Courtesy of The New York Times

Nominations for the 2019 Tony Awards were announced on Tuesday, April 30. This Broadway season has been dominated by musicals based on movies, books and iconic musicians. Despite concerns about theatre (namely musicals) becoming too commercialized, 21 of the 34 Tony-eligible shows this season were plays and only 13 were musicals.

This year’s front-running nominees are “Hadestown,” “Ain’t Too Proud,” “Tootsie” and “Beetlejuice.” All these shows opened relatively late in the season, but clearly made a significant impact on audiences and the American Theatre Wing. 

“Hadestown,” a musical based on a famous Greek myth, racked up the most nominations this season. This adaptation of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice claimed 14 total nominations including best musical, best leading and supporting actress, best book, scenic design and many more. “Ain’t Too Proud,”a jukebox musical about the life of The Temptations, followed close behind “Hadestown” with an impressive 12 nominations. 

Out of all the plays this year, “The Ferryman” by Jez Butterworth received nine nominations, putting it near the top of the Tony’s “leaderboard.” The critically acclaimed drama landed nominations in almost every major category for plays, helping to maintain high standards for the 73rd Tony Awards.

Actor Jeremy Pope made Tony history this year, receiving nominations for his performances in both “Choir Boy” and “Ain’t Too Proud.” This makes him the sixth actor ever to be nominated for two different categories in the same year. Pope is also the first LGBTQ+ actor of color to earn this honor. To make this incredible achievement even more impressive, Pope’s run in “Choir Boy” was his Broadway debut. Simply calling this a success would be an understatement. 

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards will air on CBS on Thursday, June 9. Be sure to tune in to see who will take home some of the biggest honors in the theatre industry.