Tony Talk: 2016/17 season (vol. 3)

[tonygoldenemmy]

Is this the year Kelli O'Hara finally takes it?

[NUguy514]

I hope so! Who are the favorites in the various acting categories? (I'm woefully out of the loop this year.)

[malcolm1980]

The Curious Incident... got nominated for Choreography and it's a play. How many times has a play been nominated in that category?

[dws1982]

Dancing at Lughnasa, for one.

[Culturegeek]

(04-29-2015 02:35 AM)NUguy514 Wrote:  I hope so! Who are the favorites in the various acting categories? (I'm woefully out of the loop this year.)

Leading Actor, Play: Sharp vs Cooper vs Miles vs Boyer. Yeah, it's that good.

Leading Actress, Play: Mulligan (who I stupidly left off my predictions, but I meant to include her, honest. Mahogany blinded me!) vs Mirren. Mirren is 3 for 3 - three Broadway performances, three Tony nominations.

Featured Actor, Play: I dunno. Nivola's been turning in strong work for some time - his nomination definitely has a feeling of accrued credit. Parker has the advantage of two plays and a large-ish featured role (I presume).

Featured Actress, Play: I think it'll go to Ashford. This category is kind to comic starlets.

Leading Actor, Musical: Cerveris, but watch out for Yazbek

Leading Actress, Musical: O'Hara vs Chenowith vs Rivera

Featured Actor, Musical: Oscar vs Von Essen

Featured Actress, Musical: Miles.

[Above the Title]

Wow, so much catching up to do. It goes without saying that I have no insider advanced knowledge of any nominees or wins. This is the first year in history that I (or anyone ever?) went 20/20 in the leading acting category predix! Of course, it all went south with Best Featured Actor in a Play, which I think probably ruined everyone's batting average around here two. By the way, the Tony Administration Committee has to rule on every placement and eligibility. Anyone above the title (HEY THAT'S MY SCREENNAME) is lead - unless petitioned down, and the petition accepted - and vice versa. So you can always check where everyone is. There is no category confusion at the Tonys.

Here were my predix (time stamped ahead of time in email as proof) and my early thoughts on winners:

Best Play
Airline Highway
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Hand to God
Wolf Hall
Winner Predix: This was the final four. "Curious" should take it but "Hand to God" is coming on strong. I just think it's too edgy overall.

Best Actor
Steven Boyer
Bradley Cooper
Ben Miles
Bill Nighy
Alex Sharp
Winner Predix: I still think it's Sharp, with Boyer for the upset.

Best Actress
Geneva Carr
Helen Mirren
Elisabeth Moss
Carey Mulligan
Ruth Wilson
Winner Predix: Watch out for Mulligan sneaking in from behind. "Skylight" was super beloved (see the super random Featured Actor nod, and it's the only revival nominee still playing). Right now Mirren is ahead though.

Best Featured Actor
James Earl Jones
Richard McCabe
Nathaniel Parker
Bryce Pinkham
Micah Stock
Winner Predix: So the actual nominees were McCabe, Parker, Stock, Matthew Beard, K. Todd Freeman, and Alessandro Nivola. Honestly, Nivola's nom surprised me. He was uniformly looked at as the weak link in the production. But I guess it was beloved overall. Surprised by the JEJ snub and Pinkham snubs but that's the way the ball bounces. "Heidi" was not well-liked it seems outside of Peggy Olson. I need time to let this settle. My early guess is Nathaniel Parker with the support of "Wolf Hall."

Best Featured Actress
Annaleigh Ashford
Patricia Clarkson
Enid Graham
Lydia Leonard
Julie White
Winner Predix: I was 4/5 with the fifth slot going to Sarah Stiles for "Hand to God" and not either of the "Curious" ladies. Not an overall shocker like the above category. I would say it's Leonard (who plays Anne Boleyn) versus Ashford.

**
Best Musical
An American in Paris
Fun Home
Something Rotten
The Visit
Winner Predix: Holla to the final four but this is "Fun Home," as it should be.

Best Actor
Michael Cerveris
Brian d’Arcy James
Robert Fairchild
Ken Watanabe
Tony Yazbeck
Winner Predix: For now, it's Cerveris. The two dancing men are somewhat trailing. "Paris" has to show up somewhere but not sure if Fairchild has it in him to upset.

Best Actress
Kristin Chenoweth
Leanne Cope
Beth Malone
Kelli O’Hara
Chita Rivera
Winner Predix: Catfight to the end! Meow! I feel strongly that it's Chenoweth's right now, with Rivera in second. O'Hara, with a lovely performance in a well-liked piece, seems perennially a bridesmaid. I believe she becomes the losingest at 0-and-6 if she doesn't take it home. Chenoweth had reviews that said "performance of her career," etc. and she has not been rewarded since becoming a superstar.

Best Featured Actor
Christian Borle
Kelsey Grammer
Andy Karl
Brad Oscar
Max von Essen
Winner Predix: So it was Brandon Uranowitz over Grammer (man, they hated Harvey Weinstein!). I think this is Brad Oscar.

Best Featured Actress
Victoria Clark
Tyne Daly
Judy Kuhn
Sydney Lucas
Ruthie Ann Miles
Winner Predix: Emily Skeggs over Tyne Daly (or any of the "On the Town" ladies) was a shocker but speaks to the strength of "Fun Home." The sentimentality right now is actually with Lucas, even though Kuhn would be 0-and-4, I believe. Lucas will be just shy of the age record though as she turns 12 in July.

[Above the Title]

Also of note that 13 shows (!) got complete goose eggs.

[mahogany soul]

(04-29-2015 10:03 AM)Culturegeek Wrote:  Leading Actress, Play: Mulligan (who I stupidly left off my predictions, but I meant to include her, honest. Mahogany blinded me!) vs Mirren.

If Mirren wins the Tony she will have three acting awards for playing a Queen.

[malcolm1980]

No one is watching the Tony awards? Helen Mirren just triple-crowned, I think. And Kelli O'Hara finally won.

[NUguy514]

I fast-forwarded through most of it since I don't care that much for most of the musical numbers and don't need to see the hosting banter, but I adoooooored the Fun Home number and love The King and I in general. I read in a few places that An American in Paris was sliiiiightly favored to win because it's going to tour incredibly well; however, it was incredibly apparent how much more challenging and creative Fun Home was, and I'm so thrilled it won.

Glad Dame Helen won, although it was very strange that her award was the first given out. Too many of the acting winners read speeches, for which I don't care. Is Alex Sharp the youngest Best Actor in a Play winner ever? Great for him, although the other young guy (Steven Boyer) needed to work on his loser face a bit because he looked pissed. I don't know why, but something about Christian Borle bothers me – possibly negative Smash associations. Ruthie Ann Miles needed to shorten that iPhone speech.

The highlights, though, were Michael Cerveris and Kelli O'Hara (thank GOD she FIIIIIIIIINALLY won!!); both of them gave such wonderful, heartfelt speeches, and I'm thrilled for both of them!

Oh, and they need to give it a fucking rest with The Jersey Boys. I swear they do a tribute to that show every goddamn year. Fucking enough already!