2014 Tony Awards: ‘Gentleman’s Guide’ and ‘All the Way’ Take Top Honors

Author: THE NEW YORK TIMES
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Audra McDonald, a nominee for leading actress in a play for
Audra McDonald, a nominee for leading actress in a play for "Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill."
Neil Patrick Harris, a nominee for best actor in a musical, with his his fiancé, David Burtka.
Neil Patrick Harris, a nominee for best actor in a musical, with his his fiancé, David Burtka.
Chris O’Dowd, with Dawn O'Porter, is nominated for leading actor in a play for
Chris O’Dowd, with Dawn O'Porter, is nominated for leading actor in a play for "Of Mice and Men."
Kelli O’Hara, a nominee for leading actress in a musical for
Kelli O’Hara, a nominee for leading actress in a musical for "The Bridges of Madison County."
Idina Menzel is nominated for leading actress in a musical for “If/Then.
Idina Menzel is nominated for leading actress in a musical for “If/Then."
Hugh Jackman, the host of the 2014 Tony Awards, with his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.
Hugh Jackman, the host of the 2014 Tony Awards, with his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.

One of the most competitive and unpredictable years in the Tony Awards will end Sunday night with the winners revealed from the stage of Radio City Music Hall, broadcast live starting at 8 p.m. on CBS. Charles Isherwood, a theater critic for The Times, and others will be offering analysis and color commentary on ArtsBeat during the three-hour ceremony. Here are five things to watch for at the 68th annual Tonys:

The opening number. Who else thinks last year’s song-and-dance medley at the top of the ceremony, led by host Neil Patrick Harris, was the best Tonys opening number ever? This year’s host, Hugh Jackman, told The Times that he couldn’t possibly go bigger. So what will he do? In recent Tony video teasers, Mr. Jackman has been bouncing an awful lot, in tribute to the theater and film actor Bobby Van in “Small Town Girl,” a 1953 musical movie with a famous scene where Van’s character jumps giddily through the streets. Will Mr. Jackman bring a silliness, or elegance, that matches Mr. Harris’s gusto?

Tonys for best book and best score. If these two awards, which will be given early on Sunday night, both go to “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” it may augur a win for a best musical Tony by that show as well. “Gentleman’s Guide” is the front-runner for best book, but it faces tough competition from “The Bridges of Madison County” and other shows for best score. But if “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” wins for best book (the show is not eligible for score), it would be an upset and a good sign that “Beautiful” might run the table on Sunday night and beat “Gentleman’s Guide” for best musical.

Best featured actor in a play. If Mark Rylance of “Twelfth Night” wins the Tony in this category, which will also come early in the CBS telecast, it sets up a history-making possibility should Mr. Rylance go on to win for best actor as well for “Richard III.” No actor has ever won in both acting categories in the same year. A Rylance win for “Twelfth Night” may signal that the production will be dominant in other categories as well, like best play revival; “Twelfth Night” is nominated for a total of seven Tonys. By contrast, a win in this category for Reed Birney of Broadway’s “Casa Valentina” would be an exciting moment for his many fellow theater veterans who regularly perform in Off Broadway plays for just a few hundred dollars a week, as Mr. Birney has done for years.

Clint Eastwood. The director of the forthcoming film adaptation of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” musical, Mr. Eastwood is slated to announce the Tony winners for best director of a musical and best director of a play. Will he be warmly welcomed? Or might there be lingering hard feelings among the liberals at Radio City over his attacks on President Obama (represented by an empty chair) during the 2012 Republican presidential convention?

Carole King, Jennifer Hudson, Sting. These three performers are set to have star turns during the Tonys telecast. How successfully are they deployed during their respective numbers?

As for the many tight Tonys races – for best musical, best play, best actress in a play and in a musical, and other categories – the nail-biting will soon be over. Look for coverage throughout Sunday night and a wrap-up at nytimes.com after the ceremony and in Monday’s newspaper.

— Patrick Healy