Tony Award Nominations 2022: ‘A Strange Loop,’ ‘MJ,’ ‘Paradise Square’ Lead the Pack
The complete list of nominees for Broadway’s return season
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Earlier this morning, Broadway favorites Adrienne Warren and Joshua Henry announced the 2022 Tony Award nominees on YouTube, and there were surprises, snubs and lots of sure things. Thirty-four shows vied for nominations in 26 categories. As expected, the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop got lots of love, with 11 nominations including best musical. The Michael Jackson jukebox musical MJ and the history-inspired epic Paradise Square both received 10 nominations, including best musical. The Lehman Trilogy was the most nominated play with eight nods, including best play and acting nominations for all three performers.
Although SIX received eight nominations including best musical, the sextet of queens was shut out. Two other ensemble shows, for colored girls… and A Strange Loop, received a few acting nods. But these shows prove that there really needs to be a best ensemble Tony Award. (The Drama Desk Awards have one.) A few critically acclaimed dramas from last fall were sadly forgotten, including Is This A Room featuring a harrowing performance by Emily Davis, which was totally shut out, and Pass Over, the first play to open post-shutdown, which only received one nomination for costume design.
Some history was made, too. L Morgan Lee from A Strange Loop is the first openly trans performer to be nominated for a Tony. Camille A. Brown is the first Black woman to be nominated for both directing and choreographing a show. Lynn Nottage is the first writer to be nominated in two categories during the same season: for her play Clyde’s and for her book for the musical MJ. Also of note: Between plays and musicals, there are four women nominated for best director and two are women of color. And there are two gender-nonconforming nominees: Adam Rigg, scenic designer for The Skin of Our Teeth, who is agender; and Toby Marlow, co-creator of SIX, who is nonbinary.
Produced by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, the 75th annual Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 12. Like last year, the telecast is being split into two parts. From 7 to 8 p.m. ET, American Buffalo‘s Darren Criss and POTUS‘ Julianne Hough will host The Tony Awards: Act One, which will stream exclusively on Paramount+. The hour will include the bestowing of multiple statuettes and special performances. The major awards will be given out during the ceremony on CBS from 8 to 11 p.m. ET, hosted by Broadway vet and West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose.
Because of the ongoing pandemic, it’s been a bumpy return season for Broadway, with the omicron surge causing both temporary and permanent closures, and an April so jam-packed with openings, the Tony nominations were postponed at the last minute. But there’s so much to celebrate, including an incredibly diverse slate of nominees. Here’s hoping your favorites were recognized!
Best Musical
Girl From the North Country
MJ
Mr. Saturday Night
Paradise Square
SIX
A Strange Loop– Read our interview with creator Michael R. Jackson
Best Revival of a Musical
Caroline, or Change
Company
The Music Man
Best Play
Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage
Hangmen by Martin McDonagh
The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini, translated by Ben Power
The Minutes by Tracy Letts
Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau
Best Revival of a Play
American Buffalo
for colored girls…
How I Learned to Drive
Take Me Out
Trouble in Mind
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sharon D Clarke for Caroline, Or Change
Carmen Cusack for Flying Over Sunset
Sutton Foster for The Music Man
Joaquina Kalukango for Paradise Square
Mare Winningham for Girl From the North Country – Read our interview with Winningham
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Billy Crystal for Mr. Saturday Night
Myles Frost for MJ
Hugh Jackman for The Music Man
Rob McClure for Mrs. Doubtfire
Jaquel Spivey for A Strange Loop
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Mary-Louise Parker for How I Learned to Drive
Gabby Beans for The Skin of Our Teeth
Ruth Negga for Macbeth
Deirdre O’Connell for Dana. H – Read our interview with O’Connell
LaChanze for Trouble in Mind
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Simon Russell Beale for The Lehman Trilogy
Adam Godley for The Lehman Trilogy
Adrian Lester for The Lehman Trilogy
David Threlfall for Hangmen
Sam Rockwell for American Buffalo
David Morse for How I Learned to Drive
Ruben Santiago-Hudson for Lackawanna Blues – Read our interview with Santiago-Hudson
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Matt Doyle for Company – Watch our Company TDF Conversation with Doyle
Jared Grimes for Funny Girl
John-Andrew Morrison for A Strange Loop
Sidney DuPont for Paradise Square
A.J. Shively for Paradise Square
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Patti LuPone for Company
Jennifer Simard for Company
L Morgan Lee for A Strange Loop
Jeannette Bayardelle for Girl From the North Country
Jayne Houdyshell for The Music Man
Shoshana Bean for Mr. Saturday Night
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Alfie Allen for Hangmen
Jesse Tyler Ferguson for Take Me Out
Michael Oberholtzer for Take Me Out
Chuck Cooper for Trouble in Mind
Ron Cephas Jones for Clyde’s
Jesse Williams for Take Me Out
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Uzo Aduba for Clyde’s
Kara Young for Clyde’s – Watch our Clyde’s TDF Conversation with Young
Phylicia Rashad for Skeleton Crew
Rachel Dratch for POTUS
Julie White for POTUS – Watch our POTUS TDF Conversation with White
Kenita R. Miller for for colored girls…
Best Book of a Musical
Girl From The North Country by Conor McPherson
MJby Lynn Nottage
Mr. Saturday Nightby Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
Paradise Squareby Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan
A Strange Loopby Michael R. Jackson
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Flying Over Sunset, music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Michael Korie
Mr. Saturday Night, music by Jason Robert Brown and lyrics by Amanda Green
Paradise Square, music by Jason Howland and Larry Kirwan, and lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare
SIX, music and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
A Strange Loop, music and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
Best Orchestrations
David Cullen for Company
Tom Curran for SIX
Simon Hale for Girl From the North Country
Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg for MJ
Charlie Rosen for A Strange Loop
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions for Flying Over Sunset
Bunny Christie for Company
Arnulfo Maldonado for A Strange Loop
Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini for MJ
Allen Moyer for Paradise Square
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Es Devlin for The Lehman Trilogy
Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong for Skeleton Crew
Anna Fleischle for Hangmen
Beowulf Boritt for POTUS
Scott Pask for American Buffalo
Adam Rigg for The Skin of Our Teeth
Best Costume Design of a Play
Montana Levi Blanco for The Skin of Our Teeth
Sarafina Bush for Pass Over
Emilio Sosa for Skeleton Crew
Jane Greenwood for Plaza Suite
Jennifer Moeller for Clyde’s
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Fly Davis for Caroline, or Change
Toni-Leslie James for Paradise Square – Read our interview with James
William Ivey Long for Diana the Musical
Santo Loquasto for The Music Man
Gabriella Slade for SIX
Paul Tazewell for MJ
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Joshua Carr for Hangmen
Jiyoun Chang for for colored girls…
Jon Clark for The Lehman Trilogy
Jane Cox for Macbeth
Yi Zhao for The Skin of Our Teeth
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Neil Austin for Company
Tim Deiling for SIX
Donald Holder for Paradise Square
Natasha Katz for MJ
Bradley King for Flying Over Sunset
Jen Schriever for A Strange Loop
Best Sound Design of a Play
Mikhail Fiksel for Dana H.
Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey for The Lehman Trilogy
Justin Ellington for for colored girls…
Palmer Hefferan for The Skin of Our Teeth
Mikaal Sulaiman for Macbeth
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Simon Baker for Girl From the North Country
Paul Gatehouse for SIX
Ian Dickinson for Autograph for Company
Drew Levy for A Strange Loop
Gareth Owen for MJ
Best Direction of a Play
Les Waters for Dana H.
Sam Mendes for The Lehman Trilogy”
Neil Pepe for American Buffalo
Camille A. Brown for for colored girls…
Lileana Blain-Cruz for The Skin of Our Teeth
Best Direction of a Musical
Stephen Brackett for A Strange Loop
Marianne Elliott for Company
Conor McPherson for Girl From the North Country
Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage for SIX
Christopher Wheeldon for MJ
Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown for for colored girls…
Warren Carlyle for The Music Man
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille for SIX
Bill T. Jones for Paradise Square
Christopher Wheeldon for MJ
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Asian American Performers Action Coalition
Broadway For All
Emily Grishman (music copyist for Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regional theatre)
Feinstein’s/54 Below
United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE
The Isabelle Stevenson Tony Awardwill be presented to Robert E. Wankel, the president the Shubert Organization.
A special Tony Awardwill be awarded to James C. Nicola, the artistic director of New York Theatre Workshop since 1988, who is retiring later this year.
The Regional Theatre Tony Award will be given to the Court Theatre of Chicago.
Angela Lansbury will receive the 2022 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Totals
A Strange Loop– 11
MJ– 10
Paradise Square – 10
Company– 9
The Lehman Trilogy – 8
SIX – 8
for colored girls… – 7
Girl From The North Country – 7
The Music Man – 6
The Skin of Our Teeth – 6
Clyde’s– 5
Hangmen – 5
Mr. Saturday Night – 5
American Buffalo – 4
Flying Over Sunset – 4
Take Me Out – 4
Trouble in Mind – 4
Caroline, or Change – 3
Dana H.– 3
How I Learned to Drive – 3
Macbeth – 3
POTUS– 3
Skeleton Crew – 3
Diana the Musical– 1
Funny Girl – 1
Lackawanna Blues – 1
The Minutes– 1
Mrs. Doubtfire – 1
Plaza Suite– 1