The Tony Awards will be presented live on Sunday night, June 9, at Radio City Music Hall. Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Awards will be presented to iconic actress Rosemary Harris (currently appearing as Mrs. Higgins in the Lincoln Center Theatre production of “My Fair Lady”), the great American playwright Terence McNally (currently represented on Broadway with the revival of his “Frankie and Johnny” at the Clair de Lune), and the legendary orchestrator and musical director Harold
Wheeler (nominated this year for his orchestrations for “Ain’t Too Proud”). Marin Mazzie, who past away last year, will receive a posthumous Tony for her contribution to theatre. The Isabelle Stevenson Award will be awarded to two-time Tony Award winning actress Judith Light “in recognition of her advocacy for LGBTQ rights and in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”
Let’s take a look at the other categories and see who might and should be going home with a Tony, and who should have been nominated.
BEST PLAY
“Choir Boy” by Tarell Alvin McCraney
“The Ferryman” by Jez Butterworth
“Gary” by Taylor Mac
“Ink” by James Graham
“ What the Constitution Means to Me” by Heidi Schreck
Will win and should win: “The Ferryman”
Should have been nominated: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Aaron Sorkin and “Network” by Lee Hall
BEST MUSICAL
“Ain’t Too Proud”
“Beetlejuice”
“Hadestown”
“The Prom”
“Tootsie”
Will win: A fight between “Tootsie” and “Hadestown.” In the end “Hadestown” should prevail.
Should win: “Hadestown”
Should have been nominated: “Be More Chill”
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
“All My Sons”
“Boys in the Band”
“Burn This”
“Torch Song”
“The Waverly Gallery”
Will and should win: “All My Sons”
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
“Kiss Me, Kate”
“Oklahoma!”
Will and should win: “Oklahoma!” There are only two nominees in this category because these were the only two musical revivals on Broadway this season.
BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Rupert Goold for “Ink”
Sam Mendes for “The Ferryman”
Bartlett Sher for “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Ivo Von Hove for “Network”
George C. Wolfe for “Gary”
Will and should win: Sam Mendes
Should have been nominated: Trip Cullman for “Choir Boy”
BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Rachel Chavkin for “Hadestown”
Scott Ellis for “Tootsie”
Daniel Fish for “Oklahoma!”
Des McAnuff for “Ain’t Too Proud”
Casey Nicholaw for “The Prom”
Will and should win: The very innovative Rachel Chavkin.
Should have been nominated: Stephen Brackett for “Be More Chill”
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
Paddy Considine for “The Ferryman”
Bryan Cranston for “Network”
Jeff Daniels for “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Adam Driver for “Burn This”
Jeremy Pope for “Choir Boy”
Will and should win: All good performances, but in the end there is really no contest. Bryan Cranston will and should win and deservedly so. Shame on the Drama Desk Awards for not nominating Bryan Cranston for best performance in a play this year.
Should have been nominated: Michael Urie for “Torch Song”
BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Annette Bening for “All My Sons”
Laura Donnelly for “The Ferryman”
Elaine May for “The Waverly Gallery”
Janet McTeer for “Bernhardt/Hamlet”
Laurie Metcalf for “Hillary and Clinton”
Heidi Schreck for “What the Constitution Means to Me”
Will win: The race is between the two veteran actresses Annette Bening and Elaine May with Elaine May coming out victorious in the end.
Should win: Annette Bening
Should have been nominated: Glenda Jackson for “King Lear”
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Brooks Ashmanskas for “The Prom”
Derrick Baskin for “Ain’t Too Proud”
Alex Brightman for “Beetlejuice”
Damon Duanno for “Oklahoma!”
Santino Fontana for “Tootsie”
Will and should win: In this category, there is no contest as Santino Fontana gives a tour de force performance.
Should have been nominated: Reeve Carney for “Hadestown” and Will Roland for “Be More Chill”
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Stephanie J. Block for “The Cher Show”
Caitlin Kinnunen for “The Prom”
Beth Leavel for “The Prom”
Eva Noblezada for “Hadestown”
Kelli O’Hara for “Kiss Me, Kate”
Will and should win: This category doesn’t seem to present much of a contest as the brilliant Stephanie J. Block, long overdue, simply embodies Cher.
Should have been nominated: Rebecca Naomi Jones for “Oklahoma!”
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Bertie Carvel for “Ink”
Robin DeJesus for “The Boys in the Band”
Gideon Glick for “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Brandon Uranowitz for “Burn This”
Benjamin Walker for “All My Sons”
Will and should win: This category is quite a race between Benjamin Walker and Bertie Carvel and is too close to call. Since Bertie Carvel should win, hopefully, he will prevail; however, since Benjamin Walker is in the higher profile play, he will win.
Should have been nominated: Tom Glynn Carney for “The Ferryman”
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Fionnula Flanagan for “The Ferryman”
Celia Keenan Bolger for “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Kristine Nielsen for “Gary”
Ruth Wilson for “King Lear”
Julie White for “Gary”
Will and should win: Celia Keenan Bolger
Should have been nominated: Mercedes Ruehl for “Torch Song”
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Andre DeShields for “Hadestown”
Andy Grotelueschen for “Tootsie”
Patrick Page for “Hadestown”
Jeremy Pope for “Ain’t Too Proud”
Ephraim Sykes for “Ain’t Too Proud”
Will and should win: The great Andre DeShields is long overdue, he will and should win.
Should have been nominated: George Salazar for “Be More Chill.” It was a brilliant performance that really should not have been overlooked.
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Lilli Cooper for “Tootsie”
Amber Gray for “Hadestown”
Sarah Stiles for “Tootsie”
Ali Stroker for “Oklahoma!”
Mary Testa for “Oklahoma!”
Will and should win: Also too close too call, this race is between Ali Stroker and Amber Gray. Amber Gray should win and will win. If Ali Stroker wins in the end, she will make Tony Award history being the first handicapped actress to win a Tony.
