The nominees for the 2023 Tony Awards were announced Tuesday morning, May 2, and one production stood out from the rest.
Some Like It Hot, a musical that re-imagines the classic comedy film about two musicians who dress in drag to escape their responsibilities, received an impressive 13 nominations – the only title to receive double-digit nods. The show dominated the list of nominees, positioning itself as a strong contender for many of the awards.
Following closely behind Some Like It Hot are three other musicals – & Juliet, Shucked, and New York, New York – which received nine nominations each. All four of these titles are in the running for Best Musical.
Kimberly Akimbo, which some experts have touted as a frontrunner for months, also received a nomination for Best Musical, making it a strong contender for the award. Additionally, Akimbo is tied with the revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with eight nominations each.
Many familiar faces from the theater world are back with opportunities to win Tonys.
Actors Ben Platt, Audra McDonald, Annaleigh Ashford, and Brian d’Arcy James are among the favorites, and some could add to their trophy shelves. Hollywood bigwigs are also joining in on the fun this year, as some often do, with stars including Jessica Chastain, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sean Hayes earning nominations as well.
The 2023 Tony Awards are Sunday, June 11, 2023. They will air live on CBS from New York City. Ariana DeBose will host the show for the second year in a row.
Take it from somebody who's sat in a stylist's chair at an African hair braiding shop in Harlem, and had the kind woman scoff at the thought of trying to finesse too little hair into D'Angelo-inspired cornrows, that watching Whitney White's snappy staging of JaJa's African Hair Braiding is like stepping into a salon on 125th Street in Manhattan.
Jocelyn Bioh's hilarious ensemble comedy -- which premiered on Broadway last fall in a production that White has brought intact to Arena Stage, except for the cast -- offers a generous glimpse into the world of the immigrant women whose lives intersect at JaJa's shop in Harlem. Each character we meet is vibrantly specific, yet seems to authentically reflect the communities they represent.
Billie Holiday is onstage dwindling before our eyes, struggling to sustain the fire that brought her to this moment. She's already told her audience, "You can only get to where you're at by way of where you've been," and this iconic performer has been to hell and back -- whorehouses, prison, addiction, heartache -- but she's still here, barely.
The Billie Holiday portrayed in Lanie Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill comprises a fascinating, tragic triple image, a performance of a performer performing the role of someone who isn't still messed up on heroin.
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