theatrical thoughts :: 2007 tony award nominations

tony nominations are like gay christmas! this year's nominations are out and it's time to get talking on who will be taking home the award. my picks, notes, and predictions are noted with a star (*).

nominations for the 2007 american theatre wing's tony awards®
presented by the league of american theatres and producers and the american theatre wing

best play

the coast of utopia
author: tom stoppard









frost/nixon
author: peter morgan









the little dog laughed
author: douglas carter beane









radio golf
author: august wilson









* i think the coast of utopia will ultimately win the tony - however - the little dog laughed is my ideal pick for the win. i thoroughly enjoyed this play and the performances were spectacular.

best musical

curtains










grey gardens










mary poppins










spring awakening










* this is definitely a tough call. i've never been a huge fan of disnycals (disney musicals) but mary poppins was quite good. i'm pulling for spring awakening - though i have not seen it - it seems to be getting a lot of the buzz this year and the music is fantastic. of course last year i was all over drowsey chaperone but it later lost to jersey boys - we'll see if there's another upset this year.

best book of a musical

curtains: rupert holmes & peter stone
grey gardens: doug wright
legally blonde the musical: heather hach
* spring awakening: steven sater

best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theatre

curtains
music: john kander
lyrics: fred ebb, john kander & rupert holmes

grey gardens
music: scott frankel
lyrics: michael korie

legally blonde the musical
music & lyrics: laurence o'keefe and nell benjamin

* spring awakening
music: duncan sheik
lyrics: steven sater

best revival of a play

inherit the wind
journey's end
* talk radio
translations

best revival of a musical

the apple tree
a chorus line
* company
110 in the shade

* hands down company is the one to beat this year. i can't even believe a chorus line was even nominated. and why even bother with 110 in the shade? i know i'm a bit partial - but i think les miserables should have at least been nominated. oh well.

best special theatrical event

jay johnson: the two and only!
* kiki & herb alive on broadway

* as much as i hate to admit it - i think kiki & herb will take this even though i would rather wipe my butt with sandpaper than to ever have to sit through this rubbage again!

best performance by a leading actor in a play

boyd gaines, journey's end
frank langella, frost/nixon
brían f. o'byrne, the coast of utopia
christopher plummer, inherit the wind
liev schreiber, talk radio

* i think this will boil down to two possibilities - christopher plummer (he's old and may die soon) and liev shreiber (let's make it a back to back win.)

best performance by a leading actress in a play

eve best, a moon for the misbegotten
swoosie kurtz, heartbreak house
angela lansbury, deuce
vanessa redgrave, the year of magical thinking
* julie white, the little dog laughed

best performance by a leading actor in a musical

michael cerveris, lovemusik
* raúl esparza, company
jonathan groff, spring awakening
gavin lee, mary poppins
david hyde pierce, curtains

* this is raúl's year - it has to be - he's perfect in his role and totally deserves the win.

best performance by a leading actress in a musical

laura bell bundy, legally blonde the musical
* christine ebersole, grey gardens
audra mcdonald, 110 in the shade
debra monk, curtains
donna murphy, lovemusik

* um - where's the nomination for mary poppin's ashley brown? not that she has a snowball's chance in hell of beating christine ebersole - but my god - do they have to nominate audra mcdonald for everything she does? ashley should have at least had a nomination.

best performance by a featured actor in a play

anthony chisholm, radio golf
* billy crudup, the coast of utopia
ethan hawke, the coast of utopia
john earl jelks, radio golf
stark sands, journey's end

best performance by a featured actress in a play

jennifer ehle, the coast of utopia
xanthe elbrick, coram boy
* dana ivey, butley
jan maxwell, coram boy
martha plimpton, the coast of utopia

best performance by a featured actor in a musical

brooks ashmanskas, martin short: fame becomes me
christian borle, legally blonde the musical
john cullum, 110 in the shade
* john gallagher, jr., spring awakening
david pittu, lovemusik

best performance by a featured actress in a musical

charlotte d'amboise, a chorus line
rebecca luker, mary poppins
orfeh, legally blonde the musical
* mary louise wilson, grey gardens
karen ziemba, curtains

* why is charlotte d'amboise even in this list? of the entire cast of the revival of a chorus line - she was one of the weakest in the bunch. i'm going to have to go with mary louise wilson. even though i didn't care that much for grey gardens - her performance was spot on.

best scenic design of a play

* bob crowley & scott pask, the coast of utopia
jonathan fensom, journey's end
david gallo, radio golf
ti green and melly still, coram boy

best scenic design of a musical

* bob crowley, mary poppins
christine jones, spring awakening
anna louizos, high fidelity
allen moyer, grey gardens

best costume design of a play

ti green and melly still, coram boy
jane greenwood, heartbreak house
santo loquasto, inherit the wind
* catherine zuber, the coast of utopia

best costume design of a musical

gregg barnes, legally blonde the musical
* bob crowley, mary poppins
susan hilferty, spring awakening
william ivey long, grey gardens

best lighting design of a play

paule constable, coram boy
brian macdevitt, inherit the wind
* brian macdevitt, kenneth posner and natasha katz, the coast of utopia
jason taylor, journey's end

best lighting design of a musical

kevin adams, spring awakening
christopher akerlind, 110 in the shade
* howard harrison, mary poppins
peter kaczorowski, grey gardens

best direction of a play

michael grandage, frost/nixon
david grindley, journey's end
* jack o'brien, the coast of utopia
melly still, coram boy

best direction of a musical

john doyle, company
scott ellis, curtains
michael greif, grey gardens
* michael mayer, spring awakening

best choreography

rob ashford, curtains
* matthew bourne and stephen mear, mary poppins
bill t. jones, spring awakening
jerry mitchell, legally blonde the musical

best orchestrations

bruce coughlin, grey gardens
* duncan sheik, spring awakening
jonathan tunick, lovemusik
jonathan tunick, 110 in the shade

regional theatre tony award

alliance theatre atlanta, ga