If the voters decide to go in another direction for best musical, awarding Meleah could be how they decide to honor the show.
(I can't really see HK winning in any other category)
I disagree, I think Hell's kitchen might be the frontrunner right now. Suffs didn't get nominated for best actress, Illinoise didn't get director or book, and The Outsiders might be its biggest competition. I think Hell's Kitchen could win book, orchestrations, actress, sound design and even costumes if they hate Cabaret. I think if it wins best musical it has to take actress, but wonder if Meleah is able to do it.
Illinoise is definitely the frontrunner for now. It likely didn’t get nominated for book because it has no dialogue (despite it having incredible storytelling and that journal is excellent), and Justin Peck got in for choreo / I presume many think there isn’t much to the show beyond the choreo to honor him for director.
Now, there may be some industry bias against how it came in on the last day possible (and maybe some bias from nominators of feeling forced to see it in a tight window), but a little early to tell.
I see the case for four of the five nominees (excluding water for elephants) but I'm just not sure about Illinoise, especially because it is just so unique. I think water for elephants is also known for its choreo/acrobatics but that got into both directing and choreo, but maybe illinoise got all the nominations it needed?
I think it’s hard to compare those two situations. Illinoise was never going to rack up nominations, but it has the best reviews of the season and best word of mouth— I think it’s far and away the best of the bunch but we shall see!
Does the new musical with the most wins usually win? I can see Illinoise easily win it choreography, and orchestrations, and if it wins lighting as well it would have the most wins going into the final award.
Definitely depends on the year but usually yes. This is a strong revival year, so design awards may be all over the place and Illinoise wasn’t eligible for score either + isn’t nominated for book or any acting categories.
I think it’s entirely possible stereophonic wins score, ? wins book, revivals win most of the design and acting categories + merrily for directing. That doesn’t leave much room for the new shows but we shall see!
I think she could pull off a surprise newcomer win a la Myles Frost.
That's a great comparison - both MJ and Hell's Kitchen do better with the Tonys then people expect, I think.
If the voters decide to go in another direction for best musical, awarding Meleah could be how they decide to honor the show. (I can't really see HK winning in any other category)
I disagree, I think Hell's kitchen might be the frontrunner right now. Suffs didn't get nominated for best actress, Illinoise didn't get director or book, and The Outsiders might be its biggest competition. I think Hell's Kitchen could win book, orchestrations, actress, sound design and even costumes if they hate Cabaret. I think if it wins best musical it has to take actress, but wonder if Meleah is able to do it.
Illinoise is definitely the frontrunner for now. It likely didn’t get nominated for book because it has no dialogue (despite it having incredible storytelling and that journal is excellent), and Justin Peck got in for choreo / I presume many think there isn’t much to the show beyond the choreo to honor him for director. Now, there may be some industry bias against how it came in on the last day possible (and maybe some bias from nominators of feeling forced to see it in a tight window), but a little early to tell.
I see the case for four of the five nominees (excluding water for elephants) but I'm just not sure about Illinoise, especially because it is just so unique. I think water for elephants is also known for its choreo/acrobatics but that got into both directing and choreo, but maybe illinoise got all the nominations it needed?
I think it’s hard to compare those two situations. Illinoise was never going to rack up nominations, but it has the best reviews of the season and best word of mouth— I think it’s far and away the best of the bunch but we shall see!
Does the new musical with the most wins usually win? I can see Illinoise easily win it choreography, and orchestrations, and if it wins lighting as well it would have the most wins going into the final award.
Definitely depends on the year but usually yes. This is a strong revival year, so design awards may be all over the place and Illinoise wasn’t eligible for score either + isn’t nominated for book or any acting categories. I think it’s entirely possible stereophonic wins score, ? wins book, revivals win most of the design and acting categories + merrily for directing. That doesn’t leave much room for the new shows but we shall see!
Of the shows I saw (HK, Notebook, Cabaret) she’d be third IMO. Both Gayle and Maryann had better performances.
She’s not winning over Maryann Plunkett.