hopefully he's improved since then.

That what makes it a horse race!

Re: A Beautiful Noise - I think Robyn Hurder gave the best performance in that show. Her one number, "Forever In Blue Jeans", was remarkable. I would love to see her nominated for best featured actress, but that's a tight race.

I think that Carolee will be nominated for Bad Cinderella as one of the few nominations that BC will get. (Along with maybe lighting and costumes)

What nominations do you think that shows that flopped will get?

Do we think that 1776 will get a costumes nomination, and was K-pops lighting or choreo good enough for a nomination, and will Almost Famous get anything?

For those who have seen Camelot, do you think it will be eligible for Best Book?

No expert on the original book from Camelot, and it’s been years since I’ve seen it. But after seeing this revival a week ago, I can’t believe there was much of the book left untouched…and yet it seemed very natural to me. So I’d say yes, Sorkin will be eligible, nominated, and may win.
And I also agree, Burnap is fantastic, and the main reason this new version works so well.

JSquared2 said: "Broadway61004 said: "It feels like Burnap and James are the most likely, but I also for some reason have a feeling they're going to like A Beautiful Noise much more than we're anticipating, which leads me to think Swenson will get in. Would not at all be shocked if we get 6 nominees since the vote for this category seems like it's going to be very, very close."



I think you're mistaken. The industry doesn't likeBeautiful Noisemuch -- and they REALLY don't like its lead producer -- so the show may get completely shut out (with the possible exception of Swenson -- who is loved by the industry)."



We get it. You hate Ken and everything he does. If he produced Follies or Hamilton, you would hate it.

However, I applaud independent producers who are not part of the Disney or big corporate machine that produce so many shows now. I don't remember you trashing Scott Rudin or Harvey Weinstein.

We need more diverse (I believe Ken is Indian American) independent producers

Musical Actor is competitive, but the most interesting race to me is Featured Actor. I feel like Creel, Cooley, Matarazzo, Del Aguila, Donica, and Grayson all have a good shot at winning.

JSquared2 said: "bwayphreak234 said: "Having seen Borle, Burnap, Ghee, Groban, James, Platt, and Swenson, I would hands down give it to Burnap. His Arthur is truly magnificent."



Funny, but having seen all of these performances, I would rank Burnap dead last (in fact I wouldn't even nominate him). I saw the 2nd preview -- so hopefully he's improved since then.

That what makes it a horse race!

"

I had the same impression. He gave a very low energy performance when I saw him. I felt he didn't want to be there and there wasn't much chemistry between him and Philippa (who was magnificent). Maybe he had a bad day or something, but yeah... Based on what I saw he's on the bottom of my list. I haven't seen Swenson though and have yet to see Platt.

I feel like Leopoldstadt has it in the bag.

bwayphreak234 said: "Having seen all the new musicals at this point, I think Best Musical is definitely going to Kimberly Akimbo. I thought New York, New York might give it a run for its money, but having seen New York, New York last night, there's not even a chance."



When I speak to fellow theater lovers who are not necessarily in the business, they agree; KA has a lock on it. But when I speak to people who are or work for theater professionals, I hear it's SLIH.