Ben Brantley and Jesse Green, the chief theater critics for The New York Times, make their Tony Award choices. For the Should Have Been Nominated category, they were allowed to expand the potential nominees to productions ineligible for the Tonys, including those Off Broadway, which are designed by an asterisk.
Ben Brantley
BEST PLAY
WILL WIN: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
SHOULD WIN: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: “Hangmen”*
BEST MUSICAL
WILL WIN: “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: “The B-Side: ?Negro Folklore from Texas State Prisons’ — A Record Album Interpretation”*
BEST PLAY REVIVAL
WILL WIN: “Angels in America”
SHOULD WIN: “Angels in America”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: “Yerma”*
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
WILL WIN: “Carousel”
SHOULD WIN: “Carousel”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: “Jerry Springer — The Opera”*
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
WILL WIN: Andrew Garfield, “Angels in America”
SHOULD WIN: Andrew Garfield
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Lars Eidinger, “Richard III”*
BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
WILL WIN: Glenda Jackson, “Three Tall Women”
SHOULD WIN: Glenda Jackson
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Billie Piper, “Yerma”*
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Ethan Slater, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical”
SHOULD WIN: Tony Shalhoub, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Eric Berryman, “The B-Side”*
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Katrina Lenk, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: Katrina Lenk
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Erika Henningsen, “Mean Girls”
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
WILL WIN: Michael Cera, “Lobby Hero”
SHOULD WIN: Michael Cera or Brian Tyree Henry, “Lobby Hero”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Chris Evans, “Lobby Hero”; Patrick Page, “Saint Joan”
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
WILL WIN: Denise Gough, “Angels in America”
SHOULD WIN: Denise Gough
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Alison Pill, “Three Tall Women”
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Ari’el Stachel, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: Ari’el Stachel
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Amar Ramasar, “Carousel”
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Diana Rigg, “My Fair Lady”
SHOULD WIN: Lindsay Mendez, “Carousel”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Kate Rockwell, “Mean Girls”
BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
WILL WIN: John Tiffany, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
SHOULD WIN: John Tiffany
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Simon Stone, “Yerma”*
BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: David Cromer, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: David Cromer
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Jack O’Brien, “Carousel”
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Tina Fey, “Mean Girls”
SHOULD WIN: Tina Fey
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: [radio silence]
BEST SCORE OF A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: David Yazbek, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: David Yazbek
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: The Bengsons, “Hundred Days”*
Jesse Green
BEST PLAY
WILL WIN: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
SHOULD WIN: “The Children”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: “Mary Jane”*; “Sojourners”*; “Cost of Living”*
BEST MUSICAL
WILL WIN: “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: “Springsteen on Broadway”*
BEST PLAY REVIVAL
WILL WIN: “Angels in America”
SHOULD WIN: “Three Tall Women”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: “At Home at the Zoo”*
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
WILL WIN: “Once on This Island”
SHOULD WIN: “My Fair Lady”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: “Brigadoon”*
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
WILL WIN: Andrew Garfield, “Angels in America”
SHOULD WIN: Tom Hollander, “Travesties”
SHOULD HAVEN BEEN NOMINATED: John Lithgow, “Stories by Heart”; Billy Crudup, “Harry Clarke”*
BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
WILL WIN: Glenda Jackson, “Three Tall Women”
SHOULD WIN: Glenda Jackson
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Dianne Wiest, “Happy Days”*
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Ethan Slater, “SpongeBob Square Pants: The Broadway Musical.”
SHOULD WIN: Tony Shalhoub, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Bruce Springsteen, “Springsteen on Broadway”*
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Katrina Lenk, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: Katrina Lenk
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Kelli O’Hara, “Brigadoon”*; Ashley Park, “KPOP”*; Daphne Rubin-Vega, “Miss You Like Hell”*
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
WILL WIN: Nathan Lane, “Angels in America”
SHOULD WIN: Brian Tyree Henry, “Lobby Hero”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Chris Evans, “Lobby Hero”; Patrick Page, “Saint Joan”
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
WILL WIN: Denise Gough, “Angels in America”
SHOULD WIN: Laurie Metcalf, “Three Tall Women”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Laura Benanti, “Meteor Shower”; Francesca Annis, “The Children”; Alison Pill, “Three Tall Women”; Bel Powley, “Lobby Hero”
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Norbert Leo Butz, “My Fair Lady”
SHOULD WIN: Ari’el Stachel, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Alex Newell, “Once on This Island”
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Lindsay Mendez, “Carousel”
SHOULD WIN: Lindsay Mendez
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Kristen Sieh, “The Band’s Visit”
BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
WILL WIN: John Tiffany, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
SHOULD WIN: Joe Mantello, “Three Tall Women”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: James Macdonald, “The Children”; Trip Cullman, “Lobby Hero”
BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: David Cromer, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: David Cromer
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Christopher Wheeldon, “Brigadoon”*
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: Tina Fey, “Mean Girls”
SHOULD WIN: Itamar Moses, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: [Lin-Manuel Miranda, because why not?]
BEST SCORE OF A MUSICAL
WILL WIN: David Yazbek, “The Band’s Visit”
SHOULD WIN: David Yazbek
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Helen Park and Max Vernon, “KPOP”*
It's funny how some took Brantley's review of Carousel as a somewhat negative review and yet he thinks it will and should win Best Revival over My Fair Lady and Once on this Island.
I understand wanting to bring attention to off-Broadway productions and to advertise for them, but how could those shows be "should be nominated" when they could not be nominated?
I think Stachel could win. There have been weirder wins in that category (Christian Hoff and Gabriel Ebert come to mind). If The Band’s Visit has momentum and they want to reward it where they can, he could come out on top.
I am utterly confused as to why Ben Brantley thinks Carousel should and will win, because I most definitely cannot see that happening. Also, Michael Cera?!?!?!
“6 AM. The sky glows. Somewhere a bird chirps. I want to shoot it.” ~ Jonathan Larson, Tick...Tick..BOOM
The NYT critics always name Off-Broadway shows/actors they liked in the “should have been nominated” category. I think it’s their way of saying these ineligible productions/performances were on par with (or even better than) the Tony nominees. That’s all.
HeyMrMusic said: "I think Stachel could win. There have been weirder wins in that category (Christian Hoff and Gabriel Ebert come to mind). If The Band’s Visit has momentum and they want to reward it where they can, he could come out on top."
Of course he can win but I feel like the momentum has swung towards some of the other nominees who are in shows that just opened.
A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.
I still think Diana Rigg's nomination was utterly random other than her name explaining her nomination. Even if she was giving the best Mrs. Higgins ever (I don't think so from what I saw in previews), the role really isn't much of anything to give an award for.
Brantley rarely knows where the momentum lies. Green is a little more aware, but then again, there’s still a month to go.
I’d personally love to see Rigg win. I thought she was entirely memorable and more impactful than I remember Mrs. Higgins to be. I think it would be a nice pair with her potential Emmy Award for Game of Thrones later this year.
But really, those musical featured categories...so up in the air! Actually they all are except leading actress. The Band’s Visit being the frontrunner surely throws a wrench into everything.
I don't really buy much into Brantley's betting intuition. He was the one who insisted that Mary Beth Peil from "Anastasia" would win (and should win) Featured Actress in a Musical last year
I feel like Brantley liked MFL and OOTI more than Carousel? Nearly every single category makes no sense to me.
I know why they do the Off-Broadway thing, but I really don't like it. I want them to say what actually should have been nominated, not give a shoutout to shows that have nothing to do with the Tonys. Make that into a different article if you want to do that.
(I worship her, but..)
joined:12/13/06
joined:
12/13/06
Posted: 5/9/18 at 10:16am