Some of My Tony Thoughts on Upcoming Announcement

First, a big thanks to Adam Feldman for setting me straight (so to speak) on a few eligibility issues.. I rushed this piece off thinking the announcement was tomorrow. It’s Thursday.

The Tony Award nominations will be announced THURSDAY and the big question will be who will make it among the top contenders in the category for outstanding actress in a musical.

I could put 10 actresses from this season in that category and feel all are deserving. Maybe even more.

I mean, you have veterans like Idina Menzel (“Redwood”), Audra McDonald “Gypsy”), Jennifer Simard and Megan Hilty (“Death Becomes Her”), Sutton Foster (“Once Upon a Mattress”) .. Then add to that heady list worthy performances from many relatively new faces in this category including: Jasmine Amy Rogers (“Boop”), Nicole Scherzinger (“Sunset Boulevard”) Robyn Hurder (“Smash”), Natasha Hodgson(“Operation Mincemeat”), Helen J Shen (“Maybe Happy Ending”) and Tatianna Córdoba (“Real Women Have Curves”)

So wil make the final cut? My guess/wish/predictions are:

Lead actress in a musical: Audra MacDonald (“Gypsy”), Idina Menzel (“Redwood”), Jasmine Amy Rogers (“Boop”), Jennifer Simard (“Death Becomes Her”) and Nicole Scherzinger (“Sunset Boulevard”) with Natasha Hodgson (“Operation Mincemeat”), and Tatianna Córdoba running neck and neck as a wildcards for one of those slots.

Now for my predictions/hope for the rest:

Lead actor in a musical: Darren Criss (“Maybe Happy Ending”), Andrew Durand (“Dead Outlaw”), Jeremy Jordan (“Floyd Collins”) Jonathan Groff (“Just in Time”) and Brooks Ashmanskas (“Smash”) with Tom Francis (“Sunset Boulevard ”) or David Cumming (“Operation Mincemeat”) as at the wildcards for one of those slots.

Lead actor in a play: Cole Escola (“Oh, Mary!”), George Clooney (Good Night and Good Luck”), Louis McCartney (“Stranger Things”), Kit Connor (“Romeo and Juliet”) and Peter Friedman (“Job”)..

Leading actress in a play: Laura Donnelly (“The Hills of California”), Sarah Snook (“The Picture of Dorian Gray”), Sadie Sink (“John Proctor Is the Villain”), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (“Purpose”) and Sydney Lemmon (“Job”) .

Outstanding musical: “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Death Becomes Her,” “Dead Outlaw,” “Operation Mincemeat” and “Real Women Have Curves” with ”Buena Vista Social Club” as the wildcard.

Outstanding play”: “English,” “John Proctor Is the Villain,” “Cult of Love,” “Purpose,” and “The Hills of California” with “Oh, Mary” being the wildcard

Outstanding revival of a musical: “Gypsy,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Floyd Collins,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” with “Pirates” as the wildcard.

Outstanding revival of a play: “Our Town,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Romeo and Juliet”, “Othello”

Outstanding featured actor in a play: Michael McKean (“Glengarry Glen Ross”), Kieran Culkin (“Glengarry Glen Ross”); Bob Odenkirk (“Glengarry Glen Ross”), David Rasche (“Cult of Love”), Gabriel Ebert (“John Proctor Is the Villain”) and as wildcards Glenn Davis (“Purpose”), and Francis Jue (“Yellow Face”)

Outstanding featured actress in a play:” Fina Strazza, (“John Proctor is the Villian”), Marjan Neshat (“English”) , Mare Winningham, (“Cult of Love”), Kara Young (“Purpose”) and Jessica Hect (“Eureka Day”) with lana Arenas (“Purpose”) as wildcard.

Outstanding featured actor in a musical: Danny Burstein (“Gypsy”), Jak Malone (“Operation Mincemeat”), Mason Reeves (“Real Women Have Curves”), Thom Sesma (“Dead Outlaw”), Taylor Trensch (“Floyd Collins”) with Michael Urie (“Once Upon a Mattress”) as the wildcard.

Outstanding actress in a musical: Isa Antonetti (“Buena Vista Social Club”), Lea Salonga (“Old Friends”), Julia Knitel (“Dead Outlaw,”) Natalie Venetia Belcon (“Buena Vista Social Club”);Justina Machado (“Real Women Have Curves”) with Caroline Boman (“Smash”:) Bella Coppola (“Smash”), Lizzy McAlpine (“Floyd Collins”,) and Jinkx Monsoon as the wildcards.

So……what do you think?

“Real Women Have Curves”

“Dead Outlaw”