Theatre Lover's Journal for May 2002
Tony Nominations 2002
by John Kenrick
Here it is, folks – the annual outrage. Every year, when the Tony nods are announced, theater lovers rant and rave over the nominating committee's latest crock of crap. Yes, it's our own fault for giving these once-minor awards such horrific importance, but they have become a fact of theatrical life. Thanks to good PR and an annual television broadcast, the Tonys are the most powerful marketing tool Broadway can lay claim to. They cannot turn a flop into a hit (remember Passion?), but they can catapult a borderline show into a profitable run (Titanic) – or, at the least, confirm the status of a monster hit (The Producers).
My quick reaction to various points –
- How many nominations for Thoroughly Modern Millie? Eleven? Oh puh-lease! Who had to sleep with who to make that happen? There is no justification for giving so many slots to such a total mediocrity. It seems a miracle that they also had the sense to give Urinetown an ten nods, but putting it in second to Millie is not just insulting – it is a clear act of ignorance.
- To include Millie's two meager leads is an insult to the other nominees for Best Leading Actor and Actress in a Musical – this lackluster duo simply does not belong.
- On the other hand, three cheers for Marc Kudish and Harriet Harris, who triumph over poor material to score laughs. Nothing could please me more than to see the glorious Nancy Opel in the Best Leading Actress category for Urinetown, although I wonder how she rates as a "lead."
- While I can understand including Leo Butz from Thou Shalt Not, it seems silly to have him on a list that ignores the featured male ensemble of Urinetown – especially the hilarious Jeff McCarthy.
- The committee has often invoked a so-called "rule" that you had to have four nominees per category – but this was ignored for Best Musical Revival this year, which has only two eligible productions.
- And there used to be another rule that you had to have your name ABOVE the title to qualify for Best Leading Actor or Actress – any number of this years nominees do not meet that standard. In the end the only rule the Tony committee follows is to do whatever it damn well pleases.
- Surprise bright spot – they didn't stoop to nominating Mamma Mia for Best Score. But it is hilarious that they nominated the new songs from Millie when the only one's anyone enjoys are the oldies! Once again, who slept with who to make that kind of nomination possible?
- For once, the real outrages were reserved for the non-musical awards. Overlooking the acclaimed revival of The Elephant Man in the Best Revival category is pure stupidity – if you can nominate five in the acting categories, why not five shows in this one?
- And it is simply criminal to see no recognition for Bill Pullman's impressive performance in The Goat – Mercedes Ruhl is dazzling, but Pullman is just as crucial to the show.
- While I'm delighted to see Julie Harris named for a special Tony, I have to wonder if she will be forced to accept it off the air like other recent special honorees. Will they stick us with those deadly mini-documentaries during the PBS segment, or will they let this living theatrical legend say a few words during the actual broadcast?
Oh well – we'll see what the results are on June 2nd. At least this year, with any luck, we won't have to endure any new forays into bad taste from Rosie O'Donnell.
For the record, here are the nominations for 2001-02 –
BEST MUSICAL:
Mamma Mia!
Sweet Smell of Success
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Urinetown
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL:
Into the Woods
Oklahoma!
SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENT:
Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends
Elaine Stritch at Liberty
Barbara Cook: Mostly Sondheim
Sexaholix....A Love Story
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL:
James Lapine, Into the Woods
Michael Mayer, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Trevor Nunn, Oklahoma!
John Rando, Urinetown
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL:
John Guare, Sweet Smell of Success
Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia
Greg Kotis, Urinetown
Richard Morris & Dick Scanlan, Thoroughly Modern Millie
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Harry Connick, Jr., Thou Shalt Not
Marvin Hamlisch, Craig Carnelia, Sweet Smell of Success
Mark Hollman & Greg Kotis, Urinetown
Jeanine Tesori & Dick Scanlan, Thoroughly Modern Millie
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
Gavin Creel, Thoroughly Modern Millie
John Cullum, Urinetown
John Lithgow, Sweet Smell of Success
John McMartin, Into the Woods
Patrick Wilson, Oklahoma!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Nancy Opel, Urinetown
Louise Pitre, Mamma Mia!
Jennifer Laura Thompson, Urinetown
Vanessa Williams, Into the Woods
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
Norbert Leo Butz, Thou Shalt Not
Gregg Edelman, Into the Woods
Shuler Hensley, Oklahoma!
Brian d'Arcy James, Sweet Smell of Success
Marc Kudisch, Thoroughly Modern Millie
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
Laura Benanti, Into the Woods
Harriet Harris, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Spencer Kayden, Urinetown
Judy Kaye, Mamma Mia!
Andrea Martin, Oklahoma!
BEST SCENIC DESIGN:
John Lee Beatty, Morning's at Seven
Tim Hatley, Private Lives
Daniel Ostling, Metamorphoses
Douglas W. Schmidt, Into the Woods
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Jenny Beaven, Private Lives
Jane Greenwood, Morning's at Seven
Susan Hilferty, Into the Woods
Martin Pakledinaz, Thoroughly Modern Millie
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN:
Paul Gallo, The Crucible
David Hersey, Oklahoma!
Natasha Katz, Sweet Smell of Success
Brian MacDevitt, Into the Woods
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY:
Rob Ashford, Thoroughly Modern Millie
John Carrafa, Into the Woods
John Carrafa, Urinetown
Susan Stroman, Oklahoma!
BEST ORCHESTRATIONS:
Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus & Martin Koch, Mamma Mia!
Douglas Besterman/Ralph Burns, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Bruce Coughlin, Urinetown
William David Brohn, Sweet Smell of Success
BEST PLAY:
Fortune's Fool by Ivan Turgenev, adapted by Mike Poulton
The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? by Edward Albee
Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman
Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY:
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Morning's at Seven by Paul Osborn
Noises Off by Michael Frayn
Private Lives by Noel Coward
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY:
Alan Bates, Fortune's Fool
Billy Crudup, The Elephant Man
Liam Neeson, The Crucible
Alan Rickman, Private Lives
Jeffrey Wright, Topdog/Underdog
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY:
Kate Burton, Hedda Gabler
Lindsay Duncan, Private Lives
Laura Linney, The Crucible
Helen Mirren, Dance of Death
Mercedes Ruehl, The Goat
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY:
Howard Davies, Private Lives
Richard Eyre, The Crucible
Daniel Sullivan, Morning's at Seven
Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY:
Frank Langella, Fortune's Fool
William Biff McGuire, Morning's at Seven
Brian Murray, The Crucible
Sam Robards, The Man Who Had All the Luck
Stephen Tobolowsky, Morning's at Seven
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY:
Kate Burton, The Elephant Man
Katie Finneran, Noises Off
Elizabeth Franz, Morning's at Seven
Estelle Parsons, Morning's at Seven
Frances Sternhagen, Morning's at Seven
SPECIAL TONY AWARDS:
Robert Whitehead, producer
Julie Harris, actress
Williamstown Theatre Festival