Tony Nominations: The Omissions
The nominations for the Tony Awards, to be held June 13, were announced this morning. My full analysis will be on www.ft.com this evening. Here I will confine my remarks to the perpetual debate over “Who was robbed?” I don’t think we can say that Nathan Lane (pictured), of “The Addams Family,” was overlooked, since the show, though a hit, was pretty universally reviled by insiders. The same could be said for Hugh Jackman in “A Steady Rain.” The omission from “Promises, Promises” from the Best Revival of a Musical was a surprise, because the production is a hit, and “Ragtime,” which came and went last fall, was basically considered a regional-theatre-caliber production. (Except by the Tony nominators, I guess, who nommed both Christiane Noll and Bobby Steggert in acting categories.) The inclusion of “Million Dollar Quartet” in the Best Musical category had more to do with the dislike of “The Addams Family” than any great love for “Million Dollar.” I thought the “Sondheim on Sondheim” show at Studio 54 would make a stronger showing. Ditto for “American Idiot.” Perhaps I’ll have further thoughts later.
