Broadway’s awards season is underway as the Tony Award nominations were announced by Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss. The new musicals “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!” led the field with 12 nominations each, followed closely by the revival “Ragtime” with 11. The 79th Tony Awards are scheduled for June 7 at Radio City Music Hall, with pop singer-songwriter Pink set to host.
This year’s Broadway season has been unusually sparse in new musicals and heavy on revivals, with only 11 musicals opening compared with 21 in the previous year. Rising production costs have also pushed some producers and theatergoers toward London. Even so, Broadway audiences have continued to fill theaters, and the season has drawn attention for its growing number of celebrity co-producers and screen actors making their Broadway debuts.
In the acting categories for plays, the nominees for best leading actor include Will Harrison in “Punch,” Nathan Lane in “Death of a Salesman,” John Lithgow in “Giant,” Daniel Radcliffe in “Every Brilliant Thing,” and Mark Strong in “Oedipus.” Best leading actress in a play includes Rose Byrne in “Fallen Angels,” Carrie Coon in “Bug,” Susannah Flood in “Liberation,” Lesley Manville in “Oedipus,” and Kelli O’Hara in “Fallen Angels.”
For directing, Michael Arden earned a nomination for “The Lost Boys,” Lear deBessonet for “Ragtime,” Christopher Gattelli for “Schmigadoon!,” Tim Jackson for “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” and Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” In plays, the directing nominees are Nicholas Hytner for “Giant,” Robert Icke for “Oedipus,” Kenny Leon for “The Balusters,” Joe Mantello for “Death of a Salesman,” and Whitney White for “Liberation.”
Other major acting nominations include Christopher Abbott, Danny Burstein, Brandon J. Dirden, Alden Ehrenreich, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Richard Thomas among featured actors in plays, while Betsy Aidem, Marylouise Burke, Aya Cash, Laurie Metcalf, and June Squibb were recognized among featured actresses in plays.
In the musical acting categories, Ali Louis Bourzgui, André De Shields, Bryce Pinkham, Ben Levi Ross, and Layton Williams were nominated for featured actor in a musical. Featured actress nominees include Shoshana Bean, Hannah Cruz, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, and Nichelle Lewis.
The nominations also covered writing, design, choreography, and orchestrations. “The Lost Boys” received attention in multiple categories, including book, score, scenic design, lighting, sound, choreography, and orchestrations. “Schmigadoon!” also scored across several creative categories, while “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Ragtime,” “The Rocky Horror Show,” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” picked up multiple nominations as well.
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