Even in a New York theater season cut short by COVID-19, “Jagged Little Pill” and “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” both shone brightly.
The Broadway League and American Theatre Wing unveiled a scaled-down list of nominations for the 2020 Tony Awards this week. Just 18 productions, or roughly half the normal number of contenders, were eligible this year due to Broadway’s unexpected shuttering in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Jagged Little Pill,” a jukebox musical comprising music from Alanis Morissette’s seminal 1995 album, and “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” a staged reimagining of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, led the pack with 15 and 14 nominations, respectively.
Jeremy O. Harris’s “Slave Play,” a timely and provocative drama about race and sexuality, and “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” which dramatizes the life of the rock legend, were tied for 12 nominations each.
Honors for individual performers were noticeably slim, with “Moulin Rouge!” star Aaron Tveit landing the sole nomination for best actor in a leading role in a musical. The best revival of a musical category was eliminated entirely.
Actor James Monroe Inglehart, a 2014 Tony winner for “Aladdin,” announced the nominations Thursday, adding some much-needed levity to the proceedings by sharing anecdotes about his early theatergoing experiences.
This year’s ceremony comes at a bleak time for the New York theater industry. All 41 Broadway theaters have been closed since March 12 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Last week, the Broadway League announced that live performances will not resume until at least June 1, 2021.
Originally slated to take place on June 7, the 2020 Tony Awards will instead be held virtually, though no air date has been announced.
Check out the list of nominations below.
Best Musical
“Moulin Rouge!”
“Jagged Little Pill”
“Tina – The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Play
“Grand Horizons”
“The Inheritance”
“Sea Wall/A Life”
“Slave Play”
“The Sound Inside”
Best Revival of a Play
“Betrayal”
“Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune”
“A Soldier’s Play”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Aaron Tveit, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Ian Barford, “Linda Vista”
Andrew Burnap, “The Inheritance”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Sea Wall/A Life”
Tom Hiddleston, “Betrayal”
Tom Sturridge, “Sea Wall/A Life”
Blair Underwood, “A Soldier’s Play”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Karen Olivo, “Moulin Rouge!”
Elizabeth Stanley, “Jagged Little Pill”
Adrienne Warren, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Joaquina Kalukango, “Slave Play”
Laura Linney, “My Name is Lucy Barton”
Audra McDonald, “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune”
Mary-Louise Parker, “The Sound Inside”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Derek Klena, “Jagged Little Pill”
Sean Allan Krill, “Jagged Little Pill”
Sahr Ngaujah, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Daniel J. Watts, “Tina - The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Ato Blankson-Wood, “Slave Play”
James Cusati-Moyer, “Slave Play”
David Alan Grier, “A Soldier’s Play”
John Benjamin Hickey, “The Inheritance”
Paul Hilton, “The Inheritance”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kathryn Gallagher, “Jagged Little Pill”
Celia Rose Gooding, “Jagged Little Pill”
Robyn Hurder, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Lauren Patten, “Jagged Little Pill”
Myra Lucretia Taylor, “Tina - The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Jane Alexander, “Grand Horizons”
Chalia La Tou, “Slave Play”
Annie McNamara, “Slave Play”
Lois Smith, “The Inheritance”
Cora Vander Broek, “Linda Vista”
Best Direction of a Musical
Phyllida Lloyd, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”
Diane Paulus, “Jagged Little Pill”
Alex Timbers, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Direction of a Play
David Cromer, “The Sound Inside”
Stephen Daldry, “The Inheritance”
Kenny Leon, “A Soldier’s Play”
Jamie Lloyd, “Betrayal”
Robert O’Hara, “Slave Play”
Best Book of a Musical
“Jagged Little Pill,” Diablo Cody
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” John Logan
“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“A Christmas Carol,” music by Christopher Nightingale
“The Inheritance,” music by Paul Englishby
“The Rose Tattoo,” music by Fitz Patton and Jason Michael Webb
“Slave Play,” music by Lindsay Jones
“The Sound Inside,” music by Daniel Kluger
Best Choreography
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, “Jagged Little Pill”
Sonya Tayeh, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Anthony Van Laast, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Orchestrations
Tom Kitt for “Jagged Little Pill”
Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine and Justin Levine for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Ethan Popp for “Tina - The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Riccardo Hernández and Lucy Mackinnon for “Jagged Little Pill”
Derek McLane for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Mark Thompson and Jeff Sugg for “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Bob Crowley, “The Inheritance”
Soutra Gilmour, “Betrayal”
Rob Howell, “A Christmas Carol”
Derek McLane, “A Soldier’s Play”
Clint Ramos, “Slave Play”
Best Costume Design of a Play
Dede Ayite for “Slave Play”
Dede Ayite for “A Soldier’s Play”
Bob Crowley for “The Inheritance”
Rob Howell for “A Christmas Carol”
Clint Ramos for “The Rose Tattoo”
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Emily Rebholz, “Jagged Little Pill”
Mark Thompson, “Tina - The Tina Turner Musical”
Catherine Zuber, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti & Christopher Reid, “The Inheritance”
Simon Baker, “A Christmas Carol”
Lindsay Jones, “Slave Play”
Daniel Kluger, “Sea Wall/A Life”
Daniel Kluger, “The Sound Inside”
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, “Jagged Little Pill”
Peter Hylenski, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Nevin Steinberg, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jiyoun Chang, “Slave Play”
Jon Clark, “The Inheritance”
Heather Gilbert, “The Sound Inside”
Allen Lee Hughes, “A Soldier’s Play”
Hugh Vanstone, “A Christmas Carol”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Bruno Poet, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”
Justin Townsend, “Jagged Little Pill”
Justin Townsend, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”