(From Variety, 5/3/2023; writing and compilation by Rebecca Rubin, Brent Lang, and Marc J. Franklin.)
“Some Like It Hot,” a jazzy re-imagining of the classic comedy film about two musicians on the run, dominated the nominations for the 2023 Tony Awards, which were announced on Tuesday, with 13 nods.
It was followed closely behind by “& Juliet,” “Shucked” and “New York, New York,” which scored nine nominations apiece. All of these productions will vie for best musical honors, facing off against one of the year’s most acclaimed shows, “Kimberly Akimbo,” the story of a teenager who has a medical condition that causes her to age rapidly. “Kimberly Akimbo” is up for eight prizes, including for supporting performers Bonnie Milligan and Justin Cooley, as well as for Victoria Clark’s turn in the title role.
The Jessica Chastain-led revival of a stripped-down “A Doll’s House,” Tom Stoppard’s sprawling “Leopoldstadt,” and the political satire “Ain’t No Mo’” were the most-nominated plays, with six nods each. It’s an important moment of recognition for “Ain’t No Mo’,” which was embraced by critics, but struggled to find its audience, closing last winter after a total of just 28 performances.
But “Ain’t No Mo’” isn’t the only production that faced fierce commercial headwinds. The annual awards show, honoring the best of Broadway, is unfolding as the theater industry is still clawing back from more than a year of COVID-related closures and the chilling impact that had on tourism in New York City, the lifeblood of the business. Winning a Tony could turbocharge the box office of a show like “Some Like It Hot” or “Shucked.”
Despite the challenges, there have been hits, such as an acclaimed re-imaging of “Parade” with Ben Platt (picking up six nominations) and “Sweeney Todd” with Josh Groban brandishing a razor as Fleet Street’s demon barber (eight nominations). And don’t forget “Funny Girl” with Lea Michele subbing in for original star Beanie Feldstein (which is ineligible because it opened last season). Michele may not be getting a Tony, but she did announce Tuesday’s nominations with “MJ” star Myles Frost.
Among the other major categories, best musical revival will be a race between “Parade,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods” — which transferred from New York City Center to Broadway to become a late summer hit — and, in a surprise, Lincoln Center’s critically derided revival of “Camelot.”
“Ain’t No Mo’” and “Leopoldstadt” are up for best play alongside “Between Riverside and Crazy,” “Cost of Living” and “Fat Ham,” which won last year’s Pulitzer Prize for drama. Best revival of a play nominees include “A Doll’s House,” “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window,” “Suzan Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog,” and “August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.”
Several major Hollywood actors were recognized for their stage work this season, including Chastain, Jodie Comer for “Prima Facie,” Samuel L. Jackson for “”The Piano Lesson” and Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for “Topdog/Underdog.”
But there were some notable omissions, as well. Laura Linney was overlooked even as her “Summer 1976” co-star Jessica Hecht was recognized, LaTanya Richardson Jackson was snubbed for directing “The Piano Lesson,” and Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan for “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” were left off the list of honorees.
See the full nominations list, supplied by the Tonys, below:
Best Play
Ain’t No Mo’
Between Riverside and Crazy
Cost of Living
Fat Ham
Leopoldstadt
Best Musical
& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot
Best Revival of a Play
August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
A Doll’s House
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Best Revival of a Musical
Into the Woods
Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Parade
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Book of a Musical
& Juliet
David West Read
Kimberly Akimbo
David Lindsay-Abaire
New York, New York
David Thompson & Sharon Washington
Shucked
Robert Horn
Some Like It Hot
Matthew López & Amber Ruffin
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Almost Famous
Music: Tom Kitt
Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt
Kimberly Akimbo
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire
KPOP
Music & Lyrics: Helen Park & Max Vernon
Shucked
Music and Lyrics: Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally
Some Like It Hot
Music: Marc Shaiman
Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes, Good Night, Oscar
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Wendell Pierce, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Jessica Chastain, A Doll’s House
Jodie Comer, Prima Facie
Jessica Hecht, Summer, 1976
Audra McDonald, Ohio State Murders
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Christian Borle, Some Like It Hot
Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot
Josh Groban, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Brian d’Arcy James, Into the Woods
Ben Platt, Parade
Colton Ryan, New York, New York
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sara Bareilles, Into the Woods
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo
Lorna Courtney, & Juliet
Micaela Diamond, Parade
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Jordan E. Cooper, Ain’t No Mo’
Samuel L. Jackson, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Arian Moayed, A Doll’s House
Brandon Uranowitz, Leopoldstadt
David Zayas, Cost of Living
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Nikki Crawford, Fat Ham
Crystal Lucas-Perry, Ain’t No Mo’
Miriam Silverman, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
Kara Young, Cost of Living
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kevin Cahoon, Shucked
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
Kevin Del Aguila, Some Like It Hot
Jordan Donica, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Alex Newell, Shucked
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Julia Lester, Into the Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo
NaTasha Yvette Williams, Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe, & Juliet
