The Tony Awards are Broadway’s biggest night, filled with amazing performances and stellar red carpet looks for all. This year there were many shows that are up for consideration because many waited until after Hamilton had their spot at the Tonys so they could have a fighting chance at some awards. The American Theatre Wing has ruled on this years nominees after much consideration. Jane Krakowski and Christopher Jackson announced the nominees live Tuesday May 2nd.
Each category has five nomination slots to fill, while this year many did not use all five when there were plenty of shows that could fill the space.
This year Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Hello, Dolly!, and Dear Evan Hansen lead in highest nominees with 12, 10, and 9 nominees.
This year there were 13 musicals that were eligible for the nomination of Best Musical, while the nominees are Come From Away; Dear Evan Hansen; Groundhog Day The Musical; and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. The fact that they did not nominate a fifth musical for this category is something that they have done in the past. There are so many other great shows that should have gotten the satisfaction of a nomination for Best Musical.
For Best Play there were 10 plays eligible for for this category where again only four were nominated. The nominees are A Doll’s House, Part 2; Indecent; Oslo; and Sweat. This category should have been filled with a fifth play because there were six other plays that were amazing this season that got passed over.
The category for Best Revival of a Play nominees include August Wilson’s Jitney; John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation; Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes; and Present Laughter. This category has a lot of competition because all these plays are great and they created a new take on these classic plays.
The Best Revival of a Musical nominees are Falsettos; Hello, Dolly!; and Miss Saigon. These three shows took classic musicals and gave a new spin on them while they are all still relevant in our society today.
The categories that get the broadway community all hyped up are the best leading actor and actress and best featured actor and actress.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play nominees are Denis Arndt for Heisenberg; Chris Cooper for A Doll’s House, Part 2; Corey Hawkins for John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation; Kevin Kline for Present Laughter; and Jefferson Mays for Oslo.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play nominees are Cate Blanchett for The Present; Jennifer Ehle for Oslo; Sally Field for The Glass Menagerie; Laura Linney for Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes; and Laurie Metcalf for A Doll’s House, Part 2.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical nominees are Christian Borle for Falsettos; Josh Groban for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Andy Karl for Groundhog Day The Musical; David Hyde Pierce for Hello, Dolly!; and Ben Platt for Dear Evan Hansen.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical nominees are Denée Benton for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Christine Ebersole for War Paint; Patti LuPone for War Paint; Bette Midler for Hello, Dolly!; and Eva Noblezada for Miss Saigon.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play nominees are Michael Aronov for Oslo; Danny DeVito for The Price; Nathan Lane for The Front Page; Richard Thomas for The Little Foxes; and John Douglas Thompson for August Wilson’s Jitney.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play nominees are Johanna Day for Sweat; Jayne Houdyshell for A Doll’s House, Part 2; Cynthia Nixon for Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes; Condola Rashad for A Doll’s House, Part 2; and Michelle Wilson for Sweat.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical nominees are Gavin Creel for Hello, Dolly!; Mike Faist for Dear Evan Hansen; Andrew Rannells, for Falsettos; Lucas Steele for Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; and Brandon Uranowitz for Falsettos.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical nominees are Kate Baldwin for Hello, Dolly!; Stephanie J. Block for Falsettos; Jenn Colella for Come From Away; Rachel Bay Jones for Dear Evan Hansen; and Mary Beth Peil for Anastasia.
Best Book of a Musical nominees are “Come From Away,” Irene Sankoff and David Hein; “Dear Evan Hansen,” Steven Levenson; “Groundhog Day The Musical,” Danny Rubin; and “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Dave Malloy.
Best Original Score nominees are “Come From Away,” Music and Lyrics: Irene Sankoff and David Hein; “Dear Evan Hansen,” Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul; “Groundhog Day The Musical,” Music and Lyrics: Tim Minchin; and “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” Music and Lyrics: Dave Malloy.
Best Scenic Design of a Play nominees are David Gallo, Jitney; Nigel Hook, The Play That Goes Wrong; Douglas W. Schmidt, The Front Page; and Michael Yeargan, Oslo.
Best Scenic Design of a Musical nominees are Rob Howell, Groundhog Day; David Korins, War Paint; Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; and Santo Loquasto, Hello, Dolly!.
Best Costume Design of a Play nominees are Jane Greenwood, The Little Foxes; Susan Hilferty, Present Laughter; Toni-Leslie James, Jitney; and David Zinn, A Doll’s House, Part 2.
Best Costume Design of a Musical nominees are Linda Cho, Anastasia; Santo Loquasto, Hello, Dolly!; Paloma Young, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; and Catherine Zuber, War Paint.
Best Lighting Design of a Play nominees are Christopher Akerlind, Indecent; Jane Cox, Jitney; Donald Holder, Oslo; and Jennifer Tipton, A Doll’s House, Part 2.
Best Lighting Design of a Musical nominees are Howell Binkley, Come From Away; Natasha Katz, Hello, Dolly!; Bradley King, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, and Japhy Weideman, Dear Evan Hansen.
Best Direction of a Play nominees are Sam Gold, A Doll’s House, Part 2; Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jitney; Bartlett Sher, Oslo; Daniel Sullivan, The Little Foxes; and Rebecca Taichman, Indecent.
Best Direction of a Musical nominees are Christopher Ashley, Come From Away; Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Michael Greif, Dear Evan Hansen; Matthew Warchus, Groundhog Day; and Jerry Zaks, Hello, Dolly!.
Best Choreography nominees are Andy Blankenbuehler, Bandstand; Peter Darling and Ellen Kane, Groundhog Day; Kelly Devine, Come From Away; Denis Jones, Holiday Inn; and Sam Pinkleton, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.
Best Orchestrations nominees are Bill Elliott and Greg Anthony Rassen, Bandstand; Larry Hochman, Hello, Dolly!; Alex Lacamoire, Dear Evan Hansen; and Dave Malloy, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater goes to James Earl Jones.
Special Tony Award goes to Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin, Sound Designers for The Encounter.
Regional Theater Tony Award goes to Dallas Theater Center, Dallas.
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award goes to Baayork Lee.
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater goes to Nina Lannan and Alan Wasser.
The nominations for this season were a wild ride because the star studded Hello, Dolly! Has taken over the season as well as Dear Evan Hansen and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 took over the nominations. There were lots of shows that were passed over for their contributions to the broadway stage this season. Lots of broadway fans were of course rooting for their favorite stars and shows to be nominated and unfortunately there are just not enough slots for everyone to be happy. Fans have spoken about the most snubbed shows of the season which are Amélie, Anastasia, and Bandstand. These are fabulous shows that have not been given enough credit for what talent and creation they have brought to the stage.