Forgotten Favorites: Who the Tonys Didn't Nominate

When there are 14 play revivals and only four nomination slots, when 18 actresses and 19 actors are vying for Tony gold for their leading performances in plays, when 22 new shows are running on Broadway on May 1, one thing is certain: A lot of talented people will be disappointed on Tony nomination day. What can we learn from the list of 2009 nominees?

Legends of the Fall, Part I: Opening before Christmas can be deadly at Tony time, particularly for play revivals. The rapturously reviewed Seagull was snubbed, as were All My Sons and A Man for All Seasons. Equus got two nominations, but only in design categories. Another critical favorite, Speed-the-Plow, got a single nomination for the lead performance of Raul Esparza, who should be doubly thrilled because…

Legends of the Fall, Part II: …actors who open in the fall are at a biiiiig disadvantage. Of the 40 acting nominees, only 12 had opening nights before Christmas, and eight of those are in Billy Elliot or Shrek we’re counting the Billys as one unit. Early favorites like Kristin Scott Thomas The Seagull, Daniel Radcliffe Equus and the All My Sons trio of John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson fell by the wayside. On the other hand…

Beware the Late April Mash-up: Eleven shows opened on Broadway in April no wonder we’re tired! and the majority of those received positive reviews, particularly for stars like Desire Under the Elms’ Brian Dennehy, Carla Gugino and Pablo Schreiber and Waiting for Godot’s Bill Irwin and Nathan Lane—none of whom were nominated for Tonys. Likewise, stage favorites like Tovah Feldshuh Irena’s Vow and Andrea Martin Exit the King were edged out in the late spring crush.

Director, Director! Too many directors, too few nomination slots, since new shows and revivals are lumped together. Notable omissions: 90-year-old Arthur Laurents, who followed last season’s Gypsy with this season’s West Side Story, and seven other directors of shows nominated for Best Play, Best Musical or Best Revival: Michael Wilson Dividing the Estate, Terry Kinney Reasons to be Pretty, Moises Kaufman 33 Variations, Jason Moore Shrek the Musical, Anthony Page Waiting for Godot, Des McAnuff Guys and Dolls and Joe Mantello Pal Joey.

The Wild Card Effect: Rock of Ages’ five nominations shook up a lot of other categories, particularly Best Musical, knocking both the big-budget 9 to 5 and the cult favorite [title of show] off the list. Never mind the effect of Constantine Maroulis’ surprise Best Actor nomination. But part of the fun of the Tonys is thinking you know exactly who’s in and who’s out—and then being surprised at the content of the final list. Oh, in case you're wondering how Broadway.com's list of 10 deserving actors fared, four of our choices are now Tony nominees.