By Lynn Venhaus
Of course there are always notable people left off the list of nominees, but this crop of Tony Awards nominations is quite impressive. Announced this morning.

Notable news is that two of our local theater titans have been nominated as producers this season. Jack Lane, retired as Stages St Louis executive director, is one of the producers on “& Juliet,” a lively jukebox musical with familiar pop tunes by Max Martin, with 9 nominations, including Best Musical, and Mike Isaacson, Muny executive producer and artistic director, is nominated, along with his producing partner Kristin Caskey, for “Parade,” the Jason Robert Brown musical, as Best Musical Revival, a total of 6 nominations, including leads Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond.

(I was introduced to this outstanding musical by R-S Theatrics, which presented it in 2013, with memorable performances by Pete Winfrey and Jennifer Theby Quinn, and Marshall Jennings.).

Some performers that we’ve seen in town in shows are also part of the Tonys conversation this year.

J. Harrison Ghee, St Louis Theater Circle nominee for “Kinky Boots” and “Chicago” at the Muny (as Velma Kelly), is earning rave reviews in the Jack Lemmon role in the “Some Like It Hot” musical, which is the most nominated show this year – 13. They are nominated, making history as one of the first nonbinary identifying performers.

Here is their statement:

“I’m thrilled! It has been a fantastic journey to portray Jerry/Daphne, and I’ve been overwhelmed — in a good way — to see how audiences have received these characters. I’m thankful to every member of this production for creating such an affirming space where I get to show the complexity of this human and go on a beautiful ride every time the curtains go up. I’m grateful to the committee for recognizing this work. It’s a moment I will cherish forever.”

Other Muny favorites on Broadway this spring include Ben Davis as Gordon Kendrick (last year’s award-winning Sweeney Todd) and Emily Skinner (Ursula in “The Little Mermaid”) as Madame Veltri in “New York, New York,” and Jay Armstrong Johnson (“Hello Dolly” and “42nd Street”) in “Parade.”

A lot of buzzy big names are among the nominations, and their shows earned rave reviews. One show that I would have loved to have seen is the revival of “Topdog/Underdog” with Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, which ran Oct 2022-Jan. 15, 2023. I enjoy their film work, and I can only image the electricity on stage.

I was fortunately introduced to Suzan-Lori Parks’ intense play by St Louis Actors’ Studio in 2013 with unforgettable performances by Chauncy Thomas and Reginald Pierre,

Here’s the full list of nominees. Awards are on June 11.

Best Play

Ain’t No Mo’
Between Riverside and Crazy
Cost of Living
Fat Ham
Leopoldstadt

Best Musical

& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot

Best Revival of a Play

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
A Doll’s House
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog

Best Revival of a Musical

Into the Woods
Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Parade
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Book of a Musical

& Juliet
David West Read

Kimberly Akimbo
David Lindsay-Abaire

New York, New York
David Thompson & Sharon Washington

Shucked
Robert Horn

Some Like It Hot
Matthew López & Amber Ruffin

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Almost Famous
Music: Tom Kitt
Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt

Kimberly Akimbo
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

KPOP
Music & Lyrics: Helen Park & Max Vernon

Shucked
Music and Lyrics: Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally

Some Like It Hot
Music: Marc Shaiman
Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog

Corey Hawkins, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog

Sean Hayes, Good Night, Oscar

Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy

Wendell Pierce, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Jessica Chastain, A Doll’s House

Jodie Comer, Prima Facie

Jessica Hecht, Summer, 1976

Audra McDonald, Ohio State Murders

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Christian Borle, Some Like It Hot

J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot

Josh Groban, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Brian d’Arcy James, Into the Woods

Ben Platt, Parade

Colton Ryan, New York, New York

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sara Bareilles, Into the Woods

Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo

Lorna Courtney, & Juliet

Micaela Diamond, Parade

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Jordan E. Cooper, Ain’t No Mo’

Samuel L. Jackson, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson

Arian Moayed, A Doll’s House

Brandon Uranowitz, Leopoldstadt

David Zayas, Cost of Living

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Nikki Crawford, Fat Ham

Crystal Lucas-Perry, Ain’t No Mo’

Miriam Silverman, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window

Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living

Kara Young, Cost of Living

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Kevin Cahoon, Shucked

Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo

Kevin Del Aguila, Some Like It Hot

Jordan Donica, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

Alex Newell, Shucked

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Julia Lester, Into the Woods

Ruthie Ann Miles, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo

NaTasha Yvette Williams, Some Like It Hot

Betsy Wolfe, & Juliet

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Miriam Buether, Prima Facie

Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding, Life of Pi

Rachel Hauck, Good Night, Oscar

Richard Hudson, Leopoldstadt

Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon, A Christmas Carol

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Beowulf Boritt, New York, New York

Mimi Lien, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

Scott Pask, Shucked

Scott Pask, Some Like It Hot

Best Costume Design of a Play

Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell, Life of Pi

Dominique Fawn Hill, Fat Ham

Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leopoldstadt

Emilio Sosa, Ain’t No Mo’

Emilio Sosa, Good Night, Oscar

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, Some Like It Hot

Susan Hilferty, Parade

Jennifer Moeller, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

Clint Ramos & Sophia Choi, KPOP

Paloma Young, & Juliet

Donna Zakowska, New York, New York

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Neil Austin, Leopoldstadt

Natasha Chivers, Prima Facie

Jon Clark, A Doll’s House Bradley King, Fat Ham

Tim Lutkin, Life of Pi

Jen Schriever, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Ben Stanton, A Christmas Carol

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Ken Billington, New York, New York

Lap Chi Chu, Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

Heather Gilbert, Parade

Howard Hudson, & Juliet

Natasha Katz, Some Like It Hot

Natasha Katz, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Sound Design of a Play

Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams, Ain’t No Mo’

Carolyn Downing, Life of Pi

Joshua D. Reid, A Christmas Carol

Ben & Max Ringham, A Doll’s House

Ben & Max Ringham, Prima Facie

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Kai Harada, New York, New York

John Shivers, Shucked

Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann, Into the Woods

Gareth Owen, & Juliet

Nevin Steinberg, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Direction of a Play

Saheem Ali, Fat Ham

Jo Bonney, Cost of Living

Jamie Lloyd, A Doll’s House

Patrick Marber, Leopoldstadt

Stevie Walker-Webb, Ain’t No Mo’ Max Webster, Life of Pi

Best Direction of a Musical

Michael Arden, Parade

Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods

Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot

Jack O’Brien, Shucked

Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo

Best Choreography

Steven Hoggett, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot

Susan Stroman, New York, New York

Jennifer Weber, & Juliet

Jennifer Weber, KPOP

Best Orchestrations

Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro, & Juliet

John Clancy, Kimberly Akimbo

Jason Howland, Shucked

Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter, Some Like It Hot

Daryl Waters & Sam Davis, New York, New York

Cover Photo: Some Like It Hot