The Tony Awards, when Broadway honors its best, will be held this Sunday, in a two-part programming sked, the first on the Paramount network at 1 p.m. Hawaii time, the second in prime time at 2 p.m. via CBS and originating from Radio City Music Hall.
Unlike the Oscars, when audiences and voters can watch movies live or streamed, the Tonys are a notable New York tradition. You can’t see a new or revived musical or play, unless you see ‘em in a Broadway theater. And since the pandemic has altered the going-out-to-be-entertained element, one wonders how many voters actually attended a show to cast their votes.
For non-theatergoers, the Broadway A-list may not be familiar. So stars as presenters or luminaries as performers may not be familiar to the stay-at-homers. Heck, I’ve not been to Broadway since the summer of 2019, and haven’t been able to give my regards to Broadway, to coin the familiar phase. Hope to go soon, but it likely will be later.
The galaxy this year will include the known, the unknown, and the on-the-way-uppers.
Glimpse at this rundown of bold face names, and see if you recognize the talents. Some are movie stars or recording acts, so your memory bell might jingle. One island star, who has earned a Tony, will be aboard, as a presenter; see if you can pick her out. A former Islander who now is a producer, has a nominated production, but an actor, not the musical , is a contender. Know who the local dude is and which production is his?
The lineup of “names” this year, in alphabetical order: Utkarsh Ambudkar, Skylar Astin, Zach Braff, Danielle Brooks, Danny Burstein, Len Cariou, RuPaul Charles, Jessica Chastain, Lilli Cooper, Bryan Cranston, Wilson Cruz.
Also, Colman Domingo, Anthony Edwards, Cynthia Erivo, Raúl Esparza, Laurence Fishburne, Andrew Garfield, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tony Goldwyn, David Alan Grier, Vanessa Hudgens, Jennifer Hudson, Paris Jackson, Prince Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L Jackson, Nathan Lane, Telly Leung, Judith Light, Josh Lucas.
Further, Gaten Matarazzo, Ruthie Ann Miles, Patina Miller, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, Sarah Paulson, Bernadette Peters, Jeremy Pope, Billy Porter, Chita Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Phillipa Soo, Sarah Silverman, George Takei, Aaron Tveit, Adrienne Warren, Patrick Wilson, and Bowen Yang.
The first show, hosted by Darren Criss and Julianne Hough, starts at 1 p.m., with coverage streamed on Paramount Plus, sister station of CBS.
The parade of musical and drama actors, both in leading and featured roles from nominated shows such as “Music Man,” “Plaza Suite,” “Take Me Out,” “A Strange Loop,” “How I Learned to Drive,” “Funny Girl,” “MJ: The Musical,” “Company,” “Six” and “POTUS,” will be highlights in a three-hour presentation starting at 2 p.m. on CBS. Ariana DeBose, an Oscar winning actress from “West Side Story,” will host the main spectacle.
The Hawaii presence.: The previous Hawaii Tony winner is Ruthie Ann Miles, who earned her statuette as a featured musical actress in “The King and I” in 2015; she is a presenter. The producer whose “Mrs. Doubtfire” is a nominee this year, is Kevin McCollum, who also is a previous multi-Tony winner for such shows as “Rent” and “Avenue Q.” …
And the nominees are…
The complete list of the 2022 Tony nominees might be helpful, if you’re tuning in the show:
Best New Musical
Best Musical Revival
Best New Play
Best Play Revival
“For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf”
Best Book of a Musical
Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan, “Paradise Square”
Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, “Mr. Saturday Night”
Michael R. Jackson, “A Strange Loop”
Conor McPherson, “Girl From the North Country”
Lynn Nottage, “MJ”
Best Original Score
“Flying Over Sunset,” music by Tom Kitt; lyrics by Michael Korie
“Mr. Saturday Night,” music by Jason Robert Brown; lyrics by Amanda Green
“Paradise Square,” music by Jason Howland and Larry Kirwan; lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare
“Six: The Musical,” music and lyrics: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
“A Strange Loop,” music and lyrics: Michael R. Jackson
Best Direction of a Play
Lileana Blain-Cruz, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Camille A. Brown, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf”
Sam Mendes, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Neil Pepe, “American Buffalo”
Les Waters, “Dana H.”
Best Direction of a Musical
Stephen Brackett, “A Strange Loop”
Marianne Elliott, “Company”
Conor McPherson, “Girl From the North Country”
Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, “Six: The Musical”
Christopher Wheeldon, “MJ”
Best Leading Actor in a Play
Simon Russell Beale, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Adam Godley, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Adrian Lester, “The Lehman Trilogy”
David Morse, “How I Learned to Drive”
Sam Rockwell, “American Buffalo”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “Lackawanna Blues”
David Threlfall, “Hangmen”
Best Leading Actress in a Play
Gabby Beans, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
LaChanze, “Trouble in Mind”
Ruth Negga, “Macbeth”
Deirdre O’Connell, “Dana. H”
Mary-Louise Parker, “How I Learned to Drive”
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
Billy Crystal, “Mr. Saturday Night”
Myles Frost, “MJ”
Hugh Jackman, “The Music Man”
Rob McClure, “Mrs. Doubtfire”
Jaquel Spivey, “A Strange Loop”
Best Leading Actress in a Musical
Sharon D Clarke, “Caroline, or Change”
Carmen Cusack, “Flying Over Sunset”
Sutton Foster, “The Music Man”
Joaquina Kalukango, “Paradise Square”
Mare Winningham, “Girl From the North Country”
Best Featured Actor in a Play
Alfie Allen, “Hangmen”
Chuck Cooper, “Trouble in Mind”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Take Me Out”
Ron Cephas Jones, “Clyde’s”
Michael Oberholtzer, “Take Me Out”
Jesse Williams, “Take Me Out”
Best Featured Actress in a Play
Uzo Aduba, “Clyde’s”
Rachel Dratch, “POTUS”
Kenita R. Miller, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf”
Phylicia Rashad, “Skeleton Crew”
Julie White, “POTUS”
Kara Young, “Clyde’s”
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Matt Doyle, “Company”
Sidney DuPont, “Paradise Square”
Jared Grimes, “Funny Girl”
John-Andrew Morrison, “A Strange Loop”
A.J. Shively, “Paradise Square”
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Jeannette Bayardelle, “Girl From the North Country”
Shoshana Bean, “Mr. Saturday Night”
Jayne Houdyshell, “The Music Man”
L Morgan Lee, “A Strange Loop”
Patti LuPone, “Company”
Jennifer Simard, “Company”
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Beowulf Boritt, “POTUS”
Es Devlin, “The Lehman Trilogy”
\Anna Fleischle, “Hangmen”
Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong, “Skeleton Crew”
Adam Rigg, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions, “Flying Over Sunset”
Bunny Christie, “Company”
Arnulfo Maldonado, “A Strange Loop”
Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini, “MJ”
Allen Moyer, “Paradise Square”
Best Costume Design of a Play
Montana Levi Blanco, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Sarafina Bush, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf”
Jane Greenwood, “Plaza Suite”
Jennifer Moeller, “Clyde’s”
Emilio Sosa, “Skeleton Crew”
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Fly Davis, “Caroline, or Change”
Toni-Leslie James, “Paradise Square”
William Ivey Long, “Diana, the Musical”
Santo Loquasto, “The Music Man”
Gabriella Slade, “Six: The Musical”
Paul Tazewell, “MJ”
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Joshua Carr, “Hangmen”
Jiyoun Chang, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf”
Jon Clark, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Jane Cox, “Macbeth”
Yi Zhao, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Neil Austin, “Company”
Tim Deiling, “Six: The Musical”
Donald Holder, “Paradise Square”
Natasha Katz, “MJ”
Bradley King, “Flying Over Sunset”
Jen Schriever, “A Strange Loop”
Best Sound Design of a Play
Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Justin Ellington, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf”
Mikhail Fiksel, “Dana H.”
Palmer Hefferan, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Mikaal Sulaiman, “Macbeth”
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Simon Baker, “Girl From the North Country”
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, “Company”
Paul Gatehouse, “Six: The Musical”
Drew Levy, “A Strange Loop”
Gareth Owen, “MJ”
Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf”
Warren Carlyle, “The Music Man”
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, “Six: The Musical”
Bill T. Jones, “Paradise Square”
Christopher Wheeldon, “MJ”
Best Orchestrations
David Cullen, “Company”
Tom Curran, “Six: The Musical”
Simon Hale, “Girl From the North Country”
Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg, “MJ”
Charlie Rosen, “A Strange Loop” …
And that’s Show Biz…
