2023 Tony Awards Predictions
Sara Krulwich
The 76th Annual Tony Awards are less than one week away. I’ve now seen nearly every nominated show of the 2022-2023 Broadway season, so I’ve compiled a list of my predictions for every award given. I’ll use two categories: Will Win is what I predict the voters will choose and Should Win is how I would have cast my own vote. I’ve also included a handful of “Should’ve Been Nominated” honorable mentions that I believe were snubbed. Of course, all opinions are of my own. Note: at the time of writing this, I have not yet seen Prima Facie (darn lottery!), missed The Piano Lesson, and only saw Death of A Salesman in its 2019 London production before the Broadway transfer.
Best Play
Ain’t No Mo’ (Should Win)
Between Riverside and Crazy
Cost of Living
Fat Ham
Leopoldstadt (Will Win)
Best Musical
& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo (Will Win)
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot (Should Win)
Best Revival of a Play
August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
A Doll’s House (Will Win)
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog (Should Win)
Best Revival of a Musical
Into the Woods
Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Parade (Will Win, Should Win)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Book of a Musical
& Juliet, David West Read
Kimberly Akimbo, David Lindsay-Abaire (Will Win)
New York, New York, David Thompson & Sharon Washington
Shucked, Robert Horn (Should Win)
Some Like It Hot, Matthew López & Amber Ruffin
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Almost Famous (Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt)
Kimberly Akimbo (Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire) (Will Win)
KPOP (Music & Lyrics: Helen Park & Max Vernon)
Shucked (Music and Lyrics: Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally)
Some Like It Hot (Music: Marc Shaiman, Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman) (Should Win)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes, Good Night, Oscar (Will Win, Should Win)
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Wendell Pierce, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
*Should’ve Been Nominated: Oscar Isaac, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Jessica Chastain, A Doll’s House
Jodie Comer, Prima Facie (Will Win)
Jessica Hecht, Summer, 1976
Audra McDonald, Ohio State Murders
*Should’ve Been Nominated: Rachel Brosnahan, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Christian Borle, Some Like It Hot
J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot (Will Win, Should Win)
Josh Groban, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Brian d’Arcy James, Into the Woods
Ben Platt, Parade
Colton Ryan, New York, New York
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sara Bareilles, Into the Woods
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo (Will Win, Should Win)
Lorna Courtney, & Juliet
Micaela Diamond, Parade
*Should’ve been nominated: Phillipa Soo, Camelot
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Jordan E. Cooper, Ain’t No Mo’ (Should Win)
Samuel L. Jackson, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Arian Moayed, A Doll’s House
Brandon Uranowitz, Leopoldstadt (Will Win)
David Zayas, Cost of Living
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Nikki Crawford, Fat Ham
Crystal Lucas-Perry, Ain’t No Mo’ (Should Win)
Miriam Silverman, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (Will Win)
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
Kara Young, Cost of Living
*Should’ve Been Nominated: Faye Castelow, Leopoldstadt
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kevin Cahoon, Shucked
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
Kevin Del Aguila, Some Like It Hot
Jordan Donica, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Alex Newell, Shucked (Will Win, Should Win)
*Should’ve been nominated: Kennedy Kanagawa, Into the Woods
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Julia Lester, Into the Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo (Will Win)
NaTasha Yvette Williams, Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe, & Juliet (Should Win)
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Prima Facie
Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding, Life of Pi (Will Win, Should Win)
Rachel Hauck, Good Night, Oscar
Richard Hudson, Leopoldstadt
Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon, A Christmas Carol
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, New York, New York
Mimi Lien, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Scott Pask, Shucked
Scott Pask, Some Like It Hot (Will Win, Should Win)
Best Costume Design of a Play
Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell, Life of Pi
Dominique Fawn Hill, Fat Ham
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leopoldstadt (Will Win, Should Win)
Emilio Sosa, Ain’t No Mo’
Emilio Sosa, Good Night, Oscar
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Some Like It Hot
Susan Hilferty, Parade
Jennifer Moeller, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Clint Ramos & Sophia Choi, KPOP
Paloma Young, & Juliet (Will Win, Should Win)
Donna Zakowska, New York, New York
*Should’ve been nominated: Gabriela Tylesova, Bad Cinderella
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Leopoldstadt
Natasha Chivers, Prima Facie
Jon Clark, A Doll’s House Bradley King, Fat Ham
Tim Lutkin, Life of Pi (Will Win, Should Win)
Jen Schriever, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Ben Stanton, A Christmas Carol
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, New York, New York
Lap Chi Chu, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Heather Gilbert, Parade
Howard Hudson, & Juliet
Natasha Katz, Some Like It Hot
Natasha Katz, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Will Win, Should Win)
Best Sound Design of a Play
Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams, Ain’t No Mo’
Carolyn Downing, Life of Pi (Will Win)
Joshua D. Reid, A Christmas Carol
Ben & Max Ringham, A Doll’s House (Should Win)
Ben & Max Ringham, Prima Facie
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada, New York, New York
John Shivers, Shucked
Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann, Into the Woods
Gareth Owen, & Juliet (Will Win, Should Win)
Nevin Steinberg, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali, Fat Ham
Jo Bonney, Cost of Living
Jamie Lloyd, A Doll’s House (Will Win, Should Win)
Patrick Marber, Leopoldstadt
Stevie Walker-Webb, Ain’t No Mo’
Max Webster, Life of Pi
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Parade (Will Win, Should Win)
Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Jack O’Brien, Shucked
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo
Best Choreography
Steven Hoggett, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot (Will Win, Should Win)
Susan Stroman, New York, New York
Jennifer Weber, & Juliet
Jennifer Weber, KPOP
Best Orchestrations
Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro, & Juliet
John Clancy, Kimberly Akimbo
Jason Howland, Shucked
Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter, Some Like It Hot (Will Win, Should Win)
Daryl Waters & Sam Davis, New York, New York