Tony nominations - the Women

[skynyc]

Hi folks...

Bored yet? ;^p

Thank you for allowing me to indulge myself...I really do love going to the theater, and having a venue to be a pundit is a lot of fun.

 

While the men are grateful that Hugh Jackman wasn't eligible this year, I suspect the women are glad that Hurt Village wasn't ON Broadway.

 

The ladies races are going to be tough this year.

 

For lead actress in a play...there are TONS of worthy performances: four, I think are given: (all still running, all very strong in very different ways.)

 

Nina Arianda in Venus in Fur

Tracey Bennett in End of the Rainbow

Stockard Channing in Other Desert Cities

Linda Lavin in The Lyons

 

That last spot is going to be interesting.

Rachel Griffiths left Other Desert Cities a long time ago, Angela Bassett's Mountaintop and Jennifer Lim's Chinglish both closed a long time ago. But Cynthia Nixon (Wit) and Tyne Daly (Master Class) have also been gone a long time, and they are still getting lots of buzz. I think that Kim Catrall's Amanda in Private Lives, and Nicole Ari Parker's Blanche in STreetcar will both be ignored after their treatment by the critics. Rosemary Harris was pretty luminescent in Road to Mecca, and she lost a couple years ago in Royal Family, but the play was not warmly received.

 

I think I would pick Ms. Harris, but I suspect the committee will go with Ms. Nixon. But I would be very happy if they pulled Ms. Lim out of the hat.

 

I almost cannot handicap the featured actresses in a play:

 

Candace Bergen after a long time away in The Best Man

Linda Emond in Streetcar could be the third actress to get the award in this role.

Angela Lansbury could win her sixth Tony for The Best Man

Judith LIght was amazing in Other Desert Cities

 

Although it got terrible reviews, Spencer Kayden got unanimous raves in Don't Dress for Dinner, and the fact that this show was the last to open in time for the cut-off, her performance will surely be on the mind of the committee. On the other hand, Condola Raschad was so strong in Stick Fly, she stole the show from the larger roles, but that show closed a long time ago. Marlo Thomas is, in my opinion, the only chance Relatively Speaking has for a nod...and I suspect Carla Gugino will be forgotten for a strong showing in the most thankless role in Road to Mecca, as will Margaret Colin in The Columnist. The women of Clybourne Park will all cancel each other out...Lily Rabe is a very popular actress right now, but her role in The Seminar was pretty blah, but the committee does love to show some love to younger performers, and this slot could go to Celia Keenan-Bolger, who has been consistently working for a number of years. And finally, although her notices were mixed, I personally didn't care for Daphne Rubin Vega in Streetcar.

 

I hope (and suspect) the final slot will go to Ms. Kayden.

 

Musical nominees are also interesting

 

It was announced today that Bernadette Peters will win the special Isabelle STevenson Tony Award this year...which I hope alleviates the committee from giving her a (to my mind undeserved) spot in the top five.

 

Jan Maxwell was divine and I hope she wins. (Note, this is my only actual endorsement at this time. LOL) But she has some tough competition. Interestingly, I feel that only one of the other leading ladies is GUARANTEED a spot on the ballot and that's Audra McDonald in Porgy and Bess.

 

Depending on the whims of the committee, the other slots could go to:

Kristin Milioti in Once

Kelli O'Hara in Nice Work

Laura Osnes in Bonnie and Clyde

Bernadette Peters in Follies (hope not, see above)

Elena Roger in Evita.

 

Ms. Roger is kind of the elephant in the room. She definitely is NOT giving the performance that folks who have been listening to Patti LuPone for thirty year want to see, but on her own merit, I totally bought her performance as a manipulative, vindictive, diva-bitch, whose body betrayed her, visibly, on stage. I don't think there's any chance that Patty Murin will be nominated for carrying Lysistrata Jones, but I wouldn't be unhappy if she did.

 

So my picks: Milioti, O'Hara and Roger (with Maxwell and McDonald.)

 

I think the committee may go for Peters anyway and show Ms. Roger the bird.

 

Okay, I am tired, and suspect that no one will be reading any more anyway. I am going to make my predictions for Featured actress in a musical quick:

 

Terry Burrell in Follies

Jayne Houdyshell in Follies

Judy Kaye in Nice Work

Elaine Paige in Follies

Da'Vine Joy Randolph in Ghost

 

I would LOVE it if Jessie Mueller got nominated for On a Clear Day. I LOVED her voice. (And am glad she'll be Cinderella in Into the Woods in Central Park this summer.) And as mentioned in the play category above, sometimes the committee likes to endorse a newcomer to the biz. There's buzz about Melissa Vander Schiff in Bonnie and Clyde, but I am not sure she can hold up against the old pros from Follies.

 

While I found the sheriff Jessica Phillips my favorite part of Leap of Faith, I suspect that this show will be roundly overlooked, I understand it's barely hanging on financially, and unless it gets a number of nominations, I think this will be the first casualty of the post-nominations. I don't think that a nomination for Esparza alone will be enough.

 

Thanks again guys.