Tony Snubs And Surprises: Aaron Sorkin, Nathan Lane, Laura Linney, Oscar Isaac & Rachel Brosnahan Among Big Names With Empty Hands

Some of the biggest names of Broadway (and Hollywood) won’t be receiving those phone calls of congratulations today, as this morning’s Tony Awards nominations included more than a few surprising (or, in some cases, not surprising) omissions.

Aaron Sorkin, whose rewritten book for the classic musical Camelot was not beloved by critics, didn’t get any Tony approval today. Sorkin’s revisions were extensive enough to make him eligible in the Best Book of a Musical category, but he is not among the nominees.

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As for lead actors and actresses, both Oscar Isaac nor Rachel Brosnahan, the bold-name stars of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, were overlooked, as was The Piano Lesson‘s John David Washington and Pictures From Home‘s Nathan Lane. Marcel Spears, the star of the acclaimed Fat Ham, was not nominated, nor was Olivier Award winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi). Jefferson Mays, so good in the seasonal A Christmas Carol, is not on the list.

In addition to Brosnahan, Laura Linney, a Broadway favorite, was overlooked in the Leading Actress/Play category, while her Summer, 1976 co-star Jessica Hecht got a nod.

Among the Featured (i.e., supporting) performers, some of the biggest surprises were the absences of the well-reviewed Danielle Brooks (The Piano Lesson), Sharon D Clarke (Death of a Saleman), Michael Potts (The Piano Lesson) and Leopoldstadt’s David Krumholtz. Scott Foley, a big TV name, went unrecognized for his performance in The Thanksgiving Play, not a huge surprise given the so-so critical reception for the production.

Among musical directors, the absence of three of Broadway’s most successful and popular names – Susan Stroman (New York, New York), Bartlett Sher (Camelot) and, perhaps most of all, Hamilton director Thomas Kail (Sweeney Todd) was one of the day’s biggest shockers. Good to see Lear deBessonet recognized for the delightful Into the Woods, even though the Encores! transfer was a more stripped-down affair than Camelot, NY2 and Sweeney.

The Direction/Play had its own share of snubs of major names, most notably LaTanya Richardson Jackson (The Piano Lesson), Kenny Leon (Topdog/Underdog), Anne Kauffman (The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window) and Daniel Sullivan (Summer, 1976). Justin Martin, who directed the highly praised Prima Facie, was left off the list as well.

In fact, Prima Facie, which was a major Olivier winner during its London run, wasn’t mentioned in the Best Play category, nor was London hit Life of Pi, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Cost of Living, and the Sean Hayes-starrer Good Night, Oscar. Neither Death of a Salesman – another London hit – nor Ohio State Murders took spots in the Play Revival category.

Two of the season’s more anticipated – Almost Famous and A Beautiful Noise – were shut out of the Best Musical category. The lead actress/musical category saw its share of snubs: Anna Uzele (New York, New York), Patina Miller (Into the Woods) and, perhaps most unexpected, Phillipa Soo (Camelot). Soo’s co-star, Andrew Burnap, also emerged empty-handed.

In the Featured Actor/Musical category, Gaten Matarazzo (Sweeney Todd), Gavin Creek (Into the Woods), Alex Joseph Grayson (Parade), Steven Boyer (Kimberly Akimbo) and Joshua Henry (Into the Woods) all received sterling reviews; none were nominated.

As for Best Score, Andrew Lloyd Webber went unnominated for his tepidly reviewed Bad Cinderella.

As for the more pleasant surprises, Shucked, the little show that could, had a fantastic day, scoring an impressive nine nominations – more than Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods, Leopoldstadt, Parade and any number of productions that were far better known commodities heading into their opening nights. Shucked producers were so confident in their show that they offered low-priced tickets throughout the musical’s entire preview period, hoping for word and maybe some Tony love. Seems they got both.

Also heartening: Ain’t No Mo’, Jordan E. Cooper’s edgy comedy about race and identity that received excellent reviews but struggled at the box office and closed too early, was nominated for Best Play.

Both Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Corey Hawkins of Topdog/Underdog got nominated, a good turn since some feared the co-stars might cancel out each other, a situation that may have occurred with Summer, 1976, with the deserving Jessica Hecht getting a nomination but her equally deserving co-star Laura Linney going unrecognized.

Other excellent performances nominations that might have gotten overlooked – but thankfully didn’t – are Miriam Silverman (Sidney Brustein), Alex Newell (Shucked), and Julia Lester (Into the Woods).

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