I kind of feel like I can’t let a year lived in New York go without some commentary on the Tony Awards, which we rarely really get into around here. Alas, looking across the nominees, I see I’ve missed a great many of the top players so far. But I’ll get to them. At least I have a bit of a cheat sheet now.
On the musicals side, “Kinky Boots,” “Matilda” and “Pippin” are on the to-do list before I move back to Los Angeles. Each of them were nominated, as was “Annie,” which is being developed as a film by Will Smith with “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star Quvenzhané Wallis in the lead. I’ll be heading out to catch Tom Sturridge, Ben Foster and Alec Baldwin in “Orphans” soon enough, as well as “The Trip to Bountiful,” which has drawn raves for Cicely Tyson’s work.
I did, however, see “Lucky Guy,” the late Nora Ephron’s swan song about the life and times of New York journalist Mike McAlary. Tom Hanks, in his Broadway debut, took on the role and he received his first ever Tony nomination as a result. I knew Courtney B. Vance would be nominated, if nothing else, because his performance was probably the best one in the production; indeed, he was shortlisted for Best Featured Actor. It was also nominated for Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play and Best Lighting of a Play.
The overall nominations leader was the musical “Kinky Boots” with 13, narrowly beating out “Matilda”‘s 12. On the play side of things, the revival “Golden Boy” led the way with eight. “Lucky Guy” and Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” weren’t too far behind with six nods apiece.
Check out the major categories below and for a full list, head on over to the Tony Awards website.
Best Play
“The Assembled Parties”
“Lucky Guy”
“The Testament of Mary”
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Best Musical
“Bring It On: The Musical”
“A Christmas Story: The Musical”
“Kinky Boots”
“Matilda: The Musical”
Best Book of a Musical
“A Christmas Story: The Musical”
“Kinky Boots”
“Matilda: The Musical”
“Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“A Christmas Story: The Musical”
“Hands on a Hardbody”
“Kinky Boots”
“Matilda: The Musical”
Best Revival of a Play
“Golden Boy”
“Orphans”
“The Trip to Bountiful”
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Best Revival of a Musical
“Annie”
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
“Pippin”
“Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Tom Hanks, “Lucky Guy”
Nathan Lane, “The Nance”
Tracy Letts, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
David Hyde Pierce, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Tom Sturridge, “Orphans”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Laurie Metcalf, “The Other Place”
Amy Morton, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Kristine Nielsen, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Holland Taylor, “Ann”
Cicely Tyson, “The Trip to Bountiful”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Bertie Carvel, “Matilda: The Musical”
Santino Fontana, “Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Rob McClure, “Chaplin”
Billy Porter, “Kinky Boots”
Stark Sands, “Kinky Boots”
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: The Musical”
Patina Miller, “Pippin”
Laura Osnes, “Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Danny Burstein, “Golden Boy”
Richard Kind, “The Big Kinfe”
Billy Magnussen, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Tony Shalhoub, “Golden Boy”
Courtney B. Vance, “Lucky Guy”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Carrie Coon, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Shalita Grant, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Judith Ivey, “The Heiress”
Judith Light, “The Assembled Parties”
Condola Rashad, “The Trip to Bountiful”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Charl Brown, “Motown: The Musical”
Keith Carradine, “Hands on a Hardbody”
Will Chase, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
Gabriel Ebert, “Matilda: The Musical”
Terrence Mann, “Pippin”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Feature Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, “Kinky Boots”
Victoria Clark, “Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Andrea Martin, “Pippin”
Keala Settle, “Hands on a Hardbody”
Lauren Ward, “Matilda: The Musical”
Best Direction of a Play
Pam MacKinnon, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Nicholas Martin, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Bartlett Sher, “Golden Boy”
George C. Wolfe, “Lucky Guy”
Best Direction of a Musical
Scott Ellis, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
Jerry Mitchell, “Kinky Boots”
Diane Paulus, “Pippin”
Matthew Warchus, “Matilda: The Musical”
The 67th annual Tony Awards will air live on Sunday, June 9 at 8pm/7pm central on CBS.