Tony Award Nominations

The Tony Award nominations are a big deal in this house. Our recurring questions are:

*Where is Phillipa Soo?

*Where is Laura Linney?

*Gavin Creel? Alex Joseph Grayson, for "Parade"?

It's a truism that *roles* win awards; actors don't actually win awards. If you're in the shoes of a flashy, dynamic, volatile character, then you have a shot at the prize, even if you yourself aren't especially insightful. If that's the case, we should give a loud cheer for Julia Lester ("Into the Woods") and Ruthie Ann Miles ("Sweeney Todd"). These are roles (Little Red, Beggar Woman) that pop up periodically on Broadway, and before this year, they had *never* attracted "Tony" attention.

To me, the part of Kimberly Levaco is tailor-made for a Tony. Kimberly is dying, heroic, flawed, and capable of enormous growth, within a two-hour journey. It doesn't seem difficult to score awards with that kind of material--so it's especially delightful to point out that Victoria Clark just burns down the house every night. She knows what she has been given, and she holds your attention even when her mouth is shut. I will babysit for you, for free, if Clark loses to Annaleigh Ashford in June.

Have I been using my "tutoring minutes" to talk about Micaela Diamond with uninterested students this week? You bet. Happy nominations day, to all who celebrate!

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