2014 Tony Award Nominations

 

 

This is John Garcia reporting live from New York where minutes ago Jonathan Groff and Lucy Liu announced the 2014 Tony Award nominations.

This season on the great white way was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. There were productions that had tons of early glowing buzz prior to opening night, only to suffer the slaughterhouse that was built by the New York theater critics. But in the same vein there were shows that received unfavorable critical response that overcame that hill and came away with precious Tony nominations!

There were maybe 2-4 sure bets on who would get nominations, but the majority of the coveted slots were up for grabs. The Outer Critics and Drama Desk nods also were all over the map. So let’s discuss and evulate this year’s nominees:

 

 

Best Play
Act One
All the Way
Casa Valentina
Mothers and Sons
Outside Mullingar

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: Left out the list of possible nominees include DOMESTICATED and THE REALISTIC JONSES. The five nominees also got love with Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nods.

 

Best Musical
After Midnight
Aladdin
Beautiful
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: The Tony committee does have the power within their guidelines to nominate up to five musicals, but they went with four! Really strange decision to do this, because obviously they went with five nods in BEST PLAY. Not nominated include: IF/THEN, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, FIRST DATE, ROCKY, THE BRIDGES OVER MADISON COUNTY, SOUL DOCTOR, & BIG FISH. Out the omissions, it was BRIDGES that many in the Broadway community were pushing to get the final slot.

 

Best Revival of a Play
The Cripple of Inishmaan
The Glass Menagerie
A Raisin in the Sun
Twelfth Night

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: The shockers here were WAITING FOR GODOT/NO MAN’S LAND and OF MICE AND MEN. Now with OF MICE AND MEN, it did get uneven critical response, but personal opinion here, I think part of the factor for the omission was the “tweet” scandal.  Film star James Franco (who co-stars in OF MICE AND MEN) sent out a tweet calling New York Times Theater Critic Ben Brantley a “little b*tch” over his review of his performance. This caused a lot of headaches for the producers, forcing Franco to take down the tweet immediately. He did, but the damage was done. As a final slap, Franco did not receive a Best Actor nomination, but his co-star did. Ouch! Remember, EVERYONE reads your tweets and face book comments, so remember-Karma!

WAITING FOR GODOT and NO MAN’S LAND had two major stars of not only the stage, but film. So very perplexing they also were not nominated. Also not nominated was LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL. The Tony committee decided to put this in the Play category (Drama Desk and OCC listed it in the musical field).

 

Best Revival of a Musical
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Les Miserables
Violet

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: There was only one other revival, CABARET, which was left out. Several NY critics felt that because the production is practically a replica of the last Sam Mendes revival (including sets, costumes, etc.) it really should not be eligible. I guess the Tony committee felt the same way.

 

Best Book of a Musical
Chad Beguelin - Aladdin
Douglas McGrath - Beautiful
Woody Allen - Bullets Over Broadway
Robert L Freedman - A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: The strange nod here is Woody Allen. His book really took a beating from the New York critics.  ROCKY got an Outer Critics Nod while Marsha Norman got a Drama Desk nod. Neither got Tony love this morning.

 

Best Director of a Musical
Warren Carlyle- After Midnight
Michael Mayer- Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Leigh Silverman- Violet
Darko Tresnjak- A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: Barlett Sherr (BRIDGES OVER MADISON COUNTY), Susan Stroman (BULLETS OVER BROADWAY), Alex Timbers (ROCKY) all received Drama Desk nods. Laurence Connor & James Powell (LES MIZ) & Timbers earned Outer Critics Circle nods. All were not nominated for a Tony. Silverman seemed to have sneaked in at the last minute. It helped VIOLET a lot to open practically the last week of Tony eligibility season and received a bouquet of raves from the critics. It’s clear by the armful of nominations the musical stayed fresh in the Tony committee’s minds.

 

Best Director of a Play
Tim Carroll- Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage- The Cripple of Inishmaan
Kenny Leon- A Raisin in the Sun
John Tiffany- The Glass Menagerie

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: No real shockers here. All four got nods from other award organizations already this season.

 

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Aladdin- Music: Alan Menken, Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin
The Bridges of Madison County- Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder- Music: Steven Lutvak, Lyrics: Robert L. Freedman & Steven Lutvak
If/Then- Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Brian Yorkey

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: BULLETS OVER BROADWAY used already published songs, so it wasn’t eligible.  Also Andrew Lippa’s score for BIG FISH received no nod.

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night
Bryan Cranston, All The Way
Chris O'Dowd, Of Mice and Men
Mark Rylance, Richard III
Tony Shalhoub, Act One

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart (WAITING FOR GODOT and NO MAN’S LAND), Denzel Washington (A RAISIN IN THE SUN), & Daniel Radcliffe (THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN). I feel bad for Radcliffe, he was horribly overlooked for a Tony nod for his performance in the HOW TO SUCCEED revival a few years ago, and before that it was EQUUIS. Now for a third time the Tonys snub him. Really surprised Washington was also not nominated. But the biggest glaring omission is Zachary Quinto for THE GLASS MENAGERIE. He received solid critical response for his performance; tragically he is the only actor from his cast that was not nominated.

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Tyne Daly, Mothers and Sons
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, A Raisin in the Sun
Cherry Jones, The Glass Menagerie
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Estelle Parsons, The Velocity of Autumn

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: If McDonald wins (and she has a HUGE chance to do that), she will make Tony history as the only performer to win in every acting category, as well as the only actor of color to achieve that feat. She has already won Tonys for Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, & Best Featured Actress in a Play. But she has strong competition from the other nominees. Daly got the best reviews of her career. Richardson replaced Dianne Carroll, who left the show just a mere few weeks before previews began. Richardson literally had to rehearse with book in hand while the rest of her cast was off book and already in the “zone”. And this was a major role with tons of lines. But in the end she received glorious critical response when the show opened. Parsons and Jones both are loved by the theater community and have already delivered stellar stage work in previous productions. Very tough category!

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Ramin Karimloo, Les Miserables
Andy Karl, Rocky
Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Bryce Pinkham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: THRILLED beyond words that Andy Karl got a nomination! I’ve had the wonderful delight of meeting and getting to know him at a private party when I was in New York to review LEGALLY BLONDE. His wife is of course Orfeh, who is a beautiful personal friend of mine and who co-hosted the 14th Annual COLUMN Awards gala. Just so happy for him! Alas not nominated include Adam Jacobs (ALADDIN), Steven Pasquale (BRIDGES OVER MADISON COUNTY), Norbert Leo Butz (BIG FISH), Zach Braiff (BULLETS OVER BROADWAY), Will Swenson (LES MIZ), Eric Anderson (SOUL DOCTOR), & Zachary Levi (FIRST DATE).

Karimloo (LES MIZ) & Karl (ROCKY) are the sole acting nominees from their musicals. The rest of their fellow cast members were completely overlooked in the other acting categories.

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Mary Bridget Davies, A Night with Janis Joplin
Sutton Foster, Violet
Idina Menzel, If/Then
Jessie Mueller, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Kelli O'Hara, The Bridges of Madison County

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: The shocker here is Davies. The show received lukewarm critical response and currently struggling at the box office; she also did not receive glowing critical response. She wasn’t nominated for neither a Drama Desk nor an Outer Critics Circle award. Very bizarre she made the cut here. Another omission is Oscar nominee Michelle Williams for CABARET. But sadly the critical response to her work was not that glowing. Poor thing was compared to the late Natasha Richardson (who won the Tony in the last CABARET revival). Also not nominated include the leading ladies of BIG FISH, FIRST DATE, ROCKY & ALADDIN.

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Reed Birney, Casa Valentina
Paul Chahidi, Twelfth Night
Stephen Fry, Twelfth Night
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Brian J. Smith, The Glass Menagerie

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: OMG!  A pal and a Dallas Texas native is in this category! Brian J. Smith!! I reviewed his performance in CLOCKWORK ORANGE several years ago, I praised his performance and he won a COLUMN Award for his efforts. Now he’s a TONY Award nominee! CONGRATS Brian!  VERY happy for your nomination! He also received an Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nod for his work. The other nominees in this category also got nominations from those two organizations. So no real omissions here.

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Sarah Greene, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The Glass Menagerie
Sophie Okonedo, A Raisin in the Sun
Anika Noni Rose, A Raisin in the Sun
Mare Winningham, Casa Valentina

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: These ladies have also been nominated either by the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk, or both! So no real surprises here.

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Cabaret
Nick Cordero, Bullets Over Broadway
Joshua Henry, Violet
James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin
Jarrod Spector, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: Burstein is the only actor from the CABARET revival cast that got a Tony nod. Burstein and the other four nominees also received Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nods.

 

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

Linda Emond, Cabaret
Lena Hall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Anika Larsen, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Adriane Lenox, After Midnight
Lauren Worsham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: Sadly Marin Mazzie was not nominated for BULLETS OVER BROADWAY. Worsham and her co-star Lisa O’Hare battled for that final slot. Worsham got the Drama Desk nod, while O’Hare earned an Outer Critics Circle nod. The fun surprise here is Lena Hall for HEDWIG. She was not nominated for a DD or OCC, but she got the Tony nod! YEA! CONGRATS Lena!!!

 

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Beowulf Boritt, Act One
Bob Crowley, The Glass Menagerie
Es Devlin, Machinal
Christopher Oram, The Cripple of Inishmaan

JOHN GARCIA’S COMMENTS / NOT NOMINATED: Boritt is actually a past COLUMN AWARD winner for his work at the Dallas Theater Center. Oram designed the sets and costumes for the recent EVITA tour that just left Dallas this past Sunday! Small world!

 

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christopher Barreca, Rocky
Julian Crouch, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Alexander Dodge, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Santo Loquasto, Bullets Over Broadway

 

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jane Greenwood, Act One
Michael Krass, Machinal
Rita Ryack, Casa Valentina
Jenny Tiramani, Twelfth Night

 

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
William Ivey Long, Bullets Over Broadway
Arianne Phillips, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Isabel Toledo, After Midnight

 

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Jane Cox, Machinal
Natasha Katz, The Glass Menagerie
Japhy Weideman, Of Mice and Men

 

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Christopher Akerlind, Rocky
Howell Binkley, After Midnight
Donald Holder, The Bridges of Madison County

 

Best Sound Design of a Play
Alex Baranowski, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Dan Moses Schreier, Act One
Matt Tierney, Machinal

 

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, After Midnight
Tim O'Heir, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Mick Potter, Les Miserables
Brian Ronan, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

 

Best Choreography
Warren Carlyle, After Midnight
Steven Hoggett & Kelly Devine, Rocky
Casey Nicholaw, Aladdin
Susan Stroman, Bullets Over Broadway

 

Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, Bullets Over Broadway
Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County
Steve Sidwell, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Jonathan Tunick, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

 

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre - Jane Greenwood
Regional Theatre Award - Signature Theatre, New York, N.Y.
Isabelle Stevenson Award - Rosie O'Donnell
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre - Joseph P. Benincasa, Joan Marcus, Charlotte Wilcox

 

Tony Nominations by Production
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder - 10
Hedwig and the Angry Inch - 8
After Midnight - 7
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical - 7
The Glass Menagerie - 7
Twelfth Night - 7
Bullets Over Broadway - 6
The Cripple of Inishmaan - 6
Act One - 5
Aladdin - 5
A Raisin in the Sun - 5
The Bridges of Madison County - 4
Casa Valentina - 4
Machinal - 4
Rocky - 4
Violet - 4
Les Miserables- 3
All The Way - 2
Cabaret - 2
If/Then - 2
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill - 2
Mothers and Sons - 2
Of Mice and Men - 2
A Night with Janis Joplin - 1
Outside Mullingar - 1
Richard III - 1
The Velocity of Autumn - 1