In April, the Broadway League announced the nominees for the 77th Annual Tony Awards, scheduled to take place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City on June 16—and there were many surprises and notable omissions. Stereophonic, while expected to do well based on critical reception, exceeded expectations with a record-setting 13 nominations, including for Best Play. Danya Taymor’s The Outsiders, while well received, also did better than many observers expected with 12 Tony nominations. In contrast, Monty Python’s Spamalot and The Who’s Tommy, both of which did well at the box office and had passionate supporters, only received one nomination each.
While awards in any industry are subjective, here’s a look at some of the perceived snubs for the 2024 Tony Awards with insight from theater critics.
The Wiz
A beloved musical that was shown on Broadway for the first time in some three decades, The Wiz is a re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz with an all-African American cast. The original 1975 production won Best Musical, but the 2023 revival was shut out entirely from the Tony nominations. The musical wasn’t well received among critics, but it was a hit at the box office, leaving many to believe it would at least receive at least a couple nominations, if not just so the cast could perform a rousing number at the Tony Awards ceremony.
William F. Brown wrote the book for the musical and Charlie Smalls wrote music and lyrics. The cast include Nichelle Lewis (Dorothy), Wayne Brady (The Wiz), Deborah Cox (Glinda), and Avery Wilson (Scarecrow). Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Deadline all listed The Wiz as a major snub from Tony nominations.
Michael Imperioli (An Enemy of the People)
Best known for his work as Christopher Moltisanti in HBO’s The Sopranos, Michael Imperioli has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in recent years, first appearing in HBO’s The White Lotus and then starring opposite Jeremy Strong in An Enemy of the People in a 16-week limited engagement showing at Circle in the Square Theatre. The play, which is about a small town doctor who is silenced by his critics, including his own brother (Imperioli), after raising concerns about a potential catastrophe, received five Tony nominations.
While Strong earned a Best Actor nod, Imperioli was left off the Featured Actor list. Variety critic Gordon Cox said he expected Imperioli to be nominated and his absence was likely due to the fact that three performers from Stereophonic received recognition in the category. Deadline‘s Greg Evans also thought it was a surprise that Imperioli didn’t get love from the voters.
Steve Carell (Uncle Vanya)
Like Imperioli, Steve Carell is an actor better known for his work in TV, famously starring in NBC’s The Office for several seasons. He made his Broadway debut in Uncle Vanya, the revival of the Anton Chekhov classic, at the Lincoln Center. The play received one Tony nomination—William Jackson Harper for Best Leading Actor in a Play—and four Drama League nominations.
At Variety, Cox wrote that Carell “seemed like a solid contender for a nom,” but didn’t make the list of finalists. Carell’s snub is also somewhat surprising considering the amount of TV and film stars, including Strong, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rachel McAdams, who were nominated for awards.
Patriots
Patriots‘ absence from the Best Play category and the fact it received only one Tony nomination was notable considering its cast and creative origins, particularly the star-making performance by Will Keen as Vladimir Putin. Peter Morgan, best known for creating the critically-acclaimed Netflix series The Crown, wrote the play, which details the rise of Putin and Russian oligarchs. Netflix produced the play, marking the streaming giant’s first foray into theater.
However, Keen didn’t receive a nomination, again likely due to critics’ support for Stereophonic, which had three performers nominated in the Featured Actor category. The play was also snubbed from the Best Play category. Michael Stuhlbarg garnered the play’s only nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Play.
Ingrid Michaelson (The Notebook)
Ingrid Michaelson, a 44-year-old Swedish-American singer and songwriter with nine studio albums, made her Broadway debut in The Notebook musical and also wrote the music and lyrics for the production, inspired by the Nicholas Sparks’ novel and popular film of the same name. While The Notebook received three Tony nominations, including for performances by Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood, Michaelson was left off the list for Best Original Score. Michaelson was surprisingly candid in her reaction to not being nominated.
“Congratulations to all the composers who put their whole selves into these scores. And to all who received Tony nominations today,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “It is monumental! I’m gonna say the thing you’re not supposed to say but I’m pretty sad to not see my name there. There is a certain level of embarrassment and shame that ‘not getting picked’ brings into me.”