The 2023 Tony Award Nominations
No surprise here that the new wildly fun Broadway musical, Some Like It Hot, based on the classic comedy film walked away today with the highest number of nominations, a total of thirteen, for the 2023 Tony Awards. Announced this morning, the musical was followed closely by the pop-fantastic & Juliet, the hilariously charming Shucked, and my least favorite show of the season, New York, New York. Each with nine nominations apiece. So start spreading that news.
It was an exciting morning for a few others that will do battle for that coveted Best New Musical Tony Award. Up against them will be one of the season’s most favored shows, Kimberly Akimbo, nominated for eight Tonys, including the actors; Bonnie Milligan and Justin Cooley for supporting roles, and Victoria Clark for the title role.
Jessica Chastain also led the stellar revival of A Doll’s House into the race, as well as nods for Tom Stoppard’s epic Leopoldstadt, and the sharp Ain’t No Mo‘, with six nods each.
Other hit shows also received a number of nominations: the Encores! revival, Parade starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond picked up six nominations, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, led by Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford received eight.
The Best Musical Revival category will be the race to watch, with Parade and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street doing battle with Lincoln Center‘s Camelot as well as Sondheim’s other revival, Into the Woods which, like Parade, transferred from New York City Center to Broadway.
Also up for Best Play alongside Ain’t No Mo‘ and Leopoldstadt, are Between Riverside and Crazy, Cost of Living, and Fat Ham, which won last year’s Pulitzer Prize for drama. Best Revival of a Play nominees includes A Doll’s House, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog, and August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.
Notable omissions were Laura Linney in MTC’s Summer 1976, even as co-star Jessica Hecht was nominated, LaTanya Richardson Jackson failed to be nominated for directing the revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, and Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan did not get recognized for their work in the late arriving The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.
Below is the full list of nominations, supplied by the Tonys:
Here’s my best guess.
⭐️= Who I think Will Win
👍= Who I think Should Win
🏆= Who Did in the end Win (stay tuned Sunday, June 11th, 2023 from the United Palace Theatre in NYC)
Let the games begin.
Best Play
Best Musical
Best Revival of a Play
August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Best Revival of a Musical
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Book of a Musical
& Juliet
David West Read
Kimberly Akimbo
David Lindsay-Abaire
New York, New York
David Thompson & Sharon Washington
Shucked
Robert Horn
Some Like It Hot
Matthew López & Amber Ruffin
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Almost Famous
Music: Tom Kitt
Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt
Kimberly Akimbo
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire
KPOP
Music & Lyrics: Helen Park & Max Vernon
Shucked
Music and Lyrics: Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally
Some Like It Hot
Music: Marc Shaiman
Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes, Good Night, Oscar
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Wendell Pierce, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Jessica Chastain, A Doll’s House
Jodie Comer, Prima Facie
Jessica Hecht, Summer, 1976
Audra McDonald, Ohio State Murders
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Christian Borle, Some Like It Hot
J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot
Josh Groban, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Brian d’Arcy James, Into the Woods
Ben Platt, Parade
Colton Ryan, New York, New York
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sara Bareilles, Into the Woods
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo
Lorna Courtney, & Juliet
Micaela Diamond, Parade
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Jordan E. Cooper, Ain’t No Mo‘
Samuel L. Jackson, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Arian Moayed, A Doll’s House
Brandon Uranowitz, Leopoldstadt
David Zayas, Cost of Living
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Nikki Crawford, Fat Ham
Crystal Lucas-Perry, Ain’t No Mo‘
Miriam Silverman, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
Kara Young, Cost of Living
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kevin Cahoon, Shucked
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
Kevin Del Aguila, Some Like It Hot
Jordan Donica, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Alex Newell, Shucked
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Julia Lester, Into the Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo
NaTasha Yvette Williams, Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe, & Juliet
Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Prima Facie
Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding, Life of Pi
Rachel Hauck, Good Night, Oscar
Richard Hudson, Leopoldstadt
Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon, A Christmas Carol
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, New York, New York
Mimi Lien, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Scott Pask, Shucked
Scott Pask, Some Like It Hot
Best Costume Design of a Play
Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell, Life of Pi
Dominique Fawn Hill, Fat Ham
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leopoldstadt
Emilio Sosa, Ain’t No Mo‘
Emilio Sosa, Good Night, Oscar
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Some Like It Hot
Susan Hilferty, Parade
Jennifer Moeller, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Clint Ramos & Sophia Choi, KPOP
Paloma Young, & Juliet
Donna Zakowska, New York, New York
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Leopoldstadt
Natasha Chivers, Prima Facie
Jon Clark, A Doll’s House
Bradley King, Fat Ham
Tim Lutkin, Life of Pi
Jen Schriever, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Ben Stanton, A Christmas Carol
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, New York, New York
Lap Chi Chu, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Heather Gilbert, Parade
Howard Hudson, & Juliet
Natasha Katz, Some Like It Hot
Natasha Katz, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Sound Design of a Play
Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams, Ain’t No Mo‘
Carolyn Downing, Life of Pi
Joshua D. Reid, A Christmas Carol
Ben & Max Ringham, A Doll’s House
Ben & Max Ringham, Prima Facie
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada, New York, New York
John Shivers, Shucked
Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann, Into the Woods
Gareth Owen, & Juliet
Nevin Steinberg, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali, Fat Ham
Jo Bonney, Cost of Living
Jamie Lloyd, A Doll’s House
Patrick Marber, Leopoldstadt
Stevie Walker-Webb, Ain’t No Mo‘
Max Webster, Life of Pi
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Parade
Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Jack O’Brien, Shucked
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo
Best Choreography
Steven Hoggett, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Susan Stroman, New York, New York
Jennifer Weber, & Juliet
Jennifer Weber, KPOP
Best Orchestrations
Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro, & Juliet
John Clancy, Kimberly Akimbo
Jason Howland, Shucked
Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter, Some Like It Hot
Daryl Waters & Sam Davis, New York, New York
front mezz junkies 