Tonys '05 #5
To begin with institutional companies, the Roundabout gave us a mostly dismissed After the Fall, a highly praised Twelve Angry Men, and a Streetcar Named Desire that received mixed-to-negative reviews. Manhattan Theatre Club had mixed-to-good results with Sight Unseen and Reckless, while Lincoln Center Theater's The Rivals came and went with little fanfare.
The first of our commercial titles, the highly acclaimed Glengarry Glen Ross, is produced "by special arrangement with Roundabout." The revivals of The Glass Menagerie and 'Night Mother were greeted with mostly unfavorable reviews, with the latter expiring quickly. Julius Caesar and Steel Magnolias earned mixed receptions, while Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won considerable praise and On Golden Pond was generally well-received.
The likeliest titles for nomination in the play-revival category are Glengarry Glen Ross, Twelve Angry Men, Virginia Woolf, and On Golden Pond. Because it arrived at the very end of the season, Glengarry may have the edge here, although Men and Virginia Woolf remain strong contenders.
In the category of direction of a musical, three names would appear to stand out: Mike Nichols Spamalot, James Lapine Spelling Bee, and Jack O'Brien Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I would expect all three of those gentlemen to receive nominations, with the fourth slot perhaps going to Bartlett Sher, for The Light in the Piazza. Nichols may very well be the front runner in the category.
Other possibilities include Christopher Ashley, who staged All Shook Up, and Jerry Zaks for La Cage aux Folles. Seeming less likely for nominations are Walter Bobbie Sweet Charity, Adrian Noble Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Susan Stroman The Frogs, Susan H. Schulman Little Women, Jeff Calhoun Brooklyn, and Amon Miyamoto Pacific Overtures. Chances would appear to be even slimmer for John Carrafa Good Vibrations and Des McAnuff Dracula.
It was far from a banner year for choreography. Eligible for both Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and La Cage aux Folles is Jerry Mitchell. He's been a top Tony candidate before, so this could be his year, with La Cage having the edge. Also likely for nominations are Spamalot's Casey Nicholaw and All Shook Up's Ken Roberson and Sergio Trujillo. Further possibilities include Stroman The Frogs, Wayne Cilento Sweet Charity, and Gillian Lynne Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
It was a relatively abundant year in the top acting categories. Some believe James Earl Jones to be the front runner in the category of lead actor in a play, for his return to Broadway in On Golden Pond. Jones is closely followed by Brian F. O'Byrne, for his ambiguous priest in Doubt, and Bill Irwin, for his caustic George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
That leaves two more slots in the lead-actor category, for which there are such potent candidates as Billy Crudup and Jeff Goldblum for The Pillowman; Boyd Gaines and Philip Bosco for Twelve Angry Men; Denzel Washington in Julius Caesar; and Adam Arkin in Brooklyn Boy. One might have expected Liev Schreiber and Alan Alda of Glengarry to compete here as well, but they and the rest of Glengarry's all-male company will be eligible in the featured category.
In the lead-actress category, the contest appears to be between Cherry Jones' rigid nun in Doubt and Kathleen Turner's outgoing Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, with Tony-winner Jones perhaps retaining the edge.
For the other three slots, there are such candidates as Laura Linney Sight Unseen, Jessica Lange The Glass Menagerie, Phylicia Rashad Gem of the Ocean, Natasha Richardson A Streetcar Named Desire, Leslie Uggams On Golden Pond, and Mary-Louise Parker Reckless.
In the category of direction of a play, the outstanding candidates should be Doug Hughes Doubt, John Crowley The Pillowman, Scott Ellis Twelve Angry Men, Joe Mantello Glengarry, and Anthony Page Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
Leonard Foglia On Golden Pond is also a possibility here. Michael Blakemore seemed at the beginning of the season to be a likely candidate for Democracy, but there was a prevalent feeling that the New York company was less effective than the original National Theatre cast. In any case, play director looks to be a particularly tight race.