For all the intense jockeying leading up the Tony Awards, which will be presented June 9 at Radio City Music Hall, there is only one medallion that usually means something at the box office: Best Musical. That won’t stop the nominees from having their hearts in their throats until their respective categories are announced — 26 competitive ones in all. Among the actors in attendance, four who can enjoy a preordained march to the podium are Bailey Ryon, Milly Shapiro, Sophia Gennusa, and Oona Laurence. They are the pint-sized stars who alternate in the title role of “Matilda.” They have been voted a special Tony by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. The decision came in order to avoid the controversy that arose when, in 2009, the three boys from the musical “Billy Elliot” were placed as one unit in their category and walked — or danced — away with the trophy. “Unfair!” cried their competitors. No doubt, there will be similar feelings of injustice done this Sunday. But chalk that up to the arbitrary nature of awards. If you tune in to CBS-TV Sunday night, these six topics will be most discussed in the post-mortems.
“Matilda” versus “Kinky Boots”
This will come down to the wire. If “Kinky Boots” prevails, the producers can thank a controversial 2009 decision by the Tony Administration Committee. It was this body — dominated by Broadway producers — who chose to eliminate the First Night Press List from the Tony voting rolls. That included a hundred members of the press — nearly one-eighth of the total voters. The official reason given was that they had a “conflict of interest,” because their vote on Tony contenders came in the wake of them having had a platform all season to promote their favorites. It was a specious argument. In fact, as producer Jeffrey Seller pointed out at the time, “Losing 100 voters who are basically unbiased threatens to increase the influence of biased producers.” In fact, producers and presenters make up the majority of Tony voters whose number also includes representatives from the various unions, including Actors Equity. The hue and cry that followed the unpopular decision made the committee back track a bit. They reinstated the two dozen or so members of the New York Drama Critics Circle. While “Kinky Boots” received relatively good notices when it opened, “Matilda” walked away with raves. The absence of those media voters may well tip the top award to “Kinky Boots.” The musical is also likely to notch up another win crowning Cyndi Lauper for her impressive Broadway songwriting debut.
Tom Hanks Versus Everybody Else
One of the highlights of the season has been the Broadway debut of Tom Hanks in “Lucky Guy,” the drama about the late journalist Mike McAlary by the late writer Nora Ephron. It will be a major upset if Hanks does not win. In addition to acknowledging a powerful performance, a nod to the popular actor will also be a way of honoring Ephron. However, Hanks’s competition is exceedingly tough. All received rave reviews for their performances: Nathan Lane (“The Nance”), David Hyde Pierce (“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”), Tracy Letts (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”), and Tom Sturridge (“Orphans”). If anyone should steal it from Hanks, it may well be either Letts, masterful in an Everest of a role, or Lane for his heartbreaking performance as a Depression-era gay actor playing the stereotypical pansy in burlesque routines.
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” versus “Lucky Guy”
“Vanya” is favored to win Best Play. This is one of those instances where a nice guy — and a very talented one — finally wins. Its author, Christopher Durang, has labored long and hard in the thorny vineyards of Broadway. He arrived in 1978 as an infant terrible with a short-lived farce, “A History of the American Film,” and his subsequent efforts were all flops, often encountering hostile reviews for their dark humor and unflinching look at a blighted humanity. Durang’s lightened up with this hysterically funny comedy about a pair of depressed siblings in Bucks County who must contend with the return of their sister, a glamorous movie star, and her young studly boyfriend. Dramas most often trump comedies in a Tony race. Not this time.
A “Pippin” Sweep?
Revivals are not usually poised to clean up at the Tonys. But it’s a sign of the weakness of the new offerings this season that the title you are likely to hear most often during the telecast will be “Pippin,” Diane Paulus’s thrilling reinvention of the 1972 Bob Fosse-Stephen Schwartz musical. In an extremely competitive year, it is one of the few shows that can be said to have locks or near-locks, including Andrea Martin’s show-stopping turn as an extremely limber grandmother, and trophies for Best Revival and Best Director of a Musical. Paulus came up empty-handed for her two previous nods for “Hair” and “The Gershwins’ ‘Porgy and Bess,’” even as those shows walked off with top honors. It’s her year.
Neil Patrick Harris in Drag?
Not likely. But expect the host to show up in a pair of sparkly, thigh-high “kinky boots.” As though the Tonys weren’t gay enough, this season features no less than four nominees whose performances were highlighted by their bravura turns at cross-dressing. The major category of Leading Actor in a Musical features a to-the-mat finish between Bertie Carvel, who played the evil and sadistic headmistress of Crunchem Hall in “Matilda,” and Billy Porter as Lola, the glittery drag queen whose size 12 feet inspire a plan to save a failing shoe factory. Also among the nominees who cross-dressed are Nathan Lane, whose final scene as a bedraggled Hortense could steal the Tony from Hanks; and Stephanie J. Block in a starring pants role in the revival of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” You can probably expect a lot of jokes at the expense of “Smash.”
Counting the Airtime for “Motown”
The Tonys are Broadway’s greatest infomercial, an opportunity to showcase what is often considered a marginal art form to millions of people. Therefore, the slots for Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical are coveted as they come with the guarantee of four minutes of air time on the telecast. “Motown,” a box-office juggernaut, did not make the cut, having received some of the worst reviews of the season. However, Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, who produce the telecast, are no dummies. They know a valuable brand when they see one. So you can expect to see lots of “Motown” — actors playing Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and, of course, Berry Gordy, the record mogul who founded the iconic record label. And that’s probably as it should be. “Motown” is as good a soundtrack as any for the 67th Annual Tony Awards. The winners will no doubt be “Dancing in the Street” while the losers will be humming “My World Is Empty without You.” Until next time, that is.