2015 Tony Nominations and Reactions

It's been a busy day here in New York. Bruce Willis and Mary Louise Parker announced the Tony nominations this morning and I'm here to give you the run down of all my observations

Shut Outs:
Harvey and the Finding Neverland team will have to console themselves with their huge box office, because they have not a single nomination to call their own. Strangely, the Tonys did not spread the wealth this year. Only five of this years new musicals were cited with nominations. In addition to the JM Barrie musical, Honeymoon in Vegas didn't pick up nods for Rob McClure or Jason Robert Brown, and It Shoulda Been You actresses Lisa Howard and Tyne Daly failed to make the cut. I'm still shocked Honeymoon didn't show up anywhere (c'mon guys, even Spider-Man got in for Costume Design).

One Nominee Wonders:
Best Play and Best Revival of a Play have one contender each that scored in these top categories...but nowhere else. Disgraced beat out multiple nominees The Audience and Airline Highway. This is Our Youth surprised by taking down It's Only a Play (also with a single nod for featured player Micah Stock) and A Delicate Balance (zero nominations, despite a powerhouse cast). The best chances for additional nominations from the two productions were probably Kieran Culkin and Hari Dhillon. But both men were left out of the crowded Lead Actor field.

Scott Pask:
I don't know if the nominating committee got bad information, but Scott Pask designed five incredible sets this season. And failing to feature ANY of them is just plain wrong. So his masterful work on Airline Highway, Finding Neverland, It's Only a Play, Something Rotten!, and The Visit will sit out the scenic design race. You're a winner in my book Mr. Pask.

Tie Rule Used Once:
None of the Best Production categories took advantage of the rule allowing five nominees (four in Musical Revival) in the case of a tie or coming within three votes of fourth place. A similar rule for the acting categories was put into place this year, and Best Featured Actor in a Play was the only category to use it. Best guess is that Micah Stock (only nod from his play) or Matthew Beard (a fairly small part) was number six. Either way I'm angry that past nominee Bryce Pinkham still missed in an expanded category for his touching performance in The Heidi Chronicles.

Is On the Town a Threat?
The King and I has been the assumed Musical Revival frontrunner, with On the Town sitting in third place. But this morning, John Rando scored a surprise nomination for Director (kicking On the Twentieth Century's Scott Ellis out of contention) and Curious Incident took a Choreography slot from Warren Carlyle. This leaves On the Town dance master Joshua Bergasse with only Christopher Wheeldon as his main competitor. Add in Tony Yazbeck's Best Actor nomination (in one of the most competitive categories) and it's time we take this musical seriously during Tony season.

Musical Frontrunners Double (and Triple) Up on Actors:
The leading contenders for the top award managed to net nominations for multiple performers in the same category. Something Rotten! is represented in Featured Actor by Christian Borle and Brad Oscar. The same category has two players from An American in Paris: Max Von Essen and Brandon Uranowitz. Meanwhile, Fun Home pulled off a rare triple: Judy Kuhn, Sydney Lucas, and Emily Skeggs will all compete in Featured Actress.

A complete list of Tony nominees below:

Best Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Author: Simon Stephens
Disgraced, Author: Ayad Akhtar
Hand to God, Author: Robert Askins
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two, Co-Authors: Hilary Mantel and Mike Poulton

Best Musical
An American in Paris
Fun Home
Something Rotten
The Visit

Best Revival of a Play
The Elephant Man
Skylight
This Is Our Youth
You Can't Take it With You

Best Revival of a Musical
The King and I
On the Town
On the 20th Century

Best Book of a Musical
An American in Paris, Craig Lucas
Fun Home, Lisa Kron
Something Rotten! Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell
The Visit, Terrence McNally

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Fun Home, Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: Lisa Kron
The Last Ship, Music & Lyrics: Sting
Something Rotten! Music & Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
The Visit, Music: John Kander, Lyrics: Fred Ebb

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It's Only a Play

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take It with You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can't Take It with You

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home

Best Costume Design of a Play
Bob Crowley, The Audience
Jane Greenwood, You Can't Take It with You
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Zinn, Airline Highway

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Catherine Zuber, The King and I

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Natasha Katz, Skylight
Japhy Weideman, Airline Highway

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Donald Holder, The King and I
Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Ben Stanton, Fun Home
Japhy Weideman, The Visit

Best Direction of a Play
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis, You Can't Take It with You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Christopher Gattelli, The King and I
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship

By Show
An American in Paris - 12
Fun Home - 12
Something Rotten! - 10
The King and I - 9
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two - 8
Skylight - 7
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - 6
Hand to God - 5
On the Twentieth Century - 5
The Visit - 5
You Can't Take It with You - 5
Airline Highway - 4
The Elephant Man - 4
On the Town - 4
The Audience - 3
The Last Ship - 2
Constellations - 1
Disgraced - 1
Gigi - 1
The Heidi Chronicles - 1
It's Only a Play - 1
This Is Our Youth - 1

Lift Up Your Hands: Final Predictions and a Special Announcement

Twas the night before Tony noms, and in every Broadway house, creatures were stirring, and totally freaking out.

Tomorrow at 8:30 am, Mary Louise Parker and Bruce Willis will announce the 2015 Tony Nominations. The Contenders section of the blog has been updated with all my final predictions. Some more confident than others. But as often the case with a strong season like the one we've had, many worthy artists will have a disappointing Tuesday morning.

Perhaps that's why the Tonys are leading into the anticipated morning with exciting news. John Cameron Mitchell will be the recipient of the 2015 Special Tony Award. The actor and co-creator of the Tony winning musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch just completed a run as the title character. A role he originated downtown.

Having recently seen him in the role, I couldn't be happier for him. With no disrespect to the talented men who inhabited her glittery heels: JCM is the definitive Hedwig. I'm not sure I have ever seen a performer so comfortable in a role. It is also a nice gesture considering he was not eligible to receive a Tony for Hedwig's Broadway debut, since it was classified a revival (a rare event that was amended with a rule change regarding authors and composers this season).

Stephen Schwartz, known for creating music and lyrics to the likes of Wicked and Godspell, will receive the 2015 Isabelle Stevenson Award. The award is presented to a member of the theatre community who dedicates their time to a charity or humanitarian organization. Mr. Schwartz is being cited for fostering new talent through ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop, ASCAP Foundation, and developing new partnerships as President of the Dramatists Guild.

Congrats to the well deserved Tony honorees. At least there will be two people who won't be sweating at 8:30 in the morning.

Check out the Tony predictions and see just how right (or horribly wrong) I am in the morning.

Hey, Tonys: Don't Forget Them! Contenders Who Need Love

The Tony Nominating committee will soon be meeting to decide the nominees for the 2015 Tony Awards. This group of about 40 theatre professionals are required to see every Broadway show in the 2014-2015 season. This factor ensures a fairly equal playing field, but the nominators can still fall victim to short term memory voting (STMV for short, a deadly disease).

Many worthy performers fall victim to the effects of STMV when a show opens early in the season or closes prematurely. To help refresh the nominators memories, here is a list of who should be remembered come Tony time, even if their shows or buzz have disappeared.

Best Lead Actor in a Musical
Rob McClure, Honeymoon in Vegas

Honeymoon in Vegas was great fun and Rob McClure anchored the whole shebang. From the moment he entered singing "I Love Betsy", I was totally on board with everything the show had to offer. He has a wonderful voice and knows how to sell the endearing yet awkward role. It was quite simply one of the best musical performances this year, and if he misses out on a nomination it will be a crime.

Best Lead Actress in a Musical
Rachel Tucker, The Last Ship

This category features several Broadway divas who dominate their respective musicals. Ms. Tucker may not have been the dominant star of The Last Ship, but boy did she eat up every scene she was given. A refreshingly nuanced portrayal of a woman digging into her painful past and reconciling it with her new life. It also helps that she has impeccable vocal precision on songs like "If You Ever See Me Talking to a Sailor"...which may or may not be on constant rotation on my Spotify.

Best Lead Actor in a Play
Jake Gyllenhaal, Constellations

As with the recent Oscar season, Jake finds himself on the bubble for a Tony nomination. The Oscars failed to recognize him for Nightcrawler, and it would be a real shame for the Tonys to shun him for his beautiful work in Constellations. Never leaving the stage, he and co-star Ruth Wilson took us on a detailed journey of two people, and all the possible paths their lives could take. Watching the actor hurl himself through different emotional states in the blink of an eye was mesmerizing. With his Broadway debut, he proved to be a more than capable stage actor.

Best Lead Actress in a Play 
Glenn Close and Lindsay Duncan, A Delicate Balance

Who would have thought I would need to remind nominators of these two titans? But it seems I do. Both women compete against each other for votes in a crowded Best Actress field. They each tackle one of Albee's most dense plays in brilliantly different manners. As the alcoholic hanger-on Claire, stage veteran Duncan steals every scene she's in with wild physicality. She also proves an excellent marksman as she hurls Mr. Albee's signature barbs at her landlord sister and brother-in-law. Agnes on the other hand is performed by Glenn Close with a restraint rarely seen from the actress. It's ever more impressive in the plays final act when we realize every glance and gesture has been a well placed maneuver to bend the house to her will.

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Alysha Umphress, On the Town

Hildy's signature song "I Can Cook Too" has been interpreted by many a great theatre artist, but you've never seen it performed like this. Umphress showcases her powerhouse vocals, creating a glorious wall of sound. And when she launches into a riff/scat freestyle, I lost control and literally shouted out "Yaasss! SING" ...Yeah, I was that guy. And I'm not sorry because this lady took me to church and my body could not contain the euphoria. She needs a nomination. It's not up for discussion.

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Fred Applegate, The Last Ship

The Last Ship may not have been a perfect musical, but Fred Applegate's performance of the title song will haunt me forever. The actor is well known for comedic shows like The Producers, but here he served as the beating heart of Sting's emotional score. The bellowing voice and delicate care he brought to Father O'Brien may be his best work thus far. The Featured Actor category is extremely crowded, but room must be made for this marvelous performance.

Best Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You

The revival of You Can't Take it With You was an unexpected highlight of the season. Every single performer knocked it out of the park. I could have chosen to single out Kristine Nielsen or Julie Halston, both of whom also deserve nods. But it was Annaleigh Ashford who had me roaring in my seat without having to say a word. Her hysterically bad interpretive ballet dancing, and clumsy attempts at graceful fealty to the house-guests are still replaying in my mind. She Could Have Danced All Night...and I wouldn't have minded.

Best Featured Actor in a Play
Micah Stock, It's Only a Play

It's Only a Play became a smash hit this fall due to the plethora of huge names above the title. But as coat check guy Gus, it's unknown Micah Stock in his Broadway debut who makes the biggest splash. The setup is familiar, he is tasked with attending to the big stars' fine coats, but hopes they'll recognize his acting talent. But Stock's hilarious deadpan and genuine innocence provides the show with some of its best moments. The advertising of this show touted the number of Tony, Oscar, and Emmy nominations and/or wins its stars have received. It's time for Stock to get a nomination of his own.

Who do you hope gets remembered with a Tony nomination?

2015 Drama Desk Nominees! Complete List

Nomination for the 60th Annual Drama Desk Awards have been announced. And boy are there some shockers. A small nominating committee of seven people vote on the nominees, so singular tastes always have the ability to come through.

After criticism in recent years that the Drama Desks favor Broadway too heavily (productions from both the Broadway and Off-Broadway 2014-2015 season are eligible), this year they have pulled a 180 with Off-Broadway shows dominating many of the categories.

Lin Manuel Miranda's hit musical Hamilton lead in overall nominations at 13. It was closely followed by Broadway productions An American in Paris (12), Something Rotten! (9), The Visit (7), and Curious Incident...(6). Two closed shows also rebounded after a few days of poor awards showings. Side Show received 5 nominations including Revival of a Muscial and Best Actress in a Musical for Erin Davie. Honeymoon in Vegas also picked up 5 nods including Outstanding Music and Lyrics for Jason Robert Brown (The Tony Awards combine these two categories into "Best Score").

Notable shockers include Kelli O'Hara's absence from Best Actress in a Musical (don't worry Kelli, the Tonys wont follow suit). It's also of note that in Outstanding Play, Airline Highway and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time were the only Broadway shows to make the cut. Similarly, Elephant Man is the sole Broadway representative in Revival of a Play.

As with the Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Tony hopefuls Fun Home, Hand to God, and Disgraced were not eligible having been considered for their previous Off-Broadway runs. [EDIT: New actors and technical staff of Disgraced were eligible for consideration, but were not nominated.]

Complete List of Nominees Below:

Outstanding Play
You Got Older
Airline Highway
The City of Conversation
Between Riverside and Crazy
My Manana Comes
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Let the Right One In

Outstanding Musical
An American in Paris
Hamilton
Fly by Night
Pretty Filthy
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
Ghosts
The Iceman Cometh
Tamburlaine the Great
The Wayside Motor Inn

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Pageant
Side Show

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Reed Birney - I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Bradley Cooper - The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson - Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles - Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Bill Pullman - Sticks and Bones
Alexander Sharp - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Brooke Bloom - You Got Older
Kathleen Chalfant - A Walk in the Woods
Kristin Griffith - The Fatal Weakness
Jan Maxwell - The City of Conversation
Helen Mirren - The Audience
Carey Mulligan - Skylight
Tonya Pinkins - Rasheeda Speaking

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Brian d'Arcy James - Something Rotten!
Robert Fairchild - An American in Paris
Jeremy Kushnier - Atomic
Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton
Matthew Morrison - Finding Neverland
Ryan Silverman - Side Show

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin - John & Jen
Kristin Chenoweth - On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope - An American in Paris
Erin Davie - Side Show
Lisa Howard - It Shoulda Been You
Chita Rivera - The Visit

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
F. Murray Abraham, It's Only a Play
Reed Birney, You Got Older
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Jonathan Hadary, Rocket to the Moon
Jason Butler Harner, The Village Bike
Jonathan Hogan, Pocatello
José Joaquin Perez, My Mañana Comes

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take It with You
Beth Dixon, The City of Conversation
Julie Halston, You Can't Take It with You
Paola Lázaro-Muñoz, To the Bone
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Julie White, Airline Highway

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Peter Friedman, Fly By Night
Josh Grisetti, It Shoulda Been You
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Carolee Carmello, Finding Neverland
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Elizabeth A. Davis, Allegro
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Luba Mason, Pretty Filthy
Nancy Opel, Honeymoon in Vegas
Elizabeth Stanley, On the Town

Outstanding Director of a Play
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Anne Kauffman, You Got Older
Lila Neugebauer, The Wayside Motor Inn
Austin Pendleton, Between Riverside and Crazy
Joe Tantalo, Deliverance
John Tiffany, Let the Right One In

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Carolyn Cantor, Fly By Night
Bill Condon, Side Show
John Doyle, The Visit
Thomas Kail, Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Outstanding Choreography 
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Warren Carlyle, On the Twentieth Century
Steven Hoggett, The Last Ship
Austin McCormick, Rococo Rouge
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Outstanding Music
Jason Robert Brown, Honeymoon in Vegas
Michael Friedman, The Fortress of Solitude
John Kander, The Visit
Dave Malloy, Ghost Quartet
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Sting, The Last Ship

Outstanding Lyrics
Jason Robert Brown, Honeymoon in Vegas
Fred Ebb, The Visit
Michael Friedman, The Fortress of Solitude
Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten!
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Hunter Bell & Lee Overtree, Found
Karey Kirkpatrick & John O'Farrell, Something Rotten!
Craig Lucas, An American in Paris
Terence McNally, The Visit
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, & Michael Mitnick, Fly By Night

Outstanding Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, An American in Paris
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Allegro
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship
Don Sebesky, Larry Blank, Jason Robert Brown, & Charlie Rosen, Honeymoon in Vegas

Outstanding Music in a Play
Cesar Alvarez, An Octoroon
Danny Blackburn & Bryce Hodgson, Deliverance
Sean Cronin, Kill Me Like You Mean It
Bongi Duma, Generations
Freddi Price, The Pigeoning
Arthur Solari & Jane Shaw, Tamburlaine the Great

Outstanding Revue
Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging!
Just Jim Dale
Lennon: Through a Glass Onion
Lonesome Traveler

Outstanding Set Design
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
Christine Jones, Let The Right One In
David Korins, Hamilton
Mimi Lien, An Octoroon
Scott Pask, The Visit
Daniel Zimmerman, Fashions for Men

Outstanding Costume Design
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
Bob Crowley, The Audience
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Paul Tazewell, Hamilton
Andrea Varga, The Fatal Weakness
Catherine Zuber, Gigi

Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley, Hamilton
Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable & David Plater, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Maruti Evans, Deliverance
Natasha Katz, The Iceman Cometh
Ben Stanton, Our Lady of Kibeho

Outstanding Projection Design 
59 Productions, An American in Paris
Roger Hanna & Price Johnston, Donogoo
Darrel Maloney, Found
Peter Nigrini, Our Lady of Kibeho
Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Austin Switser, Big Love

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Side Show
Scott Lehrer, The King & I
Scott Lehrer & Drew Levy, Honeymoon in Vegas
Brian Ronan, The Last Ship
Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton
Jon Weston, An American in Paris

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Nathan Davis, The Other Mozart
Ien Denio, Deliverance
Ian Dickinson (for Autograph), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Gareth Fry, Let the Right One In
John Gromada, Lives of the Saints
Matt Tierney, Our Lady of Kibeho

Outstanding Solo Performance
Christina Bianco, Application Pending
Jonny Donahoe, Every Brilliant Thing
Tom Dugan, Wiesenthal
Mona Golabek, The Pianist of Willesden Lane
Joely Richardson, The Belle of Amherst
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

Unique Theatrical Experience
Catch Me!
Everybody Gets Cake
The Human Symphony
Queen of the Night
A Rap Guide to Religion

Drama League Nominations 2015

The nominations for The 2015 Drama League Awards were announced Tuesday April 21st, for the 2014-2015 Broadway and Off-Broadway season. The nominees were announced by actors Cherry Jones and Denis O'Hare from Sardi's Restaurant in Manhattan. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis on Friday May 17th.

The Drama League touts itself as the oldest theatre awards in America, having been established in 1922. They are infamous for their sole Distinguished Performance Award. Only one performer a year receives the honor, and once won it cannot be awarded to that actor again.

Who will take the acting honor this year? The best bets come from this season's defining performances: Stephen Boyer, Michael Cerveris, Kristin Chenoweth, Bradley Cooper, Kelli O'Hara, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Helen Mirren, Chita Rivera, and Alex Sharp. In my estimation it comes down to Helen Mirren (giving an unstoppable performance as Queen Elizabeth) and Chita Rivera (a nuanced final showcase for one of Broadway's legends).

Nomination Observations.

The marketing team for It Shoulda Been You are probably jumping for joy with their surprise citations here and with the OCC yesterday. Stars Lisa Howard and Tyne Daly made the cut for Distinguished Performance, giving a nice little boost to their Tony chances in their crowded categories. And after a critical drubbing and OCC snub, Finding Neverland was cut a break by the League with nominations for Best Musical, Matthew Morrison, and Kelsey Grammer.

On the other hand, it wasn't a great morning for A Delicate Balance. The show failed to make it into the Revival category, with This is Our Youth seemingly taking its place. Stars Glenn Close and John Lithgow already won the Drama League's performance award, and were thus ineligible. The plays two other Tony hopefuls, Lindsay Duncan and Martha Plimpton, were not nominated.

Complete list of nominees below:


Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play

The Audience
Between Riverside and crazy
Bootycandy
Constellations
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Hand to God
An Octoroon
Punk Rock
Scenes From a Marriage
Wolf Hall, Parts One and Two

Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical

An American in Paris
Finding Neverland
Fun Home
Ghost Quartet
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
Something Rotten 
The Visit

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play

Big Love
The Elephant Man
The Heidi Chronicles
The Iceman Cometh
It's Only a Play
Skylight
Tamburlaine, Parts 1 and 2
This is Our Youth
You Can't Take it With You

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical

Allegro
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century


Nominees for Distinguished Performance

Usman Ally, The Invisible Hand
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Sterling K. Brown, Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Kristin Chenoweth, On The Twentieth Century
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Jim Dale, Just Jim Dale
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Renee Fleming, Living on Love
Kelsey Grammer, Finding Neverland
Jake Gyllenhaal, Constellations
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Lisa Howard, It Shoulda Been You
Brian D'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Rebecca Naomi Jones, Big Love
Cush Jumbo, Josephine and I, The River
Andy Karl, On The Twentieth Century
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Lesley Manville, Ghosts
Jan Maxwell, The City of Conversation
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Rob McClure, Honeymoon in Vegas
Ewan McGregor, The Real Thing
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Matthew Morrison, Finding Neverland
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Tam Mutu, Doctor Zhivago
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two
Bryce Pinkham, The Heidi Chronicles
Roger Rees, The Visit
Chita Rivera, The Visit
Alexander Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Douglas Sills, Living on Love
John Douglas Thompson, Tamburlaine, Parts I and II, The Iceman Cometh
Julie White, Airline Highway
Ruth Wilson, Constellations
Tony Yazbeck, On The Town

The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in New York productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer's lifetime, they are ineligible this season. Their exemplary work, however, is recognized and applauded.

Kathleen Chalfant, A Walk in the Woods
Stockard Channing, It's Only A Play
Glenn Close, A Delicate Balance
Rosemary Harris, Indian Ink
Hugh Jackman, The River
Cherry Jones, When We Were Young and Unafraid
James Earl Jones, You Can't Take It With You
Nathan Lane, The Iceman Cometh, It's Only A Play
John Lithgow, A Delicate Balance, King Lear

Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre

Joel Grey

Unique Contribution to Theatre

WNET: Neil Shapiro and David Horn

Founders Award for Excellence in Directing

Stephen Daldry