This year’s Tony Awards nominees include three names usually associated with Hollywood: Sally Field, Cate Blanchett, and Danny DeVito.
That’s a big change. In the past, “Hollywood stars” who come to Broadway looking for Tony appreciation are turned away at the door.
And plenty were this year, too, including (and wrongly) Allison Janney in “Six Degrees of Separation.” Glenn Close wasn’t eligible because she’d already won the Tony for “Sunset Boulevard” in 1994. Jake Gyllenhaal took his name out of contention for “Sunday in the Park with George.”
The Tony’s reward their own and tend to rebuff advances from “stars.” Hence, none of the movie names from “The Front Page” like John Goodman. (Who doesn’t love John Goodman?) Mark Ruffalo from “The Price” was aced out.
But there are exceptions, too. Three Broadway names who did excellent work were omitted: John Benjamin Hickey, Jessica Hecht, and Phillippa Soo, as well as Kate Burton and Kristine Nielsen. Don’t worry. They’ll all be back.
