And the Nominees Are…
Nominations for the 2009 Antoinette Perry Awards were announced today in New York by Tony award winners Cynthia Nixon (Rabbit Hole) and Lin-Manual Miranda (In The Heights). The Tony®, named in honor of Antoinette Perry, is one of the theater's most coveted awards, bestowed annually on theater professionals for distinguished achievement.
This year’s list of nominated shows clearly demonstrates that Broadway has a lot to offer despite the close of some of last year’s biggest hits. There are shows for young and old alike; music by such legends as Elton John, Dolly Parton, and classic rock bands that you’d never guess would have ever made it to Broadway; historical dramas like Mary Stuart; and revivals of classics such as Waiting for Godot, West Side Story, and Hair.
Some of the biggest names from movies and television are on this year’s list of nominees, including Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Hardin, and James Gandolfini (God of Carnage), Geoffrey Rush (Exit the King), Jane Fonda (33 Variations), Angela Lansbury (Blithe Spirit), Allison Janney (9 to 5: The Musical), John Glover (Waiting for Godot), Constantine Maroulis (Rock of Ages), and more.
In the musicals categories, Billy Elliot, the Musical leads with 15 nominations including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. A theatrical adaptation of the film by the same name, with music by the legendary Elton John, Billy Elliot is the most nominated show of the season and is now tied with The Producers for the most Tony nominations ever received by one show. Next to Normal, a new original musical that explores how a suburban family deals with crisis, is next with 11 nominations, followed by the spirited revival of Hair, with 8.
Mary Stuart and The Norman Conquests are tied at 7 nominations each for plays, followed by God of Carnage, with 6. The Norman Conquests and God of Carnage were both directed by Matthew Warthus, who received best director nominations for both.
The nominees for Best Play are Dividing the Estate by Horton Foote, God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, Reasons to Be Pretty by Neil LaBute, and 33 Variations by Moisés Kaufman.
In the Best Musical category, the nominees are Billy Elliot, The Musical, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, and Shrek The Musical.
The 2009 Tony® Awards will be held at Radio City Music Hall June 7. CBS-TV will broadcast the event live. The complete list of nominees can be found at the Awards website.
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