2014 Tony Nominations

For discussions of subjects relating to literature and theater.
FilmFan720
Emeritus
Posts: 3650
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 3:57 pm
Location: Illinois

Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by FilmFan720 »

OscarGuy wrote:Tony voters have been increasingly anti-Hollywood in recent years. They go out of their way NOT to nominate people who have long or big Hollywood careers. They have almost the same predilection as Emmy voters. They vote for the same actors over and over again even if there were better performers out there.
Maybe it's because a lot of those Hollywood actors aren't very good when they move on stage.

In the last five years, the Tonys have awarded Scarlett Johansson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, and John Larroquette and nominated Jane Fonda, Tom Hanks and Andrew Garfield, not to mention a lot of actors with lots of stage credentials who have also created great Hollywood careers. When they "snub" people who come from Hollywood, it is usually because the general consensus is that they aren't very good and the reviews show it (Julia Roberts, Jessica Chastain, Daniel Radcliffe in his earlier performances, Denzel and Franco this year). Plus, some of these categories this year were so competitive that it wasn't a "don't like" but a matter of not having the room.

And I believe the Emmys go out of their way to nominate movie stars, even for 8-second cameos.
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

To be fair, the vast majority of those celebrities were not considered strong candidates for nominations. It's not like voters went out of their way to ignore them because of some anti-Hollywood bias.
User avatar
OscarGuy
Site Admin
Posts: 13668
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 12:22 am
Location: Springfield, MO
Contact:

Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by OscarGuy »

Tony voters have been increasingly anti-Hollywood in recent years. They go out of their way NOT to nominate people who have long or big Hollywood careers. They have almost the same predilection as Emmy voters. They vote for the same actors over and over again even if there were better performers out there.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Big Magilla
Site Admin
Posts: 19318
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
Location: Jersey Shore

Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by Big Magilla »

AP's take:

NEW YORK (AP) — It was a brutal Tuesday morning for some A-list stars on Broadway.

Snubbed for Tony Award nominations were Denzel Washington, James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Michelle Williams, Orlando Bloom, Ethan Hawke, Zach Braff, Billy Crudup, Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig. Daniel Radcliffe struck out for his third consecutive Broadway show.

Neil Patrick Harris, who won a nomination for his brilliant performance in the punk-rock show "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," said he was surprised by the final list. But he's been a Tony host and knows from experience the process is often rough.

"Having been the host in previous years, it's always interesting and surprising," he said. "It's a small group of people that nominate and you're never quite sure what they're responding to. That being said, it does get to showcase the talents of people who often don't get their moment in the spotlight."

One of the winners on Tuesday was unconventional musicals: "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder," a romp with a leading man killed eight times, led the field with 10 nods. It was followed by "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," a rock concert by a transgender German, with eight, and "After Midnight," a candy sampler of stunning dance and singing acts, with seven.

When the dust settled, the musicals up for the Tony's biggest prize are: "After Midnight," ''A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder," ''Aladdin," and "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical." Not one of the shows has a big movie star.

"It's going to be a really exciting Tony race to watch," said Scott Sanders, who produced "After Midnight," which celebrates Duke Ellington's years at the Cotton Club nightclub. (The nomination happened to come on Ellington's birthday.) "The four shows could not be more different in many ways."

Another big winner was the old master himself — Shakespeare. The Mark Rylance-led productions of "Richard III" and "Twelfth Night" from London together scooped up eight nominations.

Rylance, who played "Richard III," will compete in the best leading actor in a play category with Samuel Barnett, also in "Twelfth Night," Bryan Cranston in "All The Way," Chris O'Dowd in "Of Mice and Men" and Tony Shalhoub in "Act One." Rylance also snagged a supporting nomination playing a woman in "Twelfth Night."

He said he didn't care which role actually won. "My preference is being nominated," he said, laughing. "I find in my experience winning is rather an isolating, lonely experience."

The Shakespeare productions — performed by an all-male cast and seeking to replicate how the plays were produced in the Bard's day — also extended the trend on Broadway toward embracing drag.

Last year, "Kinky Boots" and "Matilda the Musical" featured leading men dressed as women. This year has "Casa Valentina," Harvey Fierstein's play about straight cross-dressers, and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," starring Neil Patrick Harris in a skirt. Even "Gentleman's Guide" features Jefferson Mays playing both genders.

While not all Hollywood stars came away empty-handed — Cranston, as expected, won a nod for playing Lyndon Johnson in "All the Way" — the lack of nominations for Broadway veterans from the film world such as Washington, Radcliffe, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, or first-timers, like Franco and Williams, was striking.

"I'm heartbroken that she wasn't nominated," said Danny Burstein, who got his fifth nod, about his "Cabaret" co-star Williams, who plays as Sally Bowles. "She is so fantastic in the show. And in all my years, I have never seen anyone work harder," he said.

One of the spots that likely may have gone to a Hollywood star instead went to Andy Karl, who transformed his body over three years into a fearsome boxer to play the title role in "Rocky."

"It's nice to know it was worth the time and effort," he said. "I've never done anything quite this extensive. It's truly an acting piece, it's truly a musical piece, it's truly a physical piece."

Five-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald earned a leading actress in a play nomination for "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill." That's the one female acting category in which she hasn't already notched at least one win, meaning she is in a position to make history as the Tonys' first grand-slam performance winner.

McDonald, who plays Billie Holiday, goes up against Tyne Daly from "Mothers and Sons," LaTanya Richardson Jackson of "A Raisin in the Sun," Cherry Jones from "The Glass Menagerie" and Estelle Parsons in "The Velocity of Autumn." Parsons' nomination couldn't save the play; it announced it would close this weekend after weeks of poor box office receipts.

The best new play category has James Lapine's "Act One," Terrance McNally's "Mothers and Sons," Robert Schenkkan's "All the Way," John Patrick Shanley's "Outside Mullingar" and "Casa Valentina."

Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel, the "Frozen" singer who got a dose of attention when John Travolta mangled her name at the Oscars, got a nomination for her role in "If/Then." The show itself didn't get a best musical nomination, though the music did.

"I'm disappointed. I won't lie. I'm disappointed, but I'm also really excited about being nominated. Being back in the Broadway community is where I feel at most home. I didn't come back for many years because I wanted to find something that I felt really strongly about."

She will compete in June with a very impressive group of women: Mary Bridget Davies in "A Night with Janis Joplin," Sutton Foster in "Violet," Mueller in "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" and Kelli O'Hara of "The Bridges of Madison County."

Some 870 Tony voters — members of professional groups such as The Broadway League and Actors' Equity Association — will decide the final awards, which will be handed out June 8 at Radio City Music Hall.

One actor who will be there with a smile is James Monroe Iglehart, who plays the rambunctious genie in Disney's "Aladdin."

"I know it sounds cliche, but I'm so happy to be nominated. I get to sit down at the Tonys. I'm not in the back. I'm not watching it on television. I get to sit. There's a ticket with my name on it," Iglehart said. "And I don't have to pay for it!"
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by Mister Tee »

It was a very strange season for musicals. It's true, as BJ says, that Matilda would have easily trumped this whole group of nominees (as would, probably, The Full Monty, Light in the Piazza or Next to Normal, others unlucky in their year-of-origin). But, at the same time, there was an unusually large number of musicals still alive at nominations time, making it more difficult than usual for a middling-reviewed show to get nominations. You think back to the years of Romance! Romance!, and you marvel that Bridges, If/Then, Bullets and Rocky were all basically fighting over one available spot -- which they were all denied.

As I understand it, the reason there was no fifth nominee is numerically based: the nominators are free to include a fifth contender if it's running fairly close to the fourth nominee. Like it or not, the four musicals nominated apparently had notably stronger support, and the four wannabes must have divided voters to the point no one scored near the lead group. (This also explains why there were five plays cited: in a season where no new play got truly strong reviews, the distance between fourth and fifth -- maybe even first and fifth -- was nothing major)

And the four musicals nominated, did, to my observation, get the strongest reception of any on Broadway this year (off-Broadway is another matter: I wouldn't be surprised if entries from there swept the Drama Desks this year). After Midnight and A Gentleman's Guide got excellent notices, enough their wobbly box-office didn't hurt so much. With Aladdin, it may be that the crushing out-of-town reviews lowered expectations enough that critics were kind, but it got, to my mind, a very positive reception. Beautiful wasn't exactly rapturously received -- Jersey Boys it's not -- but its status as one of the bigger audience draws combined with respectable reviews (and well better than that for Mueller) made it a logical pick.

Of the others, I've only seen Bullets over Broadway, and I can attest to its mediocrity. It's got great sets and costumes, and one great tap number, but it's basically humdrum. Mazzie was touted for a nomination she didn't get -- alot are saying it's because she missed alot of shows during the nomination period, but I'd say it's because she just wasn't very good (and I've liked her alot in the past). Then again, I didn't care for Cordero (who paled next to Chazz Palminteri), but other people rave, and he got the nod.

It seems like Neil Patrick Harris' "friend of the Tonys" status, plus strong reviews and near-sellout business, will get him the prize -- though I don't fully discount Jefferson Mays. Best actress seems torn between "give it to her for the past decade" sentiment for Kelli O'Hara and more genuine excitement over Jessie Mueller (who, in the spirit of disclosure, I should say is the daughter of friends from college).

It tells you all you need to know about the best play slate that not one carried over to the directing category, which is 100% revivals. Maybe that's happened before, but it's got to be pretty rare. I'd guess All the Way and Harvey's Casa Valentina are the strongest competitors. And Bryan Cranston seems a lock to add a Tony to his award collection.

The rest of the play categories could be dominated by revivals, with two of the Tonys' favorite ladies, Audra and Cherry Jones, battling it out for lead actress. You're right, BJ, that Audra can make a clean sweep of the acting categories, a pretty amazing feat (accomplished in only 21 years). Though my favorite Tony rarity is Harvey Fierstein's winning for both writing and acting in both a play and a musical.

Twelfth Night was absolutely wonderful, and may be a big overall winner (I'd say it and Glass Menagerie will wrestle over revival and director). All three of its supporting actor nominees are deserving (Fry was a great Malvolio), but I somewhat regret the three-fold nominations boxed out Peter Maloney, a theatre veteran (and friend of a friend) who was in the running (and quite good) in Outside Mullingar. Though, speaking of long-time theatre vets, I hear Reed Birney is pretty terrific in Casa Valentina, and he may win.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: 2014 Tony Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

I've seen three of this year's nominees -- Aladdin, The Bridges of Madison County, and If/Then.

I was a bit surprised voters went with only 4 Best Musical nominees. Given the plethora of contenders, and the option to pick 5, I thought it likely that more nominees would place. And yet, maybe it makes some kind of sense -- although there were a lot of musicals from which to choose, not too many of them received outstanding notices. It seems the on-the-bubble candidates just couldn't generate enough enthusiasm to crack the list. (I think if last year's loser, Matilda, had opened a few months later, it would have had this year's Best Musical trophy in the bag.)

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder -- the musicalization of Kind Hearts and Coronets, for those not in the know -- got by far the best reviews of any new musical this year, and predictably led the pack of nominees. I think it would have to be considered a frontrunner, although its struggling box office seems like it could still be a thorn in its side. It's been limping along for months now -- you almost get the sense producers have kept it open in the hopes that the plethora of Tony nominations (and subsequent tv exposure) they knew they'd get would help boost sales.

I think Aladdin is the kind of show that really benefited from low expectations. Word out of Toronto, where the show did its pre-Broadway tryout, was abysmal -- most people believed Disney had another Tarzan on its hands. But, it seemed like the process of reworking the show for New York paid off -- what made it to Broadway definitely isn't as imaginative a theatrical experience as The Lion King was, but it's an enjoyable enough crowd-pleaser. I rate James Iglehart a very possible candidate to win Featured Actor in a Musical -- his Genie is an audience favorite from the opening number, and the huge energy of his performance is all the more impressive for being so completely different from Robin Williams's iconic work. (It helps that Iglehart is a completely different type.) And "Friend Like Me" is a gigantic showstopper, the kind of old-fashioned production number that just keeps topping itself with every verse -- my audience lept to its feet in a standing ovation, in the middle of the act no less -- and Iglehart is a big reason why.

Still, though I had a fun time at Aladdin, I'm a bit disappointed it made the list over the other two musicals I saw, especially If/Then. I'll immediately admit a bias, given that a friend of mine plays one of the If/Then principals, but I can't believe this show received as mixed-to-negative notices as it did. It wasn't as sensational as Next to Normal, the last musical from this writing team, but it was a hugely ambitious, smart, and emotionally charged piece of theater. We get so few totally original musicals these days, it's always a bummer when something fresh like this gets overlooked for jukebox fair.

I thought The Bridges of Madison County wasn't as fully successful as If/Then -- the script seems overstuffed with characters and subplots, and spends way too much time away from the central couple. And some of the directorial choices struck me as downright bizarre -- beginning with an ugly-looking bridge, and including the choice to have ensemble members sit on stage and wander around during scenes, which struck me as the kind of obvious theatrical conceit that had no emotional resonance and was just simply distracting. BUT...both leads were very strong, and Jason Robert Brown's score is, as usual, heavenly, and completely unlike anything else on Broadway right now.

If Audra McDonald wins Best Actress in a Play -- far from an impossibility -- I believe she would break two astonishing records. With her sixth Tony, she'd become the most awarded actor in history. And she'd become the first actor to win all four acting categories -- Lead/Featured, Musical/Play.

The Best Actress in a Musical category seems exceedingly competitive, competitive enough that a big name like Michelle Williams in a generally sure-fire awards part as Sally Bowles couldn't even crack the list. Sutton Foster won praise for playing against type from her usual bubbly musical comedienne persona, though the fact that she won her second trophy so recently likely works against her. I thought Idina Menzel was fantastic in If/Then -- she's always been a sensational performer, but I don't think I've ever been as impressed by her acting as I was here, and she's been gifted a great eleven o'clock number that left many in my audience weeping. I thought she had a strong chance at winning again, based on the quality of her performance and her current It Girl status (was John Travolta mispronouncing her name the best thing to ever happen to her career?). But the mixed reception of her show and its poor performance in overall nominations make that seem less likely. Kelli O'Hara seems to stand to benefit from this -- she's become a bit like the Amy Adams of musical theater, nabbing nominations throughout the past decade for pretty much everything, but never walking off with the prize. I've seen her in a bunch of shows at this point, and though I've always found her very impressive, I have to admit she has a quality about her that's just a tad generic -- she doesn't seem to me as singular a performer as, say, Menzel or Foster. But she's very powerful in Bridges, and soars tremendously in the vocal department, and that combined with the overdue factor could make her a favorite. And then there's Mueller, in a major star-is-born role in a musical that was among the better received this year, who could prevail if voters seem interested in crowning a new star, as awards bodies are often want to do.

On the other hand, Best Actor in a Musical seems like it might be a done deal for Neil Patrick Harris. A huge star, but also one who cut his teeth in the Broadway community, getting the best reviews of his career, bringing in big audiences, in a total star turn. Seems more likely at this point than a repeat victory for Jefferson Mays.

I'm going to leave the new play discussion to those who are more familiar with that side of things than I am.

Number of actors nominated for playing roles that were previously Oscar-nominated: 3. Andy Karl in Rocky, Kelli O'Hara in The Bridges of Madison County, Nick Cordero in Bullets Over Broadway. (Excluding those who played roles that originated on stage, but were Oscar-nominated in film versions.)
ksrymy
Adjunct
Posts: 1164
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 1:10 am
Location: Wichita, KS
Contact:

2014 Tony Nominations

Post by ksrymy »

Best Play
"Act One"
"All the Way"
"Casa Valentina"
"Mothers and Sons"
"Outside Mullingar"

Best Musical
"After Midnight"
"Aladdin"
"Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Revival of a Play
"The Cripple of Inishmaan"
"The Glass Menagerie"
"A Raisin in the Sun"
"Twelfth Night"

Best Revival of a Musical
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
"Les Miserables"
"Violet"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Samuel Barnett, "Twelfth Night"
Bryan Cranston, "All the Way"
Chris O'Dowd, "Of Mice and Men"
Mark Rylance, "Richard III"
Tony Shalhoub, "Act One"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Tyne Daly, "Mothers and Sons"
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, "A Raisin in the Sun"
Cherry Jones, "The Glass Menagerie"
Audra McDonald, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill"
Estelle Parsons, "The Velocity of Autumn"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Neil Patrick Harris, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Ramin Karimloo, "Les Miserables"
Andy Karl, "Rocky"
Jefferson Mays, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
Bryce Pinkham, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Mary Bridget Davies, "A Night with Janis Joplin"
Sutton Foster, "Violet"
Idina Menzel, "If/Then"
Jesse Mueller, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Kelly O'Hara, "The Bridges of Madison County"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Reed Birney, "Casa Valentina"
Paul Chahidi, "Twelfth Night"
Stephen Fry, "Twelfth Night"
Mark Rylance, "Twelfth Night"
Brian J. Smith, "The Glass Menagerie"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Sarah Green, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"
Celia Keenan-Bolger, "The Glass Menagerie"
Sophie Okonedo, "A Raisin in the Sun"
Anika Noni Rose, "A Raisin in the Sun"
Mare Winningham, "Casa Valentina"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, "Cabaret"
Nick Codero, "Bullets Over Broadway"
Joshua Henry, "Violet"
James M. Iglehart, "Aladdin"
Jarrod Specter, "Bullets Over Broadway"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Linda Emond, "Cabaret"
Lena Hall, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Anika Larson, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Adriane Lenox, "After Midnight"
Lauren Worsham, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Direction of a Play
Tim Carroll, "Twelfth Night"
Michael Grandage, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"
Kenny Leon, "A Raisin in the Sun"
John Tiffany, "The Glass Menagerie"

Best Direction of a Musical
Warren Carlyle, "After Midnight"
Michael Mayer, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Leigh Silverman, "Violet"
Darko Tresnjak, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Book of a Musical
Chad Beguelin, "Aladdin"
Douglas McGrath, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Woody Allen, "Bullets Over Broadway"
Robert L. Friedman, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater
"Aladdin" (Music: Alan Menkin; Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Begeulin)
"The Bridges of Madison County" (Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown)
"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" (Music: Steven Lutvak; Lyrics: Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak)
"If/Then" (Music: Tom Kitt; Lyrics: Brian Yorkey)

Best Choreography
Warren Carlyle, "After Midnight"
Steven Hoggett and Kelly Devine, "Rocky"
Casey Nicholaw, "Aladdin"
Susan Stroman, "Bullets Over Broadway"

Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, "Bullets Over Broadway"
Jason Robert Brown, "The Bridges of Madison County"
Steve Sidwell, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Jonathan Tunick, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Beowulf Boritt, "Act One"
Bob Crowley, "The Glass Menagerie"
Es Devlin, "Machinal"
Christopher Oram, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christopher Barreca, "Rocky"
Julian Crouch, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Alexander Dodge, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
Santo Loquasto, "Bullets Over Broadway"

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jane Greenwood, "Act One"
Michael Krass, "Machinal"
Rita Ryack, "Casa Valentina"
Jenny Tiramani, "Twelfth Night"

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
William Ivey Long, "Bullets Over Broadway"
Arianne Philips, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Isabel Toledo, "After Midnight"

Best Sound Design of a Play
Alex Baranowski, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"
Steve Canyon Kennedy, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill"
Dan Moses Schreier, "Act One"
Matt Tierney, "Machinal"

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, "After Midnight"
Tim O'Heir, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Mick Potter, "Les Miserables"
Brian Ronan, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"
Jane Cox, "Machinal"
Natasha Katz, "The Glass Menagerie"
Japhy Wideman, "Of Mice and Men"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Christopher Akerlind, "Rocky"
Howell Binkley, "After Midnight"
Donald Holder, "The Bridges of Madison County"

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Jane Greenwood

Regional Theatre Award
Signature Theatre

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Rosie O'Donnell

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Joseph P. Benincasa
Joan Marcus
Charlotte Wilcox
"Men get to be a mixture of the charming mannerisms of the women they have known." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Post Reply

Return to “The Cam Dagg Memorial Theatre and Literature Forum”