Hadestown, The Prom & Tootsie Vie for Broadway’s Top Prize on Sunday, June 9th live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City
By: Patrick Christiano
June 9, 2019: Tonight the 73rd Annual Tony Awards, honoring the best of Broadway during the 2018-2019 season, will be presented at Radio City Music Hall in a ceremony hosted by James Corden. The awards will be televised live on CBS from 8-11 pm EST, and will feature performances from many of the nominated shows including Tootsie, The Prom, The Cher Show, Ain’t Too Proud, Choir Boy, Hadestown, Kiss Me Kate and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!.
Here are the nominations in the major categories with my selections of who I think will win and who should win.
Best Play
Choir Boy
The Ferryman
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ink
What the Constitution Means to Me
The Ferryman should win and will win. An incredible evening of theater with beautifully nuanced performances and a layered story that accumulates with a devastating ending. The evening is everything the theater is intended to be, a monumental achievement.
Best Musical
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie
Hadestown should and will win. Every show in this category has its supporters, but Hadestown is a notch above the rest. It won the Outer Critics Circle this year and the Drama Desk last year. There are so many glorious elements that come together in a stunningly beautiful evening of musical theater.
Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
The Boys in the Band
Burn This
Torch Song
The Waverly Gallery
The Waverly Gallery should win. All the other revivals have elements that are somewhat wonky, while everything about The Waverly Gallery works in an evening that is centered on a moving performance by the great Elaine May. I fear All My Sons will be the ultimate winner, its a classic with a big name director and big name stars.
Best Revival of a Musical
Kiss Me, Kate
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Oklahoma will win. Kiss Me Kate should win. Oklahoma is deconstructed and the results don’t really serve the intention of the musical. However, many critics adored this revival despite the fact many things did not make add up. Kiss Me Kate is devastatingly entertaining evening that never lets up and the choreography is spine tingling while every performance is outstanding. I loved this show and squirmed moments in Oklahoma.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, Network
Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy
Bryan Cranston should and will win. He won the Drama League Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award, and his dynamic performance is easily the best of the season.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Annette Bening, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me
Elaine May should and will win. The lady is a legend and deserves the Tony for her unforgettable work here. I pray she shows up to accept her overdue honor.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie
The immensely popular Santino Fontana will win for his role as the cross-dressing actor in Tootsie
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
Beth Leavel, The Prom
Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me, Kate
Stephanie J. Block should and will win. A spot-on empowering performance of the legend that is more than just imitation.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
Bertie Carvel should and will win. He is mesmerizing as Rupert Murdoch in an organically physical performance that drives the story of Ink.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear
Celia Keenan-Boger will win for playing the young girl To Kill A Mockingbird. Ruth Wilson should win for playing two completely different roles in King Lear, but the production was dreadful.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
André De Shields, Hadestown
Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
André De Shields will win. He is a beloved fixture in the New York theater community and his work, here, is the culmination of an outstanding career. He deserves a Tony and should win.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
Amber Gray, Hadestow
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Ali Stroker will win for her inspiring performance however Sarah Stiles should win. When she wasn’t onstage in Tootsie I was waiting for her return.
Best Direction of a Play
Rupert Goold, Ink
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ivo van Hove, Network
George C. Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Sam Mendes should and will win. Spellbinding theater!
Best Direction of a Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Des McAnuff, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
Casey Nicholaw, The Prom
Rachel Chavkin should and will win. Her work is magical.
