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Tony Nominations 2016: Hits & Misses

Okay theatre lovers, the Tony nominations are in for 2016 and there is much to celebrate...and a whole bunch to question. The nominations speak for themselves, natch, but oh those wild card cast snubs: Shuffle Along’s cast, from Audra McDonald (has she scooped up one too many Tonys for the nominating committee’s comfort zone?); the always fabulous Brian Stokes Mitchell (maybe because he landed the Isabella Stevenson Tony for 2016); Jennifer Hudson in The Color Purple, and Benjamin Walker in American Psycho. Oh, and the entire cast of Tuck Everlasting...

tuck everlasting tonys

Tuck Everlasting

And in Griffin’s “Shame on You” diss department, how about those oners for far more worthy productions Tuck Everlasting (costumes—give me a break—this show was lovely on so many levels, including Best Musical status!, how about some love for the sets, performances, direction!); On Your Feet! (Best Choreography) and Hughie (Scenic Design—was no one watching Frank Wood’s performance or observing the gorgeous lighting?).  And while we’re at it, Tony committee, what’s with dropping the Sound Design category? This is so, so wrong and needs to be reinstated for 2017 and beyond.

jennifer simard disaster!

Jennifer Simard in Disaster!

And while poor little, loopy, fun, fun, fun Disaster! pretty much stellar tanked with only one nomination, at least it was for Jennifer Simard’s delicious performance in what hopefully will prove her breakthrough to more Broadway roles!

So here’s the final rundown...(start chilling the Champagne for your June 12th Tony festivities!!):

hamilton broadway cast

Hamilton by Joan Marcus

AMERICAN PSYCHO (2 nominations)

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Best Lighting Design of a Musical


ARTHUR MILLER’S THE CRUCIBLE (4 nominations)

Best Revival of a Play

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Sophie Okonedo)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Bill Camp)

Best Lighting Design of a Play

 

ARTHUR MILLER’S A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (5 nominations)

Best Revival of a Play

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Mark Strong)

Best Direction of a Play (Ivo Van Hove)

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Best Lighting Design of a Play

 

BLACKBIRD (3 nominations)

Best Revival of a Play

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Jeff Daniels)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Michelle Williams)

 

BRIGHT STAR (5 nominations)

Best Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Carmen Cusack)

Best Book of a Musical (Steve Martin)

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Best Orchestrations

 

THE COLOR PURPLE (4 nominations)

Best Revival of a Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Cynthia Erivo)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Danielle Brooks)

Best Direction of a Musical (John Doyle)

 

DAMES AT SEA (1)

Best Choreography (Randy Skinner)

 

DISASTER! (1)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Jennifer Simard)

 

ECLIPSED (6 nominations)

Best Play

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Lupita Nyong'o)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Pascale Armand)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Saycon Sengbloh)

Best Direction of a Play (Liesl Tommy)

Best Costume Design of a Play

 

THE FATHER (2 nominations)

Best Play

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Frank Langella)

 

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (3 nominations)

Best Revival of a Musical

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Danny Burstein)

Best Choreography (Hofesh Shechter)

 

HAMILTON (16 nominations)

Best Musical 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Lin-Manuel Miranda)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Leslie Odom, Jr.)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Phillipa Soo)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Daveed Diggs)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Jonathan Groff)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Christopher Jackson)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Renée Elise Goldsberry)

Best Direction of a Musical (Thomas Kail)

Best Choreography (Andy Blankenbuehler)

Best Book of a Musical

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Best Orchestrations

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

 

HUGHIE (1 nomination)

Best Scenic Design of a Play

 

THE HUMANS (6 nominations)

Best Play

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Reed Birney)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Jane Houdyshell)

Best Direction of a Play (Justin Townsend)

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Best Lighting Design of a Play

 

LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (7 nominations)

Best Musical 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Gabriel Byrne)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Jessica Lange)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Michael Shannon)

Best Direction of a Play (Jonathan Kent)

Best Costume Design of a Play

Best Lighting Design of a Play

 

MISERY (1 nomination)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Laurie Metcalf)

 

NOISES OFF (5 nominations)

Best Revival of a Play Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (David Furr)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Megan Hilty)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Andrea Martin)

Best Costume Design of a Play

 

ON YOUR FEET! (1 nomination)

Best Choreography (Sergio Trujillo)

 

SCHOOL OF ROCK (4 nominations)

Best Musical

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Alex Brightman)

Best Book of a Musical

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

 

SHE LOVES ME (8 nominations)

Best Revival of a Musical 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Zachary Levi)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Laura Benanti)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Jane Krakowski)

Best Direction of a Musical (Scott Ellis)

Best Orchestrations

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Best Costume Design of a Musical

 

SHUFFLE ALONG (10 nominations)

Best Musical 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Brandon Victor Dixon)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Adrienne Warren)

Best Direction of a Musical (George C. Wolfe)

Best Choreography (Savion Glover)

Best Book of a Musical

Best Orchestrations

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

 

SPRING AWAKENING (3 nominations)

Best Revival of a Musical 

Best Direction of a Musical (Michael Arden)

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

 

THERESE RAQUIN (1 nomination)

Best Scenic Design of a Play

 

TUCK EVERLASTING (1 nomination)

Best Costume Design of a Musical

 

WAITRESS (4 nominations)

Best Musical 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Jessie Mueller)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Christopher Fitzgerald)

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

2016 tonys

About the Author

City Guide Theatre Editor Griffin Miller moved to New York to pursue an acting/writing career in the 1980s after graduating magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, she has written for The New York Times, For the Bride, Hotels, and a number of other publications, mostly in the areas of travel and performance arts. An active member of The New York Travel Writers Association, she is also a playwright and award-winning collage artist. In addition, she sits on the board of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Griffin is married to Richard Sandomir, a reporter for The New York Times.

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