Tony Awards nominations dominated by musicals Hadestown and Ain’t Too Proud
The Broadway musical Hadestown leads the nominations for this year’s Tony Awards with 14 nods, followed by Ain’t Too Proud, a jukebox musical built around songs by the Temptations.
Hadestown, which intertwines the Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, first premiered in 2016 and is the Broadway debut of American singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell.
It elbowed aside more familiar names, including stage adaptations of Tootsie and Beetlejuice, which both also got best musical nods.
Ain’t Too Proud, named after the Temptations song of the same name, picked up 12 nominations.
The five nominees for best play are Choir Boy, The Ferryman, Ink, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus and What the Constitution Means to Me.
Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird unexpectedly missed out on a nomination for best play, as did Hillary and Clinton, which tells the story of Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign.
Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston was nominated for his role in Network, the adaptation of the satirical 1976 film.
Veteran stage actress Rosemary Harris and playwright Terrence McNally will both receive special Tonys for lifetime achievement in theatre.
With only two musical revivals all season, both Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and Kiss Me, Kate were nominated for best revival.
The ceremony, to be hosted by James Corden, will take place on June 9 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It will be broadcast live on CBS at 8pm local time, or 1am BST for UK viewers.
Corden won a Tony for best performance by a leading actor in a play for his 2012 performance in One Man Two Guvnors, and also hosted the ceremony in 2016.
“I’m thrilled to be returning to host the Tony Awards. The Broadway community is very dear to my heart, and I’m beyond proud to be part of this incredibly special night,” Corden said in a statement.
Additional reporting by agencies
