On the 15 October, the Tony Award Nominations for the 2019-2020 Broadway season were announced, and I have mixed feelings about it…
The 74th Tony Awards were originally scheduled to be hosted on the 7 June in their usual location of Radio City Music Hall, but much like most things that were scheduled for this summer, it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The shutting of Broadway on 12 March led to some controversy in terms of Tony eligibility. Some musicals that would have been eligible for this awards season had only just opened, leading to it being announced that the new deadline for opening to be eligible was moved to the 19 February – rather than 23 April. This meant only four original musicals – and no musical revivals – were eligible for nominations this year. Plays fared slightly better, in terms of eligibility with ten original plays, and four play revivals being eligible.
The announcement of the nominations only caused further controversy on social media. Despite four original musicals being eligible, only three of four musicals received nominations. The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – based on the book by Rick Riordan – was snubbed of any nominations, despite being the only of the four musicals with an original score – the rest are jukebox musicals. It caused many people on Twitter to question why the musical was snubbed, deeming it to be because of Broadway’s general distaste of musicals aimed at a younger audience with many likening it to similar events that happened with the Spongebob musical in previous years.
This also led to controversy over the award for Best Original Score. Three of the musicals this year were jukebox musicals and therefore not original scores, only plays have been nominated for this award. While it has widely been accepted for plays to be nominated in this category as they will often include original music, it seemed odd that the only musical that actually contained a fully original score – and a pretty decent one at that – was completely ignored.
Another notable abnormality of this year’s Tonys is that only one actor is nominated for the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical award. Aaron Tveit’s nomination for the award was far from controversial as he’s been a Broadway favourite for years. For many it boiled down to the fact that it was a shame someone so talented was almost getting an award by default. Others felt it was another attempt to snub the Lightning Thief Musical as Chris McCarrell – who played Percy Jackson – was also eligible for the award but still wasn’t nominated. However, Tveit still needs 60% of Tony voters to vote for him in order for him to bag the win.
By the end of the announcement of the nominations, Jagged Little Pill earned 15 nominations. The show using the music of Alanis Morissette bagged the most nominations of the night, receiving only one less nomination than record holder Hamilton. Moulin Rouge! The Musical earned 14 nominations, and Slave Play and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical both earned 12.
Here is a rundown of the nominees for the main categories of the night. I’ve also emboldened those who I think will win their categories. You’ll notice that I’ve only really decided on musical categories, mostly because plays don’t release a soundtrack that I can use to make my decision.
Best Play
Grand Horizons
The Inheritance
Sea Wall/A Life
Slave Play
The Sound Inside
Best Musical
Jagged Little Pill
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Play Revival
Betrayal
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
A Soldier’s Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ian Barford – Linda Vista
Andrew Burnap – The Inheritance
Jake Gyllenhaal – Sea Wall/A Life
Tom Hiddleston – Betrayal
Tom Sturridge – Sea Wall/A Life
Blair Underwood – A Soldier’s Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Aaron Tveit – Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Joaquina Kalukango – Slave Play
Laura Linney – My Name is Lucy Barton
Audra McDonald – Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Mary Louise Parker – The Sound Inside
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Karen Olivo – Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Elizabeth Stanley – Jagged Little Pill
Adrienne Warren – Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Ato Blankson-Wood – Slave Play
James Cusati-Moyer – Slave Play
David Alan Grier – A Soldier’s Play
John Benjamin Hickey – The Inheritance
Paul Hilton – The Inheritance
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein – Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Derek Klena – Jagged Little Pill
Sean Allan Krill – Jagged Little Pill
Sahr Ngaujah – Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Daniel J. Watts – Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Jane Alexander – Grand Horizons
Chaila La Tour – Slave Play
Annie McNamara – Slave Play
Lois Smith – The Inheritance
Cora Vander Broek – Linda Vista
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Kathryn Gallagher – Jagged Little Pill
Celia Rose Gooding – Jagged Little Pill
Robyn Hurder – Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Lauren Patten – Jagged Little Pill
Myra Lucretia – Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Whilst the nominations have been announced however, we’re still unsure of when the first ever virtual Tony Awards will take place. So, all us theatre fans need to keep our ears and eyes peeled for the date when we’ll find out which of our favourites will win. A full list of nominations of all the categories can be found on the Tony Awards website.
By Robbie Nichols
Feature image: Deadline