'Matilda' and 'Kinky Boots' sweep Tony nominations

It's that time of year again, my friends! The Tony Award nominations were announced this morning! As a lover of Broadway, I take this as an opportunity to see what musicals that I should be listening to. I mean, I'm nowhere near New York and I don't think I'll be visiting any time soon, so I really must live vicariously through Official Cast Recordings and the stories of my Twitter followers that jet set to the Great White Way.

This year, four musicals rose to the top to be considered the best of the season: Bring It On, Matilda, A Christmas Story, and Kinky Boots. One striking thing about all four of these titles is that the stories originally appeared on the silver screen at some point in the last thirty years (Kinky Boots most recently in 2005). Furthermore, with the exception of Bring It On and Kinky Boots (which is based on a true story), the movies that came before were adapted from books. Even in Broadway it's a great year for bibliophiles.

Kinky Boots actually leads nominations with a total of 13. With music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein, the musical is based on the movie of the same name which drew its inspiration from the true story of a struggling shoemaker who begins producing fetish footwear to save his family business and allow his employees to continue working. The movie didn't do well internationally and was generally panned by critics, but the musical adaptation has opened to great reviews after an initial run in Chicago. Will it be the musical to beat and can it be the next Hairspray?

There is a great deal Hollywood star power among the nominees in the Best Play categories. Tom Hanks is nominated for Best Actor for Lucky Guy, the late Nora Ephron's play about scandal and corruption in 1980s New York. Broadway regulars Nathan Lane and David Hyde Pierce are nominated for The Nance and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, respectively. Holland Taylor, Cicely Tyson, and Laurie Metcalf are included in the nominees for Best Actress in a Play. I'm intrigued by Metcalf's role in The Other Place, about a celebrated neurologist whose life unravels when she begins to develop dementia. I heard the playwright Sharr White on NPR in January when the play made its Broadway premiere. As someone whose family has been affected by dementia it seems especially timely and poignant.

There is even another Kentucky connection with this year's nominees. Last year, Ashland native Steve Kazee took home the Tony for Leading Actor in a Musical for Once. This year, Frankfort native George C. Wolfe is nominated for Best Direction of a Play for Lucky Guy. After graduating from Frankfort High School and briefly attending Kentucky State University, Wolfe transferred to Pomona College in Claremont, CA where he obtained a BA in Theatre. He earned an MFA from New York University in writing and musical theatre. He has directed for both stage and screen. His work includes Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Nights in Rodanthe, and HBO's Lackawanna Blues. Wolfe is a great representation of the unbridled talent and creativity of Kentuckians.

I'm excited to see how the Tony Awards play out this year and I always look forward to the performances. Full nominations are listed below! What are you most looking forward to this year?

Best play
"The Assembled Parties" by Richard Greenberg
"Lucky Guy" by Nora Ephron
"The Testament of Mary" by Colm Toibin
"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" by Christopher Durang

Best musical
"Bring It On, The Musical"
"A Christmas Story, The Musical"
"Kinky Boots, The Musical"
"Matilda, The Musical"

Best book of a musical
"A Christmas Story, The Musical" Joseph Robinette
"Kinky Boots" Harvey Fierstein
"Matilda, The Musical" Dennis Kelly
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella" Douglas Carter Beane

Best revival of a play
"Golden Boy" Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten
"Orphans"
"The Trip to Bountiful"
"Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Best revival of a musical
"Annie"
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
"Pippin"
"Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"

Best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theatre
"A Christmas Story, The Musical" Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"Hands on a Hardbody" Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green Lyrics: Amanda Green
"Kinky Boots" Music and Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper
"Matilda, The Musical" Music and Lyrics: Tim Minchin

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play
Tom Hanks, "Lucky Guy"
Nathan Lane, "The Nance"
Tracy Letts, "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
David Hyde Pierce, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Tom Sturridge, "Orphans"

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play
Laurie Metcalf, "The Other Place"
Amy Morton, "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Kristine Nielsen, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Holland Taylor, "Ann"
Cicely Tyson, "The Trip to Bountiful"

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical
Bertie Carvel, "Matilda, The Musical"
Santino Fontana, "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"
Rob McClure, "Chaplin"
Billy Porter, "Kinky Boots"
Stark Sands, "Kinky Boots"

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical
Stephanie J. Block, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Carolee Carmello, "Scandalous"
Valisia LeKae, "Motown, The Musical"
Patina Miller, "Pippin"
Laura Osnes, "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play
Danny Burstein, "Golden Boy"
Richard Kind, "The Big Knife"
Billy Magnussen, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Tony Shalhoub, "Golden Boy"
Courtney B. Vance, "Lucky Guy"

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play
Carrie Coon, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Shalita Grant, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Judith Ivey, "The Heiress"
Judith Light, "The Assembled Parties"
Condola Rashad, "The Trip to Bountiful"

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical
Charl Brown, "Motown, The Musical"
Keith Carradine, "Hands on a Hardbody"
Will Chase, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Gabriel Ebert, "Matilda, The Musical"
Terrence Mann, "Pippin"

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical
Annaleigh Ashford, "Kinky Boots"
Victoria Clark, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"
Andrea Martin, "Pippin"
Keala Settle, "Hands on a Hardbody"
Lauren Ward, "Matilda, The Musical"

Best scenic design of a play
John Lee Beatty, "The Nance"
Santo Loquasto, "The Assembled Parties"
David Rockwell, "Lucky Guy"
Michael Yeargan, "Golden Boy"

Best scenic design of a musical
Rob Howell, "Matilda, The Musical"
Anna Louizos, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Scott Pask, "Pippin"
David Rockwell, "Kinky Boots"

Best costume design of a play
Soutra Gilmour, "Cyrano de Bergerac"
Ann Roth, "The Nance"
Albert Wolsky, "The Heiress"
Catherine Zuber, "Golden Boy"

Best costume design of a musical
Gregg Barnes, "Kinky Boots"
Rob Howell, "Matilda, The Musical"
Dominique Lemieux, "Pippin"
William Ivey Long, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best lighting design of a play
Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, "Lucky Guy"
Donald Holder, "Golden Boy"
Jennifer Tipton, "The Testament of Mary"
Japhy Weideman, "The Nance"

Best lighting design of a musical
Kenneth Posner, "Kinky Boots"
Kenneth Posner, "Pippin"
Kenneth Posner, "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"
Hugh Vanstone, "Matilda, The Musical"

Best sound design of a play
John Gromada, "The Trip to Bountiful"
Mel Mercier, "The Testament of Mary"
Leon Rothenberg, "The Nance"
Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, "Golden Boy"

Best sound design of a musical
Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm, "Pippin"
Peter Hylenski, "Motown, The Musical"
John Shivers, "Kinky Boots"
Nevin Steinberg, "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"

Best direction of a play
Pam MacKinnon, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Nicholas Martin, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Bartlett Sher, "Golden Boy"
George C. Wolfe, "Lucky Guy"

Best direction of a musical
Scott Ellis, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Jerry Mitchell, "Kinky Boots"
Diane Paulus, "Pippin"
Matthew Warchus, "Matilda, The Musical"

Best choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, "Bring It On: The Musical"
Peter Darling, "Matilda, The Musical"
Jerry Mitchell, "Kinky Boots"
Chet Walker, "Pippin"

Best orchestrations
Chris Nightingale, "Matilda, The Musical"
Stephen Oremus, "Kinky Boots"
Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook, "Motown, The Musical"
Danny Troob, "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"

Recipients of awards and honors in non-competitive categories

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Bernard Gersten
Paul Libin
Ming Cho Lee

Regional Theatre Award
Huntington Theatre Company, Boston

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Larry Kramer

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Career Transition for Dancers
William Craver
Peter Lawrence
The Lost Colony
The four actresses who created the title role of "Matilda, The Musical" on Broadway - Sophia
Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro

Tony Nominations by Production
"Kinky Boots" - 13
"Matilda, The Musical"- 12
"Pippin" - 10
"Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella" - 9
"Golden Boy" - 8
"Lucky Guy" - 6
"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" - 6
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" - 5
"The Nance" - 5
"Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - 5
"Motown, The Musical" - 4
"The Trip to Bountiful" - 4
"The Assembled Parties" - 3
"A Christmas Story, The Musical" - 3
"Hands on a Hardbody" - 3
"The Testament of Mary" - 3
"Bring It On: The Musical" - 2
"The Heiress" - 2
"Orphans" - 2
"Ann" - 1
"Annie" - 1
"The Big Knife" - 1
"Chaplin" - 1
"Cyrano de Bergerac" - 1
"The Other Place" - 1
"Scandalous" - 1  

List courtesy of Los Angeles Times.