TWO MUSICALS — Fun Home, a groundbreaking piece about coming of age and seeing your parents through grown-up eyes, and An American in Paris, based on the 1951 Gene Kelly movie gem — each earned 12 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, leading the lineup of musicals, comedies and dramas vying for Broadway’s top honors.
Wolf Hall Parts 1 and 2, set in the volatile courts of King Henry VIII, is the most-favored non-musical with eight nominations.
The 69th Tony awards, will air live on CBS at 8 p.m. June 7. Tony Award winners Kristin Chenoweth (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, 1999) and Alan Cumming (Cabaret, 1998) will co-host. Chenoweth is nominated this year for leading actress in a musical for On the Twentieth Century, in which she plays a glam starlet in 1930s Hollywood, being wooed for a Broadway return.
Fun Home, based on lesbian artist Alison Bechdel’s best-selling 2006 graphic memoir, began off-Broadway in October 2013 before transferring to Broadway’s Circle in the Square this month (we identify her as a “lesbian” because it’s critical to the story and much of what she writes about).
The score is by previous Tony winners Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron. Among Fun Home’s other nominations: best musical; best score; best leading actor (Michael Cerveris as Alison’s volatile father); best leading actress (Beth Malone as Alison); best featured actress (Judy Kuhn as Alison’s mother, Sydney Lucas as Small Alison and Emily Skeggs as Medium Alison); and best direction (Sam Gold).
An American in Paris is, of course, the story of a young American soldier, a beautiful French girl and a indomitable European city in the aftermath of World War II. Among its nominations: best musical; best book of a musical (Craig Lucas); best leading actor (Robert Fairchild in the Gene Kelly role); best leading actress (Leanne Cope in the Leslie Caron role); best featured actor (Brandon Uranowitz as in the Oscar Levant role and Max von Essen as Henri Baurel); best direction and choreography (Christopher Wheeldon).
Other best musical nominees: Something Rotten!, set in the 1590s, where brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit but are stuck in the shadow of a Renaissance rock star known as the Bard (yes, that one); and The Visit, about one aging woman’s carefully plotted revenge. It features the last score by John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Zorba, Chicago, Woman of the Year, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Curtains, The Scottsboro Boys, among others) and, in the leading role, the great Chita Rivera.
Musical snubs include Finding Neverland, which brought Matthew Morrison back to Broadway after too many years on “Glee;” It Shoulda Been You, directed by David Hyde Pierce and featuring Tyne Daly; and Gigi, revived in a brand-new production featuring “High School Musical” alum Vanessa Hudgens in the title role.
If you’re wondering what might come to Atlanta’s Fox Theatre in the next season, or two, or three, bet on An American in Paris, Something Rotten!, and, perhaps, The King and I and On the Town revivals. Fun Home, with a cast of nine, is likely too small for the cavernous space; The Visit is likely too dark for mass audiences.
Best play nominees are The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens, about a 15-year-old genius who takes a frightening journey when he’s accused of killing a neighbor’s dog; Disgraced, Ayad Akhtar’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner about the stories we tell our friends and the lies we tell ourselves in order to chase the American Dream; and Hand to God by Robert Askins, about a shy, inquisitive student who finds a creative outlet at the Christian Puppet Ministry.
It has been a competitive season on Broadway. You can tell by the number of categories that expanded to include five nominees instead of the usual four.
A full list of nominations:
BEST PLAY
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, adapted by Simon Stephens from the Mark Haddon best-seller
- Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar
- Hand to God by Robert Askins
- Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2 by Hilary Mantel & Mike Poulton
BEST MUSICAL
- An American in Paris by George & Ira Gershwin, with a new book by Craig Lucas
- Fun Home by Lisa Kron & Jeanine Tesori and based on the graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel
- Something Rotten! by Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell & Wayne Kirkpatrick
- The Visit by John Kander & Fred Ebb, with a book by Terrence McNally
BEST REVIVAL / PLAY
- The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance (and starring Bradley Cooper)
- Skylight by David Hare (with Carey Mulligan & Bill Nighy)
- This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan
- You Can’t Take It With You by Moss Hart & George S. Kaufman
BEST REVIVAL / MUSICAL
- The King and I
- On the Town
- On the Twentieth Century
BEST BOOK / MUSICAL
- An American in Paris, Craig Lucas
- Fun Home, Lisa Kron
- Something Rotten!, Karey Kirkpatrick & John O’Farrell
- The Visit, Terrence McNally
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
- Fun Home, Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron
- The Last Ship, Sting
- Something Rotten!, Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick
- The Visit, John Kander & Fred Ebb
LEADING ACTOR / PLAY
- Steven Boyer, Hand to God
- Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
- Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2
- Bill Nighy, Skylight
- Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
LEADING ACTRESS / PLAY
- Geneva Carr, Hand to God
- Helen Mirren, The Audience
- Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
- Carey Mulligan, Skylight
- Ruth Wilson, Constellations
LEADING ACTOR / 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
LEADING ACTRESS / MUSICAL
- Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
- Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
- Beth Malone, Fun Home
- Kelli O’Hara, The King and I
- Chita Rivera, The Visit
FEATURED ACTOR / PLAY
- Matthew Beard, Skylight
- K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
- Richard McCabe, The Audience
- Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
- Nathaniel Park, Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2
- Micah Stock, It’s Only a Play
FEATURED ACTRESS / PLAY
- Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It With You
- Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
- Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2
- Sara Stiles, Hand to God
- Julie White, Airline Highway
FEATURED ACTOR / MUSICAL
- Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
- Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
- Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
- Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
- Max von Essen, An American in Paris
FEATURED ACTRESS / MUSICAL
- Victoria Clark, Gigi
- Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
- Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
- Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
- Emily Skeggs, Fun Home
SCENIC DESIGN / PLAY
- Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
- Bob Crowley, Skylight
- Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2
- David Rockwell, You Can’t Take It With You
SCENIC DESIGN / MUSICAL
- Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
- David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
- Michael Yeargan, The King and I
- David Zinn, Fun Home
COSTUME DESIGN / PLAY
- Bob Crowley, The Audience
- Jane Greenwood, You Can’t Take It With You
- Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2
- David Zinn, Airline Highway
COSTUME DESIGN / MUSICAL
- Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
- Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
- William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
- Catherine Zuber, The King and I
LIGHTING DESIGN / PLAY
- Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
- Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2
- Natasha Katz, Skylight
- Japhy Weideman, Airline Highway
LIGHTING DESIGN / MUSICAL
- Donald Holder, The King and I
- Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
- Ben Stanton, Fun Home
- Japhy Weideman, The Visit
DIRECTION / PLAY
- Stephen Daldry, Skylight
- Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
- Scott Ellis, You Can’t Take It With You
- Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2
- Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God
DIRECTION / MUSICAL
- Sam Gold, Fun Home
- Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
- John Rando, On the Town
- Bartlett Sher, The King and I
- Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
CHOREOGRAPHY
- Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
- Christopher Gattelli, The King and I
- Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
- Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
- Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
ORCHESTRATIONS
- Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris
- John Clancy, Fun Home
- Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
- Rob Mathes, The Last Ship
SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
- Actor-director-choreographer and 10-time Tony winner Tommy Tune (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Nine, My One and Only, Grand Hotel, The Will Rogers Follies)
REGIONAL THEATER TONY AWARD
- The Cleveland Play House in Cleveland, Ohio, a 100-year-old company that was the first professional regional theater in the country. Today it does a 10- or 12-show season of contemporary and classic works and musicals.
