SOUND OFF Special Edition: 2015 Tony Award Nominations Surprises & Snubs

By: Pat Cerasaro Apr. 29, 2015

The 2015 Tony Award nominations were revealed yesterday and the usual surprises, snubs and expected acknowledgements were on full display - with perhaps more surprises and snubs than in any year in recent memory. While the elaborate production of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS tied with the small-scale FUN HOME for the most nominations of any production, 12, some other new musicals and early favorites were left out in the cold - in the case of new musical FINDING NEVERLAND and fresh comedy FISH IN THE DARK, forgotten entirely. Plus, in a rare tie, the Best Supporting Actor In A Play category is now outfitted with six potential winners as opposed to the traditional allotment of five per category. Besides all of that, the Tony Awards hosts were announced at long last, as well - none other than fellow Tony Award winners Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth. So, for a review of the most notable surprises, snubs and celebratory salutes, read on.

1. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and FUN HOME sweep. With 12 nominations each, the Tony Awards lavished considerable praise on the drastically different new musicals - one a dazzling and visually arresting stage adaptation of a classic Academy Award-winning film musical and the other a Broadway musical version of a domestically-themed and critically acclaimed graphic novel. Although the two musicals could not be more dissimilar, one thing is clear in recognizing that the Tony committee showed them both so much love - this will be one helluva horse race. Will beauty or brains win out in the end? We will have to wait and see until June 7!
2. FINDING NEVERLAND is shut out completely. Hollywood uber producer Harvey Weinstein may have come into town with the most buzz and brio of any showman this season, but the Tony Awards clearly did not buy into any of it - and, coming after the spate of unfavorable reviews suffered by the production earlier this month, the timing could not be more unfortunate. Nevertheless, the Tony Awards have already given considerable play to the show if we remember that it was highlighted in a special performance preview led by Jennifer Hudson last year. Apparently, the fairy dust wore off between now and then.

3. Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth will host. A Tony Award winner for CABARET, Cumming is no stranger to the Tony Awards stage, nor is fellow Broadway/Hollywood crossover star Kristin Chenoweth, who has her own statuette proudly placed on her mantle. Will the triple-threats manage to create a combustible chemistry on par with former Tony pairs in year's past? Hosting an awards show is always a dicey proposition, no matter the level of talent, so time will tell.
4. FISH IN THE DARK. The runaway play hit of the season, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and SEINFELD scribe Larry David's Broadway debut was met with middling reviews but buffo box office. Yet, the Tony Awards committee did not think it was "pretty, pretty, pretty good" and awarded it nary a nom when the slots were revealed yesterday. Does this mean a revival of THE PRODUCERS starring Larry David - as famously envisioned on his hit HBO series - is off the table? Either way, to paraphrase the Soup Nazi himself, "No Tony for you!"

5. "A Musical" and Brad Oscar. A familiar face from all-time Tony Awards champ THE PRODUCERS, stalwart stage star Brad Oscar leads what many feel may be the biggest showstopper of the season with SOMETHING ROTTEN!'s wildly entertaining meta-musical showpiece "A Musical" and the Tony Awards proved their love for the production number and its lead with the nomination for the familiar-faced featured performer. Of course, co-star Christian Borle gets far more stage time playing Shakespeare himself, but Oscar's nomination could very well be recognition enough for a secondary role noted for the moment everybody is talking about - many even in iambic pentameter.
6. Six Best Featured Actor In A Play contenders. Though the remarkable work of HAND TO GOD's Marc Kudisch (check out this week's InDepth InterView here) was unceremoniously left out of the category, the incredibly tight race for Best Featured Actor required an extra slot to be opened up so as to allow all the nominees into the category this year. We shall see who ultimately takes home the trophy for the perceivably toughest category come June - will it be Micah Stock for IT'S ONLY A PLAY, Nathaniel Parker for WOLF HALL, Alessandro Nivola for THE ELEPHANT MAN, Richard McCabe for THE AUDIENCE, K. Todd Freeman for AIRLINE HIGHWAY or Matthew Beard for SKYLIGHT? With six slots to choose from, it will be the tightest race of all, for sure.

7. HONEYMOON IN VEGAS is forgotten. Although Jason Robert Brown was awarded two Tony Awards for his already shuttered musical drama THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY last season, he was not shown the same gratitude by Tony Awards voters this season - his well-reviewed, but short-running musical comedy failed to glean a single nomination despite many prognosticators assuming he would be acknowledged for his effervescent score and perhaps Featured Actor Tony Danza would eek out a nom, as well. Alas, as in Vegas itself, when it comes the Tony Awards and already closed shows, all bets are off.
8. Ruth Wilson and Elisabeth Moss rep their shuttered shows. Commanding each of their respective production's anomalous nominations, Ruth Wilson for original drama CONSTELLATIONS and Elisabeth Moss for the revival of THE HEIDI CHRONICLES gained the singular attention of the Tony Awards committee for their shows. As with the aforementioned closed shows, it is always an uphill battle to be recognized for a production no longer playing or available for Tony voters and audiences to experience, so the acknowledgement of both these Broadway and Hollywood stars is an award in and of itself for each.

9. Hugh Jackman and THE RIVER get no love. Multiple Tony Award winner and frequent telecast host Hugh Jackman failed to elicit a nomination for Best Actor In A Play, while his drama THE RIVER similarly did not succeed in its bid to garner a single nomination in any category. In retrospect, most critics were lukewarm to the property in general, but audiences always rush to see Jackman onstage so the slight was perhaps befitting if unexpected, especially with the show having closed months ago. Subsequently, the production was left up the river with no paddle as far as Tony noms go nonetheless.

10. Stephen Schwartz gets a Tony Award at last. It seems outright calamitous and absurd to even consider that the brilliant songwriter behind such Broadway smash hits as GODSPELL, PIPPIN, THE MAGIC SHOW and WICKED has never received a Tony Award, but that is precisely the case - until now. Finally, Schwartz will receive a special citation at this year's ceremony after his forty-year career on Broadway with the esteemed Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award recognizing his considerable charitable efforts - as Schwartz discussed exclusively with BroadwayWorld in our InDepth InterView here. Magic to do and already done - and more than merely well-earned, at that!

Photo Credits: Walter McBride, Tony Awards, etc.

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