Summer is here, which means that it’s time for the 2022 Tony Awards. The 75th annual ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 12th at 7 p.m EST and can be streamed live on Paramount+ and CBS.
The Broadway awards show is an exciting event for Broadway lovers and entertainment bettors alike. There are currently 26 categories available for nominations, as well as a few special honors determined by the Tony Awards Administration Committee.
The most sought-after awards include “Best Musical”, “Best Play”, “Best Actress” (in both play and musical categories), and “Best Actor” (in both play and musical categories. Check out the nominations and predictions for these categories, and a few others, below.
Best Musical
This year, these six musicals were nominated for the “Best Musical” award: Girl From North Country, MJ, Paradise Square, Six: The Musical, A Strange Loop, and Mr. Saturday Night.
A Strange Loop, written by Michael R. Jackson, is predicted to be the winner with odds 4-1. The musical tells the story of a young male writer who is attempting to navigate the writing world through composing a musical.
Six: The Musical is also up there with odds 9-2. This musical tells the story of the six wives of King Henry VIII through pop music.
Best Play
Five plays were nominated for the 75th annual Tony Awards. These include Clyde’s, Hangmen, Skeleton Crew, The Lehman Trilogy, and The Minutes.
The Lehman Trilogy is currently a crowd favorite, with odds 4-1. The play tells the story of three immigrant brothers over three acts and details the 2008 financial crisis. It first premiered in London in 2019, where it sold out for 16 weeks straight.
The Minutes is another great play that has a fair chance of winning the award, with odds 5-1. The comedy was supposed to open in 2020, but was suspended due to the pandemic.
Best Actress
The nominations for “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical” include Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, or Change), Carmen Cusack (Flying Over Sunset), Sutton Foster (The Music Man), Joaquina Kalukango (Paradise Square), and Mare Winningham (Girl from the North County).
The nominations for “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play” have been given to LaChanze (Trouble in Mind), Ruth Negga (Macbeth), Gabby Beans (The Skin of Our Teeth), Deirdre O’Connell (Dana H.), and Mary-Louise Parker (How I Learned to Drive).
Currently, top runners for both awards include Sharon D. Clarke for the musical category, with odds 4-1, and Mary Louise Parker for the play category, with odds 4-1. Both actresses have given stand-out performances since taking on these roles.
Best Actors
“Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical” has some great names nominated, including Hugh Jackman (The Music Man), Billy Crystal (Mr. Saturday Night), Myles Frost (MJ), Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire), and Jaquel Spivey (A Strange Loop). Jaquel Spivey is predicted to win the award with odds 9-2, but Hugh Jackman has a chance at taking it home with odds 5-1.
Nominations for “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play” include the actors of all three brothers in The Lehman Trilogy: Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Adrian Lester, David Morse (How I Learned to Drive), Sam Rockwell (American Buffalo), David Threlfall (Hangmen), and Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Lackawanna Blues). David Morse sits at the top of nominations with odds 9-2, but Simon Russell Beale comes close with odds 5-1.
Writer’s Picks
This writer is a big fan of How I Learned to Drive, and predicts that both leads will take home a Tony Award. The play itself is a wonderful and sorrowful coming-of-age story, and is deserving of all the awards it will win.
