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

Outer Critics Circle Nominations Announced!

The Outer Critics Circle nominations have been announced! The first kudos of the season to reveal nominations, the Outer Critics Circle is comprised of writers who cover New York theatre for out-of-town and national publications. Both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions are eligible for these awards. 

Three shows with big Tony dreams (Fun Home, Disgraced, and Hand to God), were not eligible this year having been eligible for their Off-Broadway runs. Curiously, the new musical Finding Neverland was completely shut out. While the show was dealt a harsh blow by critics, this seemed like the awards body with which it would do best. 

As for shows the group embraced? The new musical Something Rotten! picked up the most citations, 12 in total. The show was followed closely by On the Twentieth Century (9), An American in Paris (8), and Wolf Hall (7). Lin Manuel Miranda'a Off-Broadway smash Hamilton reaped 5 bids (though was mysteriously shut out of the acting categories).  

Given the ineligibility of certain shows, Off-Broadway crossover, and zero overlap of voters, the Outer Critics Circle has a dubious track record in terms of being a Tony precursor. But it is still interesting to see what direction theses voters go, and who they throw weight behind (like the surprise love for It Shoulda Been You). Winners will be announced on May 11th, with a Gala for the winners on May 21st at Sardi's.

Full list of nominations below:

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
The Audience
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wolf Hall

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
An American in Paris
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Between Riverside and Crazy
The City of Conversation
The Nether
Rasheeda Speaking
The Village Bike

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
A Christmas Memory
Disenchanted
The Fortress of Solitude
Hamilton
Lonesome Traveler

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
The Heidi Chronicles
Skylight
You Can't Take It With You

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Stephen Daldry The Audience
Marianne Elliott The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis The Elephant Man
Scott Ellis You Can't Take It With You
Jeremy Herrin Wolf Hall

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Scott Ellis On the Twentieth Century
Thomas Kail Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw Something Rotten!
David Hyde Pierce It Shoulda Been You
Christopher Wheeldon An American in Paris

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Joshua Bergasse On the Town
Andy Blankenbuehler Hamilton
Warren Carlyle On the Twentieth Century
Casey Nicholaw Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon An American in Paris

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Bunny Christie The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley An American in Paris
Scott Pask Something Rotten!
David Rockwell On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan The King and I

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Gregg Barnes Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley The Audience
William Ivey Long On the Twentieth Century
Christopher Orem Wolf Hall
Catherine Zuber The King and I

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Paule Constable The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jeff Croiter Something Rotten!
Rick Fisher The Audience
Natasha Katz An American in Paris
Japhy Weideman The Visit

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
Alex Sharp The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Greta Gerwig The Village Bike
Jan Maxwell The City of Conversation
Helen Mirren The Audience
Elisabeth Moss The Heidi Chronicles
Tonya Pinkins Rasheeda Speaking

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Christian Borle Something Rotten!
Brian d'Arcy James Something Rotten!
Robert Fairchild An American in Paris
Peter Gallagher On the Twentieth Century
Tony Yazbeck On the Town

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Kristin Chenoweth On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope An American in Paris
Tyne Daly It Shoulda Been You
Kelli O'Hara The King and I
Chita Rivera The Visit

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Paul Jesson Wolf Hall
Richard McCabe The Audience
Alessandro Nivola The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker Wolf Hall
Bryce Pinkham The Heidi Chronicles

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Annaleigh Ashford You Can't Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson The Elephant Man
Francesca Faridany The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Julie Halston You Can't Take It With You
Lydia Leonard Wolf Hall

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

John Cariani Something Rotten!
Josh Grisetti It Shoulda Been You
Andy Karl On the Twentieth Century
Paul Alexander Nolan Doctor Zhivago
Max von Essen An American in Paris

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Heidi Blickenstaff Something Rotten!
Victoria Clark Gigi
Megan Fairchild On the Town
Ruthie Ann Miles The King and I 
Mary Louise Wilson On the Twentieth Century

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

Joe Assadourian The Bullpen

Jim Dale Just Jim Dale

Tom Dugan Wiesenthal
Cush Jumbo Josephine and I
Benjamin Scheuer The Lion

JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Ayad Akhtar The Invisible Hand
Halley Feiffer I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Elizabeth Irwin My Mañana Comes
Markus Potter Stalking the Bogeyman
Benjamin Scheuer The Lion

Surveying the Field: Best Play Nominees 2015

It's no secret that last season wasn't a banner year for new plays on Broadway. It made predicting the Best Play category quite difficult. This year, the top category is up in the air for a different reason: we actually have a number of deserving candidates.

With eleven eligible new plays, the number of nominees has the potential to expand from four to five. This will occur if the fifth place finisher comes within three votes of the play in fourth place. When this new rule went into place last year, "Best Play" was the one top category where the expansion took place. Could we see the same thing happen again? Lots of producers are certainly hoping so.

Who won't be competing for those coveted slots? We can rule out The Country House and Living on Love right away. MTC's Blythe Danner vehicle failed to ignite much conversation and premiered ages ago at this point. Renee Fleming's Broadway debut is likely too light of a comedy to compete in such a stacked year. It may show up in a couple other categories, but not the big one. Past nominee Jez Butterworth probably won't score for his divisive play The River starring Hugh Jackman.  In a less competitive year, Larry David should easily slide into a victory lap for his mega hit Fish in the Dark. But drama is more widely embraced in the Best Play category (as opposed to musicals, where everyone wants to laugh and have a good time). But don't cry for David and Co., they will have piles of money to comfort them after the play misses with the Tonys.

There are seven strong contenders jockeying for position as nominees: Airline Highway, The Audience, Constellations, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Disgraced, Hand to God, and Wolf Hall.

The one lock to bet on is British import Curious Incident. It has played to huge houses since its premiere in the fall. Like past winner War Horse, the show is a theatrical tour de force, marrying heartfelt performances with evocative stagecraft. Unless something goes wrong post nominations, the play is in a perfect position to win.

The biggest threats are Wolf Hall and Hand to God. Tony voters can't seem to resist epics (i.e. Coast of Utopia), and the double-header historical drama Wolf Hall fits the bill. The play's producer, Royal Shakespeare Company, stirred up some drama two seasons ago when they refused to partner with American producers on Matilda. Some think the ill will cost them the Tony. Are voters still holding a grudge?

There is certainly no grudge with Hand to God playwright Robert Askins, who makes his Broadway debut with this irreverent play about a boy and his demonic puppet. Previously seen off-Broadway, it opened to some of the best reviews this season. It also gives Tony nominators a chance to embrace an American play. A play they know needs a little support from the Tonys to increase ticket sales.

With the top three in place, a bloodbath ensues for the one (or possibly two) remaining slots. Right now, I'm leaning towards The Audience. Helen Mirren's latest transformation into Queen Elizabeth is playing to packed houses every night, making her the front-runner for Best Actress. The critics were won over by the acting, but not the script as a whole. If it falters, Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize winner Disgraced would likely take its place. It would be incredibly rare for a Pulitzer winner to miss a Best Play nomination. But the play made less of a splash this go around than when it premiered Off-Broadway. But, the script's timely subject matter on race relations may provide incentive to voters.

The remaining entrants both come from Manhattan Theatre Club. The non-profit is usually able to push at least one of its production into the top field, so there is still chance for Constellations or Airline Highway to breakthrough. Constellations was an enjoyable and utterly unique Broadway offering. I think the simplistic staging and two character set-up (combined with the competitiveness of the category) will put the focus on the actors instead of the play as a whole. Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson maintain great odds for acting nominations, but those may be the play's only rewards. Airline Highway is unseen by many, but is said to provide meaty dramatic moments for the large ensemble cast. The real ace up its sleeve is, like Disgraced and Hand to God, it is written by an American in a British dominated field. When predicting Tony nominations, you can never discount the importance of the hometown advantage.  So Pulitzer Prize finalist (Detroit) Lisa D'Amour is a strong dark horse contender.


I personally hope a fifth nominee is used this year.  Broadway has become a tougher place for new plays to get produced and financed. It often leaves Tony voters struggling to come up with four plays worthy of theatre's highest honor. This season bucks that trend with a number of well crafted plays in the race.

Here's where they stand:

1. Curious Incident
2. Wolf Hall
3. Hand to God
4. The Audience

if there's a fifth
5. Disgraced

spoilers
6. Airline Highway
7. Constellations
long shots
8. Fish in the Dark
9. The River
10. Living on Love
11. The Country House

Tony Awards Eligibility for "Honeymoon" and "Constellations" Revealed

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has met for the third time this season, to discuss eligibility of Broadway shows. The two productions discussed at this meeting were "Honeymoon in Vegas" and "Constellations".

Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson will be considered eligible in Best Performance by a Lead Actor/Actress in a Play.

Tony Danza will be considered eligible in Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.
(Tony Danza was billed above the title along with Rob McClure and Brynn O'Malley, but producers petitioned to consider him in the featured category.)

All other decisions were consistent with opening night credits.

The committee will meet one more time before the end of the season. Tony nominations will be announced on April 28th. The cutoff date for eligibility is April 23rd.

It's Tony Time

I think I've finally recovered from Oscar season burnout. So naturally I decided to do something crazy: get the entire Tony Awards "Contenders" section up and running!

But Sam, it's so early, you say? Some of the shows haven't even opened yet, you say? Sam put down the wine, you say? Well to hell with it (and no, I'll never put down the wine). I'm starting things off crazy early. And I've even made some foolish attempts at predictions. But please keep in mind the early stage of the game. These rankings will change quite a bit between now and April 28th. The contenders pages, as always, offer my view of the race as it looks right now. The four featured acting races have actually not been ranked since they still require a bit of work (and there is just too many variables regarding performances I haven't seen).

Aside: On April 28th the Tony nominations are being announced. AND the Supreme Court will hear same-sex marriage arguments. April 28th is shaping up to be the best day of the spring. Let's plan a celebration now. I'll being the wine. End of aside.

In other important news: Audra is coming. Broadway's Queen will return next spring in "Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed". The title is obviously much too long, but Audra McDonald is starring so it won't matter. George C. Wolfe will direct, with Savion Glover as choreographer. The show will chronicle the creation of the musical "Shuffle Along", which featured a rare all black cast.

See if my thoughts on this Broadway season line up with yours. Click through The Contenders and see how on point or crazy I am. Now get those cast albums in order and check back for frequent updates.