Breaking Records And Broadway Debuts: Meet Some Of The 2022 Tony Nominees

On June 12 the 2022 Tony Awards will celebrate their 75^th anniversary. Broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall, the Tonys celebrates excellence on Broadway. Ariana DeBose, who won an Oscar for playing Maria in West Side Story and also has several Broadway credits including A Bronx Tale, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and Hamilton, will be hosting the four hour event.

Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, this year marks the return of the Tony Awards to its June ceremony since 2019. Also, an epic 34 nominees are making their debut working on Broadway.

And some women, like Camille A. Brown, broke records. Brown, who made her directorial debut with the play for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, is also the first black woman to direct and choreograph the same show on Broadway in 67 years. “It’s an important time in the arts, in history and in showcasing this work featuring seven amazing black women on stage. I feel the enormity of the 67 years,” says Brown who is also the show’s choreographer and is nominated for both Direction of a Play and Best Choreography. “And I hope I can honor this while also setting a new precedent so that many more black woman can come after me.”

For Kara Young who played a young single mother struggling to save her sick baby in the play Clyde’s getting nominated for a Tony was particularly moving. She reflected back to when she was a child performing mime and beginning to fall in love with acting. What would she say that that little girl? “Look at you. Look at you. Just being true to you,” said Young who made her Broadway debut in Clyde’s. “I never knew this was going to be the thing I did for the rest of my life until a certain moment. So, for the little girl inside of me who loved to perform and be in imaginary worlds, this is so moving.”

Many of the nominees feel a sense of joy and disbelief. “Any nomination this year feels bigger than any one of our shows or performances,” said Rob McClure who stars in the title role of the Broadway musical Mrs. Doubtfire. “Because it’s about the resilience and the rebirth of an art form that was taken away from us for two years. It feels huge this year because it's part of a renaissance.”

Some of the nominees reflected on their nominations and the moments that got them there.

Rachel Dratch, POTUS: It was definitely on my list to do a big comedy just like this. I was the little kid who saw Annie back in the day. And I had gone to a ton Broadway shows. So, my wishes have come true.

What I love about my character is that she he gets to play so many different funny energies. In the beginning, she’s kind of a mousy person with a super low status. That is really fun for me. Then she gets to bust out. In this part there’s so much to add to the page. There are little physical bits and moments. I love sifting through and thinking on my feet, what can be funny here?

Mare Winningham, Girl From The North Country: I grew up in the San Fernando Valley going to public schools and we were serious drama students. In 1976, I came to New York with my drama class and saw eight shows in seven days. That changed my life. We saw The Glass Menagerie with Maureen Stapleton and Rip Torn, A Chorus Line, Chicago, Equus. I was a changed teen and longed to come back. It was was a lightning bolt kind of moment. I thought, I have to make this dream come true. I had to wait a little while. I had a big family and raised them in the woods. But as soon as the youngest went to college I got back here and started working.

Deirdre O'Connell, Dana H.: When I was eight, I played Peter Pan in Peter Pan and wore a green outfit and flew in a very uncomfortable harness. When I started to do plays at the Pittsfield Girls Club, I'm one of those people who felt like I was home. It was in a way that I hadn't been before. There's a lot of us that are strange introverts. And yet suddenly we're playing Peter Pan and some beast comes out of us and then it goes right back in as soon as the show is over. So, I think I had that experience doing plays as a kid.

When I found out I was nominated I was in a taxicab on my way to rehearsal and looking to find the nominations. I couldn't get it to come up on my phone. And then, and then a couple of people said, 'Congratulations.' When I had gotten in the cab the driver was a very cheerful guy saying, 'how are you today?' Then when I saw that I was nominated. I said, 'I was just nominated for a tony' and he replied, 'I'm going to go buy a lottery ticket today.'

Michael R. Jackson's show, A Strange Loop, was nominated for 11 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations: A Strange Loop is a show that began with a monologue that I wrote. As a young person I felt unseen, unheard and misunderstood. And I wanted to capture that feeling of alienation in a jar and offer that to an audience.

When I learned about the nominations I was in my apartment. Two friends had come over so we could watch. I don't know what I expected would happen. I had no number of nominations in mind. But it was electrifying. I felt really validated. All of the years and hours that I spent working on one piece of art felt like it was being rewarded. That taking my time was being rewarded with nominations for Tonys. To me, that felt a win for the form. In general, we live in such a fast paced, product-oriented world. Everybody, especially young people, are often conditioned to think that you put something on a conveyor belt and then profit from it right away. My story is an example of how it takes time. And it's worth it to take the time.

Tracy Letts, The Minutes: When I wrote The Minutes the original impulse came from watching the Frankenstein movie and the character of the villagers. I was really struck by the villagers showing up with their pitch forks and torches and were like-minded about killing a monster. I thought, was there a meeting beforehand? Did they come together as a village and say, 'shall we go kill the monster?' Was there somebody who vote voiced dissent? So that was the original idea...The play deals with not only the way we conduct our politics, but our history. The way we tell our story of history versus our actual history.

In terms of acting in my own play. I never wanted to do it. I've never acted in my own plays before this. I don't want to do it now. However, the actor William Peterson played the part in Chicago. He's a member of our company and a great actor. I very much wanted him to come to New York, but for personal reasons, he couldn't do that. So, we set about trying to cast the part. We offered it to 40 people, and they all turned it down. Eventually we got to a point on that list where I said, 'I’ll do it.' It's also true that I have the best seat in the house. I love being there with 10 great actors. It's really a pleasure to do.

Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, nominees with Billy Crystal for Best Book Of A Musical for Mr. Saturday Night:

Lowell Ganz: We had started on a project for Broadway

Babaloo Mandel: -based on our first movie called Night Shift.

Lowell Ganz: We had a terrific composer and director. The show got interrupted but we had the chance to dip in our toe. We did a lot of reading knew about the “I wish” and “11 o'clock” song. It was like we went to school. So, When Billy mentioned this show, which was about 7 years ago it fit perfectly because our brains were engaged in that idea. We had momentum already. And it was an exciting idea.

Babaloo Mandel: What would surprise people about Bill Crystal? There’s the writer and there’s the performer who sits in the room with us. And everything is a fair fight.

Lowell Ganz: He’s’ not pulling rank.

Babaloo Mandel: And he’s a phenomenal writer. Phenomenal.

Lowell Ganz: There was a book out about Saturday Night Live called, Live From New York. People said the cast member who has the ability to write sketches they weren’t in was Billy. He comes at it like a writer. He's not just a performer trying to find words for himself.

A.J. Shivley, Paradise Square: I’m not a morning person. Nor am I a tech savvy person. So, I was two fingers punching my computer trying to figure out how to open the Tony nominations live stream. Then my fiancée called, who is working out of town. I picked up the phone and she was just screaming. No words, just screaming. All of the sudden messages started to come in. Then I called my mom who is in California. It was 6am her time. And I got to wake her up to tell her that I was a Tony nominee.

Most of my family are educators but they are always supporters of the arts. I grew up going to national tours through Columbus Ohio. In elementary school I saw the national tour of Big and they were kids in that show my age or a little bit older. I realized, that’s what I could do. The first play I ever did was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I played Charlie Bucket. There there was a college student named Matt Johnson who helped direct the show. And now he is now one of the top people at Tectonic Theater Project, our director, Moisés Kaufman’s theater company. Matt Johnson has been around this whole process of Paradise Square with me. From the very first thing I ever did to a Tony nomination.

Michael Oberholtzer, Take Me Out: I was asleep when the nominations were announced. It was not planned that way. I had a headache. My wife took our six-year-old to school, which I was supposed to do that day. I stayed with our two-year-old. My fellow castmate Brandon Dirden, called. I told him that I will forever link the nomination to hearing it from your voice. My wife said, 'well, that's even cooler than seeing it online.'

One of the first performances I did when I was a kid in Indiana was an operetta called Down by the Creek Bank. I was a narrator and they needed somebody who wasn't afraid to stand on the small stage and talk to everybody and do all kinds of nonsense. That was me.

Camille A. Brown, Best Direction of a Play and Best Choreography, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf: When I learned I was nominated I was at Panera Bread. I decided to get out of the house to get breakfast to keep from being too nervous. My best friend called and started screaming. And then my phone started blowing up with calls and messages. Standing in the Panera. Haha! I was so thrilled to be acknowledged for both my directing and choreography. It’s a wonderful honor, especially since this is my directorial debut on Broadway.

Warren Carlyle, Best Choreography, The Music Man: Almost five years almost ago, I learned that I was going to do the show. And I had just been waiting and waiting. During the pandemic, Hugh [Jackman] and I continued to work on it. We worked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at a very private studio. So that was actually my life raft through pandemic. And then you add kids to the mix. It was it was like little grenades going off. They were losing their minds, so excited to be there. Suddenly I was seeing it from their point of view. Those rehearsal rooms can be really grown-up sometimes. And The Music Man was not. It was actually just joy from the get-go.

Also, in The Music Man I made a point to make every single thing original. Every single step you see is original. It all came out of my head. We have 45 minutes of new dance music. So, when I create the dance, I'm also creating the music with David Chase, who is my dance arranger. Every part of “Seventy-Six Trombones,” other than the vocal, is completely new. Same thing with “Marian the Librarian” and “Shipoopi.”

Jeannette Bayardelle, Girl From The North Country: I was in bed and decided that I wouldn’t watch the nominations live. However at 8:58am I changed my mind. I turned on my phone and at 9:00am I tuned in. As soon as anyone from our show was nominated I cried. When they called my name, I cried more. What went through my mind? I was both shocked and grateful. I have been in this business for a long time. Being recognized for the work I’ve done in Girl From The North Country is an honor. Working on this beautiful show has been a pleasure. I thank God everyday for this wonderful blessing that keeps on blessing. This is a dream come true. I am grateful that through all the ups and downs of this business, I decided to keep pressing on.

David Morse, How I Learned To Drive: When I was in high school, I had a teacher who recognized something in me and changed my life completely. Margaret Ferrini was president of the dramatic society in Massachusetts and we had a great drama program. She had marched in Selma, was very involved in civil rights and she had us do plays about civil rights and opened our minds to that.

During high school I was directed in Edward Albee’s play Zoo Story. And the guy directing it, [Esquire Jauchem], suggested I go into Boston and audition for The Boston Repertory Theater Company. I was asked to be a member of that company, which was a very unusual path for someone to take. I had to work my butt off to keep up with older these older people with experience. I worked hard and didn’t take anything for granted. I stayed for six years.

The Tony Awards will be held live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 12, 2022 8:00pm – 11:00pm, ET on the CBS Television Network, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.