There were few surprises and no egregious omissions in this year’s Tony nominations, which were announced this morning. Both categories for best play and musical were filled with the logical shows—i.e., those still running. The top nominated shows were all musicals: Thoroughly Modern Millie, the revival of Into the Woods, and Urinetown. One interesting development: the design nominations were heavily populated with straight plays rather than musicals, usually the favored choice of Tony nominators.
In the scene design category, the nominees are John Lee Beatty for Morning’s at Seven, Tim Hatley for Private Lives, Daniel Ostling for Metamorphoses and Douglas W. Schmidt for Into the Woods. The costume nominees are Jenny Bevan for Private Lives; Jane Greenwood for Morning’s at Seven; Susan Hilferty for Into the Woods; and Martin Pakledinaz for Thoroughly Modern Millie. The lighting category includes Paul Gallo for The Crucible, David Hersey for Oklahoma!, Natasha Katz for Sweet Smell of Success, and Brian MacDevitt for Into the Woods.
Among this year’s anomalies: Kate Burton was nominated twice, for her roles in Hedda Gabler and The Elephant Man, as was choreographer John Carrafa, for Into the Woods and Urinetown. One interesting inclusion was Harry Connick, Jr, whose score for the panned Thou Shalt Not was generally poorly received. Notable omissions included George C. Wolfe for his direction of best play nominee Topdog/Underdog, Jeff McCarthy and Hunter Foster for their performances in Urinetown. Anthony Ward for his Oklahoma! scenery, T. J. Gerckens for his highly-praised lighting of Metamorphoses, and the designs of Hedda Gabler, The Elephant Man, and Urinetown.
The awards will be given out on June 2. A full list of nominees follows:
Best Play: Fortune's Fool by Ivan Turgenev, adapted by Mike Poulton; The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? by Edward Albee; Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman; Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks
Best Musical: Mamma Mia!; Sweet Smell of Success; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Urinetown
Best Revival of a Musical: Into the Woods; Oklahoma!
Best Revival of a Play: The Crucible by Arthur Miller; Morning's at Seven, by Paul Osborn; Noises Off, by Michael Frayn; Private Lives by Noel Coward
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Alan Bates, Fortune's Fool; Billy Crudup, The Elephant Man;; Liam Neeson, The Crucible; Alan Rickman, Private Lives; Jeffrey Wright, Topdog/Underdog
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play: Kate Burton, Hedda Gabler; Lindsay Duncan, Private Lives; Laura Linney, The Crucible; Helen Mirren, Dance of Death; Mercedes Ruehl, The Goat
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Gavin Creel, Thoroughly Modern Millie; John Cullum, Urinetown; John Lithgow, Sweet Smell of Success;; John McMartin, Into the Woods; Patrick Wilson, Oklahoma!
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie; Nancy Opel, Urinetown; Louise Pitre, Mamma Mia! Jennifer Laura Thompson, Urinetown; Vanessa Williams, Into the Woods;
Best Direction of a Play: Howard Davies, Private Lives; Richard Eyre, The Crucible; Daniel Sullivan, Morning's at Seven; Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses
Best Direction of a Musical: James Lapine, Into the Woods; Michael Mayer, Thoroughly Modern Millie; Trevor Nunn, Oklahoma! John Rando, Urinetown
Best Book of a Musical: John Guare, Sweet Smell of Success; Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia!; Greg Kotis, Urinetown; Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Best Original Score: Harry Connick, Jr., Thou Shalt Not; Marvin Hamlisch, Craig Carnelia, Sweet Smell of Success; Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis, Urinetown; Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: Frank Langella, Fortune's Fool; William Biff McGuire, Morning's at Seven; Brian Murray, The Crucible; Sam Robards, The Man Who Had All the Luck; Stephen Tobolowsky, Morning's at Seven
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: Kate Burton, The Elephant Man; Katie Finneran, Noises Off; Elizabeth Franz, Morning's at Seven; Estelle Parsons, Morning's at Seven; Frances Sternhagen, Morning's at Seven
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical: Brian d'Arcy James, Sweet Smell of Success; Norbert Leo Butz, Thou Shalt Not; Gregg Edelman, Into the Woods; Shuler Hensley, Oklahoma!; Marc Kudisch, Thoroughly Modern Millie;
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical: Laura Benanti, Into the Woods; Harriet Harris, Thoroughly Modern Millie; Spencer Kayden, Urinetown; Judy Kaye, Mamma Mia!; Andrea Martin, Oklahoma!
Best Scenic Design: John Lee Beatty, Morning's at Seven; Tim Hatley, Private Lives; Daniel Ostling, Metamorphoses; Douglas W. Schmidt, Into the Woods
Best Costume Design: Jenny Beaven, Private Lives; Jane Greenwood, Morning's at Seven; Susan Hilferty, Into the Woods; Martin Pakledinaz, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Best Lighting Design: Paul Gallo, The Crucible; David Hersey, Oklahoma!; Natasha Katz, Sweet Smell of Success; Brian MacDevitt, Into the Woods
Best Choreography: Rob Ashford, Thoroughly Modern Millie; John Carrafa, Into the Woods; John Carrafa, Urinetown; Susan Stroman, Oklahoma!
Best Orchestrations: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Martin Koch, Mamma Mia!; Douglas Besterman and Ralph Burns, Thoroughly Modern Millie; Bruce Coughlin, Urinetown; William David Brohn, Sweet Smell of Success;
Special Theatrical Event:Elaine Stritch at Liberty; Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends; Barbara Cook: Mostly Sondheim; Sexaholix....A Love Story
Special Tony Awards: Robert Whitehead, producer; Julie Harris, actress; Williamstown Theatre Festival