The Tony nominations are out and two gay plays are standing at the top!
The 2020 Tony Award nominations were announced on Thursday in a video that was hosted by James Monroe Iglehart of Aladdin.
“What, you didn’t think we were gonna have the Tony Awards?” said Iglehart. “Of course we’re going to have the Tony Awards. It’s just going to be a little different. Theater will always survive.”
With Broadway shutting down in March and planning to stay shut down until June of 2021, it looked like there wouldn’t be a Tony Awards this year. As the New York Post reports, the awards will go on. Due to many of the spring shows, like “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Six,” “Plaza Suite,” having not yet opened, there is a smaller competition pool this year. This was especially displayed in one category, Best Lead Actor in a Musical, where only Aaron Tveit of Moulin Rouge! The Musical! was nominated.
As for the gay-themed or created projects, there was a BIG showing of support. In fact, Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris received a groundbreaking 12 Tony Award nominations! The controversial play about three interracial couples who engage in slave-themed sex role play, in a story about the extending traumatic effects racism plays on the Black American experience, is the first new play to gain that many nominations.
The play received nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Joaquina Kalukango, two nominations for Actress in a Featured Role, Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design, and Sound Design, and Best Play. Actors James Cusati-Moyer and Ato Blankson-Wood, who play a gay couple in the play, were both nominated for Best Actor in a Featured Role. Then finally, Robert O’Hara was nominated for his direction.
For playwright Jeremy O. Harris, this is just the latest record broken through his work on the play. After conceptualizing it while attending the Yale School of Drama, Harris, who is openly gay, went on to become the youngest Black man with a Broadway debut.
The only person who said she wasn’t surprised was my niece, Kyra who said, “you’re famous on tiktok I knew you’d get a lot…”
My grandpa said she wished that Golden could see this and I do too. pic.twitter.com/9C8mbOkkMb
— Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 15, 2020
I did this last night and stayed in the outfit bc I wanted to celebrate being alive for a crazy time in history…now I guess I was celebrating making history too?
I stayed in this outfit for 24 hours btw. pic.twitter.com/vMPu8FhV8h
— Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2020
In addition, The Inheritance by fellow gay playwright Matthew Lopez also received nominations. This play, follows gay men in New York as they discuss how they owe previous generations of gay men who fought for Gay Rights and through the AIDS crisis.
The Inheritance gained nominations for Actor in a Leading Role and Actor in a Featured Role (Andrew Burnpa and John Benjamin Hickey respectively), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Lois Smith), Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre, Best Direction of a Play (Stephen Daldry), Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Sound Design of a Play, and Best Play.
You can find the full nomination list below:
Best Play
Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl
The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez
Sea Wall/A Life by Simon Stephens and Nick Payne
Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris
The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp
Best Revival of a Play
Betrayal
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune by Terrence McNally
A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller
Best Musical
Jagged Little Pill
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Joaquina Kalukango, Slave Play
Laura Linney, My Name is Lucy Barton
Audra McDonald, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Mary-Louise Parker, The Sound Inside
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Ian Barford, Linda Vista
Andrew Burnap, The Inheritance
Jake Gyllenhaal, Sea Wall/A Life
Tom Hiddleston, Betrayal
Tom Sturridge, Sea Wall/A Life
Blair Underwood, A Soldier’s Play
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Karen Olivo, Moulin Rouge!
Elizabeth Stanley, Jagged Little Pill
Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Aaron Tveit, Moulin Rouge!
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Ato Blankson-Wood, Slave Play
James Cusati-Moyer, Slave Play
David Alan Grier, A Soldier’s Play
John Benjamin Hickey, The Inheritance
Paul Hilton, The Inheritance
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Jane Alexander, Grand Horizons
Chalia La Tour, Slave Play
Annie McNamara, Slave Play
Lois Smith, The Inheritance
Cora Vander Broek, Linda Vista
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge!
Derek Klena, Jagged Little Pill
Sean Allan Krill, Jagged Little Pill
Sahr Ngaujah, Moulin Rouge!
Daniel J. Watts, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kathryn Gallagher, Jagged Little Pill
Celia Rose Gooding, Jagged Little Pill
Robyn Hurder, Moulin Rouge!
Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill
Myra Lucretia Taylor, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Book of a Musical
Jagged Little Pill, Diablo Cody
Moulin Rouge!, John Logan
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
A Christmas Carol, Christopher Nightingale
The Inheritance, Paul Englishby
The Rose Tattoo, Fitz Patton and Jason Michael Webb
Slave Play, Lindsay Jones
The Sound Inside, Daniel Kluger
Best Direction of a Play
David Cromer, The Sound Inside
Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance
Kenny Leon, A Soldier’s Play
Jamie Lloyd, Betrayal
Robert O’Hara, Slave Play
Best Direction of a Musical
Phyllida Lloyd, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Diane Paulus, Jagged Little Pill
Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge!
Best Choreography
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jagged Little Pill
Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge!
Anthony van Laast, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Orchestrations
Tom Kitt, Jagged Little Pill
Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine, and Justin Levine, Moulin Rouge!
Ethan Popp, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Bob Crowley, The Inheritance
Soutra Gilmour, Betrayal
Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol
Derek McLane, A Soldier’s Play
Clint Ramos, Slave Play
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Riccardo Hernández and Lucy Mackinnon, Jagged Little Pill
Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge!
Mark Thompson and Jeff Sugg, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Costume Design of a Play
Dede Ayite, Slave Play
Dede Ayite, A Soldier’s Play
Bob Crowley, The Inheritance
Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol
Clint Ramos, The Rose Tattoo
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Emily Rebholz, Jagged Little Pill
Mark Thompson, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge!
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jiyoun Chang, Slave Play
Jon Clark, The Inheritance
Heather Gilbert, The Sound Inside
Allen Lee Hughes, A Soldier’s Play
Hugh Vanstone, A Christmas Carol
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Justin Townsend, Jagged Little Pill
Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge!
Bruno Poet, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid, The Inheritance
Simon Baker, A Christmas Carol
Lindsay Jones, Slave Play
Daniel Kluger, Sea Wall/A Life
Daniel Kluger, The Sound Inside
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, Jagged Little Pill
Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Nevin Steinberg, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
