A QUICK HIT OF 2024 TONY NOMINATIONS
A note about this week's newsletter schedule, plus the New York industry news that everyone is talking about this morning
Happy Tony nominations day to all who celebrate (and who doesn’t?) and welcome to Jaques, your guide to the global theater industry.
Just a heads-up that this week’s regularly scheduled SPOTLIGHT STORY will be slightly delayed to make room for the announcement of the 2024 Tony nominations, the big news this morning that’s eclipsing any other topic of conversation in the Broadway industry and beyond. Look for my new SPOTLIGHT STORY in a couple of days, once the initial furor has died down.
In the meantime, I know the Tony nominations are of interest to readers around the world as an early glimpse of the new Broadway titles that will soon make their way to other territories. So here’s a quick round-up of the most notable nominees, drawn from the full list of 2024 Tony Awards nominations.
THE SNUBS AND SURPRISES
Over at Variety I used to write thoughtful, carefully considered analytical pieces about the nominations and what they meant for the season’s shows and for the business overall. Then we discovered that those stories get a lot more clicks when they’re lists, headlined “Snubs and Surprises.”
Herewith, then, is my take on this year’s 10 biggest snubs and surprises:
Meanwhile, over on the Stagecraft podcast I’ve just released a revealing conversation with two freshly minted Tony nominees, Eden Espinosa and Amber Iman. They’re starring in “Lempicka,” a musical whose subject matter (the rule-breaking Art Deco artist Tamara de Lempicka) and historical sweep could give it some real international legs. Hear my talk with Eden and Amber on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the Broadway Podcast Network, the Variety site and everywhere you get your podcasts.
THE BIGGEST CATEGORIES
BEST MUSICAL
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants
BEST PLAY
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic
Stereophonic
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gutenberg!
Merrily We Roll Along
Tommy
BEST REVIVAL OF PLAY
Appropriate
An Enemy of the People
Purlie Victorious
THE CELEBRITY NOMINEES
Jessica Lange, Lead Actress in a Play, Mother Play
Rachel McAdams, Lead Actress in a Play, Mary Jane
Sarah Paulson, Lead Actress in a Play, Appropriate
Daniel Radcliffe, Featured Actor in a Musical, Merrily We Roll Along
Eddie Redmayne, Lead Actor in a Musical, Cabaret
Liev Schreiber, Lead Actor in a Play, Doubt
The big names left off the list: Steve Carell in Uncle Vanya, Michael Imperioli in An Enemy of the People
THE NOMINATION TALLIES
Hell’s Kitchen - 13
Stereophonic - 13
The Outsiders - 12
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club - 9
Appropriate - 8
Merrily We Roll Along - 7
Water for Elephants - 7
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch - 6
Suffs - 6
An Enemy of the People - 5
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding - 5
Here Lies Love - 4
Illinoise - 4
Mary Jane - 4
Mother Play - 4
Days of Wine and Roses - 3
Doubt: A Parable - 3
Lempicka - 3
The Notebook - 3
Prayer for the French Republic - 3
Back To The Future: The Musical - 2
Grey House - 2
The Great Gatsby - 1
Gutenberg! The Musical! - 1
Monty Python’s Spamalot - 1
Patriots - 1
Uncle Vanya - 1
The Who’s Tommy - 1
Looking for the full list of 2024 Tony nominees? Find it here.
STAY TUNED
In the next SPOTLIGHT STORY: Why Madrid’s booming theater industry stands poised to grow beyond Spanish borders. Look for it in your inbox later this week.