The Tonys: Predictions, Bitchings, Etc.

IT'S TONY SEASON! Actually, the Tony Awards are Sunday. I know, I know, Tony Awards are bullshit and a money scam for producers and celebrities and blah blah blah. Sure, thats true, but it is also the one award show a year that I get to care about. For one night, the rest of america cares about broadway and to me, a girl who has alway felt like a broadway loving freak, thats a huge deal

Now comes the time to make predictions, and bitch about who wasn't nominated that should have been

Since many of the shows did not open until late in the season this year, I have not seen many of them and will be making some predictions based on critics and generally word of mouth.

These are the shows I HAVE seen that opened this season on Broadway:

Scotsboro Boys, Women in the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Arcadia, Catch Me if You Can, Jerusalem, Wonderland (poor wonderland.....),How to Succeed, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Baby It's You and Spiderman (oh wait, thats still not open).

Getting tickets to Book of Mormon currently costs about 1 months rent for an NYC apartment, and their lotto is the craziest lotto I have ever witnessed (and god knows I've witnessed enough lotto) so I'm a bit clueless about their categories and refuse to listen to the cast recording before seeing it for fear of ruining the jokes.

Also, I've decided to omit plays, even though I saw plays this year (all two of 'em!) Mainly because I don't care enough about plays, but also because I still don't "get" plays and feel unable to judge them and say which of them are best.

So here's what I'm gonna do, go through each category, note my pick of what I would want to win in dream land, note what I think is going to win in the real world, and comment if there are shows that deserved to be nominated and weren't. yeah?

Best Musical

**My pick & think will win** The Book of Mormon

Catch Me If You Can

The Scottsboro Boys

Sister Act

Best Book of a Musical

(secretly my pick, because i love bloody bloody)

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Alex Timbers

**my pick and think will win** The Book of Mormon

Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

The Scottsboro Boys

David Thompson

Sister Act

Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

**my pick and I think will win** The Book of Mormon

Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

The Scottsboro Boys

Music & Lyrics: John Kander & Fred Ebb

Sister Act

Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Glenn Slater

(by the way, I kinda love the music for this show. for realz. Listen to it, its better than the show was) 

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

**SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. [Populism, yea yea? COME ONNNN, best new stuff I've heard recently]

Best Revival of a Musical

*will win* Anything Goes 

*my pick* How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
*i think will win* Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
*my pick* Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

**Should have been nominated: BENJAMIN WALKER. Bloody Bloody Andrew fucking Jackson.

Aaron Tveit, Catch Me If You Can

Daniel Radcliffe, How to Succeed 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

*my pick, will win* Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It's You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture

*Should have been nominated: Janet Dacal, Wonderland. Out of pure pity

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
* My pick* John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
*Will Win* Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon

*Should have been nominated: Will Swenson, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

*My pick, should win* Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

*should have been nominated: Kerry Butler, Catch Me If You Can

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
*might win?* Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
*my pick* Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

*Should have been Nominated: Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Costume Design of a Musical

*my pick and will win* Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

*my pick, will win?* Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon

**Should have been nominated: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Best Sound Design of a Musical

*my pick* Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
* will win* Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon

Best Direction of a Musical

Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
*my pick, will win* Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
* will win* Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
* my pick* Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Orchestrations

* my pick* Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys

*will win* Larry Hochman & Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can

My overall opinion is that Book of Mormon is going to take a whole lotta awards home. Overall I think this year has been a bit disappointing until Mormon became the late spring power house. I wish Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson had received more recognition for its originality, because it was honestly the best new piece I saw all year, and the piece that challenged theater and the rules the most.

I have discussed with my brother on many occasions why a certain show wins best musical. Years when my faith in the tony awards have been proven such as when Avenue Q beat Wicked I remember waiting up in my room crying with joy that the underdog won. Seeing In the Heights go from this amazing off-broadway show I raved about to wining quite a few tony awards still gives me the chills. I believe to some extent the voters DO think about originality, and what hasn't been done, however last year seeing both Fela and American Idiot slaughtered by a cookie cutter musical that is a rehashing of ever 60's musical, Memphis, is disturbing. How two shows, Fela and Idiot that challenge and broke so many rules and provoked emotions in me as an audience member in a way I have never felt, did not receive more praise and recognition by the Tonys disgusts me.

Do Tony Awards really matter? no. In the Heights still closed, even though it had a decent run. God knows Mamma Mia is still kickin' it at the Winter Garden, and Wicked's ticket sales don't seem to have been altered by their lack of best musical tony. Eh. We'll see what happens sunday. I'm still excited, its freaken Neil Patrick Harris afterall. And if Mormon is what its cracked up to be via every person I've talked to that has actually seen it, it deserves to sweep.