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

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.