FEATURE: 2018 Tony Awards Recap

The Tony Awards are Broadway’s biggest night—and thus the biggest night in American theatre—the one time a year the nation (or at least some portion of it) pauses to celebrate excellence in theatre.  Yes, the telecast is heavily imbalanced in its coverage of musicals vs. plays—and this was a very weak year for new plays on Broadway—but the night nevertheless celebrated an extraordinary class of artists who deserve to be household names nationwide.

Miss the show?  Here are the big takeaways:

• It was a near-clean sweep for “The Band’s Visit”, which picked up 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actress (Katrina Lenk), Best Actor (Tony Shalhoub), Best Director (David Cromer), and Best Score (David Yazbek), among others, losing only for set design
• For perspective, only six other shows in history have ever won more Tony Awards—and it’s an impressive list: “South Pacific”, “The Producers”, “Cabaret”, “Death of a Salesman”, “Hamilton”, and “La Cage aux Folles”
• “Mean Girls” was the biggest loser, with 12 nominations and zero wins
• “Once On This Island” was a surprise winner for Best Musical Revival
• “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two” came in second with six wins
• The show was an affirmation of the social value of theatre for teaching empathy and encouraging community; and then there was Robert DeNiro’s bleeped out take down of President Trump
• Hosts Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban were charming and funny, showing off their vocal chops, especially in a catchy and heartfelt opening and closing number—unmistakably composed by Ms. Bareilles—that paid tribute to “the people who lose”
• Watch all the performances here

Out of 26 categories, I correctly predicted 20 wins (77%).  Below is the list of nominees and winners (bolded and italicized); also noted for each category are my “should win/will win” predictions.  Show names hyperlink to my reviews and where to buy tickets.  Here’s to another great season!

Best Play
"The Children"
"Farinelli and the King"
"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
"Junk"
"Latin History for Morons"

SHOULD WIN: “The Children”
WILL WIN: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
DID WIN: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”

Best Musical
"The Band's Visit"
"Frozen"
"Mean Girls"
"SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

SHOULD WIN: “The Band’s Visit”
WILL WIN: “The Band’s Visit”
DID WIN: “The Band’s Visit”

Best Revival of a Play
"Angels in America"
"Three Tall Women"
"The Iceman Cometh"
"Lobby Hero"
"Travesties"

SHOULD WIN: “Angels in America”
WILL WIN: “Angels in America”
DID WIN: “Angels in America”

Best Revival of a Musical
"Carousel"
"My Fair Lady"
"Once On This Island" 

SHOULD WIN: “Carousel”
WILL WIN: “Carousel”
DID WIN: “Once On This Island”

One of the few, genuine surprises of the evening, “My Fair Lady” was the industry favorite, but I thought “Carousel” would eek it out.  My guess is these two classics split the vote, making way for “Once On This Island” to achieve a well-deserved win. Expect tickets to be scarce, given that “Once On This Island” plays in a small theatre.

Best Director of a Play
Marianne Elliott, "Angels in America"
Joe Mantello, "Three Tall Women"
Patrick Marber, "Travesties"
John Tiffany, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
George C. Wolfe, "The Iceman Cometh"

SHOULD WIN: Marianne Elliott, "Angels in America"
WILL WIN: John Tiffany, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
DID WIN: John Tiffany, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"

Best Director of a Musical
Michael Arden, "Once On This Island"
David Cromer, "The Band's Visit"
Tina Landau, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
Casey Nicholaw, "Mean Girls"
Bartlett Sher, "My Fair Lady"

SHOULD WIN: Tina Landau, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
WILL WIN: David Cromer, "The Band's Visit"
DID WIN: David Cromer, "The Band's Visit"

Best Choreography
Christopher Gattelli, "My Fair Lady"
Christopher Gattelli, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
Steven Hoggett, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Casey Nicholaw, "Mean Girls"
Justin Peck, "Carousel"

SHOULD WIN: Justin Peck, "Carousel"
WILL WIN: Justin Peck, "Carousel"
DID WIN: Justin Peck, "Carousel"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Andrew Garfield, "Angels in America"
Tom Hollander, "Travesties"
Jamie Parker, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Mark Rylance, "Farinelli and The King"
Denzel Washington, "The Iceman Cometh"

SHOULD WIN: Tom Hollander, "Travesties"
WILL WIN: Andrew Garfield, "Angels in America"
DID WIN: Andrew Garfield, "Angels in America"

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Glenda Jackson, "Three Tall Women"
Condola Rashad, "Saint Joan"
Lauren Ridloff, "Children of a Lesser God"
Amy Schumer, "Meteor Shower"

SHOULD WIN: Glenda Jackson, "Three Tall Women"
WILL WIN: Glenda Jackson, "Three Tall Women"
DID WIN: Glenda Jackson, "Three Tall Women”

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Boyle, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Michael Cera, "Lobby Hero"
Brian Tyree Henry, "Lobby Hero"
Nathan Lane, "Angels in America"
David Morse, "The Iceman Cometh"

SHOULD WIN: Anthony Boyle, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
WILL WIN: Nathan Lane, "Angels in America"
DID WIN: Nathan Lane, "Angels in America"

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Susan Brown, "Angels in America"
Noma Dumezweni, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Deborah Findlay, "The Children"
Denise Gough, "Angels in America"
Laurie Metcalf, "Three Tall Women"

SHOULD WIN: Noma Dumezweni, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
WILL WIN: Denise Gough, "Angels in America"
DID WIN: Laurie Metcalf, "Three Tall Women"

Laurie Metcalf won in bit of an upset—giving her back-to-back wins for “A Doll’s House Part 2” in 2017 and “Three Tall Women” in 2018.  Can’t wait to see what she wins for in 2019.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Lauren Ambrose, "My Fair Lady"
Hailey Kilgore, "Once On This Island"
LaChanze, "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical"
Katrina Lenk, "The Band's Visit"
Taylor Louderman, "Mean Girls"
Jessie Mueller, "Carousel"

SHOULD WIN: Katrina Lenk, "The Band's Visit"
WILL WIN: Katrina Lenk, "The Band's Visit"
DID WIN: Katrina Lenk, "The Band's Visit"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton, "My Fair Lady"
Joshua Henry, "Carousel"
Tony Shalhoub, "The Band's Visit"
Ethan Slater, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

SHOULD WIN: Ethan Slater, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
WILL WIN: Joshua Henry, "Carousel"
DID WIN: Tony Shalhoub, "The Band's Visit"

Another surprise, though Mr. Shalhoub is outstanding in his mostly non-singing role.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, "My Fair Lady"
Alexander Gemignani, "Carousel"
Grey Henson, "Mean Girls"
Gavin Lee, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
Ari'el Stachel, "The Band's Visit"

SHOULD WIN: Ari'el Stachel, "The Band's Visit"
WILL WIN: Ari'el Stachel, "The Band's Visit"
DID WIN: Ari'el Stachel, "The Band's Visit"

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Ariana DeBose, "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical"
Renée Fleming, "Carousel"
Lindsay Mendez, "Carousel"
Ashley Park, "Mean Girls"
Diana Rigg, "My Fair Lady"

SHOULD WIN: Lindsay Mendez, "Carousel"
WILL WIN: Lindsay Mendez, "Carousel"
DID WIN: Lindsay Mendez, "Carousel"

Best Book of a Musical
"The Band's Visit", Itamar Moses
"Frozen", Jennifer Lee
"Mean Girls", Tina Fey
"SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical", Kyle Jarrow

SHOULD WIN: "Mean Girls", Tina Fey
WILL WIN: "Mean Girls", Tina Fey
DID WIN: "The Band's Visit", Itamar Moses

This was an upset—as evidenced by the fact that the producers of the telecast gave “Best Book of a Musical” such a primetime spot.  They expected Tina Fey to win.  So did I.  But Mr. Moses more than deserves his Tony Award.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
"Angels in America", Adrian Sutton
"The Band's Visit", Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
"Frozen", Music & Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
"Mean Girls", Music: Jeff Richmond, Lyrics: Nell Benjamin
"SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical", Music & Lyrics: Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman, John Legend, Panic! at the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, T.I., and Domani & Lil'C

SHOULD WIN: "The Band's Visit", Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
WILL WIN: "The Band's Visit", Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
DID WIN: "The Band's Visit", Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

Finally! Mr. Yazbek is among my favorite composers. 

Best Orchestrations
John Clancy, "Mean Girls"
Tom Kitt, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
Annmarie Milazzo & Michael Starobin, "Once On This Island"
Jamshied Sharifi, "The Band's Visit"
Jonathan Tunick, "Carousel"

SHOULD WIN: Tom Kitt, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
WILL WIN: Jamshied Sharifi, "The Band's Visit"
DID WIN: Jamshied Sharifi, "The Band's Visit"

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, "Three Tall Women"
Jonathan Fensom, "Farinelli and The King"
Christine Jones, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Santo Loquasto, "The Iceman Cometh"
Ian MacNeil and Edward Pierce, "Angels in America"

SHOULD WIN: Christine Jones, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
DID WIN: Christine Jones, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Dane Laffrey, "Once On This Island"
Scott Pask, "The Band's Visit"
Scott Pask, Finn Ross & Adam Young, "Mean Girls"
Michael Yeargan,"My Fair Lady"
David Zinn, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

SHOULD WIN: David Zinn, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
DID WIN: David Zinn, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jonathan Fensom, "Farinelli and The King"
Nicky Gillibrand, "Angels in America"
Katrina Lindsay, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Ann Roth, "Three Tall Women"
Ann Roth, "The Iceman Cometh"

SHOULD WIN: Katrina Lindsay, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
DID WIN: Katrina Lindsay, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, "Mean Girls"
Clint Ramos, "Once On This Island"
Ann Roth, "Carousel"
David Zinn, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
Catherine Zuber, "My Fair Lady"

SHOULD WIN: David Zinn, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
DID WIN: Catherine Zuber, "My Fair Lady"

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Paule Constable, "Angels in America"
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, "The Iceman Cometh"
Paul Russell, "Farinelli and The King"
Ben Stanton, "Junk"

SHOULD WIN: Neil Austin, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
DID WIN: Neil Austin, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, "Once On This Island"
Donald Holder, "My Fair Lady"
Brian MacDevitt, "Carousel"
Tyler Micoleau, "The Band's Visit"

SHOULD WIN: Tyler Micoleau, "The Band's Visit"
DID WIN: Tyler Micoleau, "The Band's Visit"

Best Sound Design of a Play
Adam Cork, "Travesties"
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, "Angels in America"
Gareth Fry, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
Tom Gibbons, "1984"
Dan Moses Schreier, "The Iceman Cometh"

SHOULD WIN: Gareth Fry, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"
DID WIN: Gareth Fry, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two"

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada, "The Band's Visit"
Peter Hylenski, "Once On This Island"
Scott Lehrer, "Carousel"
Brian Ronan, "Mean Girls"
Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"

SHOULD WIN: Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical"
DID WIN: Kai Harada, "The Band's Visit"

Total Wins:

"The Band's Visit" – 10
"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two" – 6
"Angels in America" – 3
"Carousel" – 2
"Three Tall Women" – 2
"My Fair Lady" – 1
"Once On This Island" – 1
"SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical" – 1