Hi, everybody. It's Peter Travers than welcome to our special popcorn Tony award show. Now, I've gotta say, before we get into the nominees about who will win and who should win. This is been the most amazing year in Broadway history. It has made over two billion dollars at the box office that never happened. And why is it? I think it's Hollywood heat everybody from TV from movies from us. It wants to be on Broadway. They wanna be on that stage. You got this year. Kylo Ren and driver on Broadway. You have Walter, white Bryan, Cranston, there, Jeff Daniels who played Harry done in too, dumb and dumber movies. They're all fighting to be best, dramatic actor, what kind of stuff is happening on Broadway. Well, let's start with the major categories, and I'm gonna start with best musical the nominees are ain't too, proud the life and times of the temptations Beetlejuice remember that movie Haiti's town, the prom, and Tootsie. You remember that movie too? Well. I think the winner is Haiti's town. It's a rigid. It's basically the myth of Orpheus ritzy, but it's got a score by a woman named Naess Mitchell who doesn't come from Broadway, at all and kind of revolutionizes it. So what would happen what could spoil the fun? There's a little musical called the prom. It's really it's totally original. It's about these bunch of Broadway veterans, and they're really hard bitten, and they're not getting any press, and they decide to go to Indiana and help, a lesbian high school student take her girlfriend to the prom. That's it. How good is it? It's really good. And in terms of the Hollywood connection, Ryan Murphy, went to see it fell in love with it, and he's making a movie of it. So how about that? Then we have best play the Ferryman choirboy, Gary a sequel to Titus andronicus. What the constitution means to me an ink. I'm telling you people, the Ferryman is got to be a movie soon. It's an Irish play. It's about the troubles, and in on a stage. We get to see an entire family deal with violence deal with their own feuds. We've got babies onstage. We've got live alive goose. We have everything there's nothing like I don't think there's any competition for it at all except there was a snub, the most successful play in Broadway history. That's not a musical is to kill among bird, and for some reason, the Tony nominee said, let's not nominated what I want. Answer on that one best revival of a play. Arthur, Miller's all my sons the boys in the band, burn this torch song and the Waverley gallery. I think Arthur Miller's all my sons which brought a net. Bending back to Broadway is a show that he wrote in one thousand nine hundred forty seven a bout a guy who was manufacturing airplane, parts and was to rush to do it. And so the planes crashed and killed pilots during the war. We live in the world of Boeing. Now, how timely could this be? So I think that's really up there. And I in terms of seeing a show that by playwright Arthur Miller who says, let's deal with the world we live in this one really, really did it then we have bible of musical. This is easy, because there's only two there's Oklahoma Rogers and Hammerstein Oklahoma and kiss me. Kate. Of course, they were both movies. We saw Oklahoma with Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones in the fifties. But kiss me, Kate is done in a traditional way. Kelli o'hara's in it, Oklahoma is directed by guide named Daniel fish who find darkness. We're Rogers and Hammerstein only found light. It's a revelation to watch this. It's not the Oklahoma you've ever remembered, and it sung in the kind of country western way, look, if you ever get to see this on Broadway or win a tours get there get there quick. Okay. Okay. Best actor in a musical. And so, we'll do alphabetically Brooks as Mantas in the prom, Derrick Baskin and ain't too, proud the life and times of the temptations Alex Brightman and Beetlejuice. Remember when Michael Keaton had their part, Damon down, oh in Rogers and Hammerstein, Oklahoma. And send Tino fun Tanna into okay? The favorite is Tino, Tanna who is playing the part that destined Hoffman immortalized in the movie in the nineteen eighties. But what Centeno Tanna doesn't remember him on TV in crazy ex girlfriend like I'm saying everybody's from TV, or he does so much more. He sings as a man sees a woman, he does physical comedy does everything but stand on his hat. And I say, you know, who's out there that can spoil the win for Santino Tanna. And my answer is no one because this is one of the great performances you'll ever see on a musical, comedy stage. He's the winner. Best actress in a play Benning in Arthur, Miller's all my sons, Laura, Donnelly, in the Ferryman. Elaine may in the Waverley gallery, Janet mcteer in Bernhardt hamlet, Laurie Metcalf in Hillary Clinton, and Heidi Shreck in what the constitution means to me. Okay. Elaine may doesn't win this Tony. You're going to hear from me. She's eighty seven years old. She's returned to Broadway. After decades to play the part of a woman fighting Alzheimer's, and everything is no perfect about what she's done. She started with Mike Nichols doing comedy. She was starring in movies of like the new leaf directed things like the heartbreak kid. She's just one of the best actors I've ever seen anywhere. And if she loses and, you know, I feel bad for an bending because if Elaine may wasn't here this year, I think she would be the winner, but come on. Attention must be paid people. And I also wanna talk about a snub how. How does Glenda Jackson who won the Tony last year for three women returned to Broadway as King Lear? We talk about the age of hashtag metoo and time's up Glenda. Jackson is playing king. Lear gets rave reviews and the Tony committee says we're not gonna nominate her now. No, we're paying attention. And we're gonna come back and get you our best actress in a musical. Stephanie, j block in the share show Caitlyn Kanoun in the prom Beth level, in the prom, Eva nobles, ADA in Haiti's town, and Kelley O'Hara and kiss me cake. Stephanie j block who is that theater veteran is playing share in a way that sometimes she's more share than share. You might think this is just an escapist show thing to know she finds the character of who she is share shows up at this show often does numbers with her, and pus share. There's who's a bigger Hollywood. Name who is coming to Broadway with the show about herself. It takes three actresses to play here. But Stephanie j block plays the central one. And she plays the hell out of it. So she has just got to win. I'm sorry, people. All right. Best featured actress in a play for new of Flanagan in the Ferryman seal, you keep. And Bolger into kill a Mockingbird. Christine Nelson, Gary a sequel to Titus andronicus Julie white and Gary sequel to Titus andronicus and Ruth Wilson and King Lear people if you see if you see to kill among bird, and you should seal, you Keenan Bolger is very controversial because she's playing scout scout in the book and in the movie remember is in eight or nine year old girl. A C Keenan Bolger is in her forties. And yet, what she finds in this character who grew up to be Harper who wrote this novel is the heart and soul of the peace. So I'm telling you people this, this has got to happen. See Keenan Bolger remember that name best featured actor in a play birdie Carville and ink, Robin to hasten boys in the band getting Glick into kill a monkey bird, Brandon your Ranna wits in burn this Benjamin Walker in Arthur Miller's. All my sons birdie, Carville in ink. Those of us, those of you who actually went to Broadway couple of years ago and saw of any kind of a musical where you were shocked at a man playing a woman, you saw birdie, Carville in Matilda, and he played this woman, this horrible headmistress, and now he's playing Rupert Murdoch. So every who in Hollywood, who in politics would anyone hasn't been in an Rupert Murdoch publication or paper and who hasn't been rolled over the coals in it that performance and in London when he played it in one and Olivia ward, he had to play it in front of Rupert Murdoch. It's just an incredible job. I wanna talk a little about the snubs in this category. The non nominees there isn't actor named Bengal Arghanab into Killa mugging bird who plays Tom Robinson. He is the black man who is on trial for raping a white woman, a crime never committed. And he's defended. By Jeff Daniels. Atticus Finch when Aaron Sorkin adapted Harper Lee's novel to the stage. He did it so that he could expand the role of the black characters as he did here. And again, the Tony committee, decided only to nominate the white actors from tequila, Mockingbird ignoring the two black actors who are just brilliant in their roles. You people you're going to get called on the carpet. You need to all right? Best featured actress in a musical, Lilli Cooper in Tootsie, amber, gray and Haiti's town Sarah, styles Tootsie, alley stroke, or in Rogers and Hammerstein Oklahoma and Mary, Testa in Rogers, and Hammerstein Oklahoma there, something totally remarkable that happened this year in stroke, and Oklahoma. This is a woman who when she was two years old was in an automobile crash, and was never able to walk again. And now on Broadway playing eight oh Anne who is like the sexual. Time bomb in Oklahoma, the one who sings, I can't say, no, the part went to Allie. Stroke, she plays it in a wheelchair and you would think that's inspiring enough. But when you watch her play at you, forget the wheelchair exists, and you're watching her take over the stage like Dolly Parton. She, it's just an amazing thing to watch and it works on so many levels. So I wanna be there when she wins that Tony, and I want to be standing up and applauding and going Bravo. She deserves all right. Best featured actor in a musical Andre shields in Haiti town and a groups Luccin. That's a good name into Patrick page in Haiti's town germy, pope in into proud the life and times of the temptations and Ephraim Sykes ain't too, proud the life and times of the temptations, the favorite, the one, I think will win is under the shields and Haiti's town. He's seventy three years old. He stands on that stage is the narrator in like a silver suit. In total control of body and every movement and pulls you in till you're memorized. Your mesmerizing you not take your eyes off of hundred shields. This is a veteran actor who needs to get this Tony. But what if he didn't who would go to there's a young actor named Jeremy pope who plays Eddie kendricks in the into proud the life and times of the temptations? And who does he's playing a difficult man. One of the most difficult of the temptations. But one of the most talented as well. He's also nominated this year as best actor in a in a play in choir, boy, this is to me, the brightest newcomer that you will see on the stage and you're going to see him everywhere, stage movies television. It's just the beginning. So if you get to see this, you're going to be able to tell your friends, I was there win. Okay. Best director of a play Rupert Gould for Inc. Sam Mendes for the Ferryman Bartlett. Fair for to kill a mocking bird Ivo von Hosver for network, and George C Wolfer Gary a sequel to Titus andronicus Sam Mendis in the Ferryman this play. Does a job on stage that equal to his first movie which was American Beauty, which you may remember won the best picture? Oscar and once Mendis the Oscar as best director.