Tony Award Nominations 2023: ‘Some Like It Hot’ Leads the Pack
On Tuesday, May 2, Funny Girl star Lea Michele and MJ the Musical Tony winner Myles Frost announced the 2023 Tony nominations. Thirty-eight shows vied for nominations in 26 categories. Some Like It Hot earned the most nods, 13, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book, Best Director and four performer nominations. A Doll’s House, Leopoldstadt and Ain’t No Mo’ received six nods each in a three-way tie for most-nominated play. In the case of Ain’t No Mo’, the triumph is bittersweet considering the show’s Broadway run was disappointingly brief.
Another production that closed quickly, KPOP, ended up scoring three nominations, including Best Original Score. It’s the first Broadway musical ever written by an Asian-American woman. Meanwhile, the Best Play category includes three Pulitzer Prize winners: Riverside and Crazy, Cost of Living and Fat Ham, all of which had previous runs Off Broadway.
More history-making firsts: Some Like It Hot‘s J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell from Shucked are the first openly nonbinary performers to receive Tony nominations. Since the Tony Awards for performers are gendered, they had to pick and chose “actor,” even though both play characters who do not identify as male. As Newell so eloquently explained in a recent interview with Variety, “I went based off the English language. Everyone who does acting is an actor. That is genderless.” Another nonbinary performer, Justin David Sullivan from & Juliet, withdraw from consideration because the acting categories are gendered. When asked if the Tony Awards will ever go gender-free, the organization responded, “We are working thoughtfully to ensure that no member of our community feel excluded, on the basis of gender identity, in future seasons.” So, maybe next year.
There are some exciting head-to-head races: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Corey Hawkins for Topdog/Underdog, Christian Borle and J. Harrison Ghee for Some Like It Hot, and Katy Sullivan and Kara Young for Cost of Living. And some artists are competing against themselves: choreographer Jennifer Weber for KPOP and & Juliet, set designer Scott Pask for Shucked and Some Like It Hot, costume designer Emilio Sosa for Ain’t No Mo’ and Good Night, Oscar, sound designers Ben and Max Ringham for A Doll’s House and Prima Facie, and lighting designer Natasha Katz for Some Like It Hot and Sweeney Todd.
There were some snubs, of course. Gregg Mozgala, who was so wonderful in Cost of Living, was the only member of the four-person cast not to receive a nomination. And the two-hander Summer, 1976 only garnered a nod for Jessica Hecht, not Laura Linney. Eleven productions were entirely shut out: the first Broadway play written by a Native American woman, The Thanksgiving Play; the gender-bent revival of 1776; The Kite Runner; Bob Fosse’s Dancin‘; the Neil Diamond bio-musical A Beautiful Noise; The Collaboration; Pictures From Home, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella; and the solo shows The Old Man and the Pool by Mike Birbiglia and Gabriel Byrne’s Walking with Ghosts.
Produced by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, the 76th annual ceremony will reportedly be televised on Sunday, June 11 on CBS. However, due to the WGA strike, the program will be “altered to conform with specific requests” from the protesting union. So it’s unclear what the show will entail and whether Ariana DeBose will still host. We’ll update this post as we learn more.
The complete list of 2023 Tony Award nominations is below along with links to articles we’ve written about the nominees.
Best Musical
& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot
Best Revival of a Musical
Into the Woods
Camelot
Parade
Sweeney Todd
Best Play
Ain’t No Mo’ by Jordan E. Cooper
Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Cost of Living by Martyna Majok
Fat Ham by James Ijames – Read an interview with Ijames on TDF Stages.
Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard
Best Revival of a Play
A Doll’s House, adapted by Amy Herzog
The Piano Lesson
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Topdog/Underdog
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford in Sweeney Todd
Sara Bareilles in Into the Woods
Victoria Clark in Kimberly Akimbo – Read an interview with Clark on TDF Stages.
Lorna Courtney in & Juliet
Micaela Diamond in Parade
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Christian Borle in Some Like It Hot
J. Harrison Ghee in Some Like It Hot – Watch a TDF Conversation with Ghee.
Josh Groban in Sweeney Todd
Brian d’Arcy James in Into the Woods
Ben Platt in Parade
Colton Ryan in New York, New York
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Jessica Chastain in A Doll’s House
Jodie Comer in Prima Facie
Jessica Hecht in Summer, 1976
Audra McDonald in Ohio State Murders
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins in Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes in Good Night, Oscar
Stephen McKinley Henderson in Between Riverside and Crazy – Read an interview with Henderson in TDF Stages.
Wendell Pierce in Death of a Salesman
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kevin Del Aguila in Some Like It Hot – Watch a TDF Conversation with Del Aguila.
Kevin Cahoon in Shucked
Justin Cooley in Kimberly Akimbo
Jordan Donica in Camelot
Alex Newell in Shucked
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Julia Lester in Into the Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles in Sweeney Todd
Bonnie Milligan in Kimberly Akimbo – Watch a TDF Conversation with Milligan.
NaTasha Yvette Williams in Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe in & Juliet
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Jordan E. Cooper in Ain’t No Mo’
Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson
Arian Moayed in A Doll’s House
Brandon Uranowitz in Leopoldstadt
David Zayas in Cost of Living
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Nikki Crawford in Fat Ham
Crystal Lucas-Perry in Ain’t No Mo’ – Read an interview with Lucas-Perry on TDF Stages.
Miriam Silverman in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Katy Sullivan in Cost of Living
Kara Young in Cost of Living – Watch a TDF Conversation with Young.
Best Book of a Musical
& Juliet by David West Read
Kimberly Akimboby David Lindsay-Abaire
New York, New Yorkby David Thompson & Sharon Washington
Shuckedby Robert Horn
Some Like It Hotby Matthew López & Amber Ruffin
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Almost Famous, music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt
Kimberly Akimbo, music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire
KPOP, music & lyrics by Helen Park & Max Vernon – Read an interview with Park and Vernon on TDF Stages.
Shucked, music and lyrics by Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally
Some Like It Hot, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman
Best Orchestrations
Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro for & Juliet
John Clancy for Kimberly Akimbo
Jason Howland for Shucked
Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter for Some Like It Hot
Daryl Waters & Sam Davis for New York, New York
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt for New York, New York
Mimi Lien for Sweeney Todd
Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions for Camelot
Scott Pask for Shucked
Scott Pask for Some Like It Hot
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether for Prima Facie
Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding for Life of Pi
Rachel Hauck for Good Night, Oscar
Richard Hudson for Leopoldstadt
Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon for A Christmas Carol
Best Costume Design of a Play
Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell for Life of Pi
Dominique Fawn Hill for Fat Ham
Brigitte Reiffenstuel for Leopoldstadt
Emilio Sosa for Ain’t No Mo’ – Read an interview with Sosa on TDF Stages.
Emilio Sosa for Good Night, Oscar – Read an interview with Sosa on TDF Stages.
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes for Some Like It Hot
Susan Hilferty for Parade
Jennifer Moeller for Camelot
Clint Ramos & Sophia Choi for KPOP
Paloma Young for & Juliet
Donna Zakowska for New York, New York
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin for Leopoldstadt
Natasha Chivers for Prima Facie
Jon Clark for A Doll’s House
Bradley King for Fat Ham
Tim Lutkin for Life of Pi
Jen Schriever for Death of a Salesman
Ben Stanton for A Christmas Carol
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington for New York, New York
Lap Chi Chu for Camelot
Heather Gilbert for Parade
Howard Hudson for & Juliet
Natasha Katz for Some Like It Hot
Natasha Katz for Sweeney Todd
Best Sound Design of a Play
Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams for Ain’t No Mo’
Carolyn Downing for Life of Pi
Joshua D. Reid for A Christmas Carol
Ben & Max Ringham for A Doll’s House
Ben & Max Ringham for Prima Facie
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada for New York, New York
John Shivers for Shucked
Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann for Into the Woods
Gareth Owen for & Juliet
Nevin Steinberg for Sweeney Todd
Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali for Fat Ham
Jo Bonney for Cost of Living
Jamie Lloyd for A Doll’s House
Patrick Marber for Leopoldstadt – Read an interview with Marber on TDF Stages.
Stevie Walker-Webb for Ain’t No Mo’
Max Webster for Life of Pi
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden for Parade
Lear deBessonet for Into the Woods
Casey Nicholaw for Some Like It Hot
Jack O’Brien for Shucked
Jessica Stone for Kimberly Akimbo
Best Choreography
Steven Hoggett for Sweeney Todd
Casey Nicholaw for Some Like It Hot
Susan Stroman for New York, New York
Jennifer Weber for & Juliet
Jennifer Weber for KPOP
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Lisa Dawn Cave, production stage manager
Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of TDF
Robert Fried, theatrical accountant who also serves on TDF’s Board of Trustees
The Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award
Jerry Mitchell, two-time Tony Award-winning director-choreographer who is also the creator of Broadway Bares
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Joel Grey, actor-director
John Kander, composer
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Pasadena Playhouse in California
Tony Nominations by Production
Some Like It Hot – 13
& Juliet– 9
New York, New York– 9
Shucked– 9
Kimberly Akimbo– 8
Sweeney Todd – 8
Ain’t No Mo’– 6
A Doll’s House– 6
Into the Woods– 6
Leopoldstadt– 6
Parade– 6
Cost of Living– 5
Fat Ham– 5
Camelot– 5
Life of Pi– 5
Prima Facie– 4
A Christmas Carol– 3
Good Night, Oscar– 3
KPOP– 3
Topdog/Underdog– 3
Death of a Salesman– 2
The Piano Lesson– 2
Between Riverside and Crazy– 2
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window– 2
Almost Famous– 1
Ohio State Murders– 1
Summer, 1976– 1