The real question is how many.
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The Broadway hit “Hamilton” scored a record 16 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, solidifying its front-runner status for the top prize of best musical.
Again, there’s a direct economic impact, not least because there are 11 shows that qualify for best musical, and only the ones nominated will get the priceless opportunity to perform an extract on the live, nationally broadcast Tony Awards ceremony (and in perpetuity online). The band got multiple nominations especially for actors, Miranda and Leslie Odom, Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff and Christopher Jackson.
Hollywood stars got well-deserved attention, with both Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams nominated for the powerful two-person play Blackbird.
The success of “Hamilton” has one downside – all scheduled shows are sold out through January 29, 2017, with tickets going for as much as $8,278 on the secondary market.
U.S. presidential candidates have tweeted about it, it has influenced the debate over the nation’s currency and the show has been referenced on Saturday Night Live and Inside Amy Schumer.
It was a strong year for musical revivals, with four in contention: “The Color Purple”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “She Loves Me” and “Spring Awakening”. The show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, shared the secret in his secretary of the treasury sauce. “Hughie”, “Allegiance”, the reworked “Shuffle Along” and “Eclipsed“.
Women, so often underrepresented in creative roles on Broadway, also had reason to cheer.
The Nativity School alum was a featured dancer in some big Broadway hits of the 1990s, including “Fosse” and “Guys and Dolls”.
The show is already the biggest success Broadway has seen in years, and has become the rare piece of theatre to cross over into popular culture. That sometimes overshadowed some superb performances elsewhere.
Beyond the race for best new musical, the other Tony categories are much more competitive.
Among the Tony nominees for best actress in a musical are LauraBenanti (“She loves Me”), Carmen Cusack (“Bright Star”), CynthiaErivo (“The Color Purple), Jessie Mueller (“Waitress”), andPhillipa Soo (“Hamilton”)”. There was – shocker! – no Tony love for Audra McDonald‘s bravura performance in “Shuffle Along“.
The best play category is composed of “Eclipsed”, “The Father”, “The Humans” and “King Charles III“.
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James Corden, host of “The Late Late Show” and a Tony victor for the comedy “One Man, Two Guvnors”, will emcee the CBS telecast on June 12 from the Beacon Theater.
