Last year, my choices for Best Play and Best Revival of a Play actually won the 2013 Tony Awards. My choice for Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical did not. The way I see it, my views — and yours — are just as valid choices as those by the Tony voters — many of whom are out-of-towners who don’t necessarily see all the shows.
Below are my picks, and yours, for the 2014 Tony Awards — by which I mean, whom I would choose among the nominees. These are not my predictions of who will actually win: How can I guess what 800-odd people who haven’t even seen all the shows will vote for? And why should I? We’ll learn the answers soon enough (on June 8th.)
I took a survey asking you which ones you would pick for 14 of the categories, and I’ve put the results of that (so far) as well. (I’ll update the results if they change.)
Best Play
Nominees: Act One, All The Way, Casa Valentina, Mothers and Sons, Outside Mullingar
My choice: All The Way.
Survey choice: Act One
All The Way, a play by Robert Shenkkan about President Lyndon Johnson, is a smart history lesson (that’s not a put-down: I love history.) If it’s not a play for the ages, it’s the best of the nominated lot this year, all of which I found engaging, albeit flawed.
Best Musical
Nominees: After Midnight, Aladdin, Beautiful The Carole King Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder
My choice: After Midnight
Survey choice: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
I loved this revue, which has virtually no book, but I’m choosing it in a process of elimination. I did not like A Gentleman’s Guide.
Best Revival of A Play
Nominees: The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Glass Menagerie, A Raisin in the Sun, Twelfth Night
My choice: The Glass Menagerie
Survey choice: The Glass Menagerie
This is the hardest category. Every single one of these revivals deserves an award. But “The Glass Menagerie” has never even been nominated before as a production, although it’s been on Broadway a total of seven times,
Best Revival of a Musical
Nominees: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Les Miserables, Violet
My choice: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Survey choice: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Best Book of a Musical
Nominees: Aladdin, Beautiful,Bullets Over Broadway, A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder
This one is a tough choice, because I hate two of the shows mostly because of their books, and the books of the two I like are among their weakest elements. If forced to vote, I would do so for Beautiful.
Best Original Score
Nominees: Aladdin, The Bridges of Madison County, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, If/Then
My Choice: The Bridges of Madison County
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Nominees:
Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night
Bryan Cranston, All The Way
Chris O’Dowd, Of Mice and Men
Mark Rylance, Richard III
Tony Shalhoub, Act One
My choice; Bryan Cranston
Survey choice: Bryan Cranston
A shout-out to all of the actors in this category.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Tyne Daly, Mothers and Sons
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, A Raisin in the Sun
Cherry Jones, The Glass Menagerie
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Estelle Parsons, The Velocity of Autumn
My choice: Cherry Jones
Survey choice: Audra McDonald
This is the exact contest that could encourage any sane theater lover to turn against the whole concept of awards competition. How dare they pit such national treasures against one another. The Tony committee put Audra McDonald in the wrong category.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Ramin Karimloo, Les Misérables
Andy Karl, Rocky
Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
Bryce Pinkham, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
My choice: Neil Patrick Harris
Survey choice: Neil Patrick Harris
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Mary Bridget Davies, A Night with Janis Joplin
Sutton Foster, Violet
Idina Menzel, If/Then
Jessie Mueller, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical
Kelli O’Hara, The Bridges of Madison County
My choice: Kelli O’Hara
Survey choice: Kelli O’Hara
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Reed Birney, Casa Valentina
Paul Chahidi, Twelfth Night
Stephen Fry, Twelfth Night
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Brian J. Smith, The Glass Menagerie
My choice: Brian J. Smith
Survey choice: Brian J. Smith
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Sarah Greene, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The Glass Menagerie
Sophie Okonedo, A Raisin in the Sun
Anika Noni Rose, A Raisin in the Sun
Mare Winningham, Casa Valentina
My choice: Celia Keenan-Bolger
Survey choice: Celia Keenan-Bolger
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Cabaret
Nick Cordero, Bullets Over Broadway
Joshua Henry, Violet
James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin
Jarrod Spector, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical
My choice: James Monroe Iglehart
Survey choice: James Monroe Iglehart
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Linda Emond, Cabaret
Lena Hall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Anika Larsen, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical
Adriane Lenox, After Midnight
Lauren Worsham, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
My choice: Linda Emond
Survey choice: Lena Hall
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Beowulf Boritt, Act One
Bob Crowley, The Glass Menagerie
Es Devlin, Machinal
Christopher Oram, The Cripple of Inishmaan
My choice: Es Devlin
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christopher Barreca, Rocky
Julian Crouch, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Alexander Dodge, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
Santo Loquasto, Bullets Over Broadway
My choice: Christopher Barreca
Best Costume Design of a Play
Jane Greenwood, Act One
Michael Krass, Machinal
Rita Ryack, Casa Valentina
Jenny Tiramani, Twelfth Night
My choice: Jenny Tiramani
While the costumes in all these shows were great, this is no contest: The Twelfth Night costumes meticulously re-created what Elizabethan actors actually wore, using only material that was available in England during the era.
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
William Ivey Long, Bullets Over Broadway
Arianne Phillips, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Isabel Toledo, After Midnight
My choice: Isabel Toledo
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Jane Cox, Machinal
Natasha Katz, The Glass Menagerie
Japhy Weideman, Of Mice and Men
My choice: Jane Cox
This was a tough choice. If nothing else, this was a season of terrific lighting.
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Christopher Akerlind, Rocky
Howell Binkley, After Midnight
Donald Holder, The Bridges of Madison County
My choice: Kevin Adams
I’m surprised that Paule Constable was not nominated for her work on “Les Miserables.” Adams’ lighting helped turn this musical into an exciting rock show.
Best Sound Design of a Play
Alex Baranowski, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Dan Moses Schreier, Act One
Matt Tierney, Machinal
My choice: Matt Tierney
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, After Midnight
Tim O’Heir, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Mick Potter, Les Misérables
Brian Ronan, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical
My choice: Peter Hylenski
Best Direction of a Play
Tim Carroll, Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Kenny Leon, A Raisin in the Sun
John Tiffany, The Glass Menagerie
My choice: Tim Carroll
Survey choice: John Tiffany
Best Direction of a Musical
Warren Carlyle, After Midnight
Michael Mayer, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Leigh Silverman, Violet
Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
My choice: Michael Mayer
Survey choice: Michael Mayer
Best Choreography
Warren Carlyle, After Midnight
Steven Hoggett & Kelly Devine, Rocky
Casey Nicholaw, Aladdin Susan Stroman, Bullets Over Broadway
My choice: Warren Carlyle
Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, Bullets Over Broadway
Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County
Steve Sidwell, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical
Jonathan Tunick, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
My choice: Jason Robert Brown
