In a Broadway season with seemingly just one overwhelming favorite (that would be Neil Patrick–wait for it–Harris), the Tony Award nominations were bound to have their share of omissions and oddities. The full list of nominees is here, but these are some of the major categories and thoughts:
Best Play
ACT ONE
ALL THE WAY
CASA VALENTINA
MOTHERS AND SONS
OUTSIDE MULLINGAR
All the Way, the LBJ biography that stars Bryan Cranston, would seem to be the favorite here–but the category’s other nominees feature Tony veterans James Lapine, Harvey Fierstein, Terrence McNally and John Patrick Shanley, so it’s hardly a sure thing. The divisive but acclaimed The Realistic Joneses was a somewhat surprising omission.
BEST MUSICAL
AFTER MIDNIGHT
ALADDIN
BEAUTIFUL
A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER
Gentleman’s Guide, which led the nominations with 10, is probably the favorite, but the big story is the high-profile set of omissions: Bullets Over Broadway, If/Then, The Bridges of Madison County and Rocky were among those left out. (Woody Allen, however, did get a nomination for his not-particularly-praised book of Bullets.)
BEST PLAY REVIVAL
THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAN
THE GLASS MENAGERIE
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
TWELFTH NIGHT
A quartet of hugely acclaimed revivals, any one of which could win, but it’s probably going to come down to Tennessee Williams vs. Shakespeare. The starry revival of Betrayal, which got mixed reviews, was among the missing.
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
VIOLET
LES MISERABLES
Hedwig got rapturous reviews and is selling out, so it’s the one to beat here. Excluded: Cabaret, which failed to generate much excitement as a duplication of the (Tony-winning) previous production.
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night
Bryan Cranston, All the Way
Chris O’Dowd, Of Mice and Men
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Tony Shalhoub, Act One
Cranston is the biggest name in the group, but Rylance is a Tony favorite, so this category could have some surprises. Among those left out: Denzel Washington, Daniel Radcliffe, Zachary Quinto, Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart
BEST ACTRESS 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
The somewhat controversial inclusion of McDonald in this category (playing Billie Holiday, she sings several songs in the show, making it arguably a musical) probably makes this a McDonald vs. Jones battle. Rachel Weisz was among those not named.
BEST ACTOR 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 and Murder
Bryce Pinkham, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
An upset by Mays is possible, but you can pretty much mortgage the house, sell the car and bet everything on Harris, who got spectacular reviews in the smash hit Hedwig revival, and is beloved by Tony fans for his deft hosting of the awards show itself. Zach Braff didn’t get a mention.
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Mary Bridget Davies, A Night With Janis Joplin
Sutton Foster, Violet
Idina Menzel, If/Then
Jessie Mueller, Beautiful
Kelli O’Hara, The Bridges of Madison County
Lots of Broadway royalty in this category, and with Foster, Menzel and O’Hara facing off, anything could happen here. Michelle Williams was a big name who wasn’t selected.
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