Jim Parsons and Kristin Chenoweth
On Tuesday, Kristin Chenoweth and Jim Parsons presented this year’s Tony roster, the final list of award nominations for the 2011/12 New York season. This coming Sunday, the Off-Broadway League will announce the first of this season’s winners, when it presents its Lucille Lortel Awards.
The favorite Broadway musicals of the season include Newsies and Nice Work If You Can Get It and the revivals of Follies and Porgy and Bess. The favorites Off-Broadway include Death Takes a Holiday, Queen of the Mist, and the short-lived revival of Carrie. However, the most lauded musical of the season is Once, which garnered nominations for both its Off-Broadway run and its Broadway transfer this season.
Once received nominations a Best Musical not only for the Lortel and Tony awards but also for the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and Off-Broadway Alliance honors. The musical garnered an additional 26 noms in total from the six organizations – 32 in all – with four of them for director John Tiffany and three apiece for choreographer Steven Hoggett, set designer Bob Crowley, sound designer Clive Goodwin, and actress Cristin Milioti.
In the Off-Broadway races, Queen of the Mist tied Once with five noms as Best Musical, with The Blue Flower, Death Takes a Holiday, and Silence receiving two apiece. For Best Revival, Carrie leads with four noms. Among actors, Marin Mazzie is out in front with three noms for her role in Carrie, while her co-star Molly Ranson follows closely with two. The frontrunners for Best Score are Maury Yeston’s Death Takes a Holiday and Michael John LaChiusa’s Queen of the Mist, which each received two noms. The only other Off-Broadway multiple nominee is costume designer Catherine Zuber for Death Takes a Holiday.
In the Broadway races, Newsies leads with four noms as Best Musical, while Leap of Faith and Nice Work have three apiece and Bonnie & Clyde has two. Among revivals, Evita, Follies and Porgy and Bess each received four noms as best of the season, while Jesus Christ Superstar received three. The frontrunners for Best Score, both with three noms, are Alan Menken and Jack Feldman’s Newsies and Frank Wildhorn and Don Black’s Bonnie & Clyde.
The favorite leading actors include Danny Burstein and Jan Maxwell from Follies, Jeremy Jordan from Newsies, Kelli O’Hara from Nice Work, and Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald from Porgy and Bess, while among supporting actors, the leading contenders are Phillip Boykin from Porgy and Bess and Judy Kaye and Michael McGrath from Nice Work – each with three nominations apiece.
The choreography category is a toss up, with Rob Ashford of Evita, Christopher Gattelli of Newsies, and Kathleen Marshall of Nice Work each a triple nominee. Other multiple nominees, each with three noms as well, include costume designer Gregg Barnes of Follies and director Kathleen Marshall, librettist Joe DiPietro, and costume designer Martin Pakledinaz of Nice Work.
The winners will be announced May 6 for the Lortels, May 7 for the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, May 14 for the Outer Critics Circle, May 18 for the Drama League, May 21 for the Obies, May 22 for the Off-Broadway Alliance, June 3 for the Drama Desk, and finally June 10 for the Tony Awards.