mrdreamjeans | 2008 Tony Award Nominations (Reply)

Nominations were announced for the 62nd annual Tony Awards about 9 hours ago. This year's surprises seem to be in the Best Musical category where high profile projects such as "Little Mermaid", "Young Frankenstein" and "A Catered Affair" did not receive nominations. My main interests lie in the Best Musical Revival category where I'm rooting for "South Pacific" to win and for Best Featured Actor in a Play where my friend Raul Esparza is nominated. This is Raul's first nomination for a play, after a nod (but no win) for Featured Actor in a Musical for "Taboo" and a nomination for Best Actor in a Musical (but no win) for "Company" last season. I think the last actor, known mostly for musicals to win for a straight play, was Audra MacDonald. There are lots of names here I'm not familiar with, first time nominees. It's good for theatre, but makes me a bit sad, like a parade has passed me by. I haven't seen any of the nominated works or performances. I'd love to hear from my friends who have seen any of the shows or from those who are theatre buffs and simply have an opinion! Whoopi Goldberg is host. Here's a partial list of nominations with my pick or wish in bold:

Play (and playwrights): "August: Osage County" (Tracy Letts), "Rock 'n' Roll" (Tom Stoppard), "The Seafarer" (Conor McPherson), "The 39 Steps" (Patrick Barlow).

Musical: "Cry-Baby," "In the Heights," "Passing Strange," "Xanadu."

Book-Musical: "Cry-Baby" (Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan), "In the Heights" (Quiara Alegria Hudes), "Passing Strange" (Stew), "Xanadu" (Douglas Carter Beane).

Original Score (music and/or lyrics): "Cry-Baby" (Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger), "In the Heights" (Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda), "The Little Mermaid" (Music: Alan Menken, Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater), "Passing Strange" (Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Lyrics: Stew).

Revival-Play: "Boeing-Boeing," "The Homecoming," "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," "Macbeth."

Revival-Musical: "Grease," "Gypsy," "South Pacific," "Sunday in the Park With George." (Tough pick here, because I adore "Gypsy"!)

Actor-Play: Ben Daniels, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses"; Laurence Fishburne, "Thurgood"; Mark Rylance, "Boeing-Boeing"; Rufus Sewell, "Rock 'n' Roll"; Patrick Stewart, "Macbeth."

Actress-Play: Eve Best, "The Homecoming"; Deanna Dunagan, "August: Osage County"; Kate Fleetwood, "Macbeth"; S. Epatha Merkerson, "Come Back, Little Sheba"; Amy Morton, "August: Osage County."

Actor-Musical: Daniel Evans, "Sunday in the Park With George"; Lin-Manuel Miranda, "In the Heights"; Stew, "Passing Strange"; Paulo Szot, "South Pacific"; Tom Wopat, "A Catered Affair."

Actress-Musical: Kerry Butler, "Xanadu"; Patti LuPone, "Gypsy"; Kelli O'Hara, "South Pacific"; Faith Prince, "A Catered Affair"; Jenna Russell, "Sunday in the Park With George." (Really, I'm happy with any of these women except for Jenna Russell.)

Featured Actor-Play: Bobby Cannavale, "Mauritius"; Raul Esparza, "The Homecoming"; Conleth Hill, "The Seafarer"; Jim Norton, "The Seafarer"; David Pittu, "Is He Dead?"

Featured Actress-Play: Sinead Cusack, "Rock 'n' Roll"; Mary McCormack, "Boeing-Boeing"; Laurie Metcalf, "November"; Martha Plimpton, "Top Girls"; Rondi Reed, "August: Osage County."

Featured Actor-Musical: Daniel Breaker, "Passing Strange"; Danny Burstein, "South Pacific"; Robin De Jesus, "In the Heights"; Christopher Fitzgerald, "Young Frankenstein"; Boyd Gaines, "Gypsy." (Just because this could be "Young Frankenstein's only win.)

Featured Actress-Musical: Laura Benanti, "Gypsy"; de'Adre Aziza, "Passing Strange"; Andrea Martin, "Young Frankenstein"; Olga Merediz, "In the Heights"; Loretta Ables Sayre, "South Pacific."

Direction-Play: Maria Aitken, "The 39 Steps"; Conor McPherson, "The Seafarer"; Anna D. Shapiro, "August: Osage County"; Matthew Warchus, "Boeing-Boeing."

Direction-Musical: Sam Buntrock, "Sunday in the Park With George"; Thomas Kail, "In the Heights"; Arthur Laurents, "Gypsy"; Bartlett Sher, "South Pacific".

Choreography: Rob Ashford, "Cry-Baby"; Andy Blankenbuehler, "In the Heights"; Christopher Gattelli, "South Pacific"; Dan Knechtges, "Xanadu".

Also announced:

Regional Theater Tony Award: Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Special Tony Award: Robert Russell Bennett;
Lifetime Achievement Award: Stephen Sondheim