There are two sure Tony bets at Sunday’s Tony Awards: “Merrily We Roll Along” will win Best Musical Revival and “Stereophonic” will win Best Play.
Outside of that, it could be anyone’s game.
Sure, “Merrily” should haul home quite a few (including wins for its actors and director), but the Best Musical trophy could go to a show with no other wins. That’s how spread out (and unpredictable) this year is.
From left, Lindsey Mendez, Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe in "Merrily We Roll Along."
Additionally, there are so many new shows (11 new plays, 15 new musicals), it's likely nothing will sweep.
By category, here’s who’s likely to win:
Best Play: “Stereophonic” (it has more nominations than any play in history and it already has extended into the next year)
Best Play/Revival: “Purlie Victorious”; Outside shot: “Appropriate”
Best Actor/Play: Leslie Odom Jr., “Purlie Victorious”; Outside shot: Jeremy Strong, “Enemy of the People”
Best Actress/Play: Sarah Paulson, “Appropriate”
Best Featured Actor/Play: Corey Stoll, “Appropriate” or Will Brill, “Stereophonic”
Best Featured Actress/Play: Kara Young, “Purlie Victorious”; Outside shot: Sarah Pidgeon, “Stereophonic”
Best Director: “Stereophonic”
Best Musical: Tough call: Heart says, “The Outsiders,” head says, “Suffs”; don't discount "Hell's Kitchen"
Best Musical/Revival: “Merrily We Roll Along”
Best Actor/Musical: Jonathan Groff, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Best Actress/Musical: Maleah Joi Moon, “Hell’s Kitchen”; Outside shot: Kelli O'Hara, "Days of Wine and Roses"
Best Featured Actor/Musical: Daniel Radcliffe, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Best Featured Actress/Musical: Lindsay Mendez, “Merrily We Roll Along”; Outside shot: Bebe Neuwirth, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club" or Kecia Lewis, "Hell's Kitchen"
Best Director/Musical: “Merrily We Roll Along”
Best Music/Lyrics: “Suffs”
Best Book: “Suffs” (but don’t discount “The Outsiders”)
Best Choreography: “Illinoise”
Best Sound/Musical: “Hell’s Kitchen”
Best Sound/Play: “Stereophonic”
Best Set/Musical: “Here Lies Love”
Best Set/Play: “Appropriate”
Best Costumes/Musical: “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club"
Best Costumes/Play: “Purlie Victorious”
Best Lighting/Musical: “Hell’s Kitchen”; Outside shot: “Illinoise”
Best Lighting/Play: “Appropriate”
Playing Ponyboy, the 14-year-old focus of S.E. Hinton’s novel (and now musical) "The Outsiders," Brody Grant soaks in the Broadway lessons almost nightly.
Brandon Victor Dixon is a powerhouse in “Hell’s Kitchen,” playing the absentee father of the show’s leading character.
“I’m a little older, a little wiser. I get to smell the roses and see things from a different perspective,” she explains.
