The theater world is buzzing after nominations for the 72nd Tony Awards were announced Tuesday morning.
Past winner Leslie Odom, Jr. and actor Katharine McPhee took to the podium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center to share this year’s crop of honorees.
Over the past few years, the Tonys have been one of the most inclusive awards shows in the business. In 2016, Black actors racked up the top four awards for acting, and judging by this group of nominees, it could happen this year as well.
Veteran actor Denzel Washington is nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his portrayal of Theodore Hickman in Eugene O’Neill’s classic, “The Iceman Cometh.” Condola Rashad (“Saint John”) and Lauren Ridloff (“Children of a Lesser God”) received nods for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.
Musicians Yolanda Adams, John Legend, T.I., and Domani & Lil’C received nominations for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) for the hugely successful production, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical.”
In the musical category, Ariana DeBose (“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”) was honored in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical category; and LaChanze Summer (“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”) and Hailey Kilgore (“Once On This Island”) received nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. Joshua Henry also received a Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical nomination for his role in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel.”
Atlanta star, Brian Tyree Henry received a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for “Lobby Hero;” and Noma Dumezweni was honored with a Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for her role in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two.”
This year’s Tony Awards will be hosted by Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban, and will be broadcast live from the Radio City Music Hall on CBS, on Sunday, June 10.