Month: May 2023

Meet Jo Bonney, the Tony-nominated director of Martyna Majok’s COST OF LIVING.

Last fall’s Manhattan Theatre Club production of Cost of Living may have been director Jo Bonney’s Broadway debut, but she’s been working extensively Off-Broadway and around the country and world since the 1980s. Having worked with dozens of celebrated contemporary playwrights, including everyone from David Rabe to Suzan-Lori Parks, Bonney received particular acclaim for directing the premiere of Lynn Nottage’s By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at Second Stage in 2011. She won OBIE awards in both 1998 and 2019 for her sustained excellence in directing, and also has two Lucille Lortel Award wins and a Drama Desk nomination under her belt. 

Now, after over forty years working in the theatre, she’s a first-time Tony nominee for her work on Cost of Living by Martyna Majok. Three out of the play’s four cast members are also nominated this year for the performances, and the show is nominated for Best Play.

Get to know more about this New York theater stalwart with our TONY TALK Q&A:

Who was the first person to text/call you when you got the nomination?

I didn’t actually register the very first person as I had slept late that morning, so when I turned my phone back on it seemed to explode with dozens of texts, confetti bursts, emojis and general mayhem. I was still 80% asleep and had no clue what I was looking at. It was a sweet moment when I did. My husband was the first to give me a huge hug – he had a tear in his eye. He’s more sentimental than I am.

How did you celebrate your nomination?

I was out of the city and we went for a long hike in the woods that afternoon. It seemed like the perfect way to celebrate.

Show some love to a fellow nominee this year. Whose work blew you away?

I want, desperately, to name my entire cast for Cost of Living because they ‘blew me away’ but maybe that’s a little too in-family so I’m going to say (and I’m being greedy here by naming two actors), Wendell Pierce and Stephen McKinley Henderson. Their body of work over the years is simply inspiring and their particular performances on Broadway this season were a joy to watch.

Top restaurant in the theater district?

I’m not going to pretend that Hurley’s Saloon is the top restaurant in the theater distance but they’re so welcoming to theater people after a show. The Cost of Living group spent a lot of hours in their outside seating area late into the night, alongside many other theater artists relaxing after a show. Sort of like office workers’ 6 o’clock get togethers.

The first Broadway show you ever saw?

Someone invited me to see Phantom of the Opera in 1988. I was immersed in the performance/downtown theater scene, which tended to be more low budget, with a different sensibility, and when I saw Phantom I was like, ‘Whoa – the scale! the effects! the full size orchestra!’ I still have this reaction when I see a huge Broadway Musical – they’re their own glorious over-the-top universe.

When did you decide to become a theater artist?

I think the answer is in the next question…

To which teacher/mentor/colleague do you most attribute your theatrical success?

Joe Papp. I came out of art school and was working with Eric Bogosian on solo pieces in clubs and performance venues and Joe brought us into The Public Theater in the mid 80’s. I had never thought to name what I was doing, but Joe would sit in the theater and watch us work and one day he took me aside and told me I was a director and encouraged me to commit to that. He and Gail Merrifield (his wife and the director of Play Department) continued to be super supportive of my work as I figured out who I was as a theater artist. 

Do you have any theatre superstitions? What are they?

My superstition is not specific to theater, it’s more a general life superstition. If anyone says to me, “this is going to be a big success,” you know immediately, it’s not.

Next up in Broadway’s Best Shows TONY TALK series are our chats with Director/Choreographer Casey Nicholaw and Costume Designer Emilio Sosa! Stay tuned to the website to see more.

Meet André Bishop, the Producing Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater, whose revival of Lerner & Loewe’s CAMELOT is nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical.

Mr. Bishop previously served as Artistic Director of Playwrights Horizons and as its Literary Manager prior to that, before joining Lincoln Center Theater in 1992. He is responsible for shepherding some of the theater’s classics of the last four decades to the stage, including SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, THE HEIDI CHRONICLES, DRIVING MISS DAISY, and THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. In addition, he has produced countless acclaimed revivals before this year’s, including SOUTH PACIFIC, FALSETTOS, THE KING & I, and MY FAIR LADY.

Learn more about this titan of Broadway with our TONY TALK Q&A:

Who was the first person to text/call you when you got the nomination news?

The first person to call me when we got the nomination was our director, Bartlett Sher

Show some love to a fellow nominee this year. Whose work blew you away?

I can’t possibly pick out anybody specific who blew me away as so many fine actors gave great performances.

Top restaurant in the theater district?

Top restaurant is Orso

The first Broadway show you ever saw?

The first Broadway show I ever saw was Mary Martin’s Peter Pan.

When did you decide to become a theater artist?

I decided to become a theater artist after I saw Mary Martin’s Peter Pan.

What is your earliest Tonys memory?

My earliest Tony memory was buying a balcony ticket to the show (the year of No, No Nanette), but not wearing a tuxedo as I did not have one. Alexander H Cohen, who was the Tony Producer at the time, was basically standing guard in the lobby, looking for improperly dressed audience members. He spotted me, grabbed me by the arm, and forcefully threw me out of the theater and onto the street.

Who’s your favorite Tonys host in history, and why?

My favorite Tony host was Neil Patrick Harris. I thought he was totally charming and deft.

All-time favorite Tonys performance on the telecast, and why?

My favorite Tonys performance from the telecast was given by Barbara Harris who sang a song from ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER. She was sensational and vocally impeccable.

Most memorable Tonys acceptance speech, and why?

The most memorable Tony acceptance speech was given by the director Gerald Gutierrez who thanked his best friend, Phyllis. Who was Phyllis? Newman? Diller? No, it was his dog whom he brought up onstage with him and revealed her hiding in his tuxedo. She was a Pekinese.

What is one play or musical you would like to adapt or revive on Broadway, and why?

The one musical I would like to revive is The Most Happy Fella whose beauty is incomparable.

---

CAMELOT is running at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, currently scheduled through September 3, 2023. The revival is directed by Bartlett Sher and features a revised book by Aaron Sorkin. In addition to Best Revival of a Musical, the production earned nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in Featured Role in a Musical for Jordan Donica, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, and Best Lighting Design of a Musical. Next up for Mr. Bishop and LCT is FLEX, to be presented at the Newhouse Theater Off-Broadway starting June 23.

By Jordan Levinson

Through the years, there have been multiple rehearsal spaces that have etched their places in New York City lore and hosted some historic theater moments.

As early as the 1930s, Fazil’s Times Square Studio served as a safe space for a large plethora of cultural figures, from struggling dancers to rap and hip-hop artists and famous movie stars. Rates were cheap, and even penniless artists could afford to rent out a rehearsal room. Located on 8^th Avenue between 46^th and 47^th Streets, the building used to be called Michael’s, until taxi driver Fazil Cengiz — who had grown up in a dancing family — bought the space in 1978. Countless workshops and rehearsals for Broadway musicals were held in Fazil’s 14 rooms, spread out across three floors. After 73 long years in business, Fazil’s closed in February 2008 and made way for a condo and hotel complex. Its legacy lives on in movies like “Easter Parade” and Woody Allen’s “Broadway Danny Rose.”

Also once in the heart of the Theatre District was Shetler Studios, which was founded by voice instructor Ron Shetler in 1990 and provided another affordable space for performing artists. It featured a whopping 35 rehearsal rooms and two black-box theatres, which fostered the growth and development of countless readings, workshops, and Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. One of the first readings of Be More Chill was held at Shetler Studios, as well as early rehearsals of The Jonathan Larson Project and [title of show]. Lin-Manuel Miranda has especially remembers bringing in the new bridge of “That Would Be Enough” for Phillipa Soo to sing for the first time. Shetler closed in May 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the mid-1980s, West Side Rehearsal Studios opened with Patricia Ripley as the manager. Patricia, who has a background in music and nightclub management, developed a long-distance relationship with former stuntman Butch Grier, and the two of them took over the studios. As their business started to prosper, they started to expand, from just five studios on three floors to 29 total studios in 2002 (and in other suitable spaces), and they renamed their spaces the Ripley-Grier Studios. Now, across four West Side locations, Ripley-Grier consists of 92 spaces and boasts a staff of 45. In addition to Broadway rehearsals, readings, and workshops, the studios provide a solid background for auditions, seminars, meetings, and showcases. 

In 1991, choreographer Gina Gibney launched a dance company with just a single dance studio to work in. Through many expansions, the company kept expanding as the years went by, and to this day thousands of artists work in two New York City locations, which total 23 rehearsal studios and 5 performance spaces. On the fifth floor of 890 Broadway (in Union Square) is where Gibney’s largest space can be found: Studio 4. An expansive studio designed for big ideas, it is perfect for large groups and high-budget productions, which best explains why countless major Broadway productions have rented it out for their rehearsal periods. Before Gibney moved into the space, the director-choreographer Michael Bennett used his profits from A Chorus Line to buy the studios in 1978 and further expand the area. Bennett’s love for dance was particularly reflected in two other building tenants — the Eliot Feld Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. Studio 1 was also once the home of costume design company Barbara Matera Ltd, which worked on costumes (mostly as an assistant designer) for over 100 Broadway shows. Besides the Union Square location, some of the other Gibney studios can be found further downtown on Chambers Street — 280 Broadway. The 2022-23 Broadway season’s Take Me Out revival was rehearsed at Gibney Center, as well as Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ and Jefferson Mays’s A Christmas Carol. 

A relatively recent entry in the rehearsal space sweepstakes is Open Jar Studios, which opened in summer 2019 and was founded by various Broadway luminaries, including director Susan Stroman, project manager Jeff Whiting, producer Barry Weissler, and The Shubert Organization, just to name a few. A 21^st-century institution targeted specifically at larger-scale Broadway productions, Open Jar — located on the corner of 48^th and Broadway — features many expansive spaces for auditions and rehearsals, but they can also be used for production offices and even some costume fittings. At first, the studios were so necessary and in-demand that its entire first year of business was near-completely booked. Open Jar is now officially New York City’s newest and largest rehearsal studio space, a reliable option for Broadway shows of all shapes and sizes. In the 2022-23 Broadway season, KPOP, A Beautiful Noise, and Sweeney Todd used up the space. Every day, one can see the various industry readings, workshops, and rehearsals taking place under the large TV display in the lobby. 

Perhaps some of the most iconic rehearsal spaces can be found at New 42. Since 2000, New 42 has played host to several nonprofit theater groups, and most Broadway musicals and plays to this day rehearse in the building. New 42 features over a dozen rehearsal spaces, 10 of which fit the entire footprint of a Broadway stage. It is located on 42^nd Street between 7^th and 8^th Avenues, so some rooms have a stunning view of Times Square and beyond. Multiple Broadway shows can —and often will — fit under the same humongous roof New 42 offers. During a busy spring 2018 Broadway season, The New York Times chronicled a day from 10 AM to 6 PM where Frozen, Pretty Woman, and a replacement cast of Hamilton all rehearsed in separate rooms. A handful of shows rehearsed there this season, including Some Like It Hot, Parade, and Into the Woods. 

Lea Michele, star of Funny Girl, and 2022 Tony Award-winner Myles Frost announced the nominations for the 76th Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards® in 26 competitive categories. The nominees were selected by a committee of 40 theater professionals appointed by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. The Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be hosted by Ariana DeBose and will air live on June 11, 2023, from the United Palace in Washington Heights, New York City. The CBS Television Network will broadcast the event, while Paramount+ will stream it live and on demand.

In addition to the competitive categories, the 2023 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Lisa Dawn Cave, Victoria Bailey, and Robert Fried. The Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award will be presented to Jerry Mitchell.

The Tony Awards: Act One, a pre-show featuring live and exclusive content, will be presented by CBS and Pluto TV. The pre-show will be available on Pluto TV, the leading free streaming television service (FAST), on smart TVs, streaming devices, mobile apps, or online. The 2022-2023 eligibility season for Tony nominations began on May 5, 2022, and ended on April 27, 2023. Legitimate theatrical productions that opened in any of the 41 eligible Broadway theaters during the season could be considered for Tony nominations. The Tony Awards will be voted on in 26 competitive categories by 769 designated Tony voters within the theater community.

# # #

Nominations for the 2023 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®
Presented by The American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League

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

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

Best Play

Ain’t No Mo’

Author: Jordan E. Cooper
Producers: Lee Daniels, BET: Black Entertainment Television, Len Blavatnik, Ron Burkle, Aryeh B. Bourkoff, 59th & Prairie Entertainment, RuPaul Charles, I’ll Have Another Productions, Jeremy O. Harris, Lena Waithe, Tucker Tooley Entertainment, CJ Uzomah, Ann Cox, Gina Purlia, Bob Yari, Marvin Peart, Colleen Camp, Marvet Britto, Jeremy Green, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Jillian Robbins, The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Patrick Willingham, Mandy Hackett

Between Riverside and Crazy

Author: Stephen Adly Guirgis
Producers: Second Stage Theater, Carole Rothman, Khady Kamara, Atlantic Theater Company

Cost of Living

Author: Martyna Majok
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove, Williamstown Theatre Festival

Fat Ham

Author: James Ijames
Producers: No Guarantees, Public Theater Productions, Rashad V. Chambers, National Black Theatre, Tim Levy, Bards on Broadway, Bob Boyett, Ghostbuster Productions, James Ijames, Cynthia Stroum, Audible, Adam Cohen, Blake Devillier, Firemused Productions/JamRock Productions, The Forstalls, Iconic Vizion/Corey Brunish, John Gore Organization, Midnight Theatricals, David Miner, Robin Gorman Newman/PickleStar Theatricals, Marc Platt, Play on Shakespeare, The Wilma Theater, Colman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Jones, Dylan Pager, Roundabout Theatre Company, Oskar Eustis, Patrick Willingham, Mandy Hackett, Sade Lythcott, Jonathan McCrory

Leopoldstadt

Author: Tom Stoppard
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Roy Furman, Lorne Michaels, Stephanie P. McClelland, Gavin Kalin, Delman Sloan, Eilene Davidson, Brad Edgerton, Patrick Gracey, Hunter Arnold, Burnt Umber Productions, Cue to Cue Productions, The Factor Gavin Partnership, Harris Rubin Productions, Robert Nederlander, Jr., No Guarantees, Sandy Robertson, Iris Smith, Jamie deRoy/Catherine Adler, Dodge Hall Productions/Waverly Productions, Richardo Hornos/Robert Tichio, Heni Koenigsberg/Wendy Federman, Thomas S. Perakos/Stephanie Kramer, Brian Spector/Judith Seinfeld, Richard Winkler/Alan Shorr

Best Musical

& Juliet

Producers: Max Martin & Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd, Eva Price, Lukasz Gottwald, 42nd.club, Independent Presenters Network, Jack Lane, Library Company, Shellback, Shivhans Pictures, Sing Out, Louise!, Kim Szarzynski, Taylor/Riegler, Tenenbaum/Keyes, Barry Weiss, John Gore Organization

Kimberly Akimbo

Producers: David Stone, Atlantic Theater Company, James L. Nederlander, LaChanze, John Gore, Patrick Catullo, Aaron Glick

New York, New York

Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Tom Kirdahy, Wendy Federman & Heni Koenigsberg, Crossroads Live, Playing Field, Stephanie P. McClelland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Waiting in the Wings Productions, Colin Callender, Gilbert and DeeDee Garcia/Sue Vaccaro, Peter May, Rileyfan, Silverhopkins+/Hunter Johnson, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Eric Passmore, Thomas Swayne, Elliott Cornelious/SunnySpot Productions, Santino DeAngelo/Cynthia Tong, Craig Balsam, Richard Batchelder, Concord Theatricals, Creative Partners Productions, Marguerite Hoffman, Jessica R. Jenen, John Gore Organization, MGM on Stage, James L. Nederlander, Linda B. Rubin, Seriff Productions, Shivhans Pictures, 42nd.club/Beards on Broadway, AGL Productions/Brad Blume, Hunter Arnold/Red Mountain Theatre, Cue to Cue Productions/Roy Putrino, Jamie deRoy/Janet and Marvin Rosen, Edgewood/Silva Theatrical Group, Dale Franzen/Henry R. Muñoz, III, Deborah Green/Chris Mattsson, Branden Grimmett/DMQR Productions, Christen James/Gregory Carroll, NETworks Presentations/Lamar Richardson, Ron Simons/Adam Zell, Chartoff-Winkler

Shucked

Producers: Mike Bosner, Jason Owen, AEG Presents/Jay Marciano/Gary Gersh, Jeffrey A. Sine, Richard Smith, Silvia Schmid, Bob Boyett, Jeremiah J. Harris, James L. Nederlander, EST/Emily Tisch, Sony Music Entertaiment, DudaAllen, David W. Busch, Karen Fairchild, HoriPro Inc., Gordon-Helfner, John Gore Organization, Madison Wells Live, S&Co., Terry Schnuck, Jimi Westbrook, ZKM Media

Some Like It Hot

Producers: The Shubert Organization, Neil Meron, MGM on Stage, Roy Furman, Robert Greenblatt, James L. Nederlander, Kenny Leon, Hunter Arnold, John Gore Organization, The Dalgleish Library Company Group, Sheboygan Conservatory Partners, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Bob Boyett, Cue to Cue Productions, Janet and Marvin Rosen, The Araca Group, Concord Theatricals, Marc Howard, Independent Presenters Network, Juanita Jordan, Jujamcyn Theaters, Henry R. Muñoz, III, Ostar, Mariah Carey, D.S. Moynihan

Best Revival of a Play

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson

Producers: Brian Anthony Moreland, Sonia Friedman, Tom Kirdahy, Kandi Burruss & Todd Tucker, Hunter Arnold, Playing Field, The Factor Gavin Partnership, FBK Productions/42nd.club, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Creative Partners Productions, Harris Rubin Productions, Marguerite Steed Hoffman, Alia Jones-Harvey, Mark Gordon Pictures, Stephanie McClelland, Moore Delman, James L. Nederlander, Seriff Productions, The Shubert Organization, Salman Al-Rashid/Jamie deRoy, Brad Blume/Cliff Hopkins, Jean Doumanian /Fakston Productions, Edgewood/DMQR Productions, Jay & Cindy Gutterman/Caiola Productions, Van Kaplan/Lu-Shawn Thompson, Erik A. King/Finewomen Productions, Marc David Levine/William Frisbie, Syrinda Paige/Kevin Ryan & Diane Scott Carter, Silva Theatrical Group/Tilted, Thomas Swayne/Cynthia J. Tong, Constanza Romero-Wilson

A Doll’s House

New Version by: Amy Herzog
Producers: Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Wessex Grove, Julie Boardman, Kate Cannova, Bob Boyett, Hunter Arnold, Creative Partners Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions, GGRS, Kater Gordon, Louise L. Gund, Los Angeles Media Fund, Stephanie P. McClelland, Tilted, Jessica Chastain, Caitlin Clements/Francesca Moody Productions, Caiola Productions/Amanda Lee, Ted & Richard Liebowitz/Joeyen-Waldorf Squeri, Richard & Cecilia Attias/Thomas S. Barnes, OHenry Theatre Nerd Productions/Runyonland MMP, The Jamie Lloyd Company

The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window

Producers: Seaview, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Phil Kenny, Audible, Sony Music Masterworks, Jillian Robbins, Jeremy O. Harris, Larry Hirschhorn and Ricardo Hornos, Shields Smedes Stern Ltd., Kevin Ryan, The Shubert Organization, Willette and Manny Klausner, Marco Santarelli, Be Forward Productions, Concord Theatricals, Creative Partners Productions, Invisible Wall Productions, Salman and Moudhy Al-Rashid, TodayTix Group, Ido Gal, HarrisDonnelly, Sally Cade Holmes, Stella LaRue, LAMF Protozoa, Kati Meister and John Sorkin, Meredith Lynsey Schade, Catherine Schreiber, Dennis Trunfio, MCM Studios, 42nd.club, BAMM Productions, CarterMackTaylorWilliam, HB2M Productions, HK-Undivided Productions, MAJIKK Theatricals, Tanker Kollev Productions, Douglas Denoff, OHenry Productions, Plate Spinner Productions, Runyonland Productions, Mad Gene Media, Scrap Paper Pictures, Joi Gresham, BAM, Gina Duncan, David Binder, Elizabeth Moreau

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog

Producers: David Stone, LaChanze, Rashad V. Chambers, Marc Platt, Debra Martin Chase, The Shubert Organization

Best Revival of a Musical

Into the Woods

Producers: Jujamcyn Theaters, Jordan Roth, New York City Center, Daryl Roth, Hunter Arnold, Concord Theatricals, Nicole Eisenberg, Jessica R. Jenen, Michael Cassel Group, Kevin Ryan, ShowTown Productions, Armstrong, Gold & Ross, Nicole Kastrinos

Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Adam Siegel, Naomi Grabel

Parade

Producers: Seaview, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Alex Levy, Kevin Ryan, Eric & Marsi Gardiner, Interscope & Immersive Records, Erica Lynn Schwartz, Creative Partners Productions, Marcia Goldberg, John Gore Organization, Cynthia Stroum, Tom Tuft, Benjamin Simpson, Nathan Vernon, Brian & Nick Ginsberg, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, Roth-Manella Productions, Chutzpah Productions, 42nd.club, Ahava 72 Productions, The Andryc Brothers, The Array, At Rise Creative, Caiola Jenen Productions, Coles Achilles, deRoy Brunish Productions, Fakston Productions, Federman Batchelder, Level Forward, Pencil Factory Productions, Renard Lynch, Robin Merrie, Rubin Stuckelman, Runyonland Sussman, Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Bee Carrozzini, New York City Center

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Producers: Jeffrey Seller, Bob Boyett, Diana DiMenna & Plate Spinner Productions/Aaron Glick, Eastern Standard Time, Roy Furman, Thomas Kail, Jim Kierstead/Benjamin Leon IV, TourDForce Theatrical, Maggie Brohn, Andy Jones

Tony Nominations by Production

Some Like It Hot – 13

& Juliet – 9

New York, New York – 9

Shucked – 9

Kimberly Akimbo – 8

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – 8

Ain’t No Mo’ – 6

A Doll’s House – 6

Into the Woods – 6

Leopoldstadt – 6

Parade – 6

Cost of Living – 5

Fat Ham – 5

Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot – 5

Life of Pi – 5

Prima Facie – 4

A Christmas Carol – 3

Good Night, Oscar – 3

KPOP – 3

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog – 3

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – 2

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson – 2

Between Riverside and Crazy – 2

The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window – 2

Almost Famous – 1

Ohio State Murders – 1

Summer, 1976 – 1

Tony Award nominations will be announced on May 2^nd before the ceremony at the United Palace on June 11^th. The categories of Best Play and Best Musical are highly competitive, and this week we’ve predicted the likely nominees and winner for the Best Play.

Best Play Major Contenders 

Between Riverside and Crazy: Real estate got real in the wintertime limited engagement at the Helen Hayes that served as actor/rapper Common’s Broadway debut. Buoyed by a career-defining lead performance by Stephen McKinley Henderson as a retired police officer living in one of the last rent-controlled apartments on Riverside Drive, the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning play came to Broadway timelier than ever, its main issues of racism and dealing with police brutality having become more relevant than ever. 

Fat Ham: Another Public transfer, this Black, queer modernization of Hamlet comes into the Tony race with credentials: it is one of three new acclaimed plays this season that has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and it is the most recent winner of the Prize (as it won last year). Fat Ham doesn’t open until April 12 at the American Airlines, but early buzz indicates James Ijames’s play is a joyful yet deep, tense, and sometimes-heartbreaking experience. 

Summer, 1976: Pulitzer Prize winning author David Auburn’s new play, starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht, began previews at MTC’s Samuel J. Freidman Theatre on April 4. While the show doesn’t open until the 25^th, with this award-winning cast and creative team, including Tony Award winning Director Daniel Sullivan, this might be a last-minute contender. 

Leopoldstadt: Without a doubt, Tom Stoppard’s chronicling of an extended family in the Austrian Jewish quarter from 1899 through World War II is amongst the best-selling new play of the season. Its limited engagement run at the Longacre has already been extended twice. It is a moving, humane tale of the Holocaust, which seems to be exactly the kind of play the Tonys have preferred to champion in years past. Its timeliness helps too, with anti-Semitic acts of hate on the rise throughout the country once again. A commercial and critical hit, Leopoldstadt might just be the one to beat. 

Life of Pi: Remember Richard Parker, the adorable Royal Bengal tiger from Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi or the 2012 Oscar-winning motion picture of the same name? Well, he’s at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre now in all his glory, controlled by eight (!) puppeteers and aboard a lifeboat stranded at sea with teenaged Piscine Patel, played by Olivier winner Hiran Abeysekera. Life of Pi offers larger than life puppets and some of the most dazzling visual effects right now on Broadway. In a crowded Best Play category this year, this epic tale of survival just may have earned its stripes with a nomination. 

Potential Surprises

Ain’t No Mo’: Jordan E. Cooper’s scathing series of comic vignettes set in a parallel universe in which Black Americans are offered one-way plane tickets to Africa received favorable reviews when it opened December 1 at the Belasco. What was supposed to be a two-and-a-half month run lasted only two-and-a-half weeks, before a five-day extension due to prominent celebrities buying out performances (the #saveAINTNOMO campaign). Though this Public Theatre transfer probably won’t win Best Play — it’s a very stacked category this year — a nomination could happen.

Cost of Living: MTC’s fall production of Martyna Majok’s 2018 Pulitzer Prize garnered a positive response from audiences and critics alike. Through the interconnected lives of four people in New Jersey, Cost of Living explores the struggles and systemic barriers individuals with disabilities face in daily life, including navigating relationships, employment, and healthcare. The show received praise for its narrative centering around the experience of disabled individuals. Directed by Jo Bonney, the production starred Kara Young, David Zayas, Gregg Mozgala, and Katy Sullivan. While the production concluded its run in November 2022, a nomination isn’t out of the question. 

Pictures From Home: Starring Nathan Lane, Danny Burstein, and Zoë Wanamaker, Sharr White’s new play based on the photo memoir by photographer Larry Sultan will complete its limited engagement at Studio 54 on April 30. A touching and humorous portrait of an American family, Pictures From Home explores the relationship between Larry and his parents as he tries to capture the perfect picture. 

Prima Facie: Recent Olivier Award winner Jodie Comer makes her Broadway debut in the highly anticipated West End transfer of Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie. Now in previews at the Golden Theatre, Prima Facie will open on April 23 for a 10-week limited engagement. Havin just won the 2023 Olivier Award for Best New Play, one shouldn’t count it out.  

Goodnight Oscar: Currently in previews at the Belasco Theatre, Doug Wright’s new play will open on Broadway after a smash-hit run at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes stars as wild card Oscar Levant, who explores the fine line between humor and heartbreak.