Experts predict who'll win the Tonys
Here's the first, early round of predix from some Tony Awards experts: Melissa Bernardo (Entertainment Weekly), Martin Denton (NYTheatre.com), Robert Diamond (BroadwayWorld.com), Elysa Gardner (USA Today), Susan Haskins ("Theater Talk"), Leonard Jacobs (Back Stage), Brian Lipton (TheaterMania.com), Tom O'Neil 
(TheEnvelope.com), Michael Riedel (New York Post / "Theater Talk"), David Sheward (Back Stage), Paul Sheehan (TheEnvelope.com), Matt Windman (AM New York) and Linda Winer (Newsday). We'll add to this breakdown as more pundits chime in.
BEST PLAY
"August: Osage County" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Riedel, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST MUSICAL
"In the Heights" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman, Winer
"Passing Strange" - Haskins
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
"In the Heights" - Denton, Diamond, Gardner, O'Neil, Sheward, Winer
"Xanadu" - Bernardo, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, Sheehan, Windman
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"In the Heights" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Lipton, O'Neil, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman, Winer
"Passing Strange" - Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
"Boeing-Boeing" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Jacobs, Lipton, Sheward, Windman
"The Homecoming" - Gardner
"Macbeth" - Haskins, O'Neil, Riedel, Sheehan, Winer
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
"South Pacific" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Riedel, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
mark Rylance, "Boeing-Boeing" - Jacobs, Windman
Rufus Sewell, "Rock 'n' Roll" - Gardner
Patrick Stewart, "Macbeth" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Haskins, Lipton, O'Neil, Riedel, Sheehan, Sheward, Winer
BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Deanna Dunagan, "August: Osage County" - Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman
S. Epatha Merkerson, "Come Back, Little Sheba" - Bernardo
Amy Morton, "August: Osage County" - Riedel, Winer
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Paulo Szot, " South Pacific" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Riedel, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Patti LuPone, "Gypsy" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Riedel, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Raúl Esparza, "The Homecoming" - Bernardo, Diamond, Gardner, Lipton, Sheehan
Conleth Hill, "The Seafarer" - Haskins
Jim Norton, "The Seafarer" - Denton, Jacobs, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Mary McCormack, "Boeing-Boeing" - Sheward, Windman
Martha Plimpton, "Top Girls" - Bernardo, Gardner, Jacobs, Sheehan, Winer
Rondi Reed, "August: Osage County" - Diamond, Haskins, Lipton
Laurie Metcalfe, "November " - Denton
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Christopher Fitzgerald, "Young Frankenstein" - Jacobs
Boyd Gaines, "Gypsy" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Lipton, O'Neil, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Laura Benanti, "Gypsy" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman, Winer
Olga Merediz, "In the Heights" - Haskins
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Anna D. Shapiro, "August: Osage County" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Jacobs, O'Neil, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman, Winer
Maria Aitken, "The 39 Steps" Haskins
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Bartlett Sher, "South Pacific" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, O'Neil, Sheehan, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
"Cry-Baby" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Windman
"In the Heights" - Sheward, Winer
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
"Les Liaisons Dangereuses" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
"Sunday in the Park with George" - Gardner, Sheward
"South Pacific" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Windman, Winer
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
"August: Osage County" - Denton,
"The 39 Steps" - Bernardo, Diamond, Lipton, Sheward, Windman
"Macbeth" - Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Winer
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
"Sunday in the Park with George" - Gardner
"South Pacific" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, O'Neil, Sheward, Windman, Winer
BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
"In the Heights" - Diamond, O'Neil, Sheward, Windman, Winer
"Passing Strange" - Bernardo, Denton, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
"August: Osage County" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Haskins, O'Neil, Sheward, Windman
"Macbeth" - Gardner, Jacobs, Lipton, Winer
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
"Sunday in the Park with George" - Diamond, Gardner, Lipton, Winer
"South Pacific" - Bernardo, Denton, Haskins, Jacobs, O'Neil, Sheward, Windman
BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
"Macbeth" - Haskins, Jacobs, Sheward, Windman, Winer
"Rock 'n' Roll" - Bernardo, Denton, Diamond, Gardner, Lipton
BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
"In the Heights" - Denton
"South Pacific" - Bernardo, Diamond, Gardner, Haskins, Jacobs, Lipton, Sheward, Windman, Winer
(Photo: Richard Rodgers Theater)
Funny, I'm a voter, and a lot of these don't remotely reflect my votes. But then I think there are some missing nominations -- James Earl Jones, Sally Murphy, Jeff Perry, Ian McShane, Claire Danes, John Bucchino ...
Posted by: J | May 15, 2008 at 01:08 PM