Some Like It Hot (c) Marc J. Franklin
The 76th Annual Tony Award nominations have been announced and as usual, there are plenty to discuss. I wasn’t able to do a final predictions post before today’s big announcement, but I figured I would make some comments on some of the categories today.
The 2023 Tony Awards will be presented on June 11 on Pluto TV and then CBS at the live event at United Palace Theatre in Washington Heights, hosted again by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. The production with the most nominations was Some Like It Hot with 13 nominations followed by a trio of shows with 9 nomination: & Juliet, New York, New York and Shucked.
The 2022-2023 Tony Award Nominations
Ain't No Mo' (c) Joan Marcus
Best Play
Ain't No Mo' by Jordan E. Cooper
Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Cost of Living by Martyna Majok
Fat Ham by James Ijames
Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard
For the first time in Tony history, three Pulitzer Prize winning plays are competing in the Best Play category, and yet it is telling that only one actor from any of these nominated plays made it to the lead acting categories with seven nominees in the featured categories, as all of these plays would be considered ensemble dramas.
Best Musical
& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot
Pretty much expected. No love for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella, as it was shut out entirely.
& Juliet (c) Matthew Murphy
Best Book of a Musical
& Juliet by David West Read
Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire
New York, New York by David Thompson & Sharon Washington
Shucked by Robert Horn
Some Like It Hot by Matthew López & Amber Ruffin
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Almost Famous, Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt
Kimberly Akimbo, Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire
KPOP, Music & Lyrics: Helen Park & Max Vernon
Shucked, Music and Lyrics: Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally
Some Like It Hot, Music: Marc Shaiman, Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman
Glad to see filmmaker Cameron Crowe in the mix as well as Helen Park, the first Asian American female composer to be nominated for a Tony Award.
A Doll's House (c) Emilio Madrid
Best Play Revival
August Wilson's The Piano Lesson
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, Adapted by Amy Herzog
Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
No Death of a Salesman or Ohio State Murders, which is a shame for the latter because it would have made author Adrienne Kennedy a Tony nominee.
Best Musical Revival
Into the Woods
Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Parade
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
For the 76th Tony Awards, sadly there was no room for the revival of 1776.
Best Actress in a Play
Jessica Chastain, A Doll's House
Jodie Comer, Prima Facie
Jessica Hecht, Summer, 1976
Audra McDonald, Ohio State Murders
With only four nominees this year, it seems a shame that Laura Linney, Rachel Brosnahan and Zoe Wannamaker couldn’t muster enough votes for a fifth slots.
Topdog/Underdog (c) Marc J. Franklin
Best Actor in a Play
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins, Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes, Good Night, Oscar
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Wendell Pierce, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
The two leads of Topdog/Underdog made the cut in one of the most competitive categories of the yead. Left off the list includes such luminaries as Oscar Isaac, John David Washington and Jefferson Mays
Best Featured Actress in a Play
Nikki Crawford, Fat Ham
Crystal Lucas-Perry, Ain't No Mo'
Miriam Silverman, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
Kara Young, Cost of Living
A pretty solid list, but sad to see Sharon D. Clarke left off the list.
Best Featured Actor in a Play
Jordan E. Cooper, Ain't No Mo'
Samuel L. Jackson, August Wilson's The Piano Lesson
Arian Moayed, A Doll's House
Brandon Uranowitz, Leopoldstadt
David Zayas, Cost of Living
Jordan E. Cooper is a double nominee as author and featured actor of Ain’t No Mo’. Gregg Mozgala was sadly the only cast member not nominated for Cost of Living.
Parade (c) Joan Marcus
Best Actress in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sara Bareillis, Into the Woods
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo
Lorna Courtney, & Juliett
Micaela Diamond, Parade
Sad to see the exclusion of Crystal Lucas-Perry from 1776 and Phillipa Soo from Camelot as well as the fine debut from Caroline Innerbichler in Shucked.
Best Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Some Like It Hot
J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot
Josh Groban, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Brian d'Arcy James, Into the Woods
Ben Platt, Parade
Colton Ryan, New York, New York
I guess poor Will Swenson is singing those Songs Sung Blue, but he must be happy his wife, Audra McDonald was nominated. I guess playing King Arthur isn’t like playing King Lear as Andrew Burnap was overlooked by Camelot.
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Julia Lester, Into the Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo
NaTasha Yvette Williams, Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe, & Juliet
Carolee Carmello could have been Bad Cinderella’s only nominee here, but I guess the shoe didn't fit.
Camelot (c) Joan Marcus
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Kevin Cahoon, Shucked
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
Kevin Del Aguila, Some Like It Hot
Jordan Donica, Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Alex Newell, Shucked
Jordan Donica is the sole actor representing Lerner & Loewe's Camelot. Sorry to see Stranger Things’ Gaten Matarazzo overlooked for Sweeney Todd.
Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali, Fat Ham
Jo Bonney, Cost of Living
Jamie Lloyd, A Doll's House
Patrick Marber, Leopoldstadt
Stevie Walker-Webb, Ain't No Mo'
Max Webster, Life of Pi
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Parade
Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Jack O'Brien, Shucked
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo
Best Costume Design of a Play
Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes, and Finn Caldwell, Life of Pi
Dominique Fawn Hill, Fat Ham
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leopoldstadt
Emilio Sosa, Ain't No Mo'
Emilio Sosa, Good Night, Oscar
KPOP (c) Matthew Murphy
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Some Like It Hot
Susan Hilferty, Parade
Jennifer Moeller, Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Clint Ramos and Sophia Choi, KPOP
Paloma Young, & Juliet
Donna Zakowska, New York, New York
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Leopoldstadt
Natasha Chivers, Prima Facie
Jon Clark, A Doll's House
Bradley King, Fat Ham
Tim Lutkin, Life of Pi
Jen Schriever, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
Ben Stanton, A Christmas Carol
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, New York, New York
Lap Chi Chu, Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Heather Gilbert, Parade
Howard Hudson, & Juliet
Natasha Katz, Some Like It Hot
Natasha Katz, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Life of Pi (c) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Prima Facie
Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding, Life of Pi
Rachel Hauck, Good Night, Oscar
Richard Hudson, Leopoldstadt
Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon, A Christmas Carol
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, New York, New York
Mimi Lien, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions, Lerner & Loewe's Camelot
Scott Pask, Shucked
Scott Pask, Some Like It Hot
A Christmas Carol (c) A Christmas Carol
Best Sound Design of a Play
Jonathan Deans and Taylor Williams, Ain't No Mo'
Carolyn Downing, Life of Pi
Joshua D. Reid, A Christmas Carol
Ben & Max Ringham, A Doll's House
Ben & Max Ringham, Prima Facie
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada, New York, New York
John Shivers, Shucked
Scott Lehrer and Alex Neumann, Into the Woods
Gareth Owen, & Juliet
Nevin Steinberg, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Choreography
Steven Hoggett, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Susan Stroman, New York, New York
Jennifer Weber, & Juliet
Jennifer Weber, KPOP
Shucked (c) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Best Orchestrations
Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro, & Juliet
John Clancy, Kimberly Akimbo
Jason Howland, Shucked
Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter, Some Like It Hot
Daryl Waters & Sam Davis, New York, New York
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