Whichever show garners the most Tony Award nominations on Tuesday will very likely sound familiar.
That鈥檚 because most of the leading candidates on Broadway stages these days are derived from a film, TV or music, including 鈥淗arry Potter,鈥 鈥滿ean Girls,鈥 鈥滷rozen,鈥 鈥漇pongeBob SquarePants,鈥 鈥漇ummer,鈥 鈥滶scape to Margaritaville鈥 and 鈥淭he Band鈥檚 Visit.鈥
Best new musical nominations are expected for 鈥淭he Band鈥檚 Visit,鈥 based on a 2007 Israeli film about an accidental clash of cultures, and Tina Fey鈥檚 鈥淢ean Girls,鈥 which she adapted from her much-beloved and oft-quoted 2004 high school comedy movie.
Other shows hoping to score a nomination in that category are the goofy undersea adaptation 鈥淪pongeBob SquarePants,鈥 Disney鈥檚 retelling of 鈥淔rozen,鈥 the Hal Prince revue 鈥淧rince of Broadway,鈥 the Jimmy Buffet musical 鈥淓scape to Margaritaville鈥 and 鈥淪ummer,鈥 about disco diva Donna Summer
Most observers believe J.K. Rowling鈥檚 latest 鈥淗arry Potter鈥 offering will lead the best new play nominees. The two-part 鈥淗arry Potter and the Cursed Child,鈥 which picks up 19 years from where Rowling鈥檚 last novel left off and portrays Potter and his friends as grown-ups, won nine Olivier Awards in London before coming to America and bewitching critics and audiences alike.
Other best play candidates include 鈥淔arinelli and the King,鈥 鈥漈he Children,鈥 鈥滼unk,鈥 鈥滿eteor Shower,鈥 鈥滾atin History for Morons,鈥 鈥滼ohn Lithgow: Stories by Heart鈥 and 鈥淭he Parisian Woman.鈥
鈥淐arousel,鈥 鈥滿y Fair Lady鈥 and 鈥淥nce on This Island鈥 will make up the best musical revival category, mostly because they鈥檙e only eligible nominees. The best play revival will probably be led by 鈥淎ngels in America,鈥 鈥漈hree Tall Women鈥 and 鈥淭he Iceman Cometh.鈥
Plenty of nominations don鈥檛 necessarily lead to actual wins on Tony night. While 鈥淗amilton鈥 was nominated for 16 awards in 2016 and went on to win 11, just last year 鈥淣atasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812鈥 earned a leading 12 nominations but got just two technical awards on the big night.
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
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