It’s Tony Time on Broadway : The Quick Picks for the Winners in N.Y. Theater

Why all the fuss about the Tony Awards? They don’t even represent all of the New York theater, let alone the American theater.

Still, they do sum up the Broadway season. They remind us that theater people know how to put on a better TV awards show than movie people.

Also, this year South Coast Repertory is getting a special resident-theater Tony. It will be presented by Madonna, who became a theater person last month when she opened in David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow.”

The Tony show starts at 9 p.m. Sunday on CBS (Channels 2 and 8), and here are our picks for the winners:

BEST MUSICAL: “Into the Woods” over “The Phantom of the Opera,” because Broadway is tired of being told that the Brits have reinvented the musical, and because it’s a better show. “Romance Romance” and “Sarafina!” don’t have a chance.

BEST PLAY: David Henry Hwang’s “M. Butterfly” over Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow,” because Hwang is a new voice and Mamet isn’t. Lee Blessing’s “A Walk in the Woods” or August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” do have a chance. The closest field in years.

BEST REVIVAL: “Anything Goes,” which had far more life left in it than anybody suspected, over “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Cabaret” and “Dreamgirls.”

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: Michael Crawford in “The Phantom of the Opera”--a star in a star role--over Scott Bakula, “Romance Romance”; David Carroll, “Chess”; Howard McGillin, “Anything Goes.”

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Patti Lupone, one of the reasons “Anything Goes” had so much life, over Joanna Gleason, “Into the Woods”; Alison Fraser, “Romance Romance,” and Judy Kuhn, “Chess.” Question: Why wasn’t Bernadette Peters nominated for “Into the Woods”?

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY: John Lithgow in “M. Butterfly” over Derek Jacobi, “Breaking the Code”; Robert Prosky, “A Walk in the Woods,” and Ron Silver, “Speed-the-Plow.” Question: Why wasn’t John Malkovich nominated for “Burn This”?

BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY: Joan Allen, “Burn This,” over Blythe Danner, “A Streetcar Named Desire”; Frances McDormand, “A Streetcar Named Desire”; Glenda Jackson, “Macbeth.” Not a strong field.

BEST SCORE, Musical: Stephen Sondheim, “Into the Woods”; Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, “The Phantom of the Opera”; Keith Herrmann and Barry Harman, “Romance Romance”; Mbongeni Ngema and Hugh Masekela, “Sarafina!” Easy winner.

BEST BOOK, Musical: James Lapine, “Into the Woods,” over Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lee Breuer, “The Gospel at Colonus”--although the latter had a brilliant central notion. Also-rans: Lloyd Webber, “The Phantom of the Opera”; Barry Harman, “Romance Romance.”

BEST DIRECTOR, PLAY: John Dexter, “M. Butterfly”; Gregory Mosher, “Speed-the-Plow”; Lloyd Richards, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”; Clifford Williams, “Breaking the Code.” Dexter’s visual concept for “M. Butterfly” was widely praised.

BEST DIRECTOR, MUSICAL: Harold Prince, “The Phantom of the Opera,” over James Lapine, “Into the Woods”; Mbongeni Ngema, “Sarafina!”; Jerry Zaks, “Anything Goes.” “Phantom” does have a certain creepy grandeur.

BEST SCENIC DESIGN: Maria Bjornson, “The Phantom of the Opera”; Eiko Ishioka, “M. Butterfly”; Tony Straiges, “Into the Woods”; Tony Walton, “Anything Goes.” See above.

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN: Andrew Bridge, “The Phantom of the Opera”; Paul Gallo, “Anything Goes”; Richard Nelson, “Into the Woods”; Andy Phillips, “M. Butterfly.” See above.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Ann Hould-Ward, “Into the Woods”; Maria Bjornson, “The Phantom of the Opera”; Eiko Ishioka, “M. Butterfly”; Tony Walton, “Anything Goes.”

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: Ndaba Mhlongo, “Sarafina!” over Lar Lubovitch, “Into the Woods”; Gillian Lynne, “The Phantom of the Opera”; Michael Smuin, “Anything Goes.” A long shot, but “Sarafina” moves like a string of firecrackers.

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY: Delroy Lindo, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” The favorite is B.D. Wong in “M. Butterfly,” but Lindo was tremendous in this role (really a leading role) at the Old Globe Theatre. Lou Liberatore, from “Burn This,” and Michael Gough, from “Breaking the Code,” complete the field.

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY: Kate Nelligan, “Serious Money.” There’s no choosing between the three contenders from “Joe Turner”--Kimberleigh Arn, Kimberly Scott and L. Scott Caldwell.

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: Robert Westenberg as the Big Bad Wolf (and one of the unfaithful princes) in “Into the Woods.” The others: Bill McCutcheon and Anthony Heald in “Anything Goes,” and Werner Klemperer in “Cabaret.”

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Judy Kaye, a real bright spot in “Phantom,” over Leleti Khumalo, “Sarafina!”; Alyson Reed, “Cabaret”; Regina Resnik, “Cabaret.”

Another special Tony Award will be given to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and one hopes somebody mentions that BAM hosted Peter Brook’s “The Mahabharata” this season. A theater awards show that doesn’t have room for “The Mahabharata” should reset its margins.

IN QUOTES. Broadway press agent Merle Debuskey: “Powerful people don’t get awards. They give them.”