The Tonys race for best play is a real drama. Just based upon the past success of one playwright in the running, Tom Stoppard, it might be assumed that his "Rock 'n' Roll" will surely rock Radio City Music Hall on June 15. After all, Stoppard's won best play more than anyone else — four times: "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" (1968), "Travesties" (1976), "The Real Thing" (1984) and "The Coast of Utopia" (2007). Heck, last year "Utopia" set a new record for most wins in a single year (seven)!

U.S. and U.K. critics raved about "Rock," and, before its move from Britain to Broadway, it won the London Evening Standard and London Critics' Circle Theater Awards for best new play, but it closed in New York on March 9. That's three months before Tonys night. Such a gap usually dooms a show's hopes. The factor didn't hurt "Utopia," though. Technically, it closed before Tony night, but just several weeks earlier, so the show was still fresh and new in voters' minds when they inked their ballots.

Also shuttered is Mark Twain's "Is He Dead?" On March 30, "The Seafarer" shuts down, Conor McPherson's lofty Irish drama.

Among shows currently running, "August: Osage County," seems to be the fave to win the Pulitzer in two weeks, then best play from the New York Drama Critics Circle. However, it doesn't have any celebrities in it and the cast is so huge that it can't tour easily, a drawback to producers who comprise the largest Tony voting bloc.

"November" has the celebrity appeal of Nathan Lane starring as a despised, buffoonish U.S. president running for re-election. Another plus: the literary credentials of its playwright — David Mamet. But it's a largely a comedy, which means it may not be taken too seriously. Ditto for "The 39 Steps," a fun spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

Read more about the Tony race for best play CLICK HERE to check out Paul Sheehan's feature overview.