A Strange Loop Leads 2022 Tony Award Nominations With 11

The Tony Awards are getting back on track to their June date after the COVID-19 pandemic threw the 2021 Tonys to last September. Lucky for you theater lovers, that means two Tonys ceremonies in less than a year! And two chances to argue over what got and should’ve gotten nominated. Start that now that the 2022 Tony nominations have been announced. A Strange Loop, Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer-winning meta-musical, leads the nominations with 11. It’s followed closely by MJ, the bio-musical of Michael Jackson, and Paradise Square, about 1860s Manhattan, with ten nominations each. On the play side, The Lehman Trilogy leads with eight, including three nominations for Lead Actor. Three-time nominee Joshua Henry and last year’s Best Actress in a Musical winner (for Tina) Adrienne Warren announced this year’s nominees. (Despite their joking, they did not recount their top-75 Tonys moments of all time, in honor of the awards’ 75th anniversary.) Here are the 2022 Tony nominations. They will be awarded on June 12, set to be hosted by West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, no less.

Best Play
Clyde’s, Lynn Nottage
Hangmen, Martin McDonagh
The Lehman Trilogy, Stefano Massini and Ben Power
The Minutes, Tracy Letts
Skeleton Crew, Dominique Morisseau

Best Musical
Girl From the North Country
MJ
Mr. Saturday Night
Paradise Square
Six: The Musical
A Strange Loop

Best Revival of a Play
American Buffalo
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
How I Learned to Drive
Take Me Out
Trouble in Mind

Best Revival of a Musical
Caroline, or Change
Company
The Music Man

Best Book of a Musical
Girl From the North Country, Conor McPherson
MJ, Lynn Nottage
Mr. Saturday Night, Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel
Paradise Square, Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas, and Larry Kirwan
A Strange Loop, Michael R. Jackson

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Flying Over Sunset, Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Michael Korie
Mr. Saturday Night, Music: Jason Robert Brown, Lyrics: Amanda Green
Paradise Square, Music: Jason Howland, Lyrics: Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare
Six: The Musical, Music and Lyrics: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
A Strange Loop, Music & Lyrics: Michael R. Jackson

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Simon Russell Beale, The Lehman Trilogy
Adam Godley, The Lehman Trilogy
Adrian Lester, The Lehman Trilogy
David Morse, How I Learned to Drive
Sam Rockwell, American Buffalo
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
David Threlfall, Hangmen

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Gabby Beans, The Skin of Our Teeth
LaChanze, Trouble in Mind
Ruth Negga, Macbeth
Deirdre O’Connell, Dana H.
Mary-Louise Parker, How I Learned to Drive 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Billy Crystal, Mr. Saturday Night
Myles Frost, MJ
Hugh Jackman, The Music Man
Rob McClure, Mrs. Doubtfire
Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sharon D. Clarke, Caroline, or Change
Carmen Cusack, Flying Over Sunset
Sutton Foster, The Music Man
Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square
Mare Winningham, Girl From the North Country

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Alfie Allen, Hangmen
Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out
Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde’s
Michael Oberholtzer, Take Me Out 
Jesse Williams, Take Me Out

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s
Rachel Dratch, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive
Kenita R. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew
Julie White, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive
Kara Young, Clyde’s 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Matt Doyle, Company
Sidney DuPont, Paradise Square
Jared Grimes, Funny Girl
John-Andrew Morrison, A Strange Loop
A.J. Shively, Paradise Square 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Jeannette Bayardelle, Girl From the North Country
Shoshana Bean, Mr. Saturday Night
Jayne Houdyshell, The Music Man
L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop
Patti LuPone, Company
Jennifer Simard, Company 

Best Direction of a Play
Lileana Blain-Cruz, The Skin of Our Teeth
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Sam Mendes, The Lehman Trilogy
Neil Pepe, American Buffalo
Les Waters, Dana H.

Best Direction of a Musical
Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop
Marianne Elliott, Company
Conor McPherson, Girl From the North Country
Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, Six: The Musical
Christopher Wheeldon, MJ

Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Warren Carlyle, The Music Man
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, Six: The Musical
Bill T. Jones, Paradise Square
Christopher Wheeldon, MJ

Best Orchestrations
David Cullen, Company
Tom Curran, Six: The Musical
Simon Hale, Girl From the North Country
Jason Michael Webb & David Holcenberg, MJ
Charlie Rosen, A Strange Loop

Best Scenic Design of a Play
POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, Beowulf Boritt
Skeleton Crew, Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong
The Lehman Trilogy, Es Devlin
Hangmen, Anna Fleischle
American Buffalo, Scott Pask
The Skin of Our Teeth, Adam Rigg

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Flying Over Sunset, Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions
Company, Bunny Christie
A Strange Loop, Arnulfo Maldonado
MJ, Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini
Paradise Square, Allen Moyer

Best Costume Design of a Play
The Skin of Our Teeth, Montana Levi Blanco
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Sarafina Bush
Trouble in Mind,Emilio Sosa
Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, Jane Greenwood
Clyde’s, Jennifer Moeller

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Caroline, or Change, Fly Davis
Paradise Square, Toni-Leslie James
Diana, the Musical, William Ivey Long
The Music Man, Santo Loquasto
Six: The Musical, Gabriella Slade
MJ, Paul Tazewell

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Hangmen, Joshua Carr
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Jiyoun Chang
The Lehman Trilogy, Jon Clark
Macbeth, Jane Cox
The Skin of Our Teeth, Yi Zhao

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Company, Neil Austin
Six: The Musical, Tim Deiling
Paradise Square, Donald Holder
MJ, Natasha Katz
Flying Over Sunset, Bradley King
A Strange Loop, Jen Schriever

Best Sound Design of a Play
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Justin Ellington
Dana H., Mikhail Fiksel
The Skin of Our Teeth, Palmer Hefferan
The Lehman Trilogy, Nick Powell & Dominic Bilkey
Macbeth, Mikaal Sulaiman

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Girl From the North Country, Simon Baker
Six: The Musical, Paul Gatehouse
Company, Ian Dickinson for Autograph
A Strange Loop, Drew Levy
MJ, Gareth Owen

Special Tony Award
James C. Nicola, Artistic Director of the New York Theatre Workshop