The 2009 Tony Awards Discussion (Nominations are up)

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Here is the list of this year's Tony Award nominations:


Best play

“Dividing the Estate” by Horton Foote
“God of Carnage” by Yasmina Reza
“reasons to be pretty” by Neil LaBute
“33 Variations” by Moises Kaufman

Best musical

“Billy Elliot”
“Next to Normal”
“Rock of Ages”
“Shrek the Musical”

Play revival

“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
“Mary Stuart”
“The Norman Conquests”
“Waiting for Godot”

Musical revival

“Guys and Dolls”
“Hair”
“Pal Joey”
“West Side Story”

Leading actor in a play

Jeff Daniels, “God of Carnage”
Raúl Esparza, “Speed-the-Plow”
James Gandolfini, “God of Carnage”
Geoffrey Rush, “Exit the King”
Thomas Sadoski, “reasons to be pretty”

Leading actress in a play

Hope Davis, “God of Carnage”
Jane Fonda, “33 Variations”
Marsha Gay Harden, “God of Carnage”
Janet McTeer, “Mary Stuart”
Harriet Walter, “Mary Stuart”


Leading actor in a musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish, “Billy Elliot”
Gavin Creel, “Hair”
Brian d’Arcy James, “Shrek the Musical”
Constantine Maroulis, “Rock of Ages”
J. Robert Spencer, “Next to Normal”


Leading actress in a musical

Stockard Channing, “Pal Joey”
Sutton Foster, “Shrek the Musical”
Allison Janney, “9 to 5″
Alice Ripley, “Next to Normal”
Josefina Scaglione, “West Side Story”

Score

“Billy Elliot”
“Next to Normal”
“9 to 5″
“Shrek the Musical”

Featured actor in a play

John Glover, “Waiting for Godot”
Zach Grenier, “33 Variations”
Stephen Mangan, “The Norman Conquests”
Paul Ritter, “The Norman Conquests”
Roger Robinson, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”

Featured actress in a play

Hallie Foote, “Dividing the Estate”
Jessica Hynes, “The Norman Conquests”
Marin Ireland, “reasons to be pretty”
Angela Lansbury, “Blithe Spirit”
Amanda Root, “The Norman Conquests”

Featured actor in a musical

David Bologna, “Billy Elliot: The Musical”
Gregory Jbara, “Billy Elliot: The Musical”
Marc Kudisch, “9 to 5″
Christopher Sieber, “Shrek the Musical”
Will Swenson, “Hair”

Best performance by a featured actress in a musical

Jennifer Damiano, "Next to Normal"
Haydn Gwynne, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Karen Olivo, "West Side Story"
Martha Plimpton, "Pal Joey"
Carole Shelley, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"

Best scenic design of a play

Dale Ferguson, "Exit the King"
Rob Howell, "The Norman Conquests"
Derek McLane, "33 Variations"
Michael Yeargan, "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone"

Best scenic design of a musical

Robert Brill, "Guys and Dolls"
Ian MacNeil, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Scott Pask, "Pal Joey"
Mark Wendland, "Next to Normal"

Best costume design of a play

Dale Ferguson, "Exit the King"
Jane Greenwood, "Waiting for Godot"
Martin Pakledinaz, "Blithe Spirit"
Anthony Ward, "Mary Stuart"

Best costume design of a musical

Gregory Gale, "Rock of Ages"
Nicky Gillibrand, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Tim Hatley, "Shrek the Musical"
Michael McDonald, "Hair"

Best lighting design of a play

David Hersey, "Equus"
David Lander, "33 Variations"
Brian MacDevitt, "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone"
Hugh Vanstone, "Mary Stuart"

Best lighting design of a musical

Kevin Adams, "Hair"
Kevin Adams, "Next to Normal"
Howell Binkley, "West Side Story"
Rick Fisher, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"

Best sound design of a play

Paul Arditti, "Mary Stuart"
Gregory Clarke, "Equus"
Russell Goldsmith, "Exit the King"
Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg, "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone"

Best sound design of a musical

Acme Sound Partners, "Hair"
Paul Arditti, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Peter Hylenski, "Rock of Ages"
Brian Ronan, "Next to Normal"

Best direction of a play

Phyllida Lloyd, "Mary Stuart"
Bartlett Sher, "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone"
Matthew Warchus, "God of Carnage"
Matthew Warchus, "The Norman Conquests"

Best direction of a musical

Stephen Daldry, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Michael Greif, "Next to Normal"
Kristin Hanggi, "Rock of Ages"
Diane Paulus, "Hair"

Best choreography

Karole Armitage, "Hair"
Andy Blankenbuehler, "9 to 5: The Musical"
Peter Darling, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Randy Skinner, "Irving Berlin’s White Christmas"

Best orchestrations

Larry Blank, "Irving Berlin’s White Christmas"
Martin Koch, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, "Next to Normal"
Danny Troob and John Clancy, "Shrek the Musical"


* * *

Special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theater
Jerry Herman

Regional theater Tony Award
Signature Theatre, Arlington, Va.

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Phyllis Newman

Tony Honor for excellence in the theater
Shirley Herz

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Seems like there wasn't much going on this past year on the Great White Way.

All I know is that I've heard good things about 9 to 5, but Billy Elliot Seems to be leading the noms.

[PeterPanfan]

Best play

“Dividing the Estate” by Horton Foote
“God of Carnage” by Yasmina Reza
“reasons to be pretty” by Neil LaBute
“33 Variations” by Moises Kaufman

Best musical

“Billy Elliot”
“Next to Normal”
“Rock of Ages”
“Shrek the Musical”

Play revival

“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
“Mary Stuart”
“The Norman Conquests”
“Waiting for Godot”

Musical revival

“Guys and Dolls”
“Hair”
“Pal Joey”
“West Side Story”

Leading actor in a play

Jeff Daniels, “God of Carnage”
Raúl Esparza, “Speed-the-Plow”
James Gandolfini, “God of Carnage”
Geoffrey Rush, “Exit the King”
Thomas Sadoski, “reasons to be pretty”

Leading actress in a play

Hope Davis, “God of Carnage”
Jane Fonda, “33 Variations” Marsha Gay Harden, “God of Carnage”
Janet McTeer, “Mary Stuart”
Harriet Walter, “Mary Stuart”


Leading actor in a musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish, “Billy Elliot”
Gavin Creel, “Hair”
Brian d’Arcy James, “Shrek the Musical”
Constantine Maroulis, “Rock of Ages”
J. Robert Spencer, “Next to Normal”


Leading actress in a musical

Stockard Channing, “Pal Joey”
Sutton Foster, “Shrek the Musical”
Allison Janney, “9 to 5″
Alice Ripley, “Next to Normal”
Josefina Scaglione, “West Side Story”

Score

“Billy Elliot”
“Next to Normal”
“9 to 5″
“Shrek the Musical”

Featured actor in a play

John Glover, “Waiting for Godot”
Zach Grenier, “33 Variations”
Stephen Mangan, “The Norman Conquests”
Paul Ritter, “The Norman Conquests”
Roger Robinson, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”

Featured actress in a play

Hallie Foote, “Dividing the Estate”
Jessica Hynes, “The Norman Conquests”
Marin Ireland, “reasons to be pretty”
Angela Lansbury, “Blithe Spirit”
Amanda Root, “The Norman Conquests”

Featured actor in a musical

David Bologna, “Billy Elliot: The Musical”
Gregory Jbara, “Billy Elliot: The Musical”
Marc Kudisch, “9 to 5″
Christopher Sieber, “Shrek the Musical”
Will Swenson, “Hair”

Best performance by a featured actress in a musical

Jennifer Damiano, "Next to Normal"
Haydn Gwynne, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Karen Olivo, "West Side Story"
Martha Plimpton, "Pal Joey"
Carole Shelley, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"

Best scenic design of a play

Dale Ferguson, "Exit the King"
Rob Howell, "The Norman Conquests"
Derek McLane, "33 Variations"
Michael Yeargan, "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone"

Best scenic design of a musical

Robert Brill, "Guys and Dolls"
Ian MacNeil, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Scott Pask, "Pal Joey"
Mark Wendland, "Next to Normal"

Best costume design of a play

Dale Ferguson, "Exit the King"
Jane Greenwood, "Waiting for Godot"
Martin Pakledinaz, "Blithe Spirit"
Anthony Ward, "Mary Stuart"

Best costume design of a musical

Gregory Gale, "Rock of Ages"
Nicky Gillibrand, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Tim Hatley, "Shrek the Musical"
Michael McDonald, "Hair"

Best lighting design of a play

David Hersey, "Equus"
David Lander, "33 Variations"
Brian MacDevitt, "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone"
Hugh Vanstone, "Mary Stuart"

Best lighting design of a musical

Kevin Adams, "Hair"
Kevin Adams, "Next to Normal"
Howell Binkley, "West Side Story"
Rick Fisher, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"

Best sound design of a play

Paul Arditti, "Mary Stuart"
Gregory Clarke, "Equus"
Russell Goldsmith, "Exit the King"
Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg, "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone"

Best sound design of a musical

Acme Sound Partners, "Hair"
Paul Arditti, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Peter Hylenski, "Rock of Ages"
Brian Ronan, "Next to Normal"

Best direction of a play

Phyllida Lloyd, "Mary Stuart"
Bartlett Sher, "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone"
Matthew Warchus, "God of Carnage"
Matthew Warchus, "The Norman Conquests"

Best direction of a musical

Stephen Daldry, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Michael Greif, "Next to Normal"
Kristin Hanggi, "Rock of Ages"
Diane Paulus, "Hair"

Best choreography

Karole Armitage, "Hair"
Andy Blankenbuehler, "9 to 5: The Musical"
Peter Darling, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Randy Skinner, "Irving Berlin’s White Christmas"

Best orchestrations

Larry Blank, "Irving Berlin’s White Christmas"
Martin Koch, "Billy Elliot: The Musical"
Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, "Next to Normal"
Danny Troob and John Clancy, "Shrek the Musical"


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I really hope Next to Normal wins a lot of awards. I've heard that it's the best damn thing on Broadway right now. And no Lauren Graham nom?? I know she's not that great of a singer, but I've heard her acting has been fantastic.

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I'd like to see Karen Olivo get the award for West Side. I heard it was a great revival, and I loved her in In the Heights.

[SpringHeelJack]

I'm wagering Karen Olivo could pull off a win. She makes a pretty good Anita in a messy revival, and it's a pretty weak year.

"Billy Elliot" is pretty much a given for Best Musical, not to mention most of the other categories its nominated in. It's gotten stellar reviews, and it's the sort of fun musical that can benefit from the win. Plus it's actually pretty good, which is always a plus. I was a little surprised "9 to 5" didn't get a Best Musical nom and that "Shrek" did, given from what little I've seen of it and from the cast recording it seems pretty mediocre. Either "9 to 5" must be worse than I read or "Shrek" must have some ace up its sleeve when you see it live.

"Hair" is probably going to win for Revival, since "Guys and Dolls" was universally panned and "West Side Story" was a pretty big hit and miss. As for "Pal Joey"... no one took that seriously. I suppose "West Side Story" could maybe swing a win since Arthur Laurents wasn't nominated for Direction. Granted, I pretty much hate Arthur Laurents to begin with, so anyway he can get screwed over is okay by me.

All in all, some boring nominations for a pretty boring year, and the few surprises are generally not good ones. [title of show]'s book nomination was surprising, but deserved. It's a fun little show, but not a great one or one destined to win big at the Tonys. Stockard Channing's nomination was fairly out of left field, but she's not going to win so it won't be too big a deal. As much as I love Allison Janney, this probably isn't her year.