<p>Hi everyone! </p>
<p>This is slightly OT, but I thought I'd post. </p>
<p>The Tonys are tomorrow-- any predictions? Favourites? </p>
<p>I haven't seen many of the shows, but I'd be beyond delighted if Norbert Leo Butz and Billy Crudup won in their respective categories. </p>
<p>*--R</p>
<p>Of course this Webster family will be rooting for NLB!! Woot! Woot!</p>
<p>;) SUE</p>
<p>I agree about Norbert. I think this performance definitely deserves a win. We've seen him perform in so many shows (he's one of our favorites as Roger in Rent and as the emcee in Cabaret) but this is really a career-defining performance, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Having seen most of the shows, this is what I'd vote for, given the chance. :)</p>
<p>Best musical: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee</p>
<p>Best play : The Pillowman (the most amazing piece of theatre I've ever seen)</p>
<p>Lead actor in a musical: NLB</p>
<p>Lead actor in a play: Billy Crudup</p>
<p>Lead actress in a musical: Victoria Clark</p>
<p>Lead actress in a play: (the most amazing bunch of talent ever in this category) Cherry Jones</p>
<p>Featured actor in a musical: Dan Fogler</p>
<p>Featured actor in a play: Gordon Clapp</p>
<p>Featured actress in a musical: Sara Ramirez</p>
<p>Featured actress in a play: Adriene Lenox</p>
<p>Looking forward to the show! :)</p>
<p>I haven't seen "Reckless," but I'm a biiiiiiiiiig fan of Mary-Louise Parker.</p>
<p>no Spamalot is going to win best musical. i really dont think there is much competition. with last years upset i dont think they will be repeating another "surprise". its either dirty rotten scoundrels or spamalot and spamalot has the edge</p>
<p>light in the piazza is going to win a lot of the technical stuff.</p>
<p>Well, shrek, as you can see, I didn't say who would win, I said who I'd vote for, given the chance. :) Avenue Q was deserving of its win, and Spelling Bee would be, too, if it were to win.</p>
<p>I'd like Sutton Foster or Erin Dilly to win for Best Actress....It was a very disapointing season this year for the most part.....I live in NY and there really weren't shows I was rushing to see like last year with WICKED!! (which by the way should have won best musical and yes i'm still angry about it!)</p>
<p>I'm still excited, though! lol</p>
<p>Vicki Clark all the way baby. She's amaaaazing.</p>
<p>Question: Are the Tony's aired only on CBS, or are there other stations? Just curious... Thanks!</p>
<p>~Kate</p>
<p>BraodwayWannabe - Eric and I were both with you last year and upset when Wicked lost best musical. We had seen it last March and were pulling for it (LOVED it). Well, this week Eric has been on a trip to NYC with his choir - saw 3 shows, including Wicked again with new cast (still great) and Avenue Q. He now is a huge Avenue Q fan and says he could see why it won best musical. He thought it was very funny and creative. I still can't imagine a puppet show beating Wicked, but I haven't seen the puppet show!</p>
<p>Ericsmom, while I have not seen Avenue Q, I have heard the CD LOTS of times, as well as my kid has the score and you really need to listen to it....it is hilarious and very clever. </p>
<p>I did see Wicked, however, with the original cast and my D is not too happy that I got to see it and she did not but I saw it at the very last second, literally, even though she was also in the city.</p>
<p>By the way, I am thinking your son is very very lucky to have his group go all the way to NYC for a trip like that!</p>
<p>Thanks, Susan, and I can't tell you how blessed we are with the choir program at our small private school. They are doing big things! Of course, the parents paid for the trip, and it was optional for the kids, but it was a great opportunity! Eric definitely plans to live in NYC one day. Last year the choir trip was to Italy, but Eric stayed home because he was in a dinner theatre show at the time.</p>
<p>Our high school is new, having just graduated a second senior class (Eric's class will be the third). It is affiliated with an elementary school that has been around almost 50 years (and which both my kids went to), but a group started adding middle school and high school several years ago with the 2 classes that have now graduated. They are big into the fine arts offerings for a school of its size and are also offering great academics with many AP courses. The choir is very traditional, singing mostly what I think of as serious church songs with beautiful multi-part harmony, often in foreign languages. They got to sing in 3 churches in Manhattan. I sent you an e-mail about the graduate from our school who is heading to CAP 21 in the fall with your daughter.</p>
<p>The choir group only scheduled one show (Wicked) while in NYC, but Eric got in good graces with a mom chaperone who took him and her daughter to 2 more shows instead of the group activities (Avenue Q and Sweet Charity). He thrives on seeing Broadway shows - don't all our kids?!!! He said Christina Applegate was amazing! It was also neat that he knew an ensemble member in that show who performed here in our regional theatre 2 summers ago as Dainty June in Gypsy (in which Eric was a newsboy).</p>
<p>Everything about the trip was wonderful, but especially for mom, great that they made it home safely!</p>
<p>From what I've heard Spamalot is a sure win in the best musical category, as is Doubt for best play. With NLB having won the drama desk award I'd say he is the leading contender for best actor in musical. This is just rumors, however, so we'll all just have to wait and see what happens!</p>
<p>the funny thing is.....it's hard to know. i remember last year what the NY times said the day of the tonys for best actress</p>
<p>Tonya Pickens: Almost definite
Donna Murphy: possibly
Idina Menzel: unlikely
Kristin Chenoweth: unlikely
Stephanie D'Abruzzo (sp?): not a chance</p>
<p>so we'll see....sometimes the favored wins....sometimes doesn't</p>
<p>Ericsmom, let me join in and say how jealous I am that my school doesn't take trips like that. I mean obviously they're not going to take trips to NYC since the school lives there lol, but Italy and all those other choir trips! My private school devotes the trips to the athletes! ahhh lol</p>
<p>Ericsmom, I owe you email. I have a long list I owe and have not gotten to and hopefully I will today (but before the Tony's), ha. </p>
<p>Your school sounds quite great! </p>
<p>BroadwayWannabe....our public school has some trips and actually my D went to Italy/Greece last year (but it was not like with a group like choir, anyone could go). And one of my daughters went on a school trip to France with her French class. </p>
<p>Luckily you live near NYC and can see shows way more than many of the kids on this forum! My daughters have been fortunate to see many Broadway shows even though we do not live near NYC. However, my daughter who is your age commented that this year was weird for her with the Tonys because this time around, she has not see any of the shows up for the awards. But she'll be watching tonight, like you guys. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>After seeing the performances from the best musical nominees I want to see Spamalot and the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I thought Sara Ramirez was amazing.</p>
<p>but i was confused about something, does Al Sharpton normally appear in that musical? or was it just for the Tony Awards?</p>
<p>Dramaddict...Al Sharpton normally does not appear in Spelling Bee. I think in the normal performances, they call up people from the audience but for the Tony broadcast, rather than doing THAT, they had Al Sharpton.</p>
<p>Just wanted to jump in and say how happy we were that Nobert won last night. So disappointed though that the director cut the ending award recipients so short....IMH, they should have been more careful with time alotment earlier in the show.</p>
<p>Also...an interesting tidbit...Jerry Mitchell attended Webster for two years before taking the leap into the world of Broadway (performing and choreography). I am told that Webster recently gave him an honorary degree.</p>
<p>Spamalot and Spelling Bee cracked me up!!</p>
<p>Just my $.02. ;)</p>
<p>SUE aka 5pants</p>
<p>my d was bummed about sutton foster not winning last night. She loved Little Woman but apparently it just could not get a following. My d's drama department also went to NYC in march and saw 4 shows. Wicked, Avenue Q, Little Women and Hairspray. It was an amazing trip for her..they got the meet the casts and got to actor's workshops..that sort of thing. Her drama teacher did see Spamalot and said it was FANTASTIC. We go up to NYC every Christmas and summer to see a show (while visiting my family in NJ) and would love to see Spamalot this summer but tickets already gone....I guess I'll be checking e-bay. </p>
<p>We haven't seen many of the other shows nominated this year either...my gang just didn't want to see anything but Wicked....they loved it that much! So we have seen in 4 times with many different cast combinations and they were all great! According to my d as well though, Avenue Q was very deserving last year. She thought it was incredibly creative and hilariously funny! So I guess you just never know. Thrilled about NLB though!...we have seen him in a few things and I loved his speach about his name!</p>
<p>That's what I figured, but I had never seen the musical before so I just wanted to be sure.</p>