NEW YORK (AP) – The musicals An American in Paris and Fun Home each received a leading 12 Tony Award nominations on April 21, showing two very different sides of this Broadway season.
One side is sunny – the dance-heavy stage adaptation of the 1951 musical film with George and Ira Gershwin songs.
The other moody – the dark show based on Alison Bechdel’s coming of age graphic novel about her closeted, suicidal dad.
“It’s nice to know if something’s good, there’s room for it,” said Max von Essen, who earned a nomination for featured actor in a musical in American in Paris. “There’s room for a smaller, darker piece and there’s room for a big, show-stopping revival.”
Michael Cerveris got one of the dozen nods for Fun Home – as best leading actor in a musical – and hopes they will attract more people to see his critically acclaimed and poignant show.
“The real value of the Tonys, and I suppose any awards, is to draw attention to something that people otherwise might not seek out. So the fact that every aspect of the production has been acknowledged is the best kind of advertising,” he said.
The nominations ranged from 11-year-old Sydney Lucas in Fun Home to 82-year-old Chita Rivera, looking for her third Tony. Helen Mirren and Bradley Cooper each got nominations but Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kelsey Grammer and Matthew Morrison from Glee didn’t get nods.
Rivera, who is wowing crowds just with a raised eyebrow, has championed her show, the dark John Kander and Fred Ebb musical The Visit, since 2001. She called its arrival on Broadway “joyous” and said the experienced cast and creators are superb. “We think it’s a jewel,” she said.
The best new play category includes Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two, Hand to God, Disgraced and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Larry David’s Fish in the Dark was snubbed entirely.
The first casualty of the nominating process was Living on Love, which announced it would close May 3. The Renee Fleming-led play earned no nominations Tuesday and needed something to goose box office receipts. Last week, it grossed only about 16 percent of its $957,000 potential.
In addition to An American in Paris and Fun Home, the best new musical category includes Something Rotten! and The Visit. The Peter Pan-themed Finding Neverland, Harvey Weinstein’s first-ever venture into Broadway as a lead producer, didn’t get a single nomination.
The Tonys, hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming, will be handed out at Radio City Music Hall on June 7.
The full list of nominations can be found here.
