As I wrote yesterday, star of stage and screen, Anika Noni Rose, joined Matthew Broderick this morning in announcing the nominees for the 2011 Tony Awards (essentially the stage equivalent of the Oscars – theater’s highest honor), and as I suggested then, this year’s list of potentials has a decent representation of African American talent, some who just might actually walk away with some hardware when the awards ceremony is held on Sunday June 12th, broadcast live, beginning at 8/7c on CBS.
I mentioned a list of African American actors and shows that are eligible for nomination in the major categories for both plays and musicals, including A Free Man Of Color, starring Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, Nicole Beharie, and directed by George C. Wolfe; James Earl Jones in the Best Actor In A Play category for his role in the revival of Driving Miss Daisy; The controversial Scottsboro Boys musical; Patina Miller for her starring performance in the Sister Act musical; Chris Rock’s Broadway debut, The Motherf**ker with the Hat; The Book of Mormon – the musical that centers on two young Mormon missionaries who are sent off to spread the word in Uganda, which features a significant black cast; and Baby, It’s You – a musical that follows the story of the white lady who helped launch the African American girl group The Shirelles, which also features prominent African American representation.
So, out of all those eligible above, who made the nomination cut, announced just minutes ago?
Well… in the Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical category, Patina Miller is nominated; Chris Rock’s The Motherf**ker with the Hat is nominated for Best Play; The Book of Mormon, The Scottsboro Boys and Sister Act are all nominated in the Best Musical category; Joshua Henry is nominated in the Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Scottsboro Boys (I should note that the musical earned a total of 12 nominations – including 2 in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon – which some may say makes up for its short run, given that its controversial subject matter turned away audiences).
Interesting to note that while Vanessa Redgrave received a Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her performance in Driving Miss Daisy, James Earl Jones, her costar, is noticeably absent in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.
And by the way, The Book of Mormon lead all noms with 14 total; though, including one for Nikki M. James in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical category.
The Motherf**ker with the Hat received 6 nominations, and Sister Act was blessed with 5.
You can find the full list below; and I should add that if you’re interested in seeing any of these shows I mentioned above, if only out of curiosity, and to judge the content for yourselves, and you live in NYC, or plan on visiting NYC soon, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, Sister Act, The Book of Mormon, Baby, It’s You, and Driving Miss Daisy are still currently running.
Best Play
Good People
Author: David Lindsay-AbaireJerusalem
Author: Jez ButterworthThe Motherf**ker with the Hat
Author: Stephen Adly GuirgisWar Horse
Author: Nick StaffordBest Musical
The Book of Mormon
Catch Me If You Can
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister ActBest Book of a Musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Alex TimbersThe Book of Mormon
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt StoneThe Scottsboro Boys
David ThompsonSister Act
Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter BeaneBest Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Book of Mormon
Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt StoneThe Scottsboro Boys
Music & Lyrics: John Kander and Fred EbbSister Act
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Glenn SlaterWomen on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Music & Lyrics: David YazbekBest Revival of a Play
Arcadia
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Merchant of Venice
The Normal HeartBest Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes
How to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingBest Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Mark Rylance, JerusalemBest Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Frances McDormand, Good People
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief EncounterBest Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the DesertBest Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It’s You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the PictureBest Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the HatBest Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the HatBest Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O’Malley, The Book of MormonBest Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous BreakdownBest Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Rae Smith, War Horse
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of VeniceBest Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew JacksonBest Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born YesterdayBest Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingBest Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, War Horse
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, JerusalemBest Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
Brian MacDevitt, The Book of MormonBest Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
Christopher Shutt, War HorseBest Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Brian Ronan, The Book of MormonBest Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of VeniceBest Direction of a Musical
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro BoysBest Choreography
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro BoysBest Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You CanRecipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Athol Fugard
Philip J. SmithRegional Theatre Tony Award
Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago, Ill.)Isabelle Stevenson Award
Eve EnslerSpecial Tony Award
Handspring Puppet CompanyTony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
William Berloni
The Drama Book Shop
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts
