2018 Tony Award Nominations Announced

The 2018 Tony Award nominations were announced today by Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr. and "Waitress" star Katharine McPhee.

Here's my observations and thoughts:


• Two big brand-name musicals, Mean Girls and Spongebob Squarepants, lead the nominations with 12 nods each.

• Critically acclaimed new musical The Band's Visit, as well as revivals of Angels in America and Carousel, each garnered 11 nominations.

• The new two-part play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Lincoln Center's highly-praised revival of My Fair Lady each received 10 nominations.

• The Harry Potter plays are the only nominee in the Best Play category still running on Broadway.

• Disney darling Frozen only received 3 nods (Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score).

• The Jimmy Buffett jukebox musical, Escape to Margaritaville, was shut out of the nominations completely as it continues to struggle at the box office.

• Of the seven new musicals on the Great White Way this year, Margaritaville, Summer and Prince of Broadway didn't make the cut for the Best Musical category.

• Two plays garnered nominations in categories usually reserved for musicals. Composer Adrian Sutton was recognized for his work on Angels in America in Best Original Score, and choreographer Steven Hoggett received a nomination for his work on the Harry Potter plays.

• Bruce Springsteen will receive a special Tony Award for his huge hit, Springsteen on Broadway.

• Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and Broadway icon Chita Rivera will receive lifetime achievement awards at this year's ceremony.

• All four nominees in the Best Book of a Musical category made their Broadway debut this season.

• Personal congrats to my longtime pal Chris Gattelli for his TWO nominations for choreography this season for My Fair Lady and Spongebob Squarepants.

• This season had the smallest number of productions eligible for nominations in a decade.


The 72nd annual Tony Awards will air June 10 on CBS hosted by Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban.

Here's the full list of nominations:

Best Musical

“The Band’s Visit”

“Frozen”

“Mean Girls”

“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical”


Best Play

“The Children”

“Farinelli and the King”

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

“Junk”

“Latin History for Morons”


Best Revival of a Musical

“Carousel”

“My Fair Lady”

“Once on This Island”


Best Revival of a Play

“Angels in America”

“Lobby Hero”

“Three Tall Women”

“The Iceman Cometh”

“Travesties”


Best Book of a Musical

“The Band’s Visit,” Itamar Moses

“Frozen,” Jennifer Lee

“Mean Girls,” Tina Fey

“SpongeBob SquarePants,” Kyle Jarrow


Best Original Score

“Angels in America,” Adrian Sutton

“The Band’s Visit,” Music and Lyrics: David Yazbek

“Frozen,” Music and Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“Mean Girls,” Music: Jeff Richmond; Lyrics: Nell Benjamin

“SpongeBob SquarePants,” Various contributors


Best Leading Actor in a Play

Andrew Garfield, “Angels in America”

Tom Hollander, “Travesties”

Jamie Parker, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

Mark Rylance, “Farinelli and the King”

Denzel Washington, “The Iceman Cometh”


Best Leading Actress in a Play

Glenda Jackson, “Three Tall Women”

Condola Rashad, “Saint Joan”

Lauren Ridloff, “Children of a Lesser God”

Amy Schumer, “Meteor Shower”


Best Leading Actor in a Musical

Harry Hadden-Paton, “My Fair Lady”

Joshua Henry, “Carousel”

Ethan Slater, “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Tony Shalhoub, “The Band’s Visit”


Best Leading Actress 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, “Carousel”


Best Featured Actor in a Play

Anthony Boyle, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

Michael Cera, “Lobby Hero”

Brian Tyree Henry, “Lobby Hero”

Nathan Lane, “Angels in America”

David Morse, “The Iceman Cometh”


Best Featured Actress in a Play

Susan Brown, “Angels in America”

Noma Dumezweni, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

Deborah Findlay, “The Children”

Denise Gough, “Angels in America”

Laurie Metcalf, “Three Tall Women”


Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Norbert Leo Butz, “My Fair Lady”

Alexander Gemignani, “Carousel”

Grey Henson, “Mean Girls”

Gavin Lee, “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Ari’el Stachel, “The Band’s Visit”


Best Featured Actress in a Musical

Ariana DeBose, “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”

Renée Fleming, “Carousel”

Lindsay Mendez, “Carousel”

Ashley Park, “Mean Girls”

Diana Rigg, “My Fair Lady”


Best Scenic Design of a Play

Miriam Buether, “Three Tall Women”

Jonathan Fensom, “Farinelli and the King”

Santo Loquasto, “The Iceman Cometh”

Christine Jones, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

Ian MacNeil and Edward Pierce, “Angels in America”


Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Dane Laffrey, “Once on this Island”

Scott Pask, “The Band’s Visit”

Scott Pask, Finn Ross and Adam Young, “Mean Girls”

Michael Yeargan, “My Fair Lady”

David Zinn, “SpongeBob SquarePants”


Best Costume Design of a Play

Jonathan Fensom, “Farinelli and the King”

Nicky Gillibrand, “Angels in America”

Katrina Lindsay, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

Ann Roth, “Three Tall Women”

Ann Roth, “The Iceman Cometh”


Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, “Mean Girls”

Clint Ramos, “Once on This Island”

Ann Roth, “Carousel”

David Zinn, “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Catherine Zuber, “My Fair Lady”


Best Lighting Design of a Play

Neil Austin, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

Paule Constable, “Angels in America”

Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, “The Iceman Cometh”

Paul Russell, “Farinelli and the King”

Ben Stanton, “Junk”


Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, “Once on This Island”

Donald Holder, “My Fair Lady”

Brian MacDevitt, “Carousel”

Tyler Micoleau, “The Band’s Visit”


Best Direction of a Play

Marianne Elliott, “Angels in America”

Joe Mantello, “Three Tall Women”

Patrick Marber, “Travesties”

John Tiffany, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

George C. Wolfe, “The Iceman Cometh”


Best Direction of a Musical

Michael Arden, “Once on This Island”

David Cromer, “The Band’s Visit”

Tina Landau, “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Casey Nicholaw, “Mean Girls”

Bartlett Sher, “My Fair Lady”


Best Choreography

Christopher Gattelli, “My Fair Lady”

Christopher Gattelli, “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Steven Hoggett, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

Casey Nicholaw, “Mean Girls”

Justin Peck, “Carousel”


Best Orchestrations

John Clancy, “Mean Girls”

Tom Kitt, “SpongeBob SquarePants”

AnnMarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin, “Once on This Island”

Jamshied Sharifi, “The Band’s Visit”

Jonathan Tunick, “Carousel”


Sound Design in a Play

Adam Cork, “Travesties”

Ian Dickinson for Autograph, “Angels in America”

Gareth Fry, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

Tom Gibbons, “1984”

Dan Moses Schreier, “The Iceman Cometh”


Sound Design in a Musical

Kai Harada, “The Band’s Visit”

Peter Hylenski, “Once on This Island”

Scott Lehrer, “Carousel”

Brian Ronan, “Mean Girls”

Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, “SpongeBob SquarePants”


Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater

Chita Rivera

Andrew Lloyd Webber


Special Tony Award

John Leguizamo

Bruce Springsteen


Regional Theater Tony Award

La MaMa E.T.C.

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Nick Scandalios


Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater

Sara Krulwich

Bessie Nelson

Ernest Winzer Cleaners