67th Tony Awards Nominations


The nominations for the 67th Tony Awards are in! Without any further ado, here is the full list of nominees, first the plays, then the musicals:

Best Play

All of these are spring shows, leaving new plays from the fall, like Grace and Dead Accounts, out of the running. My vote is for the hilarious Vanya..., though I hear good things about Lucky Guy, written by the late Nora Ephron.

Best Revival of a Play

Is this even a competition? Virginia Woolf? was the best show on Broadway this year - play or musical, revival or new. It was an absolutely flawless production. Tony voters, do the right thing, otherwise George and Martha will come after you, and they know how to fight!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

From what I've seen and what I've heard (particularly about Hanks), this is a strong category. My favorite is Letts - he was simply phenomenal, but I'm glad to see Sturridge received a nomination. And even though I didn't love the play, I was hoping the terrific Bobby Cannavale would be recognized for The Big Knife, but these are all strong nominees.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

What a tough category. First, we all think Nielsen should have been considered eligible in the Featured Actress category, right? Strategically, there's a better chance of a win for her there. (Her inclusion here is possibly the reason Jessica Hecht is excluded, despite her acclaimed turn in The Assembled Parties.) For me, it comes down to Metcalf and Morton, who were both terrific. I give Morton the edge because of the stamina it took to go through the three-hour bout each night and because she discovered a new side of a character we have seen several times on Broadway (and on film) already.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

This is a tough category. I'm tickled that Magnussen is nominated, though Shalhoub's performance is still with me, months after seeing Golden Boy.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Thank Thespis, Carrie Coon is nominated! Her turn as Honey in Virginia Woolf? was nothing short of inspired. And Grant was also impressive in Vanya..., a play full of big personalities yet she was able to carve out a stand out performance. This is Rashad's second nomination in this category; she was nominated alongside Light last year, when Light won for Other Desert Cities. This is a good race!

Best Direction of a Play
Pam MacKinnon all the way. Virginia Woolf? was a flawless production, and that has a great deal to do with MacKinnon's direction. Shout out to Martin, though, for remaining in control of a farcical romp that could have easily gone off the rails.

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Best Costume Design of a Play
  • Soutra Gilmour, Cyrano de Bergerac
  • Ann Roth, The Nance
  • Albert Wolsky, The Heiress
  • Catherine Zuber, Golden Boy
Best Lighting Design of a Play
  • Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Lucky Guy
  • Donald Holder, Golden Boy
  • Jennifer Tipton, The Testament of Mary
  • Japhy Weideman, The Nance
Best Sound Design of a Play
  • John Gromada, The Trip to Bountiful
  • Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary
  • Leon Rothenberg, The Nance
  • Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, Golden Boy

Best Musical

I'm so glad that Bring It On was remembered! It opened during the summer, usually a dead time for new Broadway shows, and it closed in December, so kudos to the Tony nominating committee for remembering this fabulously fun show that reminds you to believe in yourself! Of course, the nomination is its prize as this season will likely belong to Matilda (even though I didn't buy into the hype). (Also, do you think A Christmas Story was nominated so that it could become a perennial seasonal show, popping up on the boards each Christmas season?)

Best Book of a Musical

  • Joseph Robinette, A Christmas Story
  • Harvey Fierstein, Kinky Boots
  • Dennis Kelly, Matilda
  • Douglas Carter Beane, Cinderella
I was hoping Bring It On would be remembered here, since the Jeff Whitty book was so...witty, but non of these nominations surprise me. (Remember that although Cinderella is considered a revival, Beane wrote a brand new book for this iteration, making it eligible in this category.)

Best Original Score

Again, I had hoped the infectious and hip hop-laden score of Bring It On (Tom Kitt, Amanda Green and Lin Manuel Miranda) would be recognized, though I'm glad to see the Hardbody score, with its varying musical stylings, honored with a nod.

Best Revival of a Musical

I haven't seen Pippin yet so I feel like I can't comment here. The last two times a Diane Paulus musical revival was nominated (Hair and Porgy and Bess) it won. Look for a threepeat in June.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Wow, I am truly surprised that Sands was nominated. As I said in my review, I think he has a great voice but he lacks charisma on stage. Many will probably pick Carvel to win, riding the crest of Matilda momentum, but I'm pulling for Porter, who is a fantastic diva and full of heart, giving everyone a lesson in how to sell an 11 o'clock number.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

  • Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
  • Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
  • Valisia LeKae, Motown
  • Patina Miller, Pippin
  • Luara Osnes, Cinderella
I'm so glad Block was remembered. However, since hers is the only performance I've seen thus far, I can't justifiably choose a favorite. My instincts tell me it could be Osnes's year, though. Let the campaigning begin.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

You know what's interesting about this category? When Ebert first came out on stage and started singing, I thought, for a moment, that it was Chase, even though I knew he wasn't in Matilda. This is a nice mix of veterans and relative newbies. Let's see what happens as we approach June.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Yay for Ashford!!! She was hilarious and delightful in Kinky Boots. Despite the show closing too soon, it's no surprise that Settle was nominated - her gospel, percussive jam was one of the best things about Hardbody. I also thought Ward was the best thing about Matilda, though I'm hearing raves about veterans Clark and Martin. I'm seeing both Cinderella and Pippin next month so be sure to check back for my reviews. 

Best Direction of a Musical
Paulus has been nominated for this before but has never won, and Warchus has won for directing but not for a musical. Since Matilda has momentum on its side, look for Warchus to add another Tony to his mantle. 

Best Choreography
It's absolutely cheer-tastic that Blankenbuehler was remembered for Bring It On, but I'm also glad to see Mitchell recognized for what he had those incredible Angels doing - in ridiculous high heels - in Kinky Boots. While Matilda is the favorite in most categories, note that Walker recreated and did "variations on a theme" of Bob Fosse's original choreography for Pippin. 

Best Orchestrations
  • Chris Nightingale, Matilda
  • Stephen Oremus, Kinky Boots
  • Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, Motown
  • Danny Troob, Cinderella
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
You don't often find women in scenic (or lighting or sound) design categories, so way to go, lady!

Best Costume Design of a Musical
  • Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots
  • Rob Howell, Matilda
  • Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
  • William Ivey Long, Cinderella
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
  • Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots
  • Kenneth Posner, Pippin
  • Kenneth Posner, Cinderella
  • Hugh Vanstone, Matilda
Best Sound Design of a Musical
  • Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm, Pippin
  • Peter Hylenski, Motown
  • John Shivers, Kinky Boots
  • Nevin Steinberg, Cinderella
Special Tony Honors (non-competitive awards)
  • Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: Bernard Gersten, Paul Libin, Ming Cho Lee
  • Regional Theatre Award: Huntington Theatre Company
  • Isabelle Stevenson Award: Larry Kramer (The Normal Heart)
  • Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre: Career Transition for Dancers; William Craver; Peter Lawrence; The Lost Colony; the four actresses who created the title role in Matilda on Broadway, Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro
And there you have it: the 67th Tony Awards nominations. Check back all season for Tony tidbits, browse through my Tony Pinterest board (to be updated throughout the season) for Tony pics and be sure to tune into the Tony Awards on CBS on Sunday, June 9 at 8pm. Visit tonyawards.com for more information.




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