Matthew Murphy
Some Like It Hot leads the field for the 76th Tony Awards, with 13 nominations. Musicals & Juliet, Shucked, and New York, New York follow with 9 nominations apiece. Kimberly Akimbo, the critical favorite and a true Broadway original, scored 8 nominations. Out of 38 eligible productions in 26 categories, this year there were 17 new plays, nine new musicals, six play revivals, and six musical revivals. The campaigns for all the nominees now begin in earnest. Big-name contenders include Audra McDonald, Samuel. L. Jackson, Jessica Chastain, Wendell Pierce (though Death of a Salesman did not receive a nomination for Best Play Revival), Jodie Comer, Ben Platt, Sara Bareilles, and Josh Groban.
J. Harrison Ghee, one of the first nonbinary actors to be nominated for a Tony (for Some Like It Hot), said in a statement: “I’m thrilled! It has been a fantastic journey to portray Jerry/Daphne, and I’ve been overwhelmed—in a good way—to see how audiences have received these characters. I’m thankful to every member of this production for creating such an affirming space where I get to show the complexity of this human and go on a beautiful ride every time the curtains go up. I’m grateful to the committee for recognizing this work. It’s a moment I will cherish forever.”
The nominees were mostly as anticipated, but notable snubs include Life of Pi going un-nominated in the Best Play category, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella facing the same fate in the Best Musical category, Laura Linney going un-nominated for Summer, 1976 (her co-star Jessica Hecht was nominated), Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan going un-nominated for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, and the acclaimed Sharon D. Clarke not being nominated for Death of a Salesman. Phillipa Soo was not nominated for Camelot or Into the Woods.