It’s all in the family for ‘Purpose.’
Last year, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s “Appropriate” was nominated for eight Tony Awards. “Purpose,” his play about a prominent Black political family didn’t quite best that, but five of its six nominations were in the acting categories, an unusually high number for an ensemble-driven play in which the dining room pyrotechnics are apportioned so equally. (Sadly there was no place at the Tonys table for Alana Arenas, who gave a glamorous and explosive turn as the daughter-in-law, Morgan.) Sanaz Toossi’s “English” and Kimberly Belflower’s “John Proctor Is the Villain,” two other ensemble-powered dramas, netted three acting nominations each.
Stage rivals share the spotlight.
Does a woman have to break her neck to be nominated for a Tony these days? Yes. And being shot through the stomach doesn’t hurt either. In a nicely macabre surprise, both Jennifer Simard and Megan Hilty, who play fight-to-the-undeath frenemies in “Death Becomes Her,” were nominated in the leading actress in a musical category. They weren’t the only clashing characters to receive Tony nods. The actors playing the fractious father and sons of “Purpose” were also honored, as were Daniel Dae Kim and Francis Jue, who star as the more softly opposed father and son in “Yellow Face.” Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln and Conrad Ricamora as her exasperated husband were sure things for “Oh, Mary!” but while Audra McDonald was always a lock for “Gypsy,” she’ll be joined on Tonys night by Joy Woods, who plays her disapproving daughter Louise.
Four? Five? Six?
OK, students, get out your pencils and calculators. Most Tonys categories have spots for five nominees, but various factors can alter that. According to the rules, if there are fewer than nine eligible contenders, only four nominees will be named. That’s what happened in the best revival categories, which had seven eligible contenders each. On the other hand, if the nominators’ vote produces a tie or a near tie among the nominees who receive the lowest number of votes, additional spots can open up. That’s what happened in both of the best leading actor categories, which have six nominees each. And if you think all that math suggests there’s something fundamentally arbitrary about the Tonys, well — come sit by us.
‘Smash’ wasn’t.
“Bombshell,” the musical within the beloved-and-mocked NBC TV series “Smash,” won best musical and best lead actress at the fictional Tony Awards ceremony that ended the show’s second (and final) season. No such luck for “Smash,” the actual Broadway musical spun off from the series after a painstaking development period. The show got only two nominations, and none in a major category. (Blame Ellis?) Over all, it wasn’t an especially good morning for brand extensions in a Broadway season that seems to be celebrating originality. “Boop! The Musical” scored three nominations, including one for its breakout star, Jasmine Amy Rogers, while “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” earned five, most of them in technical categories.
‘Buena Vista’ dances up a storm.
Then again, “Buena Vista Social Club” — a musical inspired by a documentary inspired by an album that brought a global audience to Cuban musicians — had a fantastic showing, with 10 Tony nominations. It shares the top spot with fellow best musical nominees “Death Becomes Her” (yes, a movie spinoff) and the very much original “Maybe Happy Ending.” Given that it didn’t have a new score, “Buena Vista” looked like a long-shot to reach double digits, but it gobbled up one nomination after another, for the director Saheem Ali, the book writer Marco Ramirez, as well as for its costumes, set, lighting, sound and — no surprise here — choreography. Natalie Venetia Belcon was singled out from the ensemble cast, and the Tony administrators were enthralled enough to create a special award to recognize the musical’s onstage band.
