The Tony Nominations Are Announced: Let the Speculation Begin!

2013 Tony Award Nominees 'Kinky Boots' leads with 13 Tony nominations Kinky Boots, the Harvey Fierstein/Cyndi Lauper collaboration leads the list of Tony Award nominations. Great for box office, but how will it fare in the end? Its stiffest competition for Best Musical:  the British import, Matilda. In the past, I've avoided speculating on the Tonys, but what the heck.  Below is the list of nominees, with my predictions in boldface.  I have Matilda edging out Kinky Boots, by the way, though I have given best original score to Lauper.
BEST PLAY The Assembled Parties Lucky Guy The Testament of Mary Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Author: BEST MUSICAL Bring It On: The Musical A Christmas Story, The Musical Kinky Boots Matilda The Musical BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL A Christmas Story, The Musical Kinky Boots Matilda The Musical  Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella BEST ORIGINAL SCORE  A Christmas Story, The Musical Hands on a Hardbody Music: Kinky Boots  Matilda The Musical Music & Lyrics BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY Golden Boy Orphans The Trip to Bountiful Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL Annie The Mystery of Edwin Drood Pippin Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy Nathan Lane, The Nance Tracy Letts, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Tom Sturridge, Orphans BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place Amy Morton, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Kristine Nielsen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Holland Taylor, Ann Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful  BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL Bertie Carvel, Matilda The Musical Santino Fontana, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Rob McClure, Chaplin Billy Porter, Kinky Boots Stark Sands. Kinky Boots BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood Carolee Carmello, Scandalous Valisia LeKae, Motown The Musical Patina Miller, Pippin Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY Danny Burstein, Golden Boy Richard Kind, The Big Knife Billy Magnussen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY Carrie Coon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Judith Ivey, The Heiress Judith Light, The Assembled Parties Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL Charl Brown, Motown The Musical Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood Gabriel Ebert, Matilda The Musical Terrence Mann, Pippin BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots Victoria Clark, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Andrea Martin, Pippin Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody Lauren Ward, Matilda The Musical BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY Pam MacKinnon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Nicholas Martin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL Scott Ellis, The Mystery of Edwin Drood Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots Diane Paulus, Pippin Matthew Warchus, Matilda The Musical BEST CHOREOGRAPHY Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical Peter Darling, Matilda The Musical Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots Chet Walker, Pippin BEST ORCHESTRATIONS Chris Nightingale, Matilda The Musical Stephen Oremus, Kinky Boots Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook, Motown The Musical Danny Troob, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella  BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY John Lee Beatty, The Nance Santo Loquasto, The Assembled Parties David Rockwell, Lucky Guy Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL Rob Howell, Matilda The Musical Anna Louizos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood Scott Pask, Pippin David Rockwell, Kinky Boots BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY Soutra Gilmour, Cyrano de Bergerac Ann Roth, The Nance Albert Wolsky, The Heiress Catherine Zuber, Golden Boy BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots Rob Howell, Matilda The Musical Dominique Lemieux, Pippin William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, Lucky Guy Donald Holder, Golden Boy Jennifer Tipton, The Testament of Mary Japhy Weideman, The Nance BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots Kenneth Posner, Pippin Kenneth Posner, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Hugh Vanstone, Matilda The Musical BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY John Gromada, The Trip to Bountiful Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary Leon Rothenberg, The Nance Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, Golden Boy BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm, Pippin Peter Hylenski, Motown The Musical John Shivers, Kinky Boots Nevin Steinberg, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Feel free to tell your friends about this blog, and to share your own theater stories by posting a comment.