Earlier this week, I presented my predictions for the winners of the 2018 Tony Awards for the various musical categories (link here ). Now let's take a look at the plays.
Nominees for Best Play
The Children
Farinelli and The King
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Junk
Latin History for Morons
My favorite.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Upside: Its appeal is obvious for the gazillions of HP fans. But setting aside the ingenious stage magic, it tells a compelling story of dodgy relationships between adolescents and parents, the difficulty of growing up in the shadow of famous relatives, and the importance of courage and friendship to get you through those tough times. That's the real magic that makes this my favorite and the likely winner. Working against: The first of the two plays that make up the production is mostly used to introduce the new characters and revisit some old favorites via cameo appearances. Non-Potterites will have a hard time relating, although the Part II does a far better job of standing up even to newcomers.
What I think will win.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Possibility of Sneaking In.
I can't imagine any other nominee pulling off a coup here. If you were to remove Harry Potter and the Cursed Child from the race, I'd go with The Children, another British import, this one imagining the nuclear power plant accident that is still wreaking havoc in Japan, but relocating it to a setting in England and raising serious questions about the Boomer generation's culpability with respect to the messes it is leaving behind.
Nominees for Best Revival of a Play
Angels in America
Three Tall Women
The Iceman Cometh
Lobby Hero
Travesties
Lobby Hero
Travesties
My favorite.
Three Tall Women
What I think will win.
Three Tall Women but this feels as close to a tie as possible, with Angels in America. Three Tall Women is just about flawless in terms of casting, performances, design elements, and brilliant direction. But it is a short play, with only three cast members, whereas Angels in America is a massive undertaking made up of two plays, a very large cast, sprawling design elements, etc. So which do you honor? I'd love to see a tie, but I'll stick with Three Tall Women.
Possibility of Sneaking In.
If it really turns into a vote-splitter, then it might go to The Iceman Cometh, another difficult and lengthy play with a starry cast, headed up by Denzel Washington.
Nuh-uh.
Travesties and Lobby Hero have their strengths, and undoubtedly, their supporters, but the competition puts them out of the running.
Nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Condola Rashad, Saint Joan
Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God
Amy Schumer, Meteor Shower
My favorite.
Glenda Jackson. Utter perfection.
Who I think will win
Glenda Jackson.
Nuh-uh.
Lauren Ridloff is a revelation. Condola Rashad is ideally cast in a role that fits her acting style. Amy Schumer takes a cartoonish character and humanizes her. But Glenda Jackson is unbeatable.
Nominees for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Tom Hollander, Travesties
Jamie Parker, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Mark Rylance, Farinelli and The King
Denzel Washington, The Iceman Cometh
Denzel Washington, The Iceman Cometh
My favorite
Andrew Garfield shines as Prior Walter, the AIDS-Infected lead character in Tony Kushner's masterwork.
Who I think will win
Andrew Garfield.
Possibility of Sneaking In.
If there is a lot of split among the voters, Denzel Washington might come through the door, largely on name recognition.
Nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Susan Brown, Angels in America
Noma Dumezweni, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Deborah Findlay, The Children
Denise Gough, Angels in America
Laurie Metcalf, Three Tall Women
My favorite.
Denise Gough. I thought she gave the best performance overall in Angels in America, as the unhinged Harper Pitt who finds the strength and courage to leave her mess of a marriage and strike out on her own.
Who I think will win
Denise Gough.
Possibility of Sneaking In.
Either Noma Dumezweni or Laurie Metcalf, both excellent in their respective roles. I'd say that Noma Dumezweni has the edge here as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Voters would be very familiar with Laurie Metcalf's always excellent performance style, which she has polished to a sheen, but Noma Dumezweni gives them someone new to applaud and recognize.
Nuh-uh.
Susan Brown and Deborah Findlay both give excellent performances, but neither can stand up against the competition.
Nominees Best performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Michael Cera, Lobby Hero
Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero
Nathan Lane, Angels in America
David Morse,The Iceman Cometh
My favorite.
Anthony Boyle. In his mid-20s, he's a little old to be playing a 14-year-old, but his character, Scorpius in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is someone to side with and root for, and Boyle, who already picked up an Olivier for the role, is outstanding.
Who I think will win.
Anthony Boyle.
Possibility of Sneaking In.
Nathan Lane does quite a fine job in accomplishing the nearly impossible task of humanizing the heinous Roy Cohn in Angels In America. I still think Anthony Boyle will take this one, but you never know.
Nuh-uh.
Brian Tyree Henry, David Morse, and Michael are the also-rans here. All three are good, but none of their performances rises to the Tony Award level.
Nominees for Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott, Angels in America
Joe Mantello, Three Tall Women
Patrick Marber, Travesties
John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
George C. Wolfe,The Iceman Cometh
My favorite.
Joe Montello. Again, the production of Three Tall Women was just about perfect. It would have to be to beat out Angels in America.
Who I think will win
Marianne Elliott. For this one, I do think the massive undertaking that resulted in an a generally thrilling revival of Angels in America will bring its director the Tony.
Possibility of Sneaking In.
John Tiffany could slip in if Joe Montello and Marianne Elliott split the vote between them.
Patrick Marber and George C. Wolfe don't stand a chance against the others.
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