Let’s start with the biggest question mark for this year’s Tony Awards: Which playwright will win the prize for best games?
On paper, before the 2024-25 season barely started, it looked as if it would be either Sanaz Toossi for her game “English”, which had won a 2023 Pulitzer Prize, or Jez Butterworth, who returned to Broadway with its latest West End-Hit, “The Hills of California.”
Now Tossi and Butterworth look the least likely to win, and not because their respective games have already been closed. The Cinderella story about this theater season is Kimberly Belflower and her Broadway debut game, “John Proctor is the villain”, which panders for the liberal choir even more than tomore “English.”
Tony -voters may feel that it is enough for Belflower, a teacher from Appalachian Georgia, simply nominated, and the competition is more between Cole Escola and the wild Farce “Oh, Mary!” And the fire Jacobs-Nkins and his wild family comedy “Purpose”. Jacobs-Jenkins can be a shoo-in if not for the fact that his game “appropriate” won last year for best resuscitation of a game. Escola can be seen as a shoo-in if not for the fact that they are also nominated this season for best actors in a game. “Purpose”, however, has the distinct advantage of being swept by the main theater critic at the New York Times, despite the game winning a 2025 Pulitzer Prize and was praised by most critics. The Tony voters like nothing better than giving their finger to the old gray lady. My prediction is that Jacobs-Denkins will win for best games and Escola for best actors, and both deserve it.
The big winner of the night seems to be “maybe happy ending”, which can easily take home Tony’s for not only the best musical but also the best actor in a musical (Darren Criss), best director for a musical (Michael Arden), best book and best points (Hue Park and Will Aronson). For me, this competition is quality in terms of quality between “maybe happy ending” and the equally large but very different “dead forbidden” and its writers Itamar Moses, David Yazbek and Erik Penna. The edge goes to Park and Aronson as their musical also marks their Broadway debuts.
As a member of New York Drama Critics’ Circle, I get to vote for Tony’s, and my voice for best actors in a musical will go to Jeremy Jordan for his phenomenal tour in “Floyd Collins.” But my voice aside, this Tony will criss.
Twenty-five of the critics that include the critics’ circle recently voted for the best of the theater season 2024-25. Critics in other groups are not allowed to vote, so their awards for artists mean a little less than which the circle recently honored. Circle gave its best performance to Andrew Scott for “Vanya”, but since the one-personal show is staged off-Broadway, he is not eligible for a Tony. Runner for that circular prize was Escola (“Oh, Mary!”), Sarah Snook (“The Picture of Dorian Gray”) and, surprisingly, Jasmine Amy Rogers (“Boop!”).
Snook probably looks to win for best actress in a play, although I will vote for Latanya Richardson Jackson for “purpose.”
Rogers has a less secure lock on the best actress in a musical. Her biggest competition is Nicole Scherzinger from “Sunset Blvd.” Surprisingly, Scherzinger did not receive so many votes from the critics’ circle, and her comment that supports Russell Brand’s Pro-Maga Instagram post last fall will postpone more than a few Tony voters. Audra McDonald deserves to win for his performance in “Gypsy”, but McDonald is the Sylstreep of Tony’s. In other words, “her again?” If this was McDonald’s first nomination, as it is for both Rogers and Scherzinger, and not her 11th, the “Gypsy” star would win.
The George Wolf-directed “Gypsy” deserves to win for the best resuscitation of a musical, but Tony’s tipped his hat here by snubbing him for best director for a musical and instead nominating Jamie Lloyd for his over-the-top-direction of “Sunset Blvd.”
Sam Pinkleton from “Oh, Mary!” deserves to win for best director for a game, and he will.
Ditto Natalie Venetia Belcon (“Buena Vista Social Club”) for best presented actress in a musical and the three times-tone-nominated Jessica Hecht (“Eureka Day”) for best presented actress in a play.
Jonathan Spector’s “Eureka Day” deserves Tony for best resuscitation of a game, but will have a big competition from David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face.”
Taylor Trensch from “Floyd Collins” should win for best actors in a musical, but Jak Malone from “Operation Mincemeat” will take this Tony home, as he gets to sing the show’s only memorable song, “Dear Bill.”
Glenn Davis in “purpose” gives one of the season’s most subtle performances, but being underestimated does not give you Tony for best actors in a game. The most spectacle, not the best, comes from Bob Odenkirk in “Glengarry Glen Ross”, and he will win.
