The incredibly funny and totally awesome new musical from the creators of South Park, The Book of Mormon, led the Tony Award nominations this morning with a big 14 nods including Best Musical. The big surprise though was the now closed musical The Scottsboro Boys which came close behind with 12 nominations. Those two shows will compete against Catch Me if You Can and Sister Act for Best Musical while Good People, Jerusalem, The Motherfucker with the Hat and War Horse will square off for Best Play…. This year the acting nominees were a little less starry than last year when movie stars Scarlett Johanson, Viola Davis, Alfred Molina and Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Catharine Zeta Jones were among the winners. Instead we have only one three big movie stars, Oscar winners Al Pacino, Vanessa Redgrave and Frances McDormand in the running, but several notable TV vets are up for awards including Emmy winners John Laroquette (Night Court), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Bobby Cannavale (Will & Grace) plus John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C), Judith Light (Ugly Betty) and screen vets Ellen Barkin and Billy Crudup…. Some big surprises were the omission of Priscilla Queen of the Desert in the Best Musical category and no Harry Potter, ahem, Daniel Radcliffe (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) in Best Actor Musical…. Check out the full list of nominations below… and head to Broadway in NYC before June 5th to see all the nominees.
Best Play
“Good People”
“Jerusalem”
“The Motherf**ker With the Hat”
“War Horse”
Best Musical
“The Book of Mormon”
“Catch Me If You Can”
“The Scottsboro Boys”
“Sister Act”
Best Book of a Musical
Alex Timbers, “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone, “The Book of Mormon”
David Thompson, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner, and Douglas Carter Beane, “Sister Act”
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“The Book of Mormon,” music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone
“The Scottsboro Boys,” music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb
“Sister Act,” music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater
“Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” music and lyrics by David Yazbek
Best Revival of a Play
“Arcadia”
“The Importance of Being Earnest”
“The Merchant of Venice”
“The Normal Heart”
Best Revival of a Musical
“Anything Goes”
“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Brian Bedford, “The Importance of Being Earnest”
Bobby Cannavale, “The Motherf**ker With the Hat”
Joe Mantello, “The Normal Heart”
Al Pacino, “The Merchant of Venice”
Mark Rylance, “Jerusalem”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, “Born Yesterday”
Frances McDormand, “Good People”
Lily Rabe, “The Merchant of Venice”
Vanessa Redgrave, “Driving Miss Daisy”
Hannah Yelland, “Brief Encounter”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, “Catch Me If You Can”
Josh Gad, “The Book of Mormon”
Joshua Henry, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Andrew Rannells, “The Book of Mormon”
Tony Sheldon, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sutton Foster, “Anything Goes”
Beth Leavel, “Baby It’s You!”
Patina Miller, “Sister Act”
Donna Murphy, “The People in the Picture”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mackenzie Crook, “Jerusalem”
Billy Crudup, “Arcadia”
John Benjamin Hickey, “The Normal Heart”
Arian Moayed, “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”
Yul Vázquez, “The Motherf**ker With the Hat”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Ellen Barkin, “The Normal Heart”
Edie Falco, “The House of Blue Leaves”
Judith Light, “Lombardi”
Joanna Lumley, “La Bête”
Elizabeth Rodriguez, “The Motherf**ker With the Hat”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Colman Domingo, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Adam Godley, “Anything Goes”
John Larroquette, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Forrest McClendon, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Rory O’Malley, “The Book of Mormon”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Laura Benanti, “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”
Tammy Blanchard, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Victoria Clark, “Sister Act”
Nikki M. James, “The Book of Mormon”
Patti LuPone, “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, “The Motherf**ker With the Hat”
Rae Smith, “War Horse”
Ultz, “Jerusalem”
Mark Wendland, “The Merchant of Venice”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Derek McLane, “Anything Goes”
Scott Pask, “The Book of Mormon”
Donyale Werle, “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”
Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, “The Merchant of Venice”
Desmond Heeley, “The Importance of Being Earnest”
Mark Thompson, “La Bête”
Catherine Zuber, “Born Yesterday”
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”
Martin Pakledinaz, “Anything Goes”
Ann Roth, “The Book of Mormon”
Catherine Zuber, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, “War Horse”
David Lander, “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”
Kenneth Posner, “The Merchant of Venice”
Mimi Jordan Sherin, “Jerusalem”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Howell Binkley, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Peter Kaczorowski, “Anything Goes”
Brian MacDevitt, “The Book of Mormon”
Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers, “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”
Simon Baker, “Brief Encounter”
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, “Jerusalem”
Christopher Shutt, “War Horse”
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Steve Canyon Kennedy, “Catch Me If You Can”
Brian Ronan, “Anything Goes”
Brian Ronan, “The Book of Mormon”
Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, “War Horse”
Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, “The Normal Heart”
Anna D. Shapiro, “The Motherf**ker With the Hat”
Daniel Sullivan, “The Merchant of Venice”
Best Direction of a Musical
Rob Ashford, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Kathleen Marshall, “Anything Goes”
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, “The Book of Mormon”
Susan Stroman, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Kathleen Marshall, “Anything Goes”
Casey Nicholaw, “The Book of Mormon”
Susan Stroman, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Larry Hochman, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, “The Book of Mormon”
Marc Shaiman and Larry Blank, “Catch Me If You Can”
Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-Competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Athol Fugard
Philip J. Smith
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago)
Isabelle Stevenson Award
Eve Ensler
Special Tony Award
Handspring Puppet Company
Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
William Berloni
The Drama Book Shop
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts
season, NBC’s The New Normal is now available online. NBC and Hulu are both streaming the pilot for this hysterical show which follows a loving and successful gay couple David (The Hangover’s Justin Bartha) and Bryan (the Tony nominated star of The Book of Mormon Andrew Rannells) as they attempt to have a baby with a charming surrogate Goldie (the very appealing Georgia King) who already has her own smarter-than-all-the-adults tween Shania (Bebe Wood) and a meddlesome and racist/homophobic/all-around offensively hilarious grandmother Nana (Tony award winner for The Normal Heart and current Modern Family Emmy nominee Ellen Barkin). Glee and The Real Housewives‘ NeNe Leakes costars as Brian’s sassy assistant in this sitcom from the man who created Glee himself Ryan Murphy. It has that show’s signature biting humor and heart and the ensemble is fantastic. The show fires on all cylinders and I think Rannells is going to break out big. Also, watch for Barkin to become an awards magnet for this role that should be utterly atrocious but in her incredibly skilled hands becomes somehow likable despite the funny and foul things flying out of her mouth. The show will be paired with Matthew Perry’s amiable new comedy Go On on Tuesday nights on NBC starting September 11th. I can’t recommend it anymore… In fact, Tuesday night is gonna be a hot bed of hilarious comedy with New Girl, The Mindy Project, Happy Endings, Go On, Raising Hope, Don’t Trust the B in Apt. 23 and The New Normal. My dvr will be in overdrive, but I’m pushing The New Normal to the front of the pack and declaring it the fall’s best new sitcom…. And now you can check it out below or on NBC.com and hulu. Take a look, laugh your tushy off and enjoy The New Normal.
