Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

KPBS Midday Edition

So Fetch: 'Mean Girls', 'SpongeBob' Net The Most Tony Award Nominations

Actors Leslie Odom Jr. and Katharine McPhee announced the nominations for the 2018 Tony Awards on Tuesday in New York City.
Jenny Anderson Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
Actors Leslie Odom Jr. and Katharine McPhee announced the nominations for the 2018 Tony Awards on Tuesday in New York City.

So Fetch: 'Mean Girls', 'SpongeBob' Net The Most Tony Award Nominations
So Fetch: 'Mean Girls', 'SpongeBob' Net The Most Tony Award Nominations GUESTS:Nina Garin, editor/producer, KPBS/Arts Calendar

This is KPBS Midday Edition I am Maureen Cavanaugh. The 2018 Tony award nominations announces morning included no surprise productions that originated here in San Diego. And a bit of a surprise, the nominations went to plays and not musicals that got their start here. Joining me to run down the list of local plays and performance to maybe taking home Broadway's highest honor this year is KPBS Arts calendar Nita Garin. What shows just in general receive the most nominations ? >> that went to mean girls and SpongeBob SquarePants the musical. They each got 12. Following that is Angels in America, the revival of carousel, and the musical the band's visit the each got 11, and Harry Potter and the curse child and my fair Lady each got 10. >>> There are also shows that had their world Mears here in San Diego. >> Yes Junk about the financial world in the 1980s each got display. We spoke with viaduct are in San Diego when he was talking about writing a play about something as complicated as corporate finance . >> one of the things I tend to do in this play is tell them what they are going to tell them and then tell them and tell them what you told him. There is a repetition for example you have the debt financing using the country's collateral on the loan for them and then buying something and it came back three times in three different scenes and said three different ways by three different characters. By the end of the movement, the audience understands that these guys are trying to buy something by taking out a loan against the company they don't own yet. >>> That was Junk playwright I had tar his play Junk was just nominated for a Tony this year. What other place that started this year. >> Summer. The Donna Summer musical both of the actresses are nominated. The chanson area on a Debose. There is a revival of carousel that is directed by Jack O'Brien and Justin Peck. Both are actually San Diegan and the show media shower opened at the clove and it got a leading actress nomination for Amy Schumer. She did not play the role here but we have an idea of what the role was. Jason look a lot is nominated for mean girls for directing and choreography. And of course the La Jolla Playhouse has another show Latin history for morons by John leg was normal. >>> Here is part of our interview with John leg Lozano talking about that play . >> okay so she was a Cuban woman sent to live in New Orleans with her aunt and fought for the Confederate side. She was a misguided soul. Celebrating a Latin woman who pushed Rosa Parks off the bus. She was still there and just like a man and fought several times on the Confederate side. She kept getting busted. She moved up in the ranks as well. She believed that she wanted to fight for her side and she did what she could. >>> That was John leg Lozano talking about is Tony nominated play Latin history for morons. He is also getting a special Tony award what for? >> He is getting a special Tony for his work in general. It is for the solo piece. But it's also because he has a history of writing shows that take on issues of race and politics so it's also for that. >>> Where there any San Diego connected shows that were expected to do well but did not get nominated. >> I thought Jack O'Brien and Justin Peck would get something for carousel directing but they did not get anything for directing. People expected escape for Margaritaville to get something. But it got nothing. I guess it is not selling as well as it did here. They were hoping that something from the Tony's would help who stated. We will see what happens with that. >>> This year the Tony's reached out past the theatrical crowd to honor celebrities and pulp -- pop-culture. There entities nominated like Harry Potter and the curse child, frozen, celebrities like Tina Fey is nominated for mean girls, Andrew Garfield for Angels in America, Denzil Washington for the Iceman cometh, Bruce Springsteen gets a special Tony for his work, one of my favorites is Brian Tyree Henry who is on the show at -- Atlanta but he is nominated for Lobby Hero. >>> At the Tony awards are June 10 on CBS. I have been speaking with KPBS Arts calendar Nita Garin. Thank you. >> Thank you.

The two most-nominated shows at this year's Tony Awards might sound familiar, even to those who don't keep an eye on Broadway: Mean Girls, based on the 2004 movie, and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, based on the long-running animated TV show, each earned a dozen nominations

Angels In America, The Band's Visit and Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel each received 11. The incredibly popular Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two was nominated for 10 awards, including Best Play.

Advertisement

Several shows that originated at the La Jolla Playhouse were also among the nominees.

"Junk," about the 1980s financial world, and John Leguizamo's "Latin History for Morons," are both nominated for Best Play. Ariana DeBose and LaChanze earned acting nominations for their portrayal of Donna Summer in "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical."

"Carousel," a musical revival that earned 11 nominations, is co-directed by former Old Globe Artistic Director Jack O’Brien and San Diego-bred choreographer Justin Peck. And Junior Theatre alumnus Casey Nicholaw is nominated for directing and choreographing "Mean Girls."

The Tony Awards will be presented on June 10. At the ceremony, singer and actress Chita Rivera and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber will be honored for lifetime achievement.

The full list of nominees was announced Tuesday morning by Leslie Odom Jr. (who originated the role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton) and Katharine McPhee (starring in Waitress).

Advertisement

Major nominations include:

Best Play

The Children Farinelli and The King Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two Junk Latin History for Morons

Best Musical

The Band's Visit Frozen Mean Girls SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Revival of a Play

Angels in America Edward Albee's Three Tall Women Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh Lobby Hero Travesties

Best Revival of a Musical

My Fair Lady Once On This Island Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Actor (Play)

Andrew Garfield, Angels in America Tom Hollander, Travesties Jamie Parker, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two Mark Rylance, Farinelli and The King Denzel Washington, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Actress (Play)

Glenda Jackson, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women Condola Rashad, Saint Joan Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God Amy Schumer, Meteor Shower

Best Actor (Musical)

Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady Joshua Henry, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Tony Shalhoub, The Band's Visit Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Actress (Musical)

Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls Jessie Mueller, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

You can find the full list on the Tony Awards website.

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.