“Band’s Visit” and “Harry Potter” Crush Tony Awards

The Band’s Visit Leads with Ten Wins; Harry Potter Earns Six

This evening, June 10, 2018, the 72^nd annual Tony Awards took place at Radio City Music Hall. Hosted by Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban, the awards were contentious with no clear winner for the biggest award entering into the ceremony. As it turned out, the winner of Best Musical was The Band’s Visit, which also took home by far the most wins with 10 awards.

Next in line was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two, which earned 6 Tony Awards, including that for Best Play. Furthermore, Angels in America earned 3 awards, including Best Revival of a Play, and both the awards for Best Performance by a Leading, and by a Featured, Actor in a Play – for Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane, respectively.

Three Tall Women earned two awards for both Best Performance by a Leading, and by a Featured, Actress in a Play – for Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalf, respectively. The only other show to win more than one award was Carousel, which won the award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress, given to Lindsay Mendez for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge. This is the same role that Audra McDonald played when she earned her first Tony. In addition, Carousel won the award for Best Choreography, given to Justin Peck.

Finally, three shows earned one award each: SpongeBob SquarePants, though nominated for an impressive 12 awards including Best Musical, won just one award: that for Best Scenic Design in a Musical for David Zinn. My Fair Lady earned one award as well, that ofr Best Costume Design in a Musical for Catherine Zuber, winning her seventh Tony. In addition, Once on this Island surprised some by winning the award for Best Revival of a Musical, beating out both My Fair Lady and Carousel for that top honor.

Championing the Smaller Story, Not the Brand Pizzazz

In winning the Tony Award for Best Musical, The Band’s Visit greatly enhanced its chances for longevity. This is a musical that does not have the brand power of Frozen, Mean Girls, or SpongeBob SquarePants, which were its competitors for the coveted top award. While The Band’s Visit is also based on a film, in this case, a 2007 Israeli film, that film is by no means as well known as the others. When the decision was made to adapt it into an English-language stage musical, the creative team poured their all into making it as artful and compelling as could be. Their hard work paid off, as the show took home by far the most Tony Awards of any show this season.

In addition to Best Musical, The Band’s Visit won Best Performance by a Leading Actor for Tony Shalhoub, Best Performance by a Leading Actress for Katrina Lenk and Best Performance by a Featured Actor for Ari'el Stachel. Itamar Moses won for Best Book, and David Yazbek won for Best Original Score. In a very competitive category, the show also won Best Direction, given to David Cromer. In addition, the show was honored in the design categories of Best Lighting for Tyler Micoleau and Best Sound for Kai Harada. To top it off, Jamshied Sharifi was honored with the award for Best Orchestrations.

Mean Girls Among The Shows Going Home Empty-Handed

When the Tony nominations were announced, the headlines were that Mean Girls and SpongeBob SquarePants tied with the most nominations: 12. While SpongeBob only won one award, that for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for David Zinn, Tina Fey and her Mean Girls team went home without a single award. The Iceman Cometh was nominated for eight awards but earned zero. Farinelli and the King earned five nominations but no awards. Travesties also earned none of the four awards for which it was nominated, and Frozen went home with nothing, after its measly three nominations, though one of them was Best Musical.

Lobby Hero also went home empty-handed despite the acting nods in the nominations, and Best Play nominees The Children and Junk earned neither of the two awards for which each was nominated. The other shows that were nominated but failed to earn any awards were Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Children of a Lesser God, Latin History for Morons, Meteor Shower, 1984, and Saint Joan.

Below is the full list of nominees, with the winners bolded up top:

Best Musical

The Band’s Visit

Frozen

Mean Girls

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical

Best Play

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The Children

Farinelli and the King

Junk

Latin History for Morons

Best Revival of a Musical

Once on This Island

Carousel

My Fair Lady

Best Revival of a Play

Angels in America

Lobby Hero

Three Tall Women

The Iceman Cometh

Travesties

Best Book of a Musical

The Band’s Visit, Itamar Moses

Frozen, Jennifer Lee

Mean Girls, Tina Fey

SpongeBob SquarePants, Kyle Jarrow

Best Original Score

The Band’s Visit, Music and Lyrics: David Yazbek

Angels in America, Adrian Sutton

Frozen, Music and Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Mean Girls, Music: Jeff Richmond; Lyrics: Nell Benjamin

SpongeBob SquarePants, Various contributors

Best Leading Actor in a Play

Andrew Garfield, Angels in America

Tom Hollander, Travesties

Jamie Parker, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Mark Rylance, Farinelli and the King

Denzel Washington, The Iceman Cometh

Best Leading Actress in a Play

Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women

Condola Rashad, Saint Joan

Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God

Amy Schumer, Meteor Shower

Best Leading Actor in a Musical

Tony Shalhoub, The Band’s Visit

Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady

Joshua Henry, Carousel

Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants

Best Leading Actress in a Musical

Katrina Lenk, The Band’s Visit

Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady

Hailey Kilgore, Once on This Island

LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical

Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls

Jessie Mueller, Carousel

Best Featured Actor in a Play

Nathan Lane, Angels in America

Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Michael Cera, Lobby Hero

Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero

David Morse, The Iceman Cometh

Best Featured Actress in a Play

Laurie Metcalf, Three Tall Women

Susan Brown, Angels in America

Noma Dumezweni, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Deborah Findlay, The Children

Denise Gough, Angels in America

Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Ari’el Stachel, The Band’s Visit

Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady

Alexander Gemignani, Carousel

Grey Henson, Mean Girls

Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants

Best Featured Actress in a Musical

Lindsay Mendez, Carousel

Ariana DeBose, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical

Renée Fleming, Carousel

Ashley Park, Mean Girls

Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Christine Jones, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Miriam Buether, Three Tall Women

Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and the King

Santo Loquasto, The Iceman Cometh

Ian MacNeil and Edward Pierce, Angels in America

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants

Dane Laffrey, Once on this Island

Scott Pask, The Band’s Visit

Scott Pask, Finn Ross and Adam Young, Mean Girls

Michael Yeargan, My Fair Lady

Best Costume Design of a Play

Katrina Lindsay, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and the King

Nicky Gillibrand, Angels in America

Ann Roth, Three Tall Women

Ann Roth, The Iceman Cometh

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady

Gregg Barnes, Mean Girls

Clint Ramos, Once on This Island

Ann Roth, Carousel

David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Paule Constable, Angels in America

Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, The Iceman Cometh

Paul Russell, Farinelli and the King

Ben Stanton, Junk

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Tyler Micoleau, The Band’s Visit

Kevin Adams, SpongeBob SquarePants

Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Once on This Island

Donald Holder, My Fair Lady

Brian MacDevitt, Carousel

Best Direction of a Play

John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Marianne Elliott, Angels in America

Joe Mantello, Three Tall Women

Patrick Marber, Travesties

George C. Wolfe, The Iceman Cometh

Best Direction of a Musical

David Cromer, The Band’s Visit

Michael Arden, Once on This Island

Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants

Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls

Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady

Best Choreography

Justin Peck, Carousel

Christopher Gattelli, My Fair Lady

Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants

Steven Hoggett, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls

Best Orchestrations

Jamshied Sharifi, The Band’s Visit

John Clancy, Mean Girls

Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants

AnnMarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin, Once on This Island

Jonathan Tunick, Carousel

Sound Design in a Play

Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Adam Cork, Travesties

Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Angels in America

Tom Gibbons, 1984

Dan Moses Schreier, The Iceman Cometh

Sound Design in a Musical

Kai Harada, The Band’s Visit

Peter Hylenski, Once on This Island

Scott Lehrer, Carousel

Brian Ronan, Mean Girls

Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, SpongeBob SquarePants

And the non-competitive awards, as previously announced:

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater

Chita Rivera

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Special Tony Award

John Leguizamo

Bruce Springsteen

Regional Theater Tony Award

La MaMa E.T.C.

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Nick Scandalios

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater

Sara Krulwich

Bessie Nelson

Ernest Winzer Cleaners