"Mean Girls" and "Spongebob" lead the 72nd Annual Tony Nominations!
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 9:22AM by Nathaniel R
Katharine McPhee lost the imaginary Tony Award at the end of the much-missed TV series "Smash" but she's starring in "Waitress" on Broadway now and was given the honor of announcing the Tony nominations this morning with Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr of "Hamilton," Murder on the Orient Express, and "nationwide in on your side... 🎵" TV commercial jingle fame. She and Leslie were super charming during the announcement with McPhee getting the giggles at her own perpetual stumbling over the pronunciation of "Spongebob". It soon turned into a running gag where both announcers were pronouncing it "Spahngebob Squahrpants"
"Spongebob Squarepants" and "Mean Girls" led the nominations for musicals with 12 each while "Angels in America" was the most nominated play, with 11 nominations. A full list of nominations with trivia and commentary is after the jump...
Best Musical:
“The Band’s Visit”
“Frozen”
“Mean Girls”
“Spongebob Squarepants”
Only seven musicals were eligible this season. A weak season it was! Consider that there's only one conceivable winner this year (The Band's Visit) but at the 71st Tony Awards last year two of the losers ("Come From Away" and "Natasha and Pierre" would have won in a less competitive year). The Band's Visit, the only debuting musical that you could safely call a critical smash, will win which ought to help it stay open. It's up against an entire field of "new" musicals that feel old. In other words they all come with instant brand recognition because they're based on super famous things. (The Band's Visit in an adaptation too but not in the way of you know, Frozen.) Things won't get easier for the show with tourists (unless it wins) since next season brings more jukebox musicals (Awesome 80s girl group The Go-Gos are up next) and yet more famous brands as musicals (King Kong and Pretty Woman, anyone?).
The eligible shows that were not nominated were Escape to Margaritaville, Prince of Broadway, and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Prince of closed some time ago and Summer just opened but you can probably expect a closing notice for Margaritaville soon given that it's only playing to 60% capacity and won't be getting the traditional Tony boost.
The principals in the My Fair Lady cast were all nominated
Best Revival of a Musical
“Carousel”
“My Fair Lady”
“Once On This Island”
These were also the only eligible revivals, so if you opened this season as a revival, you got nominated, period. Haha. That said, none of these shows were desperate "fill the gap" nominations. They've all been well received critically but we think Once on This Island has the edge to win, despite opening first, since it's the one that inspires genuine passion beyond "good production!" admiration. All three are "open run" productions which means they all are aiming to stay on Broadway for as long as possible. Most winners of this prize stay open for another year. Hello, Dolly!, for example, which won the prize last year, has just barely posted its closing notice (August 25th). For what it's worth Bette Midler will return to take over the show from her successor Bernadette Peters, for its final summer weeks. If only I had the money to see it twice this summer (argh!) since I missed Bette the first time around due to ticket prices. But my personal fandom dictates that I need to race to see Bernadette before she leaves the show. I've never missed any musical she's appeared in since moving to NYC!
Best Play:
“The Children”
“Farinelli and the King”
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
“Junk”
“Latin History for Morons”
Only ten productions were eligible during a very weak new play season and, get this, ONLY ONE OF THEM IS STILL RUNNING. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is a smash hit so it will probably win though we weep for the beautiful "Farinelli and the King" which doesn't need to rely on familiarity or nostalgia for a beloved property to work up its considerable magic. (The eligible shows that were not nominated have also all already closed: They were "The Children," "John Lithgow: Stories By Heart," "Junk," The "1984" adaptation, Steve Martin's "Meteor Shower," "The Parisian Woman" starring Uma Thurman, and Michael Moore's "The Terms of My Surrender.")
The angel uses puppetry effects in this production of "Angels in America"
Best Revival of a Play:
“Angels in America”
“Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
“Lobby Hero”
“Three Tall Women”
“Travesties”
Only ten productions were eligible and this is likely a contest between the prestige pull of "Angels in America" and the ecstatically received actress showcase "Three Tall Women". (Eligible shows that were not nominated that are still running (though presumably not for long) are "Children of a Lesser God" and "Saint Joan"; Eligible shows that were not nominated that closed awhile ago: "Marvin's Room," "M Butterfly," and "Time and the Conways")
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play:
Andrew Garfield, “Angels in America”
Tom Hollander, “Travesties”
Jamie Parker, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
Mark Rylance, “Farinelli and the King”
Denzel Washington, “The Iceman Cometh”
Jamie Parker, who was last on Broadway in the play "The History Boys" 12 years ago is playing Harry Potter in the Cursed Child. The rest of the nominees you'll know from movie/TV/stage stardom.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play:
Glenda Jackson, “Three Tall Women”
Condola Rashad, “Saint Joan”
Lauren Ridloff, “Children of a Lesser God”
Amy Schumer, “Meteor Shower”
A tough break for Elizabeth McGovern in "Time and the Conways" but it's hard to get nominated when your show has long since closed.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical:
Harry Hadden-Patton, “My Fair Lady”
Joshua Henry, “Carousel”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Band’s Visit”
Ethan Slater, “Spongebob Squarepants”
Very few of the musicals had male leads this year hence the small category. This is Joshua Henry's third musical nomination and Tony Shalhoub's fourth Tony nomination (but his first for a musical). The other two are nominated for their Broadway debuts.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical:
Lauren Ambrose, “My Fair Lady”
Hailey Kilgore, “Once on This Island”
LaChanze, "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical"
Katrina Lenk, “The Band’s Visit”
Taylor Louderman, "Mean Girls"
Jessie Mueller, "Carousel"
A competitive year for female leads. Note that neither of the Frozen stars made it. Taylor Louderman plays "Regina George" in Mean Girls and stole the spotlight from Erika Henningsen as "Cady"... Regina George is a killer role, the Queen Bee after all. The Donna Summer Musical uses three different actresses to play the leading role though only LaChanze was considered the lead (since she plays "Diva Donna").
LaChanze and Mueller have previously won this category. This is Lauren Ambrose's first Tony nomination but third Broadway production. She was previously snubbed for her acclaimed role in "Awake and Sing!" in 2006 which netted her a Drama Desk nomination. I suspect Katrina Lenk will win this year but who knows...
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play:
Anthony Boyle, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
Michael Cera, "Lobby Hero"
Brian Tyree Henry, “Lobby Hero”
Nathan Lane, “Angels in America”
David Morse, “The Iceman Cometh”
A tough break here for James McArdle who a lot of people really love as Louis in "Angels in America". With this category half of Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero cast are nominated since it's a four person show. Chris Evans and Bel Powley were both passed over.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play:
Susan Brown, "Angels in America
Noma Dumezeni, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
Deborah Findlay, “The Children”
Denise Gough, “Angels in America”
Laurie Metcalf, “Three Tall Women”
The Tony committee doesn't usually play "category fraud" games like Oscar but weirdly demoted Laurie Metcalf this year despite her above the title status in Three Tall Women. Can she win a second consecutive Tony or will Denish Gough take it?
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical:
Norbert Leo Butz, “My Fair Lady”
Alexander Gemignani, “Carousel”
Grey Henson, “Mean Girls”
Gavin Lee, “Spongebob Squarepants”
Ari’el Stachel, “The Band’s Visit”
Tony voters love Norbert Leo Butz who is just magic on stage every damn time in musicals (he's won the Tony twice already). Sadly, film and TV audiences are sadly denied him most of the time though he did have a principal role on the shortlived Bloodline series as one of the four adult Rayburn children. But I wonder if Grey Henson as Damien or Gavin Lee as Squidward might surprise since people loooove them in their big numbers.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical:
Ariana DeBose, "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical"
Renée Fleming, "Carousel"
Lindsay Mendez, “Carousel”
Ashley Park, “Mean Girls”
Diana Rigg, “My Fair Lady”
DeBose plays "Disco Donna" and though we haven't seen the Donna Summer musical yet, wouldn't that naturally be the best section of the show? This is almost an entire first-timer category. Diana Rigg is the only returning Tony honoree and this is her fourth nomination. She's won once before for "Medea" in 1994
Best Book of a Musical:
“The Band’s Visit”
“Frozen”
“Mean Girls”
“Spongebob Squarepants”
Best Original Score:
"Angels in America," Adrian Sutton
“The Band’s Visit,” David Yazbeck
“Frozen,” Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez
“Mean Girls,” Jeff Richmond & Nell Bejamin
“Spongebob Squarepants,” Various Composers
An odd odd category this year. Frozen has how many new songs? And Spongebob Squarepants has a ton of nominees but it seems strange to be able to be Tony nominated for Best Score when you only contributed a song or two to a show.
I suspect this is David Yazbeck's to lose though I hope he doesn't. He's been nominated four times but has yet to win.
Best Scenic Design of a Play:
“Angels in America”
"Farinelli and the King"
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
"The Iceman Cometh"
“Three Tall Women”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
“The Band’s Visit”
“Mean Girls”
“My Fair Lady”
“Once On This Island”
“Spongebob Squarepants”
Best Costume Design of a Play:
“Angels in America”
“Farinelli and the King”
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
“The Iceman Cometh”
“Three Tall Women”
Best Costume Design of a Musical:
“Carousel” Ann Roth
“Mean Girls” Gregg Barnes
“My Fair Lady” Catherine Zuber
“Once on This Island” Clint Ramos
“Spongebob Squarepants” David Zinn
Totally curious as to who might win this category. Zinn's work is quite inventive (he's also nominated for the scenic design of this show), Ramos won for designing the play Eclipsed two years ago, Zuber and Barnes are both mainstays of the category (Barnes with 8 noms and 2 wins, and Zuber with 14 noms and 6 wins).
And get this Ann Roth has 3 nominations this very year at the Tonys and is 86 years old!!! Talk about never retiring. She has 9 Tony nominations and one previous win but you'll also know her from the movies too since she's won the Oscar (The English Patient) and often does Meryl Streep's costumes... most recently that statue-worthy gold caftan from The Post which was not nominated (uff).
Best Lighting Design of a Play:
“Angels in America”
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
“The Iceman Cometh"
"Farinelli and the King”
“Junk”
Carousel has 11 nominations
Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
“The Band’s Visit”
“Carousel”
“My Fair Lady”
“Once on This Island”
“Spongebob Squarepants”
Best Direction of a Play:
“Angels in America,” Marianne Elliott
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” John Tiffany
“The Iceman Cometh,” George C Wolfe
“Three Tall Women,” Joe Mantello
“Travesties,” Patrick Marber
This is a collection of well-awarded directors. Elliott, Wolfe, Tiffany, and Mantello have all won for directing before (some of them twice) and Patrick Marber has been nominated before.
Best Direction of a Musical:
“The Band’s Visit,” David Cromer
“Mean Girls," Casey Nicholaw
“My Fair Lady,” Bartlett Scher
“Once on This Island,” Michael Arden
“Spongebob Squarepants”, Tina Landau
Landau and Cromer are enjoying their first nominations, Arden his second. Casey Nicholaw, who is often nominated as a choreographer, has previously won this category (The Book of Mormon). Bartlett Scher has the most revered Tony history here, with 8 previous directing nominations and one win (South Pacific)
Best Choreography:
“Carousel"
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
“Mean Girls”
“My Fair Lady”
“Spongebob Squarepants”
Best Orchestrations:
“The Band’s Visit”
“Carousel”
“Mean Girls”
“Once on This Island”
“Spongebob Squarepants”
NON COMPETITIVE CATEGORIES
the legendary Chita Rivera
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre:
Chita Rivera
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Chita Rivera is still going strong and will return to 54 Below this coming January (the week before her 86th birthday!) for a unique solo concert event. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most recent hit in a long line of them is “School of Rock” which is still going strong at the Winter Garden Theatre with a ShowScore of 85 from you!
Special Tony Award
Bruce Springsteen for "Springsteen on Broadway"
John Leguizamo for his body of work
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award:
Nick Scandalios, Executive Vice President of the Nederlander Organization
Regional Theatre Tony Award
New York City's La MaMa
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre:
Sara Krulwich Photographer Sara Krulwich
Bessie Nelson Costume beader Bessie Nelson
Ernest Winzer Cleaners Broadway dry cleaning service
Some background trivia for you.
To be eligible for the Tonys a production has to open in any of the 41 eligible Broadway theatres during the current season (April 28, 2017 - April 26, 2018). The only confusing title as to "why isn't it nominated?" is "Boys in the Band" - the revival of that seminal LGBT play opened in previews yesterday so it just missed the deadline and will be eligible for the 2019 Tony Awards. The Tony Awards are voted on by 842 designated voters within the theatre community.
Who are you rooting for this year at the Tonys? The 72nd annual Tony Awards will be broadcast on CBS on Sunday June 10th, 2018 8/7c. Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban are the hosts this year.
Reader Comments (22)
Glenda Jackson, obviously.
Shame! They had room for Laurie in the lead and Alison in the featured category.
What happened with The Boys in the Band revival? I know it will open in a few weeks, but they won't make it in 2019.
Rooting for Andrew Garfield, Glenda Jackson (triplecrowning) and Tony Shaloub (if he wins here and then at the Grammys he would only be an Oscar away from EGOT).
I said this on Twitter as well, but Glenda Jackson vs. Amy Schumer reminded me so much of Joan Rivers competing with Diana Rigg at the 1994 Tony Awards. I suspect that this will end in a similar fashion.
Is Laurie really supporting? Still, very happy for her, as I am still grieving her Oscar loss. Horrible.
Go Laurie! :)
Glenda Jackson and Brian Tyree Henry. Nice that Washington is now a multiple Tony nominee. I wish he'd make one TV movie to secure the triple crown.
i LOVE laurie metcalf and she totally should have won the oscar this year, but she just won best leading actress in a play last year. perhaps someone else can win this year so they can spread the wealth? denise gough?
Nat you promised youd talk about Infinity War yesterday :( why do you keep doing this to me
I am usually of the "spread the wealth" mentality when it comes to awards, but I root for Laurie Metcalf whenever she is nominated for anything. She is beyond brilliant and I, too, grieve her Oscar loss.
Kris01 -- it was a behind the scenes glitch with photo uploading problems. anyway. it's up now!
Denise Gough is totally winning, you guys.
Yay for John Leguizamo.
I am sad to say I have only seen one play this year.. however, I have two comments:
1)Sad to see the lack of new musicals and 2) Washington in The Iceman Cometh was OK, but he felt like he was "acting" much of the time.
Nat, did you finally see Come From Away? Dying to know your thoughts, if so!
I’ll forever root for Lindsay Mendez after she broke my heart here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oJOGQ6lCZFY
James -- i did and loved it.
Amy Schumer geeting nominated kind of blew my mind
YES FOR ASHLEY PARK! #ASIANREPRESENTS
Glenda Jackson must win the Tony now, but I am shocked and delighted that Amy Schumer is nominated.
Do you guys think Garfield can win?
6 nominees in Lead Actress Musical is WOW!
I've just read Vulture's very negative review of The Iceman Cometh.
All for Laurie here too!
I thought she was a tad more memorable than the great Glenda Jackson in Three Tall Women and equal-part lead, but what do I know. I want both A and B to win their Tonys nevertheless.
STFU -- uff i wish i could see that show. Park has been having such a great year. People just loved her in KPOP too. And it's fun to think that Gretchen Weiners of all people is everyone's favorite performance in this iteration of Mean Girls!
Great as Ashley Park is in Mean Girls, I'm sad that her castmate Kate Rockwell, who plays Karen, wasn't also nominated, because she gave my favorite performance in that show. There's a non-song moment mid-show where she actually got applause when I saw it, she's that hilarious.
But all that said, if Lindsay Mendez doesn't win Featured Actress in a Musical for her fresh and funny take on Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel, I will throw things at my TV.
agree about Mendez. carousel should win 2 of its 4 acting noms; Mendez and Henry.