Yankee's Tony Winner Predictions, Updated

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:21pm

Musical:
Best Musical: Passing Strange
Best Revival: Sunday in the Park with George
Best Actress: Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Best Actor: Paulo Szot, South Pacific
Best Featured Actress: Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Best Featured Actor: Boyd Ganes, Gypsy
Best Director: Bartlet Sher, South Pacific
Best Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Best Book: Douglas Carter Beane, Xanadu
Best Score: Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Best Set Design: Michael Yeargan, South Pacific
Best Lighting Design: Donald Holder, South Pacific
Best Costume Design: Catherine Zuber, South Pacific
Best Sound Design: Acme Sound Partners, In the Heights
Best Orchestrations: Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange

Plays:
Best Play: August: Osage County
Best Revival of a Play: Top Girls
Best Actor: Patrick Stewart, Macbeth
Best Actress: Amy Morton, August: Osage County
Best Featured Actor: Jim Norton, The Seafarer OR Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing (I'll be happy with both)
Best Featured Actress: Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
Best Director: Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Best Set Design: Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County
Best Lighting Design: Donald Holder, Cyrano de Bergerac
Best Costume Design: Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac
Best Sound Design: Adam Cork, Macbeth

Thoughts?
Updated On: 4/6/08 at 07:21 PM

[BenKaye]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:27pm

For Best Director for a musical, do you mean Barlet Sher for South Pacific, or Annie Dorsen for Passing Strange.

Other than that, great predictions.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:27pm

I'm not sold on Patrick Stewart, but I think Is He Dead? will have been closed for too long for Norbert Leo Butz to get recognized with the award, so Stewart might get it by default in a way.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:30pm

In The Heights will at least get Actor for Lin-Manuel Miranda, if not Best Musical. I also think it will win Best Score.

Other than that, I agree pretty much entirely.

[FIERCEY516]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:30pm

Paulo wins BEST ACTOR???

no. lovely singing but he didn't even come close to inspiring me or anything.

also I think "IN THE HEIGHTS" wins for best orchestrations.

[bigred3535]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:32pm

Not a lot of love for In the Heights in your predictions. I think, even if it's not necessarily the best show, it will win more than you think because it's so unique and "ground-breaking" (though Passing Strange is, as well; it's just not as popular...yet). At any rate, though I haven't seen South Pacific, I think Lin-Manuel Miranda will at least pull down Best Actor and one or both of Best Score/Book.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:32pm

In The Heights will get Best Actor as well as Best Score.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:32pm

BenKaye - My bad. Meant South Pacific. I was not at all pulling a Lucille Lortel Award blunder!

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:34pm

Are we sure Fleetwood won't be considered a lead actress?
If she is, I think Rondi Reed takes it home.

Also, I think that because it uses such unorthodox instruments, In the Heights gets the orchestration award.

I can't see Szot taking home best actor. I think he might, and he probably deserves it, but my money is on Lin.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:35pm

Musical:
Best Musical: IN THE HEIGHTS
Best Revival: SOUTH PACIFIC
Best Actress: Patti LuPone, Gypsy OR POSSIBLE UPSET BY FAITH PRINCE
Best Actor: LIN- MANUEL MIRANDA, IN THE HEIGHTS (i would bet my arm on this)
Best Score: LIN- MANUEL MIRANDA, IN THE HEIGHTS

[tazber]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:38pm

I'm not crazy about ITH, but I think it has the best chance to win Best Musical.

Such a weak year.

Updated On: 4/6/08 at 07:38 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:45pm

Yankee, I agree with a lot, but, well, not everything...

Musical:
Best Musical: A Catered Affair
Best Revival: South Pacific
Best Actress: Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Best Actor: Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair
Best Featured Actress: Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Best Featured Actor: Boyd Ganes, Gypsy
Best Director: Bartlet Sher, South Pacific
Best Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Best Book: Harvey Fierstein, A Catered Affair
Best Score: John Bucchino, A Catered Affair
Best Set Design: Michael Yeargan, South Pacific
Best Lighting Design: Donald Holder, South Pacific
Best Costume Design: Catherine Zuber, South Pacific
Best Sound Design: South Pacific (Don't have my Playbill at my desk, who did the sound?)
Best Orchestrations: Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

Plays:
Best Play: August: Osage County
Best Revival of a Play: Top Girls
Best Actor: Norbert Leo Butz, Is He Dead?
Best Actress: Amy Morton, August: Osage County
Best Featured Actor: Jim Norton, The Seafarer
Best Featured Actress: Laurie Metcalf, November
Best Director: Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Best Set Design: Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County
Best Lighting Design: Donald Holder, Cyrano de Bergerac
Best Costume Design: Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac
Best Sound Design: Adam Cork, Macbeth

Let me say a few things about A Catered Affair- it's very good. Is it entertaining? To most, not especially. However, I found it very entertaining because it grabbed me and I became emotionally involved. Fierstein's book was quite rich and quite well written. The score was quiet, simple, elegant and rather lovely. The orchestrations made the songs sound even better. John Doyle needs to learn the word "button", but it was staged very tenderly and very well. The cast was quite exceptional, Tomy Wopat being the standout. I'm going again next week, but a friend couldn't go on Friday and gave me his ticket, so I managed to go a little earlier than expected. It met my expectations. I think the critics will eat this up. At least, I think the Times will. If you remember, Ben Brantley really loved when Light in the Piazza concentrated on Margaret and wrote a love letter to Vicki Clark. This show concentrates very much on the adults- on Faith Prince and Tom Wopat's problems. It deals with their problems, however unimportant they are to uss, expertly and movingly. I think he'll like it. I think it'll get that "money" review and I think it'll win the Tony. In the Heights, to me, was empty. Passing Strange was stupid. Xanadu was both empty and stupid. That leaves us with A Catered Affair, sweet, simple, moving, human and in a weak season for new musicals, the best of the year. Remember when musicals were about people? Hopefully this one will remind you that they were if Light in the Piazza and Grey Gardens didn't already.

[jv92]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 7:55pm

Kids, it isn't that good. It really is very, very empty and very, very stupid. There's more substance in Avenue Q and Hairspray combined than there is in In the Heights. Miranda is sprighty and amusing, but there's more musical comedy nuance in David Hyde Pierce's performance in Curtains than there is in his for In the Heights. The score isn't all that great. The book is laughable.
Look, maybe I'm cranky because I saw Gypsy again yesterday and realized nothing is, was and ever will be as perfectly written as that show (Yes, even those god-awful kiddie numbers worked brilliantly, for some reason, this time!), but In the Heights is really second rate. Passing Strange is worse and Xanadu...well...let's not talk about that one.

From BWW's resident crank likely to be bashed for this one,
jv92

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:05pm

Jv, putting aside your love for A Catered Affair, how can you deny the brilliance of Douglas Carter Beane's book for Xanadu.

There is a difference between what he did and what Harvey did.

Harvey was given a story that worked and continued to make it work.
Doug was given the worst movie ever, and told to make a brilliant stage musical. He turned around what was a surefire flop and made a pretty darn funny show. That book was praised by every single major critic, and he is largely considered the savior of that show.

Now, Xanadu wasn't my favorite (though I really did like it), but I could recognize the brilliance of turning that awful movie into a funny and engaging stage musical.

Beane takes the cake for me.

[jv92]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:14pm

I just didn't get the joke, scaryclowns. Xanadu was just too arch and too campy for my tastes. I like Beane as a playwright very much. The Little Dog Laughed was wonderful. Xanadu just did not do it for me. And I loved Piazza and G.G. a lot more than Catered Affair, but in a season weak on good new musicals, it was a welcome surprise and it deserves a lot of success. I doubt it will get any, but it deserves to.

[BenKaye]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:15pm

For the musical predictions, this is how I put it.

Best Musical: Passing Strange
Best Revival: Sunday in the Park with George
Best Actress: Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Best Actor: Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park With George
Best Featured Actress: Mary Testa, Xanadu
Best Featured Actor: Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Best Director: John Doyle, A Catered Affair
Best Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Best Book: Stew, Passing Strange
Best Score: Stew and Heidi Rosewald, Passing Strange
Best Set Design: Michael Yeargan, South Pacific
Best Lighting Design: Kevin Adams, Passing Strange
Best Costume Design: Catherine Zuber, South Pacific
Best Sound Design: Tom Morse, Passing Strange
Best Orchestrations: Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:25pm

IN THE HEIGHTS is going to win Best Actor and Best Musical. At this point, it's pretty much a no-brainer, in my opinion.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:26pm

I think In The Heights will walk away with Best Actor and best score

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:26pm

My opinion:
Best Musical: In The Heights
Best Revival: Sunday in the Park with George
Best Actress: Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Best Actor: Lin Manuel Miranda, In The Heights
Best Featured Actress: Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Best Featured Actor: Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Best Director: Barlett Sher, South Pacific
Best Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Best Book: Douglas Carter Beane, Xanadu
Best Score: Stew and Heidi Rosewald, Passing Strange
Best Set Design: Michael Yeargan, South Pacific
Best Lighting Design: Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid
Best Costume Design: Catherine Zuber, South Pacific
Best Sound Design: ACME Sound, In The Heights
Best Orchestrations: Danny Troob, The Little Mermaid

[jv92]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:26pm

But it's NOT. That's the problem WickedRocks.

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:41pm

Isn't it a bit early to give the award for best revival of a play to Top Girls? None of the play revivals so far has gotten across the board raves, but Top Girls still hasn't even had one preview. Les Liaisons Dangerueses has not had it's first preview yet, also, maybe The Country Girl will have improved by the time it opens..

[stephen3]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 9:47pm

What about the "Glory Days" factor in the predictions?
Or will it be a factor at all?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:03pm

I really disagree. I think PASSING STRANGE is a bit to non-commercial for the Tonys. IN THE HEIGHTS is both fresh, new, and commercial. I have no doubt that it will take the Best Musical Tony (at least at this point in time). And Miranda got across the board raves for his performance...his toughest competition at this point is Szot (and if they want to award a SUNDAY performance, Evans) but I think HEIGHTS has score, actor, and musical locked up at this point.

And as far as GLORY DAYS, I don't think it should shake things up too much. From what I hear it's nothing really award-worthy. Unless they really work on it and make it a force worth reckoning with, I think the Musical nominees are pretty much set at this point (HEIGHTS, STRANGE, AFFAIR, and XANADU)...although XANADU could very well be alternated with GLORY. I think the nominees are going to be a lot more interesting than the winners...

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:08pm

Will someone please think of the children! (and by children I mean Young Frankenstein)

[Brick]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:13pm

Yes, wait and watch out for IN THE HEIGHTS. I'm calling Actor, Score, and possibly, Musical.