With the annual announcement of the Tony nominations comes the annual list of slights and surprises, as this season’s shows see their dreams come true—or their hopes dashed—and prognosticators chatter about what they got right and wrong done. With a season filled to the brim with late openers vying for awards attention, the 2024 Tony nominations were full of unexpected twists. Here are the 10 biggest comments and surprises.
SNUB: A TOTAL SHUTOUT FOR “THE WIZ”
“The Wiz” is a beloved musical title returning to Broadway for the first time in 30 years in a large-scale production staged by a powerful creative team. Critics weren’t crazy about it, but audiences came out for it in the first few weeks, and there’s enough going on in the production that observers thought at least a few contributors could be recognized. But there was no such luck: “The Wiz” was completely excluded from the nominations. That could be a hurdle for the producers of the Tony telecast, who certainly want to spotlight such a prominent and popular title but may feel limited by the time constraints of the ceremony and the need to schedule performances from all the nominated shows to record. .
SURPRISE: EVEN MORE LOVE THAN EXPECTED FOR “STEREOPHONICAL”
A late addition to the Broadway calendar, adored by critics and audiences alike, “Stereophonic” was always going to be the new play to beat. But the nominators turned out to be even more generous than expected: in a season packed with new music scores, one nomination in the category of best score written for the theater – which is usually devoted entirely to musicals – went to the addictive, 70s-inspired rock. tunes that Will Butler wrote for “Stereophonic” (which is definitely a play and not a musical, despite the fact that the songs are performed live by the show’s cast). And given the busy season, it seemed likely that only one or two members of the tight-knit ensemble would manage to land an acting name, but instead the nominators found room for five of the show’s seven actors: Juliana Canfield and Sarah Pidgeon , both competing in the lead roles. actress in a play, and Will Brill, Eli Gelb and Tom Pecinka, all ready for a leading role. In total, “Stereophonic” garnered 13 nominations, beating Jeremy O. Harris’ “Slave Play” to become the most nominated play in Tony history.
SNUB: MICHAEL IMPERIOLI MISSED
If three spots in the featured actor in a performance category go to “Stereophonic,” that leaves less room for notable performances from other productions on the boards. Michael Imperioli, the ‘Sopranos’ alum who had a standout turn in the most recent season of ‘White Lotus,’ was widely expected to get a nod for his well-received performance in ‘An Enemy of the People’ opposite ‘ Succession ‘ star Jeremy Strong (who did earn a nomination for lead actor). But this year Imperioli was displaced by the enthusiasm of the nominees for ‘Stereophonic’.
SURPRISE: “CABARET AT THE KIT KAT CLUB” KICKS BACK TO NEW YORK CRITICS
In the West End, director Rebecca Frecknall’s vibrant revival of ‘Cabaret’ won seven Olivier Awards – but when the show premiered on Broadway, the majority of New York’s critical establishment was lukewarm about the production. Despite this, the nominators found plenty to recognize with a total of nine nominations, including nods for musical revival and actors Gayle Rankin, Steven Skybell and Gayle Rankin. Critics were particularly cool with Eddie Redmayne’s love-it-or-hate-it performance as Emcee, but he also got a nomination. (Frecknall, however, was left out of the running for director of a musical.)
SNUB: STEVE CARELL DOESN’T MAKE THE CUTS
Many critics weren’t crazy about the all-star revival of “Uncle Vanya” at Lincoln Center Theater, but the production does feature a smooth lead performance from Carell, a major star making his Broadway debut. The actor seemed like a strong contender for a nomination, but instead the show’s sole recognition went to William Jackson Harper (“The Good Place”), who earned a leading man spot for his performance in what is, relatively speaking, the most notable of the roles. in a carefully muted production.
SURPRISE: TONY INSIDERS REALLY LOVES “THE OUTSIDERS”
Danya Taymor’s artfully staged production of “The Outsiders” is widely admired, but with all the shows competing for awards this season, it wasn’t necessarily certain that “Outsiders” would garner as many nominations as it did today. The new musical finished with an even dozen, second only to “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Stereophonic” (which each scored a score of 13). Some observers – including us here at Variety – had expected that the more traditional musical theater score of ‘Suffs’, combined with its historical ambitions, would give ‘The Outsiders’ more bang for its buck, but instead ‘Suffs’ landed further. bottom of the list with six nominations.
SNUB: WILL KEEN’S PUTIN IS OUT OF THE VOTE
“Patriots,” the latest play from “The Crown” creator Peter Morgan, received a mixed reception from audiences and critics alike, but many agreed that the highlight of the show was Keen’s tightly controlled performance as Vladimir Putin. It was widely expected that he would receive a nomination, but like Imperioli, Keen was pushed out of the category by the passion for ‘stereophonic’. (Keen’s co-star Michael Stuhlbarg, however, got a nod for lead actor in a play.)
SURPRISE: “THE NOTEBOOK” FIND A LITTLE LOVE
Critics were downright mean to “The Notebook,” so even though the nominations aren’t huge, it still feels like a win for a show that’s still finding its footing at the box office. Of the production’s three nominations, only Maryann Plunkett was widely expected to star in a musical, but her co-star Dorian Harewood also caught the attention of the nominees. The show’s book from Bekah Brunstetter, whose time-hopping triple cast of the story’s central couple, also claimed a nod.
SNUB: “BACK TO THE FUTURE” EXHIBITS WITH NOMINATORS
The high-tech musical adaptation of ‘Back to the Future’ was never a critical favourite, but in the West End the show earned seven Olivier Award nominations, winning the trophy for best new musical. No luck in New York: “Back to the Future” earned two nods, one for actor Roger Bart and one for the elaborate set and projection design by Tim Hatley and Finn Ross.
SNUB: STANDALONE NOMS FOR “SPAMALOT”, “THE GREAT GATSBY”, “TOMMY” AND “GUTENBERG!“
For large-scale musicals with so many creative elements and contributors, a single nomination can feel like a disappointment. That’s the case for “The Great Gatsby,” which received a single nod to costume design while leaving out its stars, previous Tony nominees Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada. The rollicking revival of “Spamalot” also scored just one, ahead of Leslie Kritzer’s scene-stealing Lady of the Lake, while the beloved “Gutenberg!” did receive a nomination for best musical revival, although its leading men, Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad, did not make the cut. “Tommy,” meanwhile, arrived in New York after a buzzy run in Chicago, and alongside “Gutenberg!” a nod to musical revival is needed. but did not receive a nomination for the famous leading actor, Ali Louis Bourzgui.
Find the full list of 2024 Tony nominations here.
