The Tony Awards, the gayest of the major arts awards (at least until the Oscars this year), were announced this morning in a ceremony dragged out by awkward banter with Gayle King while most people just wanted to know who the nominees were. Aside from King’s disastrous hosting, the biggest surprises were big — top-draw plays like Network and To Kill a Mockingbird were overlooked for best play (though received many other nominations), while last year’s winner, Glenda Jackson playing a (male) King Lear, was not among the finalists.
With 14 nominations, Hadestown — a musical adaptation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice — led all shows, followed by the jukebox musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations with 12 and Tootsie with 11. It and Beetlejuice were among those movies-to-musicals that did well.
For plays, To Kill and Mockingbird and The Ferryman both score 9 nominations, and queer Moonlight scribe Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy nabbed 4 and gender-fluid playwright Taylor Mac’s Gary, A Sequel to Titus Andronicus starring Nathan Lane got 7 nods… though Lane was overlooked. Mart Crowley’s gay classic The Boys in the Band got two nominations, for best revival of a play and best featured actor for Robin DeJesus; as did Harvey Fierstein’s re-figured Torch Song. (I told you the Tonys are super gay.)
Here are the nominees. Winners will be announced June 9.
PLAYS
Play: Choir Boy; The Ferryman; Gary, a Sequel to Titus Andronicus; Ink; What the Constitution Means to Me
Revival: All My Sons; The Boys in the Band; Burn This; Torch Song; The Waverly Gallery
Actor: Paddy Considine, The Ferryman; Bryan Cranston, Network; Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird; Adam Driver, Burn This; Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy
Actress: Annette Bening, All My Sons; Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman; Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery; Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet; Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton; Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me
Featured Actor: Bertie Carvel, Ink; Robin DeJesus, The Boys in the Band; Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird; Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This; Benjamin Walker, All My Sons
Featured Actress: Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman; Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird, Christine Nielsen; Gary; Julie White, Gary; Ruth Wilson, King Lear
Director: Rupert Goold, Ink; Sam Mendes, The Ferryman; Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird; Ivo Van Hove, Network; George C. Wolfe, Gary
Scene Design: To Kill a Mockingbird; Ink; The Ferryman; Gary; Network
Lighting Design: Ink; Gary; The Ferryman; To Kill a Mockingbird; Network
Costume Design: The Ferryman; Bernhardt/Hamlet; Gary; Torch Song; To Kill a Mockingbird
Sound: Ink; To Kill a Mockingbird; Choir Boy; The Ferryman; Network
MUSICALS
Musical: Ain’t Too Proud; Beetlejuice; Hadestown The Prom; Tootsie
Revival: Kiss Me Kate; Oklahoma
Actor: Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom; Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud; Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice, David Dano, Oklahoma; Santino Fontana, Tootsie
Actress: Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show; Caitlin Kinnunen and Beth Leavel, The Prom; Eva Noblezada, Hadestown; Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me Kate
Featured Actor: Andre DeShields, Hadestown; Andy Grotelueshen, Tootsie; Patrick Page, Hadestown; Jeremy Pope and Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud.
Featured Actress: Lilli Cooper, Tootsie; Amber Gray, Hadestown; Sarah Stiles, Tootsie; Sally Stroker and Mary Testa. Oklahoma
Director: Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown, Scott Ellis, Tootsie; Daniel Fish, Oklahoma; Des McAnuff, Ain’t Too Proud; Casey Nicholaw, The Prom
Choreography: Choir Boy; Kiss Me Kate; Tootsie; Hadestown; Ain’t Too Proud
Orchestrations: Hadestown; Tootsie; Kiss Me Kate; Oklahoma; Ain’t Too Proud
Book: Ain’t Too Proud; Beetlejuice; Hadestown; The Prom; Tootsie
Score: Be More Chill; Beetlejuice; Hadestown; The Prom; To Kill a Mockingbird; Tootsie
Scene Design: Ain’t Too Proud; King Kong; Hadestown; Oklahoma; Beetlejuice
Lighting Design: The Cher Show; Ain’t Too Proud; Hadestown; King Kong; Beetlejuice
Costume Design: Ain’t Too Proud; Tootsie; Hadestown; The Cher Show; Beetlejuice
Sound Design: Beetlejuice; King Kong; Ain’t Too Proud; Oklahoma; Hadestown
— Arnold Wayne Jones
