A lot of Hollywood’s A-list didn’t make the list for next month’s Tony Awards.
Thursday’s nominations unceremoniously snubbed no less than three Oscar winners: Denzel Washington (“Othello”), Kieran Culkin (“Glengarry Glen Ross”) and Robert Downey Jr. (“McNeal”).
Washington’s co-star Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t make the cut either. Nor did Rachel Zegler for “Romeo + Juliet.”
Good! The 40-some nominators did the right thing. Their plays were bad, and the actors were underwhelming in them. That tickets to “Othello” and “Glengarry” cost as much as $900 and $700 respectively for OK seats must’ve also stuck in the committee’s craw.
Considering the producers of “Othello” uninvited me from their show for criticizing their exorbitant prices, I’m grinning from ear to ear.
The award ceremony honoring Broadway didn’t entirely say “no way!” to Hollywood, though.
Sarah Snook, who played Shiv on HBO’s “Succession,” was called out for her unbelievable turn in the high-tech “Picture of Dorian Gray.”
The Aussie, who tackles 26 parts, got the Best Actress in a Play category all wrapped up.
The ferocious Nicole Scherzinger was also nominated for her thrilling turn as faded screen star Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Sunset Boulevard.”
Scherzinger is in a couldn’t-be-closer race for Best Actress in a Musical with Audra McDonald, who’s taking on the titanic role of Mama Rose in “Gypsy.”
And, piling on the drama, they’re right across the street from each other! For the next month, West 44th is gonna look like the Sharks and Jets.
“Sunset” is likely to emerge victorious as Best Revival.
And its leading lady? Right now, I give the former Pussycat Doll the edge too. Many, many voters have told me they were disappointed in “Gypsy,” and feel six-time winner McDonald has done better work in other shows.
For some added glamour, George Clooney squeezed in. He’s perfectly fine as journalist Edward R. Murrow in “Good Night, and Good Luck.”
But the “Syriana” star won’t win. Good Night, and Tough Luck. Best Actor in a Play will go to Cole Escola for being absolutely bananas in “Oh, Mary!,” the brilliant comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln.
Another big battle that’s done and dusted, weirdly, is Best Musical, which is usually the most suspenseful of the night. Not so, this year.
“Maybe Happy Ending,” a bittersweet romantic comedy about two robots, should change its title to “Definitely Happy Ending.”
If anything else in that category — “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Dead Outlaw,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Operation Mincemeat” — takes home the gold, it will be a major upset.
This year’s nominations were mostly not hot on splashy fare. “Smash” (trash!) scored just two nods, while “Boop” (cute) managed three, including for its fantastic new star Jasmine Amy Rogers.
None of those were for Best Musical, which is the only award that matters for sales.
When it comes to “Smash,” “Redwood” with Idina Menzel (zilch) and the Avett Brothers “Swept Away” (one nod for set), growing industry whispers were proven true: Nothing kills a show like a rave from the New York Times!
What else is tight?
Darren Criss (“Maybe Happy Ending”), Tom Francis (“Sunset Boulevard”) and Jonathan Groff (“Just in Time”) and neck and neck for Best Actor in a Musical. Groff, who’s a marvel as crooner Bobby Darin, would seem to be the likely frontrunner.
However, he won only last year for “Merrily We Roll Along.” No musical performer has secured back-to-back Tonys since Gwen Verdon in 1959. I say: Stats, shmacts.
My crystal ball could also use some Windex to help predict Best Play.
“Purpose,” the scorching family dramedy by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, is a contender. So is “John Proctor is the Villain,” Kimberly Belflower’s classroom commentary on “The Crucible.”
But just one play — well, not counting the awful A-list cash-grabs — has been a bona fide event this season: Escola’s “Oh Mary!,” which started off-Broadway and has turned into a much-loved hit.
As of today, I expect Escola to hoist the trophy and shout, “Oh, Tony!”
But a lot can happen in five weeks. “Purpose” or “Proctor” could surge. And McDonald still has plenty of time to perform “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” with a megaphone.
