NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Three Broadway shows 鈥� 鈥淏uena Vista Social Club,鈥� 鈥淒eath Becomes Her鈥� and 鈥淢aybe Happy Ending鈥� 鈥� each earned a leading 10 nominations Thursday, as nominators spread out the joy and gave nods to and in their debuts.
got at least one nomination across the 26 Tony categories, even long-closed shows like 鈥淎 Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical鈥� and 鈥淪wept Away.鈥�
James Monroe Iglehart, who played Armstrong in his musical, wasn't expecting the nomination and woke to his phone blowing up. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 going on? Is everything OK?鈥� And then I was, 'OK! How cool is that?鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just really excited to be a part of this crop of amazing performers.鈥�
鈥淏uena Vista Social Club,鈥� which takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders鈥� 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the album 鈥淏uena Vista Social Club,鈥� will face off for best musical crown with 鈥淒eath Becomes Her,鈥� based on the 1992 cult classic film of the same name about frenemeies who seek a magic eternal youth and beauty potion.
The category also includes 鈥淢aybe Happy Ending,鈥� a rom-com musical about a pair of androids that crackles with humanity and 鈥� a musical about a real life alcoholic drifter who was shot dead in 1911 and whose afterlife proved to be stranger than fiction as he was displayed at carnivals and sideshows for decades.
A second show with a corpse, the British import 鈥淥peration Mincemeat,鈥� also made it, the improbably true story about a British deception operation designed to mislead Nazi Germany about the location of the Allied landing at Sicily.
鈥淲hat I think is so cool about this year is that the shows are so widely different and I love that for Broadway,鈥� says Christopher Gattelli, the choreographer and first-time director of 鈥淒eath Becomes Her,鈥� who earned nods for both jobs.
鈥淲e have chamber pieces and really small intimate shows and these wildly funny black box shows, and so, I love that it鈥檚 been such a great scope of a year. I love that we get to add to that mix.鈥�
鈥淒ead Outlaw鈥� 鈥� conceived by David Yazbek, who wrote the music and lyrics with Erik Della Penna 鈥� reunites Yazbek with book writer Itamar Moses and the director David Cromer, who collaborated so winningly on the Tony-winning Yazbek said Thursday that the team learned a lesson with that show that they applied to 鈥淒ead Outlaw.鈥�
鈥淚f you make the thing you want to make and make it true to itself and leave the rest of it up to the fates, then you might actually get the reception that you want. And so we sort of stuck to that approach,鈥� he said.
Best play category
In the best play category, 鈥淓nglish,鈥� Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright look at four Iranian students preparing for an English language exam, made the cut. As did 鈥淭he Hills of California,鈥� Jez Butterworth鈥檚 look at a family gathering for the impending death of its matriarch set in a hotel in the summer of 1976 in England.
They'll compete with 鈥淛ohn Proctor Is the Villain,鈥� Kimberly Belflower鈥檚 examination of girlhood, feminism, the #MeToo movement and a compelling rebuttal to 鈥淭he Crucible,鈥� and 鈥淧urpose,鈥� Branden Jacobs-Jenkins鈥� drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family destroying itself from within.
The category is completed with 鈥淥h, Mary!,鈥� an irreverent, raunchy, gleefully deranged revisionist history by Cole Escola centered on Mary Todd Lincoln, portrayed as a boozy, narcissistic, potty-mouthed first lady determined to strike out of the subordinate role into which history has placed her.
Jacobs-Jenkins, whose 鈥淎ppropriate,鈥� won best play revival last year, said Thursday morning that his category was filled with plays that started regionally or off-Broadway, showing the art鈥檚 strength.
鈥淚 hope people kind of see the diversity of what鈥檚 happening in terms of writing for the American stages right now. It鈥檚 really an amazing time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 just the testament to how fruitful the form is.鈥�
Acting nods and some missing
, as expected, heard her name called for her turn as Rose in a hailed revival of 鈥淕ypsy,鈥� a role that led to previous Tonys for the likes of , Tyne Daly and McDonald, already a holder for the most Tonys by a performer 鈥� with six 鈥� now vies for a seventh.
She will face off against Nicole Scherzinger in 鈥淪unset Blvd.,鈥� Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in 鈥淒eath Becomes Her,鈥� and Jasmine Amy Rogers from 鈥淏oop! The Musical,鈥� which follows the Depression-era cartoon character as she goes on a journey of transformation.
McDonald credits the late for suggesting she lead 鈥淕ypsy鈥� some eight years ago during a dinner party at her house. It wasn't on her radar, and she didn't think a Black-led 鈥淕ypsy鈥� would fly. Creel insisted. He died the first day of 鈥淕ypsy鈥� rehearsals. 鈥淲e have another reason to thank him,鈥� she said.
Clooney got a nod as a leading actor in a play for his retelling the story of legendary reporter in an Another hot ticket 鈥� a revival of David Mamet's earned Odenkirk a nod, but not for his co-stars Kieran Culkin or . (The snub derails Culkin possibly winning an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony in less than 18 months.)
, Culkin's 鈥淪uccession鈥� co-star, earned a nomination for playing all 26 parts in 鈥淭he Picture of Dorian Gray鈥� and 鈥淪tranger Things鈥� star Sadie Sink earned one for leading 鈥淛ohn Proctor is the Villain.鈥� 鈥淪tranger Things: The First Shadow,鈥� an effects-driven prequel to her old Netflix hit show, earned five nods, including for lead actor
The news was less good for Kit Connor and both in their Broadway debuts. Neither got nominations for their 鈥淩omeo + Juliet鈥� pitched to Generation X and millennials. Robert Downey Jr., who also made his Broadway debut in the play 鈥淢cNeal,鈥� also wasn't recognized. earned a nomination for 鈥淭he Roommate鈥� but her co-star, the Broadway diva Patti LuPone, did not.
And, in a shock, an edgy 鈥淥thello鈥� with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal that producers are charging north of $900 for orchestra seats, got not a single nomination. return to Broadway in 鈥淩edwood,鈥� a contemporary fable about trees, grief and the quest for healing, also got no nominations, nor did with Nick Jonas and Tony-winner
Thornton Wilder鈥檚 鈥淥ur Town,鈥� starring Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes, earned a best play revival Tony nomination, but nothing for its actors. Elton John's musical about 1980s and the Stephen Sondheim revue starring Tony Award-winners and both came up blank.
The Tony Awards will be handed out June 8 at Radio City Music Hall during a telecast hosted by 鈥淲icked鈥� star and Tony winner
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
