2018 Tony Award Predictions!

This Sunday is the biggest Broadway day of the year—the 72nd Annual Tony Awards! I will be watching the awards with my girlfriend at Disney Theatrical Group's Tony Awards party. I truthfully believe I can pick all of these awards without any personal connections affecting my predictions, but in an effort to remove any perceived conflicts, I will not be giving a prediction for any of the three categories for which Frozen has been nominated. Also, it should be noted that I use the term prediction a little loosely. I might note that someone I think will win even though someone else was my favorite or "should" win. Sometimes my prediction might just be who I want to win. Predictions aren't a science.

Best Play
The Children, Farinelli and the King, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Junk, Latin History for Morons

Prediction: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is going to win this, and it's by far the easiest award to predict. Good job, J.K. Rowling. Things are finally looking up for you.

Best Musical
The Band's Visit, Frozen, Mean Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants

Prediction: I will not be making a prediction on this category.

Best Revival of a Play
Angels in America, Three Tall Women, The Iceman Cometh, Lobby Hero, Travesties

Prediction: Angels in America and Three Tall Women are going to be the two competing for this. Angels in America is a play in two parts (lasting more than seven hours), but three is simply greater than two. Math dictates this’ll be won by Three Tall Women.

Best Revival of a Musical
Carousel, My Fair Lady, Once on This Island

Prediction: This is a doozy! Three musicals and three choices that could win. You can read my review on Carousel, which shows that I just cannot pick this. Honestly, my brain says this will be My Fair Lady, but my heart is cheering for Once on This Island. It is a real tour de fun.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor 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)

Prediction: Andrew Garfield is an Academy Award nominee, a Tony Award nominee, and after June will be a Tony Award winner, but to me, he will always be a second best Spider-Man behind Tom Holland. Sorry, Tobey Maguire.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Glenda Jackson (Three Tall Women), Condola Rashād (Saint Joan), Lauren Ridloff (Children of a Lesser God), Amy Schumer (Meteor Shower)

Prediction: Glenda Jackson will win, but I am cheering unabashedly for Lauren Ridloff, who was a deaf actress showing unbelievable emotional range and absolutely carrying the show without any traditional speaking lines. Ms. Ridloff was phenomenal.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton (My Fair Lady), Joshua Henry (Carousel), Tony Shalhoub (Carousel), Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants)

Prediction: Ethan Slater is in really, really good shape, and SpongeBob wears really tight pants. I believe Joshua Henry will win for a great performance, but kudos to Ethan Slater for both his performance and his physique.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Lauren Ambrose (My Fair Lady), Hailey Kilgore (Once on This Island), LaChanze (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Katrina Lenk (The Band's Visit), Taylor Louderman (Mean Girls), Jessie Mueller (Carousel)

Prediction: Katrina Lenk was my favorite part of The Band’s Visit, but I was really impressed with Hailey Kilgore’s performance. I think this will go to Ms. Lenk, but I’d be happy to see the 19-year-old Ms. Kilgore take it home for her Broadway debut.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor 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)

Prediction: I didn’t dislike Lobby Hero, but I told my girlfriend I thought Chris Evans was the strongest performer in it by a good deal. This award makes me feel like I am losing my mind. I think Nathan Lane will win, but I’m a little too confused by the nominations to focus.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress 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)

Prediction: Angels in America will take 75% of the acting awards for plays including Denise Gough taking this one. Not a bad night for that cast.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz (My Fair Lady), Alexander Gemignani (Carousel), Grey Henson (Mean Girls), Gavin Lee (SpongeBob SquarePants), Ari'el Stachel (The Band's Visit)

Prediction: The rich get richer, and two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz becomes three-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Ariana DeBose (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Renèe Fleming (Carousel), Lindsay Mendez (Carousel), Ashley Park (Mean Girls), Diana Rigg (My Fair Lady)

Prediction: Lindsay Mendez joins Joshua Henry as people who rode the Carousel to a Tony win. That’s a terrible joke. Sorry.

Best Book of a Musical
Itamar Moses (The Band's Visit), Jennifer Lee (Frozen), Tina Fey (Mean Girls), Kyle Jarrow (SpongeBob SquarePants)

Prediction: I will not be making a prediction on this category.

Best Original Score
Adrian Sutton (Angels in America), David Yazbek (The Band's Visit), Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Frozen), Jeff Richmond and Neil Benjamin (Mean Girls), The Composers of SpongeBob SquarePants

Prediction: I will not be making a prediction on this category.

Best Scenic Design in a Play
Jonathan Fensom (Farinelli and the King), Nicky Gillibrand (Angels in America), Katrina Lindsay (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Ann Roth (Three Tall Women), Ann Roth (The Iceman Cometh)

Prediction: A preemptive congratulations to Katrina Lidnsay for her win, but do we think Ann Roth feels particularly strongly that one of her designs should win over the other one? Everyone has a favorite child.

Best Scenic Design in a Musical
Dane Laffrey (Once on This Island), Scott Pask (The Band's Visit), Scott Pask, Finn Ross and Adam Young (Mean Girls), Michael Yeargan (My Fair Lady), David Zinn (SpongeBob SquarePants)

Prediction: The way in which the space is used for Once on This Island is incredibly creative. Live animals, sand, and usage of the actual seats really puts you into the post-storm island. I think that should be rewarded.

Best Lighting Design in a Play
Neil Austin (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Paule Constable (Angels in America), Peggy Eisenhauer and Jules Fisher (The Iceman Cometh), Paul Russell (Farinelli and the King), Ben Stanton (Junk)

Prediction: Y’all think I’m playing, but Harry Potter is going to take all the play awards.

Best Lighting Design in a Musical
Kevin Adams (SpongeBob SquarePants), Peggy Eisenhauer and Jules Fisher (Once on This Island), Donald Holder (My Fair Lady), Brian MacDevitt (Carousel), Tyler Micoleau (The Band's Visit)

Prediction: The subtlety of The Band’s Visit vs. the in-your-face manic nature of SpongeBob are the two plays that were particularly memorable for me this season. Unlike my fashion sense, I will give the nod to subtlety and suggest The Band’s Visit takes it home.

Best Sound Design of a Play
Adam Cork (Travesties), Ian Dickinson (Angels in America), Gareth Fry (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Tom Gibbons (1984), Dan Moses Schreier (The Iceman Cometh)

Prediction: See above. Congratulations Mr. Fry.

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Mike Dobson and Walter Trarbach (SpongeBob SquarePants), Kai Harada (The Band's Visit), Peter Hylenski (Once on this Island), Scott Lehrer (Carousel), Brian Ronan (Mean Girls)

Prediction: Scott Lehrer has one Tony and a few more nominations. This year he gets his second win—not too shabby.

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)

Prediction: It just feels Harry Potter is a Broadway experience. What will its longevity or its touring abilities be? I don’t know, but another victory won’t hurt its marketing campaign.

Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden (Once on this Island), David Cromer (The Band's Visit), Tina Landau (SpongeBob SquarePants), Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls), Barlett Sher (My Fair Lady)

Prediction: Barlett Sher’s a previous Tony winner, and David Cromer’s career is mostly known for his Off-Broadway work. Just based on critical reception, I think Mr. Cromer wins his first Tony, but this is a tough one to pick.

Best Choreography
Christopher Gattelli (My Fair Lady), Christopher Gattelli (SpongeBob SquarePants), Steven Hoggett (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls), Justin Peck (Carousel)

Prediction: This one is also tough. I loved the choreography of Justin Pec—particularly the extended number of Blow High, Blow Low, but Christopher Gatelli is phenomenal and made a tap dancing four legged Squidward actually work in such a fun way. I think it’ll be a victory by Mr. Peck, but there is a lot going on here.

Best Orchestrations
John Clancy (Mean Girls), Tom Kitt (SpongeBob SquarePants), Annmarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin (Once on this Island), Jamshied Sharifi (The Band's Visit), Jonathan Tunick (Carousel)

Prediction: I have hyped up SpongeBob in several awards before giving the award to someone else. I'll say congratulations to Mr. Kitt for this victory, as whether or not you do win, I feel bad making your musical always the bridesmaid and never the bride of this article.