NEW YORK (AP) — Will a rom-com set in New York charm enough voters? Perhaps it will be a vampire musical set on the opposite coast of America. Can a send-up of the movie “Titanic” float to the top? Or even a send-up of golden-era Broadway musicals themselves?
It's Tony Award nomination time, and entry into the top crown category — best new musical — is up for grabs in a year with 30 shows eligible but no strong consensus on best new musicals or plays.
Even though there are no such things as locks, it's very likely that John Lithgow and Joshua Henry will hear their names called.
Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss on Tuesday will announce the nominees in 26 categories, setting off a month of campaigning that results in trophies that could make or break a show. The nominations will be revealed at 8:30 a.m. EDT live on “CBS Mornings” and then at 9 a.m. EDT live on the Tony Awards YouTube Page.
Six new musicals will be looking for berths: “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” an opposites-attract rom-com set during a New York City weekend in which a cake is ferried across town; “The Lost Boys,” an adaptation of a 1987 teen movie vampire thriller; and “Schmigadoon!,” an adaptation of an Apple TV series that gently mocks Broadway musicals. Two others include “Titanique,” a camp musical comedy that reimagines the 1997 megahit movie “Titanic,” and “Beaches,” which celebrates the deep bonds of female friendship.
One musical will hope for love from Tony voters but likely won't get it: “The Queen of Versailles,” based on a 2012 documentary film about the quixotic attempt to build the largest private home in America. Despite reuniting star Kristin Chenoweth with her “Wicked” songwriter Stephen Schwartz, the musical was savaged by critics and closed after less than 90 performances.
The best new play leaders are the Lithgow-led “Giant,” which explores accusations of antisemitism against children’s author Roald Dahl; “Liberation,” about a consciousness-raising women’s group in 1970s Ohio that won the Pulitzer Prize for drama on Monday; and “The Balusters,” a wry comedy about a small-town neighborhood association that descends into chaos over whether to install a stop sign.
Other best new play candidates are “Little Bear Ridge Road,” about a struggling writer who returns to his rural hometown to settle his dead father’s estate, and “The Fear of 13,” the true story of a man who spent more than two decades on death row, starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson.
The best lead actor in a play category will likely include Lithgow from “Giant,” Mark Strong from a modern revival of “Oedipus” and Nathan Lane in “Death of a Salesman.” Others could be Daniel Radcliffe in “Every Brilliant Thing” and Brody, making his Broadway debut.
On the women’s side of the play category, likely candidates include Lesley Manville from “Oedipus,” Carrie Coon from “Bug,” Susannah Flood from “Liberation” and one or two from “Fallen Angels” — Kelli O’Hara and Rose Byrne. But Laurie Metcalf, with two strong performances this season in both “Little Bear Ridge Road” and “Death of a Salesman,” deserves to hear her name called. And a sentimental choice is June Squibb, who at 96 has become the oldest actor to open a show on Broadway.
Best actor in a musical candidates include Joshua Henry and Brandon Uranowitz both from “Ragtime,” Sam Tutty in “Two Strangers,” Nicholas Christopher in “Chess” and Luke Evans from “The Rocky Horror Show.” On the women's side, Caissie Levy from “Ragtime,” Lea Michele from “Chess,” Marla Mindelle for “Titanique” and Christiani Pitts from “Two Strangers” are strong possibilities.
The best play revival category is stacked with well-received options: “Oedipus,” a modern retelling of Sophocles’ classic tragedy set on election night in a modern campaign office; “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller’s masterpiece that looks at the unraveling of the American Dream; and “Bug,” about two lost souls who spiral into delusion via drugs, alcohol and paranoia.
There's also “Proof,” David Auburn’s exploration of family, mental health and the delicate balance between genius and instability; “Marjorie Prime,” a play about memories, identity, mortality, aging and the role of artificial intelligence; and “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” playwright August Wilson’s look at Black life in the 1910s set in a Pittsburgh boarding house.
Also among the 11 best play revival hopefuls are “Waiting for Godot” with “Bill & Ted” stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters, to “Every Brilliant Thing,” a one-person show that explores the antidotes to depression starring Radcliffe.
There were five musical revivals, including a glorious, Henry-led “Ragtime,” at Lincoln Center, which is a virtual lock, with others including “The Rocky Horror Show,” the sci-fi, cross-dressing rock musical that became a cult film, and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” which reimagines the 1980s musical into a celebration of queer ballroom culture. Also in the mix are “Mamma Mia!,” the ABBA-fueled, feel-good rom-com, and “Chess,” the Cold War-set love triangle between two chess grand masters and the woman who loved both.
The Tony Awards will be handed out June 7 at Radio City Music Hall during a telecast hosted by Pink. The awards will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
Last year’s show — hosted by “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo — drew 4.85 million viewers to CBS, its largest broadcast audience in six years, according to Nielsen.
