Predictions: What Will Win the Best Book and Score Tony Awards in 2023?

The winners of the 2023 Tony Awards will be announced on Sunday. Our critics have already weighed in with their predictions in the acting categories and directing categories. Here’s what they thought about who is likely to win in the book and score categories in this deeply competitive year:  

 Best Book of a Musical 

THE NOMINEES
David West Read, & Juliet
David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo
David Thompson and Sharon Washington, New York, New York
Robert Horn, Shucked
Matthew López & Amber Ruffin, Some Like It Hot 

Zachary Stewart
Will win: Robert Horn
Should win: David Lindsay-Abaire 

Robert Horn invites the audience of Shucked to laugh at his punny jokes, and I imagine a fair number of voters will appreciate this license to indulge in pure entertainment. But I’m most impressed with Lindsay-Abaire turning his very good play into an even better book musical.  

Hayley Levitt 
Will win: David Lindsay-Abaire
Should win: David Lindsay-Abaire 

David Lindsay-Abaire’s book is the heart of Kimberly Akimbo and I expect Tony voters to cast their ballots accordingly. I’d love to also reward Robert Horn for writing a musical comedy book that’s actually funny, but I think the theater community agrees there’s something special about Kimberly. 

Pete Hempstead 
Will win: Robert Horn
Should win: Matthew López & Amber Ruffin 

Shucked is one of those musical comedies that has you laughing in spite of yourself, and that’s because of Robert Horn’s nonstop hilariously silly jokes that consistently deliver. But I was impressed with Matthew López and Amber Ruffin’s updated storyline in Some Like It Hot. They brought out subtexts that the movie wouldn’t have dared to explore at the time and gave us something funny and timely. I’d be happy to see them take home the award. 

David Gordon
Will win: Robert Horn
Should win: David West Read 

Steeped in the style of sitcoms, Shucked has a laugh every 30 seconds, and that’s why Robert Horn is going to take home his second Tony (his winning book for Tootsie was similar). I personally would vote for David West Read, who took the disparate pop songs of Max Martin and weaved them into a Shakespearean parody. The payoff of his “It’s Gonna Be May” joke is my favorite of the season. 

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre  

THE NOMINEES
Tom Kitt (music & lyrics) and Cameron Crowe (lyrics), Almost Famous
Jeanine Tesori (music) and David Lindsay-Abaire (lyrics), Kimberly Akimbo
Helen Park and Max Vernon, KPOP
Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, Shucked
Marc Shaiman (music & lyrics) and Scott Wittman (lyrics), Some Like It Hot 

Zachary Stewart
Will win: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Should win: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman 

Some Like It Hot is Shaiman and Wittman’s best score since Hairspray. They deserve this award, although I hope Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally come back with another show. They know how to tell a story with songs that follow you out of the theater.  

Hayley Levitt 
Will win: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Should win: Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally 

Some Like It Hot feels like prime Shaiman and Wittman, but my Spotify stats don’t lie. I’ve got Shucked on repeat. 

Pete Hempstead 
Will win: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Should win: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman 

While I do have a soft spot for Kimberly‘s moving score and Shucked‘s toe-tappy numbers, Some Like It Hot delivers the goods from start to finish, hands down.  

David Gordon 
Will win: Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire
Should Win: Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire 

The Kimberly Akimbo score had me when they rhymed “Diva fits” with “Annie Lebovitz,” a line so satisfying I gasped with delight both times I saw it. It’s also hysterical and heartbreaking – what more could anyone want in a musical?