Pre-Tony Nomination Thoughts

The Tony nominations will be announced on Tuesday morning - my nerves are already jangled!  As I've been reading things online and going through my calendar, I realize I haven't seen all that many of the contenders.  I really need to do something about that - there are at least ten productions that I'm dying to see if I can get my hands on steeply discounted tickets.  Let's hope that some of my Tony voter friends will want to take an eager guest with them sometime soon...

Since I haven't seen much, I can't really hope for much, I guess.  I actually saw way more Off-Broadway productions (and I agree with a lot of those shows that are nominated for Drama Desk Awards, but hello Drama Desk - no Cherry Jones or Mark Rylance?!).  That won't stop me from sharing some thoughts.  Below are some of my hopes for what we'll hear on Tuesday, with the caveat that some of the Tony admin committee's determinations about billing and award placements haven't been finalized yet...:

BEST PLAY

Act One - James Lapine
Outside Mullingar - John Patrick Shanley
(I'm embarrassed I've seen so few of the new plays, though I guess I wouldn't be upset if The Realistic Joneses is nominated since it's at least trying something, more so than A Time to Kill, which is the only other new play I've made it to so far)

BEST MUSICAL

The Bridges of Madison County
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
If/Then
Rocky
(OK, I haven't seen all four, but I love the creators so much, I want them all to be nominated. Sue me.)

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY

Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night
Tracy Letts, The Realistic Joneses
Ian McKellen, Waiting for Godot
Brian F O'Byrne, Outside Mullingar
Roger Rees, The Winslow Boy
Tony Shalhoub, Act One
Patrick Stewart, Waiting for Godot
(whoops, too many.  oh well, I like them all and would be happy to hear any of these names)

BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Cherry Jones, The Glass Menagerie
(I just want her to win, so I'm not jotting anyone else's name down. sorry, Toni Collette)

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Michael Cumpsty, The Winslow Boy
Brian D'Arcy James, Macbeth
Santino Fontana, Act One
Peter Maloney, Outside Mullingar
Alessandro Nivola, The Winslow Boy
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Brian J Smith, The Glass Menagerie
(oops, too many again. I'm a greedy girl. someday I should do a post on why there are more great roles for men on Broadway...)

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Celia Keenan-Bolger, The Glass Menagerie
Andrea Martin, Act One
Tonya Pinkins, A Time to Kill

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Andy Karl, Rocky
Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Steven Pasquale, The Bridges of Madison County
Bryce Pinkham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
(I know, I know, I haven't seen Hedwig.  But seriously, NPH should be nominated for everything everywhere, as far as I'm concerned)

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Kelli O'Hara, The Bridges of Madison County
Margo Seibert, Rocky

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Terence Archie, Rocky
Hunter Foster, The Bridges of Madison County

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Lisa O'Hare, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Lauren Worsham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

BEST SCORE

Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, Rocky
Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County
Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey, If/Then
Andrew Lippa, Big Fish
Steven Lutvak & Robert L Freedman, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
(I know I've again chosen too many, but I want to hear all those names SO much on Tuesday morning!)

My limited viewings skew my nomination hopes, I'm sure, but I'll be up early on Tuesday morning, cheering on my favorites!  GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!