Tony Nominations 2022: The 7 Biggest Takeaways
09.05.2022 - 17:37
/ variety.com
Gordon Cox Theater EditorOn your mark, get set, go.The race for the Tony Awards has officially begun with the announcement of the 2022 nominations on Monday. In honoring and highlighting the work in a crowded, COVID-disrupted season, nominators surprised, snubbed and gave observers plenty to chatter about.
Here are the biggest takeaways.Look for two musicals to get a big box office boost. Sales for “A Strange Loop” were already on the rise thanks to the hype around the critically acclaimed production’s opening week. Now that the show is the most-nominated of the season — and the frontrunner for the award — that much-needed momentum will continue to build.
If any other show looks likely to benefit from the nominations buzz, it’s “Paradise Square.” That one got little critical love and has notably struggled at the box office, but it managed to surprise with 10 nominations including one for best musical. That should help turn the heads of ticketbuyers — enough to perk up those sagging sales figures, although not necessarily enough to significantly extend the musical’s lifespan.
Big-name stars did…so-so.Billy Crystal, Hugh Jackman, Ruth Negga, Mary-Louise Parker, Phylicia Rashad, Sam Rockwell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jesse Williams: There were plenty of film and TV names who made the cut this year. But in jam-packed season, just as many were left out in the cold including Daniel Craig, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Beanie Feldstein, Debra Messing and Laurence Fishburne.The 2021-2022 season encompassed an unprecedented number of shows by Black creators, and the nominations list reflects that history-making representation. Two of the five contenders for new play (“Clyde’s,” “Skeleton Crew”) were written by Black
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