2019 Tony Award Nominations announced; 73rd annual ceremony on Sunday, June 9

[Sylvia]

Official website: https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/

http://www.playbill.com/article/201...ns-hadestown-and-aint-too-proud-lead-the-pack

The 73rd annual ceremony will be broadcast by CBS from Radio City Music Hall June 9. James Corden will host.
See below for the full list of nominees.
...
A number of honorary 2019 Tony Award recipients have already been announced. Terrence McNally, Rosemary Harris, and Harold Wheeler will each receive a Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre distinction; Judith Light has been named this year’s Isabelle Stevenson Award honoree; the Regional Theatre Tony Award will go to TheatreWorks Silicon Valley; Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will go to Broadway Inspirational Voices, Peter Entin, Joseph Blakely Forbes, and FDNY Engine 54; and Special Tony Awards will be given to Jason Michael Webb, Sonny Tilders, and the late Marin Mazzie.

Best Musical
Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie

Best Play
Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney
The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus by Taylor Mac
Ink by James Graham
What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck

Best Revival of a Musical
Kiss Me, Kate
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley
Burn This
Torch Song by Harvey Fierstein
The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud
Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno, Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
Beth Leavel, The Prom
Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me, Kate

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, Network
Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Annette Bening, Arthur Miller's 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

Best Book of a Musical
Ain’t Too Proud, Dominique Morisseau
Beetlejuice, Scott Brown and Anthony King
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom, Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin
Tootsie, Robert Horn

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Be More Chill, Joe Iconis
Beetlejuice, Eddie Perfect
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom, Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin
To Kill a Mockingbird, Adam Guettel
Tootsie, David Yazbek

Best Direction of a Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Oklahoma!
Des McAnuff, Ain’t Too Proud
Casey Nicholaw, The Prom

Best Direction of a Play
Rupert Goold, Ink
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ivo van Hove, Network
George C. Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Andre De Shields, Hadestown
Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud
Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Oklahoma!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, Arthur Miller's All My Sons

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear

Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
David Neumann, Hadestown
Sergio Trujillo, Ain't Too Proud

Best Orchestrations
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown
Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate
Daniel Kluger, Oklahoma!
Simon Hale, Tootsie
Harold Wheeler, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Ain’t Too Proud
Peter England, King Kong
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, Oklahoma!
David Korins, Beetlejuice

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird
Bunny Christie, Ink
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Santo Loquasto, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Jan Versweyveld, Network

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Michael Krass, Hadestown
William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
William Ivey Long, Tootsie
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Paul Tazewell, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Clint Ramos, Torch Song
Ann Roth, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ann Roth, To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice
Peter Hylenski, King Kong
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain’t Too Proud
Drew Levy, Oklahoma!
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown

Best Sound Design of a Play
Adam Cork, Ink
Scott Lehrer, To Kill a Mockingbird
Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
Nick Powell, The Ferryman
Eric Sleichim, Network

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, The Cher Show
Howell Binkley, Ain’t Too Proud
Bradley King, Hadestown
Peter Mumford, King Kong
Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Ink
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Peter Mumford, The Ferryman
Jennifer Tipton, To Kill a Mockingbird
Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden, Network

 

[VGThuy]

You know, when there are only like two choices and both get nominated for Best Revival of a Musical, I think the Tony committee should combine the Revival play and musical categories. This is far from the first year something like this happened.

 

[Sylvia]

2019 Tony Awards: Nominations Expose Rifts In Showbiz: https://www.forbes.com/sites/leesey...ny-awards-nominations-expose-rifts-in-showbiz

 

[canbelto]

Of the nominated plays/musicals I've seen Ferryman, Choir Boy, The Prom, Oklahoma!, Kiss Me Kate, and Hadestown.

I think both the Ferryman and Choir Boy were somewhat overrated. Ferryman had great acting and directing but the third act really jumped the shark and went from an intimate family drama to an award-bait Important Play About the Troubles. Will see To Kill a Mockingbird in June.

Of the revivals Oklahoma! is not for everyone. Kiss Me Kate is less original but is really something most people who love old fashioned musicals can enjoy.

The Prom is a very fun night out at the theater. Not a great score though, and the book does drag by the second act. Hadestown on the other hand I thought was a curtain to curtain masterpiece.

Here's what I wrote about Hadestown:
https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/04/hadestown-aka-orpheus-and-eurydice-opera.html

Ferryman:
https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-ferryman-style-over-substance-merce.html

Oklahoma!
https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/04/oklahoma-violence-as-american-as-chili.html

The Prom and Kiss Me Kate:
https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/03/theater-diaries-kiss-me-kate-and-prom.html

 

[aftershocks]

Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton

https://www.latimes.com/entertainme...ge+Football)&utm_content=Yahoo+Search+Results

 

[jeffisjeff]

Not exactly about the Tony Awards, but those who post in/read this thread may be able to help me. I am taking my daughter to London when school gets out and we hope to catch a show. Would Wicked be a good choice/appropriate for a 13/14 year old? She was in NYC in March and saw King Kong and quite liked it (she didn't expect to enjoy having to sit through a show), although she said it was sad.

 

[VGThuy]

Not exactly about the Tony Awards, but those who post in/read this thread may be able to help me. I am taking my daughter to London when school gets out and we hope to catch a show. Would Wicked be a good choice/appropriate for a 13/14 year old? She was in NYC in March and saw King Kong and quite liked it (she didn't expect to enjoy having to sit through a show), although she said it was sad.

She's like the perfect age for a show like Wicked. Your daughter is like the show's demographic since it tapped into a desire to see more stories revolving around female friendship with two female leads. There is some making out between the two characters, but it's something you'd see on the CW and nothing more than that.

 

[jeffisjeff]

She's like the perfect age for a show like Wicked. Your daughter is like the show's demographic since it tapped into a desire to see more stories revolving around female friendship with two female leads. There is some making out between the two characters, but it's something you'd see on the CW and nothing more than that.

Thanks!!!

 

[Sylvia]

Bumping this up for tonight's broadcast on CBS.

Red carpet arrival photos: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/2019-tony-awards-red-carpet-photos-1216832/4-regina-king

 

[The Accordion]

Ahhhhhh - so excited!!!!!

 

[overedge]

I sure hope The Cher Show is better than the excerpt. That was appallingly bad.

 

[annie720]

I’ve basically been watching last night’s Oklahoma clip non-stop since the show ended. Congrats to Ali Stroker on a wonderful performance that gave me chills, and to everyone associated with the show. I’ve seen so many versions of Oklahoma and I thought the staging that I saw last year with an all black cast would be the last. But now, darn it, I want to see this new one. I was captivated by the electricity in that number. I also loved Choir Boy, and many others.

 

[PatChan4O]

Has Cher seen the show, given it her blessing?

 

[skatesindreams]

Articles from the New York Times:

Ali Stroker Makes History as First Wheelchair User to Win a Tony

“This award is for every kid who is watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge,” said Ms. Stroker, who won for her role as Ado Annie in “Oklahoma!.”

www.nytimes.com

What’s it like to dance in a wheelchair?
“I find it to be fascinating that often people don’t think I can dance,” said Ali Stroker, who’s been nominated as the lusty Ado Annie in the Broadway revival of “Oklahoma!” “Who says that dance isn’t turning on wheels? Who says dancing isn’t throwing your arms up in the air and grabbing someone else’s arms to be propelled across the stage?”
Ms. Stroker, a 31-year-old New Jersey native, was two years old when she lost the use of her legs in a car accident. She has been active in theater since she was seven, when her next-door neighbor cast her in the title role for a backyard production of “Annie.”
“I really just have always felt like I belonged on stage,” she said. “And once I got into theater, I really wanted to figure out the dancing part.”
Now, she said, dance has become integral to her passion for performance. “I know what it’s like to not be able to move,” she said, “so in many ways the opportunity to move is a gift for me.”
In choreographed numbers, she can often do arm movements in sync with other actors. But there are differences, too. “Musical theater has a lot of movement across a stage, and being on wheels is a different kind of movement — it’s a little like being on ice, because the movement is more fluid than when people are walking and running.”
“Oklahoma!,” she said, poses distinct challenges. There is partnered dancing during “The Farmer and the Cowman” that requires communication about her center of gravity and balance, Ms. Stroker said, because her body is not at the same level as that of her partner.

 

[taf2002]

I saw Ali Stroker a couple of years ago on Say Yes to the Dress. She had just started in Spring Awakening at the time. She was there with her cousin who was getting married & I was drawn to her personality & her infectious smile & was curious to see her perform which I haven't done yet.

 

[skatesindreams]

If you watched Glee, you may have seen her.
She appeared on the show.

 

[taf2002]

If you watched Glee, you may have seen her.
She appeared on the show.

I watched Glee the first few seasons & then it got stupid.

 

[VGThuy]

Has Cher seen the show, given it her blessing?

Cher was part of the production of this show. She has a stake in it and wants it to succeed.

 

[Sylvia]

I’ve basically been watching last night’s Oklahoma clip non-stop since the show ended. Congrats to Ali Stroker on a wonderful performance that gave me chills, and to everyone associated with the show. I’ve seen so many versions of Oklahoma and I thought the staging that I saw last year with an all black cast would be the last. But now, darn it, I want to see this new one. I was captivated by the electricity in that number. I also loved Choir Boy, and many others.

CBS' video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxFS8okUqKk
(more clips are available on CBS' YT channel)

James Corden's opening number: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeOy1WKeTRY
ETA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HysltlR-7pM


ETA #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb7RjDtzB64
Winning for her portrayal of Ado Annie in Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic Oklahoma! Ali Stroker celebrates representation with an inspiring message during the acceptance speech for her historic win.

 

[skatesindreams]

CBS' video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxFS8okUqKk

I can't help but think that Celeste Holm; and the many others who have made these roles iconic, are delighted by their success!

 

[skatesindreams]

Sad that a temporary ramp was not built:

Ali Stroker’s Tony Win Was Monumental… And A Huge Slap In The Face

The actor's award was a triumph for disability representation, but how she received it was a sad reminder of the reality of ableism.

www.huffpost.com

Ali and I share many of the same challenges.