Best Supporting Actor
– Jarrod Spector (Beautiful)
– Joshua Henry (Violet) – previously nominated for The Scottsboro Boys
– James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin)
– Nick Cordero (Bullets Over Broadway)
– Danny Burstein (Cabaret) – previously nominated for Golden Boy, Follies, South Pacific, and The Drowsy Chaperone
Of the acting races, this is the only one where the outcome is fairly obvious. Though all the men give good performances, this Tony will doubtlessly go to James Monroe Iglehart for his turn as Aladdin’s Genie. Iglehart has become the face of Aladdin – pictures of him are sold at the theater, not of Aladdin and Jasmine. He gives a performance that lives up to Robin Williams’ frenetic energy. Just his performance of the ten-minute-long “Friend Like Me” extravaganza, which is exhausting just to look at and frequently gets standing ovations, should be enough to get him the Tony.
Iglehart’s only competition might come from Nick Cordero, who was one of the best things about Bullets Over Broadway. He even won the OCC Award, thought he Drama Desk went to Iglehart. But I don’t think his role is showy enough, and it will certainly go to the Genie. Especially because this could be the only award that Aladdin wins.
It’s interesting that of the five nominees, most are totally fresh faces. Spector was only ever a replacement in Jersey Boys, while Cordero was only ever a replacement in Rock of Ages. Joshua Henry and Iglehart are also fairly new. Danny Burstein, meanwhile, is on his fifth nomination, and is nominated for the third year in a row. Maybe next year he’ll get lucky?
Will Win: James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin)
Might Win: Nick Cordero (Bullets Over Broadway)
Should Win: James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin)
Best Supporting Actress
– Linda Emond (Cabaret) – previously nominated for Death of a Salesman and Life (x) 3
– Lena Hall (Hedwig)
– Anika Larsen (Beautiful)
– Adriane Lenox (After Midnight) – previously won for Doubt
– Lauren Worsham (A Gentleman’s Guide) – debut
In a fantastic year, this is one of the only fields that is thoroughly uninspiring. I’ve only seen two of the performances, but I have not heard rave reviews about any of them. Like the Supporting Actor field, this has a lot of fresh faces – none of the actresses was ever nominated for a musical before. The field is wide open. Even the preceding awards are no help – the OCC honored Marin Mazzie from Bullets Over Broadway (who isn’t even nominated); the Drama Desks had a tie between Larsen and Worsham.
My vote would go to Linda Emond for being the best thing about Cabaret. However, there is so much disdain for this production of Cabaret – for essentially replicated the 1998 production for some fast cash. I just can’t see Cabaret walking away with any Tony awards on Sunday.
There has been surprisingly little buzz for Lena Hall in Hedwig, despite everything else in that show being buzzed about constantly. By all accounts, she gives a good performance in a great role, but perhaps that is all just being overshadowed by Neil Patrick Harris. As for Adriane Lenox, I’ve not heard a thing about her all season.
I guess that Worsham will walk away with the award, purely because of the momentum A Gentleman’s Guide has amassed. It’s odd, because of the two supporting female roles in the show, I would have thought Lisa O’Hare would be the one honored. But it would appear Worsham will get a Tony for her Broadway debut, so good for her.
Her competition may come from Anika Larsen in Beautiful. Admittedly, I have not heard about her either this season. However, this could be a chance to reward Beautiful, which I believe will fall just short of the award in most other categories, but is clearly beloved by Tony voters. It’s odd to have an acting field without any standout performances, but it looks like all the awesome roles for women were lead roles this year.
Will Win: Lauren Worsham (A Gentleman’s Guide)
Might Win: Anika Larsen (Beautiful)
Should Win: Linda Emond (Cabaret)
Best Score
– Aladdin – Alan Menken (music), Howard Ashman (lyrics), Tim Rice (lyrics), and Chad Beguelin
o Alan Menken – previously won for Newsies; previously nominated for Sister Act, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast
o Howard Ashman – previously nominated for The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast
o Tim Rice – previously won for Aida and Evita; previously nominated for Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Jesus Christ Superstar; also won for Best Book for Evita
o Chad Beguelin – also nominated for Best Book; previously nominated for The Wedding Singer
– The Bridges of Madison County – Jason Robert Brown – also nominated for Best Orchestrations; previously won for Parade; previously nominated for Urban Cowboy
– A Gentleman’s Guide – Steven Lutvak (music and lyrics) and Robert L. Freedman (lyrics) – Freedman also nominated for Best Book
– If/Then – Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (lyrics) – previously won for Next to Normal; Kitt also previously won for Best Orchestrations for Next to Normal
Best Score is an unbelievably star-studded field this year: these composers and lyricists have five previous awards and eleven previous nominations in this category alone, to say nothing of Tonys in other categories, Oscars, Pultizers, and every other award you can think of. The exception is Lutvak and Freedman, who are making their Broadway debut with A Gentleman’s Guide. And while their score is perfectly serviceable, it does not compete with the other three scores in this category, and probably has the least chance of victory. As for the other three, their cast recordings are well worth a purchase.
Aladdin is a very interesting case, not least because it has four people nominated for its score. Alan Menken and Tim Rice are musical theater legends and beloved by the Tony committee. But the biggest asset Aladdin has going in is Ashman, the iconic composer who gave us the Disney Renaissance before tragically dying from AIDS. This could well be Ashman’s last chance for a Tony Award, which he shockingly has yet to win (he does have Oscars, Grammys, and a plethora of other awards). And there is no question that Ashman’s songs in Aladdin (as well as Menken’s and Rice’s) are magnificent.
The problem lies in Chad Beguelin’s contributions – he wrote all of the new material for the stage production. Quite frankly, it’s terrible – the songs are completely forgettable. Aladdin, as a show, is propped up by songs from the movie and Ashman’s songs, leading to a score that is widely uneven in quality. So despite the universal love and acclaim for Ashman and his music, I don’t think Aladdin will walk away with the Tony… which is a real shame.
If/Then stands a very good chance of winning this award, especially since the score and Idina Menzel are the only things nominated from that excellent show. Plenty of Tony voters will want to reward If/Then somehow, and with an incredibly stacked Best Actress category, this is their best chance. In my opinion, the If/Then score is the best of the bunch, slightly edging out Bridges of Madison County both in terms of variety and consistency of quality.
But If/Then will have fierce competition from Bridges of Madison County, which walked away with both the Drama Desk and the OCC Award. Bridges is beloved by those who’ve seen it (though not enough people saw it to keep it running). Jason Robert Brown is liked and respected in the Broadway community, even though most of his shows (like his recent 13 the Musical) have trouble finding a wide enough audience. Think of him as Broadway’s Joss Whedon pre-Avengers. His Bridges score is almost operatic, full of lengthy and emotional songs and soaring melodies. However, Brown will likely pick up a Tony for Best Orchestrations, which might sate voters’ desires to reward him for Bridges.
This award is one of those too close to call. I think this award might hinge on whether Kelli O’Hara wins Best Actress for Bridges – if she does, then Best Score will go to If/Then; if she does not, Bridges will get Best Score as a consolation prize. Or there is always a miniscule chance Aladdin gets it to honor Ashman. This award will be one to watch!
Will Win: Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (If/Then)
Might Win: Jason Robert Brown (Bridges of Madison County)
Should Win: Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (If/Then)
Best Book
– Chad Beguelin (Aladdin) – also nominated for Best Score; previously nominated for The Wedding Singer
– Robert L. Freedman (A Gentleman’s Guide)
– Douglas McGrath (Beautiful)
– Woody Allen (Bullets Over Broadway)
In sharp contrast to the pedigree of the Best Score category, there is a bunch of fresh faces in the Best Book category. In fact, Chad Beguelin is the only one to have written a Broadway musical before – Woody Allen has only written plays previously, and both Freedman and McGrath are making their Broadway debuts. Both McGrath and Woody Allen have plenty of experience in film, of course, but this is a whole different ball game.
I’m still reeling from the outrage of Matilda winning this category last year, but hopefully this year gets us back on track. There is absolutely no way Woody Allen wins – even putting his image problems aside, a common complaint has been that he merely transferred the movie script to stage with no changes. It’s also difficult to appreciate what exactly Beguelin added to the book of Aladdin that didn’t come from the movie, and how much value there is in that.
So this is a two-horse race between the two Broadway debuts, Freedman and Beautiful. I have not seen Beautiful, but for a jukebox musical to be making the waves that it is, it has to have one spectacular book. Still, Freedman won both the Drama Desk and the OCC Awards, and the best thing about A Gentleman’s Guide is its book. It feels very fresh, and is utterly hilarious. Considering all the support A Gentleman’s Guide has, I expect it to walk away with the award.
Will Win: Robert L. Freedman (A Gentleman’s Guide)
Might Win: Douglas McGrath (Beautiful)
Should Win: Robert L. Freedman (A Gentleman’s Guide)
Best Orchestrations
– Jason Robert Brown (Bridges of Madison County) – also nominated for Best Score
– Doug Besterman (Bullets Over Broadway) – previously won for Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Producers, and Fosse; previously nominated for How to Succeed in Business… and The Music Man
– Steve Sidwell (Beautiful)
– Jonathan Tunick (Gentleman’s Guide) – previously won for Titanic; previously nominated for Promises, Promises, A Catered Affair, Lovemusik, 110 in the Shade, Pacific Overtures, Nine, Follies, and Marie Christine
Jason Robert Brown may or may not win Best Score, but he is virtually guaranteed to win for Best Orchestrations. The orchestrations for Bridges of Madison County are some of the most unique to have been on Broadway in a while, and there is no way Tony voters don’t take this opportunity to reward Brown for this show. Brown won the Drama Desk, and there is no OCC Award for orchestration.
Also working in his favor is that Brown is the only one of these orchestrators to not already have a Tony for Orchestrations, aside from Sidwell (who is debuting on Broadway this season). Besterman already has three Tonys, while Tunick has one to keep his Emmy and Grammy company. There is a slight chance of an upset for Tunick to win if A Gentleman’s Guide starts sweeping the awards, but I think Brown has this one in the bag.
Will Win: Jason Robert Brown (Bridges of Madison County)
Might Win: Jonathan Tunick (A Gentleman’s Guide)
Should Win: Jason Robert Brown (Bridges of Madison County)
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