The Tonys: Snubs and Reaction

Chris Peterson

  • OnStage Founder & Editor-in-Chief
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Well the Tony Awards nominations were announced this morning and even with Hamilton's dominance, there were still some surprises which certainly left me scratching my head. Here is my take on some of the categories. 

Best Play

  • "Eclipsed"
  • "The Father"
  • "The Humans"
  • "King Charles III"

No real surprise here. I had thought that the first three were locks. I was a bit surprised that King Charles III beat out Therese Raquin for the final slot. 

Best Musical

  • "Bright Star"
  • "Hamilton"
  • "School of Rock"
  • "Shuffle Along"
  • "Waitress"

No real surprises here either. It really all depended on how Shuffle Along was categorized as either a new musical or revival.  Hard to make an argument for the other shows not nominated to be on this list. 

Best Revival of a Play

  • "The Crucible"
  • "A View from the Bridge"
  • "Blackbird"
  • "Long Day's Journey Into Night"
  • "Noises Off"

 

So here is where you could make the case for a couple of snubs. The reviews and buzz surrounding The Crucible and Blackbird have been lukewarm so I was very surprised to see them beat out the critically hailed Fool for Love and Old Times. 

Best Revival of a Musical

  • "The Color Purple"
  • "Fiddler on the Roof"
  • "She Loves Me"
  • "Spring Awakening"

Thankfully because of Shuffle Along, Spring Awakening made the cut. A much deserved nomination for a brilliant production. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

  • Gabriel Byrne, "Long Day's Journey Into Night"
  • Jeff Daniels, "Blackbird"
  • Frank Langella, "The Father"
  • Tim Pigott-Smith, "King Charles III"
  • Mark Strong, "A View from the Bridge"

Agree with 4 of the 5. Jesse Tyler Ferguson should have gotten a nod over Daniels. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

  • Jessica Lange, "Long Day's Journey Into Night"
  • Laurie Metcalfe, "Misery"
  • Lupita Nyong'o, "Eclipsed"
  • Sophie Okonedo, "The Crucible"
  • Michelle Williams, "Blackbird"

Only surprise here was Williams. Would have much rather seen Nina Arianda or Linda Lavin in this slot. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

  • Alex Brightman, "School of Rock"
  • Danny Burstein, "Fiddler on the Roof"
  • Zachary Levi, "She Loves Me"
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton"
  • Leslie Odom Jr., "Hamilton"

Everything I've heard about She Loves Me is that Zachary Levi, while charming, is the weak link. So his nod is a bit surprising. Would have though Benjamin Walker would have locked up the last slot here. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

  • Laura Benanti, "She Loves Me"
  • Carmen Cusack, "Bright Star"
  • Cynthia Erivo, "The Color Purple"
  • Jessica Mueller, "Waitress"
  • Phillipa Soo, "Hamilton"

No surprises and no argument on any of these choices. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

  • Reed Birney, "The Humans"
  • Bill Camp, "The Crucible"
  • David Furr, "Noises Off"
  • Richard Goulding, "King Charles III"
  • Michael Shannon, "Long Day's Journey Into Night"

Surprised that Russell Tovey and Robert Sella were left off the list. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

  • Pascale Armand, "Eclipsed"
  • Megan Hilty, "Noises Off"
  • Jayne Houdyshell, "The Humans"
  • Andrea Martin, "Noises Off"
  • Saycon Sengbloh, "Eclipsed"

Surprised at the love that both Noises Off and Eclipsed got here. Would have liked to have seen Saoirse Ronan, Judith Light and Phoebe Fox here. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

  • Daveed Diggs, "Hamilton"
  • Brandon Victor Dixon, "Shuffle Along"
  • Christopher Fitzgerald, "Waitress"
  • Jonathan Groff, "Hamilton"
  • Christopher Jackson, "Hamilton"

3 nods for Hamilton is a bit much here. Expect 2 but Groff was the surprise. Was expecting to see Gavin Creel here. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

  • Danielle Brooks, "The Color Purple"
  • Renée Elise Goldsberry, "Hamilton"
  • Jane Krakowski, "She Loves Me"
  • Jennifer Simard, "Disaster!"
  • Adrienne Warren, "Shuffle Along"

Simard and Warren were the surprises here. Also surprised that no love was shown to any of the women in Fiddler on the Roof. Would like to have seen Sierra Boggess and Lesli Margherita in the mix. 

Best Choreography

  • Andy Blankenbuehler, "Hamilton"
  • Savion Glover, "Shuffle Along"
  • Hofesh Shechter, "Fiddler on the Roof"
  • Randy Skinner, "Dames at Sea"
  • Sergio Trujillo, "On Your Feet!"

Skinner was the name wasn't expecting here but given the other names eligible, it makes sense. I would have liked to have seen Spencer Liff make the cut. 

BroadwayChristopher Peterson