The previous record for the most Tony nominations ever was held by “The Producers” (2001) and “Billy Elliot” (2009), each of which was nominated for 15 awards.
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Closer to home – and to the hearts of Chicago audiences – was the nomination of Jessie Mueller for her leading role in the new musical, “Waitress”.
“Hamilton”, which comes to San Francisco in March 2017, set the record by getting nominated in every category for which it was eligible, from acting and writing to directing and set design.
Congratulations to Lin-Manuel Miranda and his cast of the Broadway hit, Hamilton. The latter is the only one he might conceivably lose, too, facing off against co-star Leslie Odom, Jr., who plays Hamilton’s friend-turned-nemesis, Aaron Burr. Today (May 3), the play was nominated for a record breaking 16 Tony Awards.
Three of five slots for the featured musical actor award are “Hamilton” actors.
The winners will be announced in a ceremony hosted by James Corden, himself a Broadway veteran and one-time Tony Award victor, on July 12.
Best musical revival nominees were “She Loves Me”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “The Color Purple” and “Spring Awakening”. On the play side, Ivo van Hove (A View from the Bridge) and Jonathan Kent (Long Day’s Journey Into Night) face off against Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed), Joe Mantello (The Humans) and Rupert Goold (King Charles III).
Sophie Okonedo received a nomination as best actress for her role in The Crucible, though Oscar nominated Saoirse Ronan was stunningly snubbed for what was probably a far more impressive performance in the same play. “I’ve been lucky to have had years when having one nomination was an incredible thing”.
“Hamilton” is a story based on life and death of Alexander Hamilton, which broadly and bold describes not just the character but the country as a whole. For his work on “Hamilton”, Miranda has already received the Pultizer Prize as well as the MacArthur “Genius” Award.
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While pundits knew that Hamilton would dominate nominations, other big names on the list included Steve Martin, Sara Bareilles, Jessica Lange, Danielle Brooks, Michael Shannon, Lupita Nyong’o and Julian Fellowes. Other best-play nominees are “The Father” by Florian Zeller, “The Humans” by Stephen Karam and “King Charles III” by Mike Bartlett. It was trailed by Shuffle Along with 10 nominations, She Loves Me with eight and Long Day’s Journey Into Night nabbing seven.
