Top Broadway pundits predict easy victories at this Sunday's Tony Awards (CBS, 8 p.m.) by Tom Hanks in Lucky Guy (Best Actor), Cicely Tyson in The Trip to Bountiful (Best Actress), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Best Play) and Pippin (Best Revival of a Musical), but there is a lot of drama in other leading contests.
Eight of the 14 experts polled by GoldDerby.com predict Matilda will win Best Musical, giving it 2-to-13 odds: Melissa Bernardo and Thom Geier (Entertainment Weekly), Martin Denton (NY Theatre), Andy Humm (Gay USA), Michael Musto, Mark Shenton (The Express/ The Stage), Doug Strassler (NYPress), Matt Windman (amNY). However, six gurus bet on Kinky Boots to prevail with 9-to-1 odds: Harry Haun (Playbill), Brian Lipton (Theater Mania), David Sheward (ArtsinNY/ theaterLife), Wayman Wong (NY Daily News) and Paul Sheehan and me from Gold Derby.
The battle over Best Musical Actress is a fierce diva smackdown between Laura Osnes (the Cinderella star has a slight edge) and Patina Miller (Pippin). Ten of our pundits predict Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) will win Best Musical Actor, but Bertie Carvel (Matilda) has five experts in his camp.
Below is a sampling of odds in some top races. See more here. See how the experts rank contenders in each top category here (click links in left column to see more races).
BEST MUSICAL
1.) Matilda - 5/6
2.) Kinky Boots - 11/8
3.) A Christmas Story - 50/1
4.) Bring It On - 100/1
BEST PLAY
1.) Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike - 1/20
2.) Lucky Guy - 33/1
3.) The Assembled Parties - 50/1
4.) The Testament of Mary - 100/1
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
1.) Tom Hanks (Lucky Guy) - 2/9
2.) David Hyde Pierce (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) - 6/1
3.) Nathan Lane (The Nance) - 50/1
4.) Tracy Letts (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) - 50/1
5.) Tom Sturridge (Orphans) - 100/1
BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
1.) Cicely Tyson (The Trip to Bountiful) - 4/9
2.) Kristine Nielsen (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) - 27/10
3.) Holland Taylor (Ann) - 50/1
4.) Laurie Metcalf (The Other Place) - 50/1
5.) Amy Morton (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
See more here.