‘Jagged Little Pill,’ ‘Moulin Rouge!’ Lead 2020 Tony Nominations: The Complete List

The delayed ceremony marks the end of a season cut short by the pandemic-fueled closure of Broadway theaters

tony nominations jagged little pill moulin rouge
Photos: Matthew Murphy

Broadway may be closed but the Tony Awards will be going on. The musicals “Jagged Little Pill” and “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” led all nominees for this year’s awards, with the Alanis Morissette musical taking 15 nominations and the adaptation of the Baz Luhrman film snagging 14.

The Broadway League and American Theatre Wing on Thursday announced the nominations for a 2019-20 season cut short by the closure of Broadway theaters in March — before many of the year’s starriest contenders managed to open.

That meant just 18 productions were eligible for the 2020 Tony Awards due to the shorter season, which is roughly half the number that would be contending in a normal year. In fact, no musical revivals opened during the eligibility period, so that category was eliminated altogether.

Jeremy O. Harris’ “Slave Play” led all of the nominees for plays, including a nomination for lead actress Joaquina Kalukango, with 12. It was tied by “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical,” which also had 12 nominations. Matthew Lopez’s two-part drama “The Inheritance” had 11 nominations.

In a show of just how few productions were actually eligible this year, only one actor was nominated in the Best Actor (Musical) category, Aaron Tveit for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.” The rules state that he’ll win the prize if 60% of the voters select him to receive the Tony.

And in a sign of how jukebox musicals dominated the pandemic-shortened season, all of the nominees in the Original Score category were dramas as opposed to musicals.

The ceremony, originally scheduled to take place at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, will be virtual this year — though no date or details have been announced.

Tony-winning actor James Monroe Iglehart (“Aladdin”) announced the nominees via the Tonys YouTube channel.

View the full list of nominations for the 2020 Tony Awards below:

Best Musical

  • “Jagged Little Pill”
  • “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
  • “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Play

  • “Grand Horizons” – Bess Wohl
  • “The Inheritance” – Matthew Lopez
  • “Sea Wall/A Life” – Simon Stephens/Nick Payne
  • “Slave Play” – Jeremy O. Harris
  • “The Sound Inside” – Adam Rapp

Best Play Revival

  • “Betrayal”
  • “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune”
  • A Soldier’s Play”

Best Actor (Play)

  • Ian Barford – “Linda Vista”
  • Andrew Burnap” – “The Inheritance”
  • Jake Gyllenhaal – “Sea Wall/A Life”
  • Tom Hiddleston – “Betrayal”
  • Tom Sturridge” – “Sea Wall/A Life”
  • Blair Underwood – “A Soldier’s Play”

Best Actress (Play)

  • Joaquina Kalukango – “Slave Play”
  • Laura Linney – “My Name Is Lucy Barton”
  • Audra McDonald – “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune”
  • Mary-Louise Parker – “The Sound Inside”

Best Actor (Musical)

  • Aaron Tveit – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”

**From The Tony Awards Rules: If the Tony Awards Nominating Committee has determined that if there is only one nominee in a category listed, such category shall be submitted to the Tony Voters which may, by the affirmative vote of sixty (60%) percent of the total ballots cast, grant an Award in that category. 

Best Actress (Musical)

  • Karen Olivo – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
  • Elizabeth Stanley – “Jagged Little Pill”
  • Adrienne Warren – “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Direction of a Play

  • David Cromer – “The Sound Inside”
  • Stephen Daldry – “The Inheritance”
  • Kenny Leon – “A Soldier’s Play”
  • Jamie Lloyd – “Betrayal”
  • Robert O’Hara – “Slave Play”

Best Direction of a Musical

  • Phyllida Lloyd – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”
  • Diane Paulus – “Jagged Little Pill”
  • Alex Timbers – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”

Best Book of a Musical

  • “Jagged Little Pill” – Diablo Cody
  • “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – John Logan
  • “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” – Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar, Kees Prins

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

  • “A Christmas Carol” – Christopher Nightingale
  • The Inheritance” – Paul Englishby
  • “The Rose Tattoo” – Fitz Patton and Jason Michael Webb
  • “Slave Play” – Lindsay Jones
  • “The Sound Inside” – Daniel Kluger

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

  • Ato Blankson-Wood – “Slave Play”
  • James Cusati-Moyer – “Slave Play”
  • David Alan Grier – “A Soldier’s Play”
  • John Benjamin Hickey – “The Inheritance”
  • Paul Hilton – “The Inheritance”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

  • Jane Alexander – “Grand Horizons”
  • Chalia La Tour – “Slave Play”
  • Annie McNamara – “Slave Play”
  • Lois Smith” – “The Inheritance”
  • Cora Vander Broek – “Linda Vista”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

  • Danny Burstein – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
  • Derek Klena – “Jagged Little Pill”
  • Sean Allan Krill – “Jagged Little Pill”
  • Sahr Ngaujah – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
  • Daniel J. Watts – “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

  • Kathryn Gallagher – “Jagged Little Pill”
  • Celia Rose Gooding – “Jagged Little Pill”
  • Robyn Hurder – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
  • Lauren Patten – “Jagged Little Pill”
  • Myra Lucretia Taylor – “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Scenic Design of a Play

  • “The Inheritance” – Bob Crowley
  • “Betrayal” – Soutra Gilmour
  • “A Christmas Carol” – Rob Howell
  • “A Soldier’s Play” – Derek McLane
  • “Slave Play” – Clint Ramos

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

  • “Jagged Little Pill” – Riccardo Hernández and Lucy Mackinnon
  • “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Derek McLane
  • “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” – Mark Thompson and Jeff Sugg

Best Costume Design of a Play

  • “Slave Play” – Dede Ayite
  • “A Soldier’s Play” – Dede Ayite
  • “The Inheritance” – Bob Crowley
  • “A Christmas Carol” – Rob Howell
  • “The Rose Tattoo” – Clint Ramos

Best Costume Design of a Musical

  • “Jagged Little Pill” – Emily Rebholz
  • “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” – Mark Thomas
  • “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Catherine Zuber

Best Lighting Design of a Play

  • “Slave Play” – Jiyoun Chang
  • “The Inheritance” – Jon Clark
  • “The Sound Inside” – Heather Gilbert
  • “A Soldier’s Play” – Allen Lee Hughes
  • “A Christmas Carol” – Hugh Vanstone

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

  • “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” – Bruno Poet
  • “Jagged Little Pill” – Justin Townsend
  • “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Justin Townsend

Best Sound Design of a Play

  • The Inheritance” – Paul Arditti & Christopher Reid
  • “A Christmas Carol” – Simon Baker
  • “Slave Play” – Lindsay Jones
  • “Sea Wall/A Life” – Daniel Kluger
  • “The Sound Inside” – Daniel Kluger

Best Sound Design of a Musical

  • “Jagged Little Pill” – Jonathan Deans
  • Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Peter Hylenski
  • “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” – Nevin Steinberg

Best Choreography

  • “Jagged Little Pill” – Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
  • “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Sonya Tayeh
  • “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” – Anthony Van Laast

Best Orchestrations

  • “Jagged Little Pill” – Tom Kitt
  • “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Katie Kresek, Charles Rosen, Matt Stine, Justin Levine
  • “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” – Ethan Popp

Comments