(1) The New York Drama Critic’s Awards were announced last night.  The winners were somewhat predictable:

Best Play: The Coast of Utopia, by Tom Stoppard
Best American Play: Radio Golf, by August Wilson
Best Musical: Spring Awakening, by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater
Special Citation: The Broadway revival of Journey’s End

(2) The trend of turning movies into stage musicals continues at an alarming rate:

• Catch Me If You Can seems to have settled on Nathan Lane (The Producers) and Tom Wopat (Glengarry Glen Ross) as their supporting leads
• Shrek is seeking a stageworthy pair to play the ogre and his donkey
• Saved, based on the 2004 Mandy Moore/Macauley Culkin comedy, will open in 2008 at Playwrights Horizons
• The musical version of Spiderman, with music and lyrics by Bono/U2, is now in workshop, and is slated to be the most expensive musical ever produced (with a $30 million price tag).

(3)  In what I’m sure will be the most hellish production ever, Joey Lawrence joins the cast of Chicago.

(4)  As I mentioned before… after almost 11 years, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal are returning to the cast of Rent.

(5)  Yet another revival of Sunday In The Park With George is coming to Broadway.  This one, however, is the Olivier Award-winning London revival, with the Olivier Award-winning London stars, so it may be worth it.

(6)  My Tony nominee predictions for musicals (and, where I dare, my guess for the winner) —

BEST MUSICAL
Grey Gardens
Legally Blonde
Mary Poppins
Spring Awakening

No, Curtains will not be nominated, but LoveMusik has an outside chance.  Tough competition between Mary Poppins and Spring Awakening for the nod, but my money is on Spring Awakening.

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
110 in the Shade
A Chorus Line
Company
Les Miserables

The Apple Tree is the only other musical revival to be on Broadway this year.  Don’t think it makes the cut.  Look for Company to walk away with the Tony.

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Cerveris, LoveMusik
Raul Esparza, Company
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
David Hyde Pierce, Curtains

My prediction is that Raul Esparza will win this one.

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Ashley Brown, Mary Poppins
Kristin Chenoweth, The Apple Tree
Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens
Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade
Donna Murphy, LoveMusik

Tough category to even guess the nominees.  Debra Monk (Curtains) also stands a good shot.  Anybody could win this.  I won’t even guess.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
John Cullum, 110 in the Shade
Jason Danieley, Curtains
John Gallagher, Jr., Spring Awakening
Marc Kudisch, The Apple Tree
David Pittu, LoveMusik

Going to go with Cullum here, but this is also a tough category.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Charlotte D’Amboise, A Chorus Line
Heather Laws, Company
Christine Estabrook, Spring Awakening
Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens
Barbara Walsh, Company

I’m going to say Charlotte D’Ambroise from A Chorus Line.

BEST SCORE OF A MUSICAL
Scott Frankel and Michael Korie, Grey Gardens
John Kander and Fred Ebb, Curtains
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening

Kander & Ebb shouldn’t be nominated — the score for Curtains sucked — but they’re Broadwat legends and one of them is dead, so …you know how it goes.  The winner, I predict will be newcomer Duncan Sheik.

As for plays, look for The Coast of Utopia to sweep every award in which in was nominated.