Best Actor in a Musical
My Pick: Michael Cerveris – Fun Home
Much like the Best Musical category, this comes down to Fun Home and An American in Paris, with their respective leading men Michael Cerveris and Robert Fairchild. Fairchild is making his Broadway debut with this part, as he is a ballet dancer by trade, and people are surprised that his performance was not abysmal. He has been picking up quite a few awards for his performance, but he has never been up against Cerveris for them. I am ultimately choosing the Fun Home star because he is someone well-liked in the community and, unlike Fairchild who received surprisingly positive notices, got raves for his work. Cerveris did win about a decade ago for playing John Wilkes Booth in Assassins, but I think they’ll give him another.
Best Actor in a Play
My Pick: Alex Sharp – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Though not as big of a lock as it winning Best Play, Alex Sharp winning Best Actor for Curious Incident is pretty close. He plays an autistic person, which is not just a soft-spot for the Academy Awards. His closest competition is Bradley Cooper for The Elephant Man, but I think here, unlike in the musical category, being a newcomer helps him. This kid, fresh out of Julliard, came on Broadway without an agent or manager and blew everyone away. Steven Boyer is fan favorite amongst many in Hand to God, but this one is Sharp’s to lose.
Best Actress in a Musical
My Pick: Kristin Chenoweth – On the Twentieth Century
This category kills me, mainly because I want Kelli O’Hara to win a Tony. Her performance in The King and I is her sixth nomination, and she has yet to pick up a trophy. There is a possibility the Tony voters will recognize this and finally give her the win she has deserved for a long time. There is also the chance Chita Rivera may win, as she has hinted her role in The Visit may end up being her last go on Broadway. However, the far more likely outcome is that Kristin Chenoweth wins for On the Twentieth Century. Nearly every review says the role of Lily Garland is “made for her”, and she has already picked up the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Chenoweth and Rivera already have Tonys, which may boost O’Hara’s chances, but I doubt it.
Best Actress in a Play
My Pick: Helen Mirren – The Audience
Mirren is playing Queen Elizabeth II. Discussion over.
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
My Pick: Andy Karl – On the Twentieth Century
Talk about a tough category to predict. The two favorites here seem to be Christian Borle for Something Rotten! and Andy Karl for On the Twentieth Century. The former took the Outer Critics and the latter took the Drama Desk. Although, Borle was nominated for lead at the Outer Critics, so they weren’t competing. Ultimately, I am choosing Karl because Borle won a couple of years ago for Peter and the Starcatcher, and I cannot see them giving another so quickly. Also, Karl has been paying his dues for a long time now, scoring his first nomination last year for Rocky, and this just may be his time. There is some support out there for Brad Oscar, as his big number receives standing ovations every night, but the groundswell he needs isn’t there.
Best Featured Actor in a Play
My Pick: K. Todd Freeman – Airline Highway
And I thought the Featured Actor in a Musical category was tough… There does not seem to be any favorite here. Nathaniel Parker won an Olivier for Wolf Hall, Richard McCabe won the Outer Critics for The Audience, and K. Todd Freeman won the Drama Desk for Airline Highway. People loved Alessandro Nivola in The Elephant Man and think Micah Stock managed to shine in the not-so-great play It’s Only a Play. I am going with Freeman mainly on the fact his show opened last and may be freshest in voters’ minds. Most predictions out there seem to be going with Parker, but I do not see any kind of Wolf Hall love out there for me to swing that way. But I really do not know and am looking forward to the show to see who takes it.
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
My Pick: Sydney Lucas – Fun Home
I am going with a slight underdog here. Three of the women from Fun Home are nominated in this category, and the favorite among them is Judy Kuhn, a Broadway-vet with four nominations and no wins. However, I am going with the eleven year-old Sydney Lucas for a couple of reasons. 1) Everyone is stunned by this little girl’s performance. 2) She would be the second youngest Tony winner in history (the youngest won for the same category), and I think the Tonys would think that’s cool. I could easily be wrong here, but I think this will happen. And if neither of those two Fun Home ladies win, it’ll go to The King and I‘s Ruthie Ann Miles, who won the Outer Critics.
Best Featured Actress in a Play
My Pick: Annaleigh Ashford – You Can’t Take it with You
Annaleigh Ashford is rapidly becoming one of Broadway’s favorite performers. After breaking out with a hilarious performance in Kinky Boots two years ago, where she was nominated for a Tony, she made another big statement in the comedy department in You Can’t Take it with You. She has already taken home the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and I do not see that stopping on Sunday. Many people are suspecting Patricia Clarkson to sweep in a take it for The Elephant Man, and maybe that will be the Tonys way of recognizing that show, but I am still going with Ashford. She is a Broadway star waiting to be recognized.
Now, let’s get a little more technical…
