2013 Tony Awards Nominations

Matilda the Musical

Nominees for the 2013 Tony Awards were announced earlier this morning with some of my favorite people and shows up for honors. The awards show will be broadcast live on CBS on Saturday, the 9th of June. Listed below are the nominees in each category and highlighted are my picks for the award. I am by no means a Broadway authority, nor am I even really a theatre critic, so my favorites to win are simply based on the reviews I've read and personal testimonials I've heard from friends and acquaintances who have seen the performances.

If you disagree with me, you can suck it - I know dance, not theatre. That being said, I still wish certain people weren't on this list to make room for those whom I wish could and deserve to be on it.

Best Play
"The Assembled Parties"
"Lucky Guy"
"The Testament of Mary"
"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Best Musical
"Bring it On: The Musical"
"A Christmas Story, The Musical"
"Kinky Boots"
"Matilda The Musical"

Best Revival of a Play
"Golden Boy"
"Orphans"
"The Trip to Bountiful"
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Best Revival of a Musical
"Annie"
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
"Pippin"
"Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Tom Hanks, "Lucky Guy"
Nathan Lane, "The Nance"
Tracy Letts, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
David Hyde Pierce, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Tom Sturridge, "Orphans"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Laurie Metcalf, "The Other Place"
Amy Morton, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Kristine Nielson, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Holland Taylor, "Ann"
Cicely Tyson, "The Trip to Bountiful"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Bertie Carvel, "Matilda The Musical"
Santino Fontana, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"
Rob McClure, "Chaplin"
Billy Porter, "Kinky Boots"
Stark Sands, "Kinky Boots"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Carolee Carmello, "Scandalous"
Valisia LeKae, "Motown the Musical"
Patina Miller, "Pippin"
Laura Osnes, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Danny Burstein, "Golden Boy"
Richard Kind, "The Big Knife"
Billy Magnussen, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Tony Shalhoub, "Golden Boy"
Courtney B. Vance, "Lucky Guy"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Carrie Coon, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Shalita Grant, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Judith Ivey, "The Heiress,"
Judith Light, "The Assembled Parties"
Condola Rashad, "The Trip to Bountiful"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Charl Brown, "Motown the Musical"
Keith Carradine, "Hands on a Hardbody"
Will Chase, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Gabriel Ebert, "Matilda The Musical"
Terrence Mann, "Pippin"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, "Kinky Boots"
Victoria Clark, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"
Andrea Martin, "Pippin"
Keala Settle, "Hands on a Hardbody"
Lauren Ward, "Matilda The Musical"

Best Book of a Musical
Joseph Robinette, "A Christmas Story, The Musical"
Harvey Fierstein, "Kinky Boots"
Dennis Kelly, "Matilda The Musical"
Douglas Carter Beane, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater
"A Christmas Story, The Musical" (Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul)
"Hands on a Hardbody" (Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green; Lyrics: Amanda Green)
"Kinky Boots" (Music and Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper)
"Matilda The Musical" (Music and LyricsL Tim Minchin)

Best Direction of a Play
Pam MacKinnon, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Nicolas Martin, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Bartett Sher, "Golden Boy"
George C. Wolfe, "Lucky Guy"

Best Direction of a Musical
Scott Ellis, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Jerry Mitchell, "Kinky Boots"
Diane Paulus, "Pippin"
Matthew Warchus, "Matilda The Musical"

Best Choreography*
Andy Blankenbuehler, "Bring It On: The Musical"
Peter Darling, "Matilda the Musical"
Jerry Mitchell, "Kinky Boots"
Chet Walker, "Pippin"

* Alright, I'll have to see each one before I can really make a choice because my two obvious choices are Kinky Boots and Matilda the Musical, but I heard Bring It On: The Musical was absolutely fantastic - though right now I'm still cheering for Matilda the Musical (surprise!).

Best Orchestrations
Chris Nightingale, "Matilda the Musical"
Stephen Oremus, "Kinky Boots"
Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, "Motown the Musical"
Danny Troob, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Bailey, "The Nance"
Santo Loquasto, "The Assembled Parties"
David Rockwell, "Lucky Guy"
Michael Yeargan, "Golden Boy"

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rob Howell, "Matilda The Musical"
Anna Louizos, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Scott Pask, "Pippin"
David Rockwell, "Kinky Boots"

Best Costume Design of a Play
Soutra Gilmour, "Cyrano de Bergerac"
Ann Roth, "The Nance"
Albert Wolsky, "The Heiress"
Catherine Zuber, "Golden Boy"

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, "Kinky Boots"
Rob Howell, "Matilda The Musical"
Dominique Lemieux, "Pippin"
William Ivey Long, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, "Lucky Guy"
Donald Holder, "Golden Boy"
Jennifer Tipton, "The Testament of Mary"
Japhy Weideman, "The Nance"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kenneth Posner, "Kinky Boots"
Kenneth Posner, "Pippin"
Kenneth Posner, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"
Hugh Vanstone, "Matilda The Musical"

Best Sound Design of a Play
John Gromada, "The Trip to Bountiful"
Mel Mercier, "The Testament of Mary"
Leon Rothenberg, "The Nance"
Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, "Golden Boy"

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm, "Pippin"
Peter Hylenski, "Motown The Musical"
John Shivers, "Kinky Boots"
Nevin Steinberg, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Bernard Gersten
Paul Libin
Ming Cho Lee

Regional Theatre Award
Huntington Theatre Company

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Larry Kramer

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Career Transition For Dancers
William Craver
Peter Lawrence
"The Lost Colony"
The four actresses who created the title role of "Matilda The Musical" on Broadway -- Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro