SpongeBob SquarePants and Mean Girls Tie for Most Tony Nominations
It’s Broadway awards season (hello Tony, Chita Rivera and Drama Desk Awards!), and this year, there’s a lot for fans to sing and dance about. If you’re a millennial, your heart is certainly happy with this morning’s Tony announcement: SpongeBob SquarePants and Mean Girls scored the most nominations for a musical at 12 each. (The two-part play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child got 10.)
Mean Girls leads the pack with 12 Tony nominations. Photo by Joan Marcus, Courtesy Boneau/Bryan-Brown.
The Band’s Visit wasn’t far behind with 11, and revivals fared especially well with 10 nods each for Carousel and My Fair Lady and 8 for Once On This Island, choreographed by our April cover star Camille A. Brown. (Though she didn’t get a Best Choreography nod, we think Brown belongs in the category.) Unsurprisingly, Justin Peck was called out for his Carousel choreography in perhaps the danciest show of the season. This year, a play even got a Best Choreography nom, as Steven Hoggett was praised for his movement direction in the very popular Harry Potter production.
Our hats are off to Christopher Gattelli who received recognition for choreography in the absurdly fun SpongeBob and the impeccable revival of My Fair Lady. The man who can make moves for an underwater kitchen sponge and Brits in 1913 London in the same season is truly versatile.
On Friday, the Chita Rivera Awards nominations were also announced. We love the committee’s annual recognition of dance on Broadway, off-Broadway and film, shining a light not only on the headliners but the all-important ensembles.
Rounding out the trifecta, the Drama Desk Awards nominations came out last Thursday. Putting all New York City productions on an even playing field, Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway shows vie for the same awards.
Tony Awards Nominations
Ahead of the June 10 Tony Awards show on CBS, here are the musicals and stars that were tapped for a potential win in select categories. (For a full list of nominees in all categories, click here.)
Best Choreography
Christopher Gattelli, My Fair Lady
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Steven Hoggett, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Justin Peck, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel
Best Musical
The Band’s Visit
Mean Girls
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Best Revival of a Musical
My Fair Lady
Once On This Island
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel
Tony Shalhoub, The Band’s Visit
Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady
Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island
LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Katrina Lenk, The Band’s Visit
Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls
Jessie Mueller, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady
Alexander Gemignani, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel
Grey Henson, Mean Girls
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Ari’el Stachel, The Band’s Visit
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Ariana DeBose
, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Renée Fleming, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel
Lindsay Mendez, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady
Ariana DeBose sparkles as Disco Donna in Summer. Photo by Kevin Berne, Courtesy Boneau/Bryan-Brown.
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Once On This Island
David Cromer, The Band’s Visit
Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady
Chita Rivera will receive a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Chita Rivera Awards Nominations
Here are the 2017–18 nominees ahead of the May 20 ceremony:
Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show
Camille A. Brown, Once On This Island
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants
Casey Nicholaw, Mean GirlsJustin Peck, Carousel
Sergio Trujillo, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show
Carousel
Mean Girls
Once On This Island
SpongeBob SquarePants
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show
Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady
Andrei Chagas, Carousel
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants
Amar Ramasar, Carousel
Tony Yazbeck, Prince of Broadway
Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show
Yesenia Ayala, Carousel
Ariana DeBose, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island
Katrina Lenk, The Band’s Visit
Skye Mattox
,
Carousel
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Brittany Pollack, Carousel
Outstanding Choreography in an Off-Broadway Show
Nejla Yatkin, The Boy Who Danced on Air
Sonya Tayeh, Hundred Days
Zach Morris & Jennine Willett, Ghost Light
Chris Bailey, Jerry Springer: The Opera
Monica Bill Barnes, One Night Only
Outstanding Female Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show
Anna Bass, One Night Only
Monica Bill Barnes, One Night Only
Elizabeth Carena, Ghost Light
Tiffany Mann, Jerry Springer: The Opera
Kenita R. Miller, Bella
Outstanding Male Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show
Colin Campbell, Disco Pigs
Robert Fairchild, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Troy Iwata, The Boy Who Danced on Air
Evan Ruggiero, Bastard Jones
Nikhil Saboo, The Boy Who Danced on Air
At the Movies
In the film category, theses movies with theatrical release got a nod for their choreography:
Basmati Blues
(Noemie LaFrance, Rajeev, Dimple Ganguly, Vijay Ganguly and Ryan Heffington)
Finding Your Feet
(Mark Jennings)
Hello Again
(Todd Underwood)
Polina (Angelin Preljocaj)
The Greatest Showman
(Shannon Holtzapffel, Ashley Wallen)
Three dance documentaries also received nominations: Step, Bobbi Jene (starring Bobbi Jene Smith) and Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer (starring Marcelo Gomes).
The Greatest Showman. Photo by Niko Tavernise, Courtesy 20th Century Fox.
Drama Desk Award Nominations
Here are the highlights dancers should know before winners are announced at a June 3 ceremony. (Get the full list here.)
Outstanding Musical
Desperate Measures
, The York Theatre Company
KPOP
, Ars Nova/Ma-Yi Theatre Company/Woodshed Collective
Mean Girls
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
, 2b Theatre Company/59E59
SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Amerike
—The Golden Land
, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Carousel
My Fair Lady
, Lincoln Center Theater
Once on This Island
Pacific Overtures
, Classic Stage Company
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Jelani Alladin, Frozen
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Carousel
Evan Ruggiero, Bastard Jones, the cell
Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Gizel Jiménez, Miss You Like Hell, The Public Theater
LaChanze, Summer
Jessie Mueller, Carousel
Ashley Park, KPOP, Ars Nova/Ma-Yi Theater Company/Woodshed Collective
Daphne Rubin-Vega, Miss You Like Hell, The Public Theater
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Damon Daunno, The Lucky Ones, Ars Nova
Alexander Gemignani, Carousel
Grey Henson, Mean Girls
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants
Tony Yazbeck, Prince of Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Lindsay Mendez, Carousel
Kenita R. Miller, Once on This Island
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady
Kate Rockwell, Mean Girls
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story, 2b Theatre Company/59E59
Teddy Bergman, KPOP, Ars Nova/Ma-Yi Theater Company/Woodshed Collective
Jack O’Brien, Carousel
Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants
Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady
The LaDuca Award for Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Once on This Island
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Justin Peck, Carousel
Nejla Yatkin, The Boy Who Danced on Air, Abingdon Theatre Company
