2013 Tony Award Predictions 
With the 2013 Tony Awards drawing near, predictions have started rolling in guessing who will win on the big night. The most popular are from two of Broadway's biggest critics, New York Times' Ben Brantley and Charles Isherwood. Here's what they have to say about this year's nominations, as well our predictions. Be sure to make your own predictions before the big night on Sunday, June 9th, hosted for a third time by viewer favorite Neil Patrick Harris.
Check out the predictions below:
Best Play
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Lucky Guy
Should Win: The Assembled Parties
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Should Win: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Should Win: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Best Musical
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Matilda the Musical
Should Win: Matilda the Musical
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Matilda the Musical
Should Win: Matilda the Musical
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Kinky Boots
Should Win: Kinky Boots
Best Revival of a Play
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Golden Boy
Should Win: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Should Win: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Should Win: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Revival of a Musical
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Pippin
Should Win: Pippin
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Pippin
Should Win: Pippin
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Pippin
Should Win: Annie
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Should Win: Tracy Letts, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Should Win: Tracy Letts, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Should Win: Tracy Letts, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful
Should Win: No Preference
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful
Should Win: Amy Morton, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Cicely Tyson, A Trip to Bountiful
Should Win: Amy Morton, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Bertie Carvel, Matilda the Musical
Should Win: Betrie Carvel, Matilda the Musical
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Bertie Carvel, Matilda the Musical
Should Win: Stark Sands, Kinky Boots
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Bertie Carvel, Matilda the Musical
Should Win: Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Laura Osnes, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Should Win: Laura Osnes, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Charles Isherwood:
Will Win: Patina Miller, Pippin
Should Win: Patina Miller, Pippin
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Patina Miller, Pippin
Should Win: Lilla Crawford, Annie (We think she should have been nominated!)
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy
Should Win: No Preference
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Should Win: Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy
Should Win: Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Should Win: Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Should Win: Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Should Win: Carrie Coon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Charl Brown, Motown: The Musical
Should Win: Gabriel Ebert, Matilda the Musical
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Terrance Mann, Pippin
Should Win: Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Terrance Mann, Pippin
Should Win: Terrance Mann, Pippin
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Andrea Martin, Pippin
Should Win: Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Andrea Martin, Pippin
Should Win: Andrea Martin, Pippin
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Andrea Martin, Pippin
Should Win: Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Best Direction of a Play
Ben Brantley
Will Win: George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy
Should Win: George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Pam MacKinnon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Should Win: Pam MacKinnon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy
Should Win: Pam MacKinnon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Direction of a Musical
Ben Brantley
Will Win: Matthew Warchus, Matilda the Musical
Should Win: Matthew Warchus, Matilda the Musical
Charles Isherwood
Will Win: Diane Paulus, Pippin
Should Win: Diane Paulus, Pippin
Maximum Entertainment
Will Win: Diane Paulus, Pippin
Should Win: Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Who do you think will win?
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Annie Welcomes a New Miss Hannigan and 500 Students
 Glee star and Emmy-award winning actress Jane Lynch made her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan, a character not unlike her popular role as Coach Sue Sylvester, on May 14th. She takes over the role from Katie Finneran, who played her final performance on May 12th. Lynch's previous stage credits include work with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company and The Second City. She said in a statement: "Some may say I know a thing or two about playing intimidating authority figures. So I am excited and honored to be making my Broadway debut with the wonderful
Annie company at the Palace Theatre and joining the pantheon of women who have taken on the great and irresistible role of wicked Miss Hannigan." Read the full story.In other news, the Palace Theatre welcomed 500 students to the May 13th matinee of Annie through the show's educational outreach programs. Prior to the matinee the students participated in two in-school workshops developed and implemented by CAP 21 that exposed students to the art, creation, and performance of musical theatre and introduced students to basic acting, singing, and dancing performance skills. After the performance the students participated in a Talk Back with cast members and surprised the cast by serenading them with 32 bars of "NYC". The hope of these programs is to create experiences that cultivate a lifelong advocacy for musical theatre and a greater understanding and appreciation for the cultural and historical aspects of New York City. Quotes from some of the teachers and principals:"Words cannot describe the expressions of sheer delight and wonder that were on PS 100's students faces as the curtain went up on Annie. The boys and girls sat at the edge of their seats and not a sound was made throughout the performance. The children had so many questions at the end of the show and being invited to sit in the orchestra and see the cast, not to mention to be able to sing "NYC" to the cast was really special and I'm sure a memory that they will not soon forget." - Principal
"Our students had a fantastic time preparing to see the show in their arts classes and during CAP 21's dynamic pre-theater workshop, and they were absolutely blown away by the musical. As an educator, it was a powerful learning experience to have shared with my students - they were beaming, humming, and asking so many questions on the train ride home." - Teacher
"My students were the happiest ever witnessed by any AUP adult after viewing and participating in Annie. Their excitement was equated to that of anyone of us winning this past lottery for 600 million." - Teacher
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New Tony Awards Promos Feature Annie, Matilda, Cinderella and The Big Knife stars!  See Cinderella's Laura Osnes, the girls of Matilda, The Big Knife's Richard Kind and Annie's own Lilla Crawford head to Cafe Edison to advertise this year's eagerly anticipated Tony Awards in newly released promos. Click on the picture above to check them out! Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the Tony Awards will air on June 9 on CBS at 8/7c. We can't wait to see who wins!
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Tony Trouble for Virginia Woolf With awards season in full swing, there is a lot of campaigning going on for the Tony Awards. For Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? producer Jeffery Richards this included sending out a new promotional brochure to Tony voters that was not approved by The Broadway League or the Tony Awards Administration Committee, a situation that Michael Reidel talks about in a new article for the New York Post. Reidel explains, "The Tonys actually employ a person - Jean Kroeper - to enforce a set of strict rules governing the propaganda producers are allowed to send to voters. Nothing can be sent out until Officer Kroeper has signed off on it. Richards did not submit his brochure to Kroeper for inspection, and it contains a wealth of infractions." Riedel also says, "Punishment ranges from a slap on the wrist to disqualifying all the producers of Virginia Woolf from voting for the Tonys to withdrawing some or all of Virginia Woolf's nominations." Playbill.com reported the results of a meeting on May 23 with Charlotte St. Martin, the executive director of The Broadway League, the Tony Award Administration Committee, and Heather Hitchens, the Executive Director of the American Theatre Wing: "The Tony Awards Administration Committee met, considered the infraction, and have issued a serious warning to the producers of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. The infraction involved abbreviated quotes from the critical reviews that were consistent with the overall intent of those reviews, and therefore the committee determined that no further action would be taken on this issue."
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Touring Broadway Shows Perform for Nearly 13 Million Theatergoers During the 2011-12 Season
The Broadway League has released the eighth edition of its
demographics report, "The Audience for Touring Broadway 2011-2012," which tracks profiles of audiences throughout the country. This year's edition reveals that there were nearly 13 million admissions to touring Broadway shows during the 2011-2012 season.
Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League, said: "With a wide array of touring shows, theatergoers have great great options when determining what shows to see. This report illustrates demographics and theater-going habits in a detailed way. Our mission is to help provide resources to our members across the country to assist them in enhancing ticket sales." Read highlights of the report here.
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New Opening Announcements for Broadway's Summer and Fall 2013
Luis Bravo's Forever Tango will return to Broadway this summer for a limited engagement from July 9 - September 15 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. The show traces the birth of salsa music and dance of 19th-century Buenos Aires to its more modern manifestations. Let It Be, the Beatles concert show, will open at the St. James Theatre on July 24 and play to December 29. The London import was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the famous British band.
Smash's Krysta Rodriguez and NBC's Chuck star Zachary Levi will star in new musical comedy First Date, opening on August 4th at the Longacre Theatre. The show focuses on a first date, unfolding in real time, that turns from a quick drink at a busy New York restaurant into a hilarious, high-stakes dinner.
Soul Doctor, the musical about the real-life unconventional Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, will open on Broadway at the Circle in the Square on August 15. Eric Anderson will reprise his role as the beloved and controversial "rock and roll rabbi".
 The American Repertory Theater production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie will begin its Broadway run at the Booth Theatre on September 26 for a limited engagement until January 5. The production stars Tony winner Cherry Jones, Tony nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Zachary Quinto. New Musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder will transfer to Broadway's  Walter Kerr Theatre for an opening on November 17. The play, based on Roy Horniman's novel Israel
Rank, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, stars Tony winner Jefferson Mays reprising his role(s) as eight different heirs to the D'Ysquith family fortune.
Billy Crystal will bring his Tony-winning one-man show 700 Sundays, a show about growing up on Long Island, back to Broadway for a final nine-week engagement at the Imperial Theatre. The show will run November 13 - January 5.
Beautiful: The Carol King Musical will transfer to Broadway in December 2013 after a successful San Fransisco run. The autobiographical musical directed by Marc Bruni has yet to secure a home at one of Broadway's theaters.
 Award-winning new musical Allegiance is set to come to Broadway in Spring 2014. A presentation of the musical on May 20th included Tony winner Lea Salonga, George Takei, and Telly Leung. Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima will direct the multigenerational drama about the injustice of Japanese-Americans being imprisoned as perceived enemies in 1940s America.
Producer Cameron Macintosh is bringing the popular 25th Anniversary production of his classic musical Les Mis�rables to Broadway next Spring 2014. The new production, which will play at the Imperial Theatre, features fresh scenic and narrative elements, new orchestrations, and new costumes.
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Look Out for Peter!
 Peter and the Starcatcher has a new TV spot running in New York City's Taxi TV's. Click on the picture above to check it out, and make sure to look out for it next time you're in a cab!
In other Peter news, New York Times' Ben Brantley has shown the off-Broadway New World Stages production of Peter and the Starcatcher some more love with another review. In the article he praises the changes that directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers made for the new production as well as Rick Holmes's performance as Black Stache. Read the article here!
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Broadway Buzz!
- The United Kingdom's Ambassador Theatre Group, the largest owner-operator of theatres in the UK, has acquired the Foxwoods Theatre, home of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The successful show won't be closing any time soon under its new British owners.
- More London news: Tony nominated Tom Hanks is in talks to transfer with Tony nominee play Lucky Guy to the West End as early as Spring 2014.
- Adding to his already impressive resume, Tony-winning veteran producer Jed Bernstein has been named the next President of Lincoln Center, announced by board chair Katherine Farley on May 15. He will take on the role starting in January 2014.
- Competing head to head at the Tony Awards this year just isn't enough for Tony nominated musical revivals Pippin and Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Both have announced U.S. National Tours to hit the road in mid-2014.
- Orphans, starring Alec Baldwin, Ben Foster, and Tom Sturridge, ended its Broadway run on May 19 after only 37 performances.
- More casting rumors for Disney's film adaption of Into the Woods have surfaced. Possible stars to join Meryl Streep (the Witch), Johnny Depp (the Wolf), and James Corden (the Baker) include Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Pine as Cinderella's and Rapunzel's Princes, Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife, Christine Baranski as Cinderella's Stepmother, and Jewel as Cinderella. Do these Hollywood stars have what it takes to tackle Stephen Sondheim's difficult score?
- An audience member at The Nance took a tumble on May 19, falling through a second floor window and onto the Lyceum Theatre's marquee three feet below only ten minutes before the show was scheduled to begin. No one backstage knew what happened and the show went on in true Broadway fashion while the patron was taken to the hospital.
- The film adaption of August: Osage County, opening on November 8, has released its first theatrical trailer. Watch it here!
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That's all for this edition of The Maximum Insider! Stay tuned for all the Tony coverage as this season draws to a close.
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