Tony’s 2023 - Welcome Back Nusies…
Hi Delta Nusies,
I’m baaaaaack!!
I know it’s been awhile, but the Tony’s are once again upon us, and I’ve been seeing lots of shows again after a much needed hiatus and a little personal drama.
Once again, I decided to do a breakdown and my predictions like I did last year. Why? Cuz it’s fun! These are all based on my opinions and feelings, since I am not a critic and have no theatre experience or technical know-how. Enjoy.
The TLDR version: Roxi’s picks…(only musicals since I’ve only seen two plays)
Best Musical: Some Like It Hot
Best Revival of a Musical: Parade
Best Book of a Musical: Kimberly Akimbo
Best Original Score of a Musical: Kimberly Akimbo
Best Leading Actor: J. Harrison Ghee
Best Leading Actress: Victoria Clark
Best Featured Actor: Justin Cooley
Best Featured Actress: Julia Lester
Best Scenic Design: Shucked
Best Costume Design: Some Like It Hot
Best Lighting Design: & Juliet
Best Sound Design: New York, New York
Best Direction: Parade
Best Choreography: & Juliet
Best Orchestrations: Some Like it Hot
So for me, Some Like it Hot and Kimberly Akimbo each should get 4 Tony Awards, Parade and & Juliet should each get 2, and one each for New York, New York, Shucked and Into the Woods.
— COMPLETE BREAKDOWN AND PERSONAL ANALYSIS —
Eligible Shows
There were 38 eligible shows for this year's Tony Awards.
New Musicals: 9
New Plays: 17
Musical Revivals: 6
Play Revivals 6
This season, I’ve only seen three plays (two new and one revival), but I’ve seen a majority of the musicals (six new and five revivals). I’ve bolded the one’s I’ve seen.
New musicals: Almost Famous; Bad Cinderella; A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical; & Juliet; Kimberly Akimbo; KPOP; New York, New York; Shucked; Some Like it Hot.
Musical Revivals: 1776; Bob Fosse’s Dancin’; Camelot; Into the Woods; Parade; Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
New Plays: Ain’t No Mo’; Between Riverside and Crazy; A Christmas Carol; The Collaboration; Cost of Living; Fat Ham; Good Night, Oscar; The Kite Runner; Leopoldstadt; Life of Pi; Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool; Peter Pan Goes Wrong; Pictures From Home; Prima Facie; Summer, 1976; The Thanksgiving Play; Walking With Ghosts.
Play Revivals: Death of a Salesman; A Doll’s House; Ohio State Murders; The Piano Lesson; The Sign in Sydney Brustein’s Window; and Topdog/Underdog.
Of those 38 eligible shows, 27 received nominations.
Tony Nominations by Production
Some Like It Hot - 13
& Juliet - 9
New York, New York - 9
Shucked - 9
Kimberly Akimbo - 8
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - 8
Ain't No Mo' - 6
A Doll's House - 6
Into the Woods - 6
Leopoldstadt - 6
Parade - 6
Cost of Living - 5
Fat Ham - 5
Lerner & Loewe's Camelot - 5
Life of Pi - 5
Prima Facie - 4
A Christmas Carol - 3
Good Night, Oscar - 3
KPOP - 3
Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog - 3
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman - 2
August Wilson's The Piano Lesson - 2
Between Riverside and Crazy - 2
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window - 2
Almost Famous - 1
Ohio State Murders - 1
Summer, 1976 - 1
The ones that got no nominations: Bad Cinderella, A Beautiful Noise, 1776, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, The Collaboration, The Kite Runner, Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Pictures From Home, The Thanksgiving Play, Walking With Ghosts.
I have seen 11 of the 27 nominees: Nine musicals and two plays.
Since I’ve seen so few plays, I probably won’t opine on those. I will stick primarily to musicals categories. But also I really enjoyed most of the musical, so picking who I would want to win was not easy.
Well, here goes.
Best Book of a Musical
& Juliet - David West Read
Kimberly Akimbo - David Lindsay-Abaire
New York, New York - David Thompson & Sharon Washington
Shucked - Robert Horn
Some Like It Hot - Matthew López & Amber Ruffin
*I really enjoyed the books of four of the five shows nominated. New York, New York was the only book that I felt was weak and disjointed. But while the other four were strong (and often really funny), Kimberly Akimbo had a book that was fresh, clever and fantastic.
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Almost Famous - Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt
Kimberly Akimbo - Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire
KPOP - Music & Lyrics: Helen Park & Max Vernon
Shucked - Music and Lyrics: Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally
Some Like It Hot - Music: Marc Shaiman, Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman
*I think once again, Kimberly Akimbo shines here. The score was fresh, fun and clever. A real pleasure to listen to. That being said, the rest of these albums are awesome and definitely on my playlists.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Christian Borle, Some Like It Hot
J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot
Josh Groban, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Brian d'Arcy James, Into the Woods
Ben Platt, Parade
Colton Ryan, New York, New York
*This was the one category I really struggled with, since all of these actors were amazing in their roles. Colton playing all of those instruments…I mean, come on!! And Ben singing the Shema before being lynched is one of the most poignant and beautiful moments in musical theatre for me as a proud Jewish woman. Groban is an incredible singer and I liked his Sweeney, though I wish there had been a bit more menace. And Christian was funny and always a delight. But I think the performance here that just warmed my heart the most was J. Harrison Ghee. They had me laughing and crying and falling in love all at once.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sara Bareilles, Into the Woods
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo
Lorna Courtney, & Juliet
Micaela Diamond, Parade
* These women!! Wow!! All amazing. Powerful. Funny. Talented. I’m just so in love with them and the work they do! But Victoria playing Kimberly was next level.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kevin Cahoon, Shucked
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
Kevin Del Aguila, Some Like It Hot
Jordan Donica, Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Alex Newell, Shucked
*I can’t wait to see where this kid goes in his career.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Julia Lester, Into the Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo
NaTasha Yvette Williams, Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe, & Juliet
*Her Little Red was so so so spot on and perfect.
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, New York, New York
Mimi Lien, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions, Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Scott Pask, Shucked
Scott Pask, Some Like It Hot
*Such a fun set.
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Some Like It Hot
Susan Hilferty, Parade
Jennifer Moeller, Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Clint Ramos & Sophia Choi, KPOP
Paloma Young, & Juliet
Donna Zakowska, New York, New York
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, New York, New York
Lap Chi Chu, Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Heather Gilbert, Parade
Howard Hudson, & Juliet
Natasha Katz, Some Like It Hot
Natasha Katz, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada, New York, New York
John Shivers, Shucked
Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann, Into the Woods
Gareth Owen, & Juliet
Nevin Steinberg, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Parade
Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Jack O'Brien, Shucked
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo
Best Choreography
Steven Hoggett, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Susan Stroman, New York, New York
Jennifer Weber, & Juliet
Jennifer Weber, KPOP
Best Orchestrations
Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro, & Juliet
John Clancy, Kimberly Akimbo
Jason Howland, Shucked
Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter, Some Like It Hot
Daryl Waters & Sam Davis, New York, New York
Best Musical
& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot
*This was a genuinely tough one for me to choose between. I enjoyed all of these shows. Eeek. How to choose just one?!
Best Revival of a Musical
Into the Woods
Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Parade
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
*Hands down!
And for those who want to make their best guesses for plays, here are all the nominees:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins, Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes, Good Night, Oscar
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Wendell Pierce, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Jessica Chastain, A Doll's House
Jodie Comer, Prima Facie
Jessica Hecht, Summer, 1976
Audra McDonald, Ohio State Murders
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Jordan E. Cooper, Ain't No Mo'
Samuel L. Jackson, August Wilson's The Piano Lesson
Arian Moayed, A Doll's House
Brandon Uranowitz, Leopoldstadt
David Zayas, Cost of Living
*Brandon Uranowitz was absolutely brilliant in this. So, not sure how he compares since I haven’t seen the rest of these performances, but as a standalone, it was a quality performance!!
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Nikki Crawford, Fat Ham
Crystal Lucas-Perry, Ain't No Mo'
Miriam Silverman, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
Kara Young, Cost of Living
*See above comment but insert Miriam Silverman in place of Brandon Uranowitz.
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Prima Facie
Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding, Life of Pi
Rachel Hauck, Good Night, Oscar
Richard Hudson, Leopoldstadt
Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon, A Christmas Carol
Best Costume Design of a Play
Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell, Life of Pi
Dominique Fawn Hill, Fat Ham
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leopoldstadt
Emilio Sosa, Ain't No Mo'
Emilio Sosa, Good Night, Oscar
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Leopoldstadt
Natasha Chivers, Prima Facie
Jon Clark, A Doll's House
Bradley King, Fat Ham
Tim Lutkin, Life of Pi
Jen Schriever, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
Ben Stanton, A Christmas Carol
Best Sound Design of a Play
Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams, Ain't No Mo'
Carolyn Downing, Life of Pi
Joshua D. Reid, A Christmas Carol
Ben & Max Ringham, A Doll's House
Ben & Max Ringham, Prima Facie
Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali, Fat Ham
Jo Bonney, Cost of Living
Jamie Lloyd, A Doll's House
Patrick Marber, Leopoldstadt
Stevie Walker-Webb, Ain't No Mo'
Max Webster, Life of Pi
Best Play
Ain't No Mo' - Author: Jordan E. Cooper
Between Riverside and Crazy - Author: Stephen Adly Guirgis
Cost of Living - Author: Martyna Majok
Fat Ham - Author: James Ijames
Leopoldstadt - Author: Tom Stoppard
Best Revival of a Play
August Wilson's The Piano Lesson
A Doll's House - New Version by: Amy Herzog
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog
*Since the two plays I’ve seen are Leopoldstadt and The Sign in Sydney Brustein’s Window, they automatically get my nod for Best Play and Best Revival of a Play. *shrug*