Earlier this week, the 39 members of 2014-15 Tonys Nominating Committee--all theater professionals selected by the Tony Awards Administration Committee who serve staggered three-year terms--sat down to determine the nominees for the 69th Tony Awards.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the awards will be handed out June 7, in a ceremony airing live at 8 p.m. on CBS from Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
And, Classicalites, this year's slate of nominees is sure to impress. Lots of Hollywood "A-listers" got noticed for their outstanding work, chief among them Alan Cumming for Cabaret and Bradley Cooper for Elephant Man. Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth (that spit-fire comedienne best known for Wicked, now reappering in a revival of On the Twentieth Century) are actually going to be hosting this year's ceremony.
Sadly, previous rumblings of a return by stars such as Neil Patrick Harris or Hugh Jackman to reprise their roles as host turned out not to be true. But Cumming is bona fide Broadway royalty by now, who will also mean something to a much broader audience--thanks in no small part to his role on television's The Good Wife. And Chenoweth will be right in her element, so expect an entertaining show, to say the least.
The Tonys are indeed Broadway's biggest night, celebrating the season's best performances in the realms of dance, theater and music. This year's crop looks to answer questions such as, who will win Best Lead Acress in a Musical? Lead actress in a musical looks tough, too. Chenoweth, Kelli O'Hara in The King and I and Broadway star Chita Rivera in The Visit are all worthy. Can Helen Mirren win yet another award for playing the Queen in The Audience? (Remember, she won the Oscar for Best Acress in 2006 for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in the film The Queen) According to THR, she actually sent flowers to her chief competitor, Carey Mulligan, for her role in Skylight.
Bradley Cooper and Alan Cumming definitely have a tight race for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, but there's stiff competition from other strong performances: Bill Nighy for Skylight, Stephen Boyer for Hand to God, Ben Miles in Wolf Hall Parts One & Two and Alex Sharp for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
MUSICAL:
An American in Paris
Fun Home
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit
PLAY:
Constellations
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Disgraced
Hand to God
Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
MUSICAL REVIVAL:
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show
PLAY REVIVAL:
A Delicate Balance
The Elephant Man
Skylight
This is Our Youth
You Can't Take It With You
ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town
ACTOR IN A PLAY:
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Jake Gyllenhaal, Constellations
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Erin Davie, Side Show
Lisa Howard, It Shoulda Been You
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit
ACTRESS IN A PLAY:
Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Lindsay Duncan, A Delicate Balance
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations
FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Josh Grisetti, It Shoulda Been You
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris
FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Jill Paice, An American in Paris
Ashley Park, The King and I
FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY:
James Earl Jones, You Can't Take It With You
Marc Kudisch, Hand to God
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Josh Radnor, Disgraced
Micah Stock, It's Only a Play
FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY:
Rose Byrne, You Can't Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Clare Higgins, A Delicate Balance
Karen Pittman, Disgraced
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL:
Bill Condon, Side Show
Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
DIRECTION OF A PLAY:
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis, The Elephant Man
Michael Longhurst, Constellations
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God
