Tony Watch 2016: Scenic Design Nomination Predictions

The next segment in our Tony Watch 2016 segment is the two scenic design awards!

Best Scenic Design of a Musical:

Scenic Design might be the best chance for a show to knock off Hamilton in the design categories. That's not to say Hamilton's design isn't fantastic, and its probably still the frontrunner, but there are a few other power players. Tuck Everlasting features a forest, a cabin, a carnival, and a scene in the treetops, most of which involve some exciting moving set pieces. She Loves Me features a very elaborate and elegantly designed perfume shop, with surprising moving pieces, along with a few other pieces such as a zany restaurant and a bedroom. Either could take the award.

After that it's hard to say. Waitress, American Psycho and Shuffle Along all have exciting sets and stand a solid chance. Other contenders include the stripped down Color Purple set, a rustic Fiddler set with a modern flair, and the simple but beautiful Spring Awakening set. Any of these could snag that last spot.

Hamilton (David Korins): 90%

She Loves Me (David Rockwell): 80%
Tuck Everlasting (Walter Spangler): 66%

American Psycho (Es Devlin): 45%

----------------------------------------------

Waitress (Scott Pask): 42%
The Color Purple (John Doyle): 40%

Fiddler on the Roof (Michael Yeargan): 35%

Shuffle Along, Or... (Santo Loquasto): 25%

Spring Awakening (Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon): 15%

School of Rock (Anna Louizos): 12%

On Your Feet (David Rockwell): 10%

Bright Star (Eugene Lee): 10%

Allegiance (Darrel Maloney & Donyale Werle): 3%

Disaster! (Tobin Orst): 2%

Dames at Sea (Anna Louizos): 1%

Amazing Grace (Edward Pierce): 1%

A Scene from Hamilton

Best Scenic Design for a Play:

This is one of the trickiest categories of the season, because there has been a lot of very good, but very different set design. The two shows that stand out as frontrunners are Therese Raquin, which had an onstage pool and elegant scenery, and The Humans, which had a very well constructed two story house on stage. After that it gets tricky.

Eclipsed has a very artfully created, but very simple set reflecting the war camp the girls are held in, which may not be flashy enough. The two sets from this year's avant-garde revivals (The Crucible and A View From the Bridge) were confusing, but definitely made a statement. Misery and Hughie both had beautifully designed pieces, but nothing that stands out, and both were in very forgettable shows. Noises Off had an elaborate set as the play requires, but nothing particularly new. Other shows, like Blackbird Long Day's Journey and The father, are simply a very well designed room, which again may not have enough appeal to draw a nomination. Any of these pieces, and even a few more, could score one of the last two spots, so look out for an upset here.

Therese Raquin (Beowulf Boritt): 85%

The Humans (David Zinn): 85%

Eclipsed (Clint Ramos): 55%

Hughie (Christopher Oram): 41%

----------------------------------------------

Noises Off (Derek McLane): 40%
Misery (David Korins): 38%

The Father (Scott Pask): 35%

Long Day's Journey Into Night (Tom Pye): 35%

The Crucible (Jan Versweyveld): 30%

A View From the Bridge (Jan Versweyveld): 28%

Fully Committed (Derek McLane): 17%
Blackbird (Scott Pask): 25%

King Charles III (Tom Scutt): 25%

Old Times (Christine Jones): 20%

The Gin Game (Riccardo Hernandez): 15%

An Act of God (Scott Pask): 5%

Fool for Love (Dane Laffrey): 5%

Sylvia (David Rockwell): 3%

China Doll (Derek McLane): 1%

Our Mother's Brief Affair (Santo Loquasto): 1%

A Scene from Therese Raquin