‘Kinky Boots,’ ‘Matilda the Musical,’ ‘Pippin’ Lead Tony Awards Nominations

Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster announced the Tony nominations this morning at 8:30 a.m.

The big winners are “Kinky Boots” with 13 nominations and “Matilda The Musical,” which followed with 12. “Pippin” was close behind with 10 nods. “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” came next with nine.

Broadway audiences love big Hollywood stars, but the Tony nomination committee not so much. Tom Hanks is an exception. Hanks, who has been getting raves in “Lucky Man,” received a Tony nomination for his performance that most critics say outshines the play, by the late Nora Ephron. The play, however, did receive a nomination for best play.

Other nominees for best play are “The Testament of Mary” (Colm Toibin), “The Assembled Parties” (Richard Greenberg), and “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” (Christopher Durang).

Left out in the cold was Bette Midler, who was back on Broadway for the first time in three decades, as ruthless Hollywood agent Sue Mengers in “I’ll Eat You Last.” This probably won’t make a dent in box office sales.

Movie stars Alec Baldwin and Ben Foster were also left out of Tony contention for their performances in the revival of Lyle Kessler’s “Orphans.” In the three-man play, only Tom Sturridge was nominated for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play, something Ben Brantley of the New York Times foretold when he wrote in his review of the play: “Mr. Sturridge is playing the sort of role that comes with ‘Tony nominee’ tattooed on its forehead, that of a mentally challenged, education-deprived person who learns to assert himself.” “Orphans” did receive another nomination for best revival.

Besides Hanks and Sturridge, the other actors in the leading role category include Nathan Lane for his critically acclaimed performance in “The Nance,” Tracy Letts for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and David Hyde Pierce for “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.”

Sigourney Weaver, who also stars in “Vanya and Sonia,” was passed over while her co-star Kristine Nielsen received a nod in the leading role in a play category. Other actresses besides Nielsen nominated for best female leading role in a play are Laurie Metcalf, “The Other Place”; Amy Morton, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?;” Cicely Tyson, “The Trip to Bountiful,” and Holland Taylor, “Ann.”

Today’s nomination for Holland Taylor should give “Ann” a boost at the box office. The actress has been sweeping the award nominations with nods from the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and now the Tony’s.

Other movie stars overlooked include Paul Rudd and Michael Shannon, for “Grace,” Craig Wright’s tale of a Christian entrepreneur, which closed earlier in the season. Shannon, who has a whole slate of movies opening, including “The Iceman,” which opens Friday, and blockbuster “Man of Steel,” was particularly good as a broken man suffering from a crisis of faith.

There was also no Tony love for Jessica Chastain, who starred in “The Heiress,” although her co-star, seasoned Broadway actress Judith Ivey, was nominated for best actress in a featured role in a play. Other nominees are Carrie Coon, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”; Shalita Grant, “Vanya and Sonia”; Judith Light, “The Assembled Parties”; and Condola Rashad for “The Trip to Bountiful.”

For best actor in a musical it will be a close contest between Bertie Carvel in “Matilda the Musical” and Billy Porter, who plays Lola in “Kinky Boots.” Porter is up against his co-star Stark Sands. Other nominees in the category are Santino Fontana in “Cinderella” and Bob McClure for “Chaplin,” whose performance was singled out in the musical, which received mostly poor reviews.

The best actress in a musical category is wide open: The nominees are Stephanie J. Block, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; Carolee Carmello, “Scandalous,” Valisia LeKae, “Motown the Musical,” Patina Miller, “Pippin,” and Laura Osnes, “Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella.”

The biggest winner is Cyndi Lauper, a rock star whose first Broadway venture, “Kinky Boots,” scored 13 nominations, including for her music and lyrics.

And then there’s the astonishing Cicely Tyson, who is 88, and making her return to Broadway in “The Trip to Bountiful” after a 30-year absence. She would deny her a Tony Award?

All the Tony Award Nominations:

BEST PLAY

• The Assembled Parties; Author: Richard Greenberg
• Lucky Guy; Author: Nora Ephron
• The Testament of Mary; Author: Colm Tóibín
• Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; Author: Christopher Durang.

BEST MUSICAL

• Bring It On: The Musical
• A Christmas Story, The Musical
• Kinky Boots
• Matilda The Musical

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

• A Christmas Story, The Musical; Joseph Robinette
• Kinky Boots; Harvey Fierstein
• Matilda The Musical; Dennis Kelly
• Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella; Douglas Carter Beane

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE

• A Christmas Story, The Musical; Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
• Hands on a Hardbody; Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green; Lyrics: Amanda Green
• Kinky Boots; Music & Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper
• Matilda The Musical; Music & Lyrics: Tim Minchin

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

• Golden Boy
• Orphans
• The Trip to Bountiful
• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

• Annie
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood
• Pippin
• Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

• Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
• Nathan Lane, The Nance
• Tracy Letts, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
• Tom Sturridge, Orphans

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

• Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
• Amy Morton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• Kristine Nielsen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
• Holland Taylor, Ann
• Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

• Bertie Carvel, Matilda The Musical
• Santino Fontana, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
• Rob McClure, Chaplin
• Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
• Stark Sands, Kinky Boots

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

• Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
• Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
• Valisia LeKae, Motown The Musical
• Patina Miller, Pippin
• Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

• Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
• Richard Kind, The Big Knife
• Billy Magnussen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
• Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
• Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

• Carrie Coon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
• Judith Ivey, The Heiress
• Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
• Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

• Charl Brown, Motown The Musical
• Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
• Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
• Gabriel Ebert, Matilda The Musical
• Terrence Mann, Pippin

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

• Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
• Victoria Clark, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
• Andrea Martin, Pippin
• Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
• Lauren Ward, Matilda The Musical

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY

• Pam MacKinnon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• Nicholas Martin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
• Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy
• George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

• Scott Ellis, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
• Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
• Diane Paulus, Pippin
• Matthew Warchus, Matilda The Musical

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

• Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
• Peter Darling, Matilda The Musical
• Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
• Chet Walker, Pippin

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS

• Chris Nightingale, Matilda The Musical
• Stephen Oremus, Kinky Boots
• Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook, Motown The Musical
• Danny Troob, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY

• John Lee Beatty, The Nance
• Santo Loquasto, The Assembled Parties
• David Rockwell, Lucky Guy
• Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

• Rob Howell, Matilda The Musical
• Anna Louizos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
• Scott Pask, Pippin
• David Rockwell, Kinky Boots

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY

• Soutra Gilmour, Cyrano de Bergerac
• Ann Roth, The Nance
• Albert Wolsky, The Heiress
• Catherine Zuber, Golden Boy

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

• Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots
• Rob Howell, Matilda The Musical
• Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
• William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY

• Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, Lucky Guy
• Donald Holder, Golden Boy
• Jennifer Tipton, The Testament of Mary
• Japhy Weideman, The Nance

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

• Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots
• Kenneth Posner, Pippin
• Kenneth Posner, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
• Hugh Vanstone, Matilda The Musical

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY

• John Gromada, The Trip to Bountiful
• Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary
• Leon Rothenberg, The Nance
• Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, Golden Boy

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

• Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm, Pippin
• Peter Hylenski, Motown The Musical
• John Shivers, Kinky Boots
• Nevin Steinberg, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

SPECIAL TONY AWARD® FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATRE

• Bernard Gersten
• Paul Libin
• Ming Cho Lee

REGIONAL THEATRE AWARD

• Huntington Theatre Company

ISABELLE STEVENSON AWARD

• Larry Kramer

TONY HONORS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE THEATRE

• Career Transition For Dancers
• William Craver
• Peter Lawrence
• The Lost Colony
• The four actresses who created the title role of Matilda The Musical on Broadway – Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro.