The Band’s Visit and SpongeBob will square off at the 72nd Annual Tony Awards, televised live on CBS from Radio City Music Hall Sunday at 8pm.

By: Patrick Christiano

June 9, 2018:  The Awards season is upon us, and tomorrow night Broadway’s biggest event, the Tony Awards will be televised on CBS at 8pm in a live ceremony hosted by Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban from Radio City Music Hall in New York. The nominations were announced back on May 1^st and all the votes have been tallied. Here are my choices for Broadway’s most coveted awards from the 2017-2018 season.

Best Book of a Musical:
I look for Itamar Moses for The Band’s Visit to square off against Tina Fey’s Mean Girls. Fey has picked up awards at the OCC and Drama Desk, however, The Band’s Visit wasn’t eligible because it won last year. On Broadway Moses will take home the Tony for his moving and nuanced book. Kyle Jarrow, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical will be a distant third.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
David Yazbek should prevail for The Band’s Visit over all the artists from SpongeBob – Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman, John Legend, Panic! at the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I., Domani & Lil’C

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Andrew Garfield for his searing, gut wrenching portrayal of Prior in Angels in America. Tom Hollander, Travesties was hysterical, but Garfield was unforgettable. Also-rans will be Jamie Parker, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two, Mark Rylance, Farinelli and The King, and Denzel Washington, Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Simply riveting, Glenda Jackson, Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, will win hands-down, no contest. She is the winner even though she doesn’t compete.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Probably the most competitive category of the evening with anyone of the nominees deserving of the Tony for different reasons. The nominees are Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady, Joshua Henry, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel, Tony Shalhoub, The Band’s Visit, and Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical. I look for Ethan Slater to walk away for his Broadway debut in SpongeBob. He is on stage almost the entire time and his performance is completely infectious.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Katrina Lenk for her portrayal of Diana, the café owner in The Band’s Visit. She was born to be on the stage and her work is mesmerizing. She is head and shoulders above the rest. If anyone has the slightest chance of overtaking her, look  to Lauren Ambrose in my My Fair Lady. She won the OCC, however, she didn’t have to compete with Lenk.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Nathan Lane, Angels in America, has already won the OCC and Drama Desk Awards, and I look for him to repeat for his searing portrayal of Roy Cohen.  David Morse was outstanding in Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman, but Angels is a popular and timely work. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
This one is a little tricky. Laurie Metcalf, Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, may edge out the women from Angels in America, who will probably cancel each other out in the voting, otherwise I would go with Denise Gough, Angels in America.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz won the OCC for his show stopping turn in My Fair Lady, but was snubed by the Drama Desk where Gavin Lee won the award with an equally show-stopping turn as the tap dancing Squidward in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical. I look for Lee to triumph for his unforgettable four-legged tap dance with a chorus line of pink sea anemones that may be the most memorable production number of the season.  Ari’el Stachel, The Band’s Visit, is a possible dark horse that could surprise.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
A toss-up between Lindsay Mendez, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel, and Ashley Park, Mean Girls. Both women turned in terrific work and both have their supporters. I am giving the edge to Lindsay Mendez, who won both the OCC and Drama Desk Awards and is just so likeable and charming.

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Christine Jones, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Michael Yeargan for his dazzling revolving set at Lincoln Center for  My Fair Lady. However, both Dane Laffrey, Once on This Island, and David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, are more deserving and imaginative.

Best Costume Design of a Play
Katrina Lindsay, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
A close one. I look for Kevin Adams, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical to prevail over Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Once On This Island

Best Sound Design of a Play
Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Another close one.  Just a hunch, Kai Harada, The Band’s Visit, will over
Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Direction of a Play
All the nominees, Marianne Elliott, Angels in America, Joe Mantello, Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, Patrick Marber, Travesties, John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two, and George C. Wolfe, Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh, are excellent. I like Marianne Elliott, however the smart money is on John Tiffany.

Best Direction of a Musical
Another competitive category.  I like Tina Landau’s zany SpongeBob, however David Cromer, The Band’s Visit is equally deserving.  Totally different and magically as well. Also, you can’t rule out Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady

Best Choreography
Justin Peck, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel

Best Orchestrations
Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, will edge out Jamshied Sharifi, The Band’s Visit.

Best Play
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two by Jack Thorne

Best Musical
The Band’s Visit

Best Revival of a Play
Angels in America

Best Revival of a Musical
My Fair Lady