Pajama Guy: Tony Tony Tony

It's odd that I write about the Tony Awards, since I love in Los Angeles and haven't seen any of the productions.

Here are the major nominations, with comments:

Best Musical

"Come From Away"

"Dear Evan Hansen"

"Groundhog Day"

"Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812"

Four understandable choices, no obvious lead candidate. Still, a bit of surprise there's no War Paint. Or Anastasia. (And I guess there was never any room for Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, or Amelie.)

Best Play

"A Doll's House, Part 2"

"Indecent"

"Oslo"

"Sweat"

Don't know much about any of them. But the voters seem to like short titles.

Best Revival of a Musical

"Falsettos"

"Hello, Dolly!"

"Miss Saigon"

Only three. No room for the revival of Sunset Boulevard? Hardly matters, since Hello, Dolly! is a shoo-in.

Best Revival of a Play

"Jitney"

"The Little Foxes"

"Present Laughter"

"Six Degrees of Separation"

Not impressed with The Price. Or The Front Page.

Best Book of a Musical

"Come From Away," Irene Sankoff and David Hein

"Dear Evan Hansen," Steven Levenson

"Groundhog Day," Danny Rubin

"Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812," Dave Malloy

Best Original Score

"Come From Away," Music and Lyrics: Irene Sankoff and David Hein

"Dear Evan Hansen," Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul

"Groundhog Day," Music and Lyrics: Tim Minchin

"Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812," Music and Lyrics: Dave Malloy

Best Musical matches perfectly with Best Book and Best Score, which is maybe as it should be, but it doesn't point toward any favorites. Also, a lot of lesser-known names in these categories.

Best Leading Actor in a Play

Denis Arndt, "Heisenberg"

Chris Cooper, "A Doll's House, Part 2"

Corey Hawkins, "Six Degrees of Separation"

Kevin Kline, "Present Laughter"

Jefferson Mays, "Oslo"

Only room for so many, and they like big names, but no room for Mark Ruffalo or Tony Shalhoub in The Price. (Did they split the vote?)

Best Leading Actress in a Play

Cate Blanchett, "The Present"

Jennifer Ehle, "Oslo"

Sally Field, "The Glass Menagerie"

Laura Linney, "The Little Foxes"

Laurie Metcalf, "A Doll's House, Part 2"

Big names here. No room for another big name, Allison Janney, in Six Degrees.

Best Leading Actor in a Musical

Christian Borle, "Falsettos"

Josh Groban, "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812"

Andy Karl, "Groundhog Day"

David Hyde Pierce, "Hello, Dolly!"

Ben Platt, "Dear Evan Hansen"

I guess they like a name such as David Hyde Pierce, but is any role but Dolly a lead in that musical?

Best Leading Actress in a Musical

Denée Benton, "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812"

Christine Ebersole, "War Paint"

Patti LuPone, "War Paint"

Bette Midler, "Hello, Dolly!"

Eva Noblezada, "Miss Saigon"

War Paint finally gets a couple nods, for two big names, but even if they weren't splitting the vote, Bette Midler would win.

Best Featured Actor in a Play

Michael Aronov, "Oslo"

Danny DeVito, "The Price"

Nathan Lane, "The Front Page"

Richard Thomas, "The Little Foxes"

John Douglas Thompson, "Jitney"

Mostly from revivals. Danny DeVito gets to represent his play. Nathan Lane gets to represent his--though Walter Burns, even if he doesn't appear until well into the show, is arguably a lead.

Best Featured Actress in a Play

Johanna Day, "Sweat"

Jayne Houdyshell, "A Doll's House, Part 2"

Cynthia Nixon, "The Little Foxes"

Condola Rashad, "A Doll's House, Part 2"

Michelle Wilson, "Sweat"

Will Doll's House and Sweat split their vote, making way for Cynthia Nixon. (She and Laura Linney, also nominated, alternate in roles, but this is based on who played what on opening night.)

Best Featured Actor in a Musical