Blind Prophecy

With less than a week to go until the 2008 Tony Awards, we’re at the final installment of my personal and completely subjective guide to the greatest moments in Tony history.

And there’s only one video this time… because it holds a special place in my personal history and heart. Last year in the weeks leading up to my 30th birthday, I decided that I didn’t want to reach 30 without having visited New York City at least once. I was only able to afford a one night stay tacked on the end of a work trip, so I was only able to plan one Broadway show.

That show was Spring Awakening, and it was wonderful. In fact, I enjoyed the show so much that I refused to leave early, even though it meant I barely made my flight home.

It was my first Broadway show. So watching it on the Tony broadcast (even with the awful censoring), watching it win the Best Musical award, was personally special.

The cast of Spring Awakening at the 2007 Tony Awards

Only one thing left to do, make my predictions (based entirely on my limited exposure to cast recordings and YouTube clips)…

Best Musical
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
√ Xanadu

Best Book of a Musical
√ Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Cry-Baby – Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger
√ In The Heights – Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Little Mermaid – Music: Alan Menken; Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
√ Passing Strange – Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald; Lyrics: Stew
–I think it could go either way.

Best Revival of a Musical
Grease
√ Gypsy
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
√ Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair
– Although I’m largely unfamiliar with the other nominee’s performances.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
√ Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O’Hara, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George
– Although I think LuPone is a very strong contender.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Robin De Jesús, In The Heights
√ Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy
– Again, not really famiilar with the other performances.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
de’Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
√ Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
– I wish Megan Mullally were nominated in this category, I thought her performances of “Please Don’t Touch Me” and “Deep Love” were the highlights of the cast album.

So we’ll check back in a week and see how I did.

Filed under: theatregeekery by Jere Keys