It’s hard for the Tony Awards to be more predictable than they already are, but with each passing year the American Theatre Wing and Broadway League seem to make less and less of an effort to surprise anyone with their nominations. This year a drag queen movie-musical leads the 2013 Tony nominations, as Kinky Boots scores 13 nods despite being not that great of a show. (Granted, I saw the Chicago tryout, but it was a whole lot of average…with drag queens.) It’s notable that Kinky Boots has been largely ignored by the Drama Desk Awards, with the only Tony overlap being Billy Porter and Annaleigh Ashford’s nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Featured Actress.
Other movie musicals nominated include Bring It On: The Musical and A Christmas Story: The Musical, though Matilda: The Musical is Kinky Boots’ biggest competition with 12 nominations. Matilda joins classic abused little girls of Broadway like Annie and Cinderella, whose productions are both nominated for Best Revival of a Musical. Still, they’re both likely to be beaten by Diane Paulus’ critically acclaimed, circus-inspired revival of Pippin, which scored 10 nominations.
The revival of Clifford Odets’ Golden Boy leads the plays with eight nominations, while the late Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy (starring Tom Hanks) and Christopher Durang’s Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike (starring Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce) are tied with six nominations each. Steppenwolf Theatre’s revival of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? scored five nominations without any blockbuster names, although nearly all the nominees have received Tony recognition in the past. (Only Carrie Coon is receiving her first Tony nod, for Best Featured Actress in a Play.)
Orphans, the Broadway show that made the news this past season thanks to Shia LaBeouf’s backstage antics, scored only two nominations, with a notable snub for Alec Baldwin—this after the producers decided to have him, Ben Foster, and Tom Sturridge all compete in the Best Lead Actor category. Only Sturridge got the nomination, but he’s in movies, too, so it’s all cool.
The complete list of nominees:
Best Play
The Assembled Parties (Author: Richard Greenberg)
Lucky Guy (Author: Nora Ephron)
The Testament Of Mary (Author: Colm Toíbín)
Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike (Author: Christopher Durang)
Best Musical
Bring It On: The Musical
A Christmas Story: The Musical
Kinky Boots
Matilda: The Musical
Best Revival of a Play
Golden Boy
Orphans
The Trip To Bountiful
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Revival of a Musical
Annie
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood
Pippin
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Book of a Musical
A Christmas Story: The Musical (Joseph Robinette)
Kinky Boots (Harvey Fierstein)
Matilda: The Musical (Dennis Kelly)
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella(Douglas Carter Beane)
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
A Christmas Story: The Musical (Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul)
Hands On A Hardbody (Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda GreenLyrics: Amanda Green)
Kinky Boots (Music & Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper)
Matilda: The Musical (Music & Lyrics: Tim Minchin)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
David Hyde Pierce, Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike
Tom Sturridge, Orphans
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Amy Morton, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
Kristine Nielsen, Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike
Holland Taylor, Ann
Cicely Tyson, The Trip To Bountiful
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Bertie Carvel, Matilda: The Musical
Santino Fontana, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Rob McClure, Chaplin
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Stark Sands, Kinky Boots
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Valisia LeKae, Motown: The Musical
Patina Miller, Pippin
Laura Osnes, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Billy Magnussen, Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Carrie Coon, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
Shalita Grant, Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike
Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Condola Rashad, The Trip To Bountiful
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Charl Brown, Motown: The Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands On A Hardbody
Will Chase, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood
Gabriel Ebert, Matilda: The Musical
Terrence Mann, Pippin
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Victoria Clark, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Andrea Martin, Pippin
Keala Settle, Hands On A Hardbody
Lauren Ward, Matilda: The Musical
Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, The Nance
Santo Loquasto, The Assembled Parties
David Rockwell, Lucky Guy
Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rob Howell, Matilda: The Musical
Anna Louizos, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood
Scott Pask, Pippin
David Rockwell, Kinky Boots
Best Costume Design of a Play
Soutra Gilmour, Cyrano de Bergerac
Ann Roth, The Nance
Albert Wolsky, The Heiress
Catherine Zuber, Golden Boy
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots
Rob Howell, Matilda: The Musical
Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
William Ivey Long, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, Lucky Guy
Donald Holder, Golden Boy
Jennifer Tipton, The Testament Of Mary
Japhy Weideman, The Nance
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
Kenneth Posner, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Hugh Vanstone, Matilda: The Musical
Best Sound Design of a Play
John Gromada, The Trip To Bountiful
Mel Mercier, The Testament Of Mary
Leon Rothenberg, The Nance
Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, Golden Boy
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm, Pippin
Peter Hylenski, Motown: The Musical
John Shivers, Kinky Boots
Nevin Steinberg, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Direction of a Play
Pam MacKinnon, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
Nicholas Martin, Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike
Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy
George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy
Best Direction of a Musical
Scott Ellis, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Diane Paulus, Pippin
Matthew Warchus, Matilda: The Musical
Best Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Peter Darling, Matilda: The Musical
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Chet Walker, Pippin
Best Orchestrations
Chris Nightingale, Matilda: The Musical
Stephen Oremus, Kinky Boots
Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, Motown: The Musical
Danny Troob, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Bernard Gersten
Paul Libin
Ming Cho Lee
Regional Theatre Award
Huntington Theatre Company, Boston, MA
Isabelle Stevenson Award
Larry Kramer
Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Career Transition For Dancers
William Craver
Peter Lawrence
The Lost Colony
The four actresses who created the title role of Matilda: The Musical on Broadway: Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon, and Milly Shapiro