Temptations, Forever: Ain’t Too Proud Scores 12 Nominations for the 2019 Tony Awards

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Ain’t Too Proud
Ain’t Too Proud
Screenshot: Broadway.com (YouTube )

Nominations are in for the biggest night in Broadway and members of the Tony Awards committee really are coming to see Otis. (*wink*)

On Tuesday, the 73rd annual Tony Awards dropped its list of contenders vying for that coveted statuette named for Antoinette Perry. The nominations announcement was brought to us by Gayle King (CBS This Morning) and Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (Hamilton), per CBS News.

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Ain’t Too Proud to Beg: The Life and Times of the Temptations joined the top ranks, scoring 12 nominations, making it the second-most nominated play this year after Hadestown (which landed 14 noms). And it got some biggies, too, such as Best Musical and Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role In A Musical (Derrick Baskin, as Otis Williams). Plus, Dominique Morisseau copped a writing nom for her work—Best Book Of A Musical.

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As Contributing Editor Angela Helm predicted, Ephraim Sykes did, in fact, get a nomination for his portrayal as the effervescent David Ruffin, landing the nom for Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Musical. He’s sharing the honor with castmate Jeremy Pope (as Eddie Kendricks).

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Said Helm in her recent review of the popular musical:

After this rousing, amazing, spectacular show, you’re quite clear on why the Temptations—in all of their incarnations—were the top-selling group of Motown (yes, even over the Supremes) and the top-selling R&B group of all time. This is our story, this is our song, and we would be fools to forget it.

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As for top-nominated Hadestown, Amber Gray scored a nomination for Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Musical.

The full list of nominations is below:

BEST PLAY

  • Choir Boy
  • The Ferryman
  • Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
  • Ink
  • What the Constitution Means to Me

BEST MUSICAL

  • Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
  • Beetlejuice
  • Hadestown
  • The Prom
  • Tootsie

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

  • Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
  • Bryan Cranston, Network
  • Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Adam Driver, Burn This
  • Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

  • Annette Bening, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
  • Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
  • Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
  • Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet
  • Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
  • Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

  • Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
  • Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
  • Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
  • Damon Daunno, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
  • Santino Fontana, Tootsie

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

  • Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
  • Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
  • Beth Leavel, The Prom
  • Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
  • Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me, Kate

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

  • Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
  • The Boys in the Band
  • Burn This
  • Torch Song
  • The Waverly Gallery

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

  • Kiss Me, Kate
  • Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

  • Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations , Dominique Morisseau
  • Beetlejuice, Scott Brown & Anthony King
  • Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
  • The Prom, Bob Martin & Chad Beguelin
  • Tootsie, Robert Horn

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE

  • Be More Chill, Music & Lyrics: Joe Iconis
  • Beetlejuice, Music & Lyrics: Eddie Perfect
  • Hadestown, Music & Lyrics: Anaïs Mitchell
  • The Prom, Music: Matthew Sklar, Lyrics: Chad Beguelin
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, Music: Adam Guettel
  • Tootsie, Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

  • Bertie Carvel, Ink
  • Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
  • Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
  • Benjamin Walker, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

  • Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
  • Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
  • Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
  • Ruth Wilson, King Lear

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

  • André De Shields, Hadestown
  • Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
  • Patrick Page, Hadestown
  • Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
  • Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

  • Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
  • Amber Gray, Hadestown
  • Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
  • Ali Stroker, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
  • Mary Testa, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY

  • Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Bunny Christie, Ink
  • Rob Howell, The Ferryman
  • Santo Loquasto, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
  • Jan Versweyveld, Network

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

  • Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
  • Peter England, King Kong
  • Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
  • Laura Jellinek, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
  • David Korins, Beetlejuice

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY

  • Rob Howell, The Ferryman
  • Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet
  • Clint Ramos, Torch Song
  • Ann Roth, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
  • Ann Roth, To Kill a Mockingbird

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

  • Michael Krass, Hadestown
  • William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
  • William Ivey Long, Tootsie
  • Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
  • Paul Tazewell, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY

  • Neil Austin, Ink
  • Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
  • Peter Mumford, The Ferryman
  • Jennifer Tipton, To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden, Network

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

  • Kevin Adams, The Cher Show
  • Howell Binkley, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
  • Bradley King, Hadestown
  • Peter Mumford, King Kong
  • Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY

  • Adam Cork, Ink
  • Scott Lehrer, To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
  • Nick Powell, The Ferryman
  • Eric Sleichim, Network

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

  • Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice
  • Peter Hylenski, King Kong
  • Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
  • Drew Levy, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
  • Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY

  • Rupert Goold, Ink
  • Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
  • Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Ivo van Hove, Network
  • George C. Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

  • Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
  • Scott Ellis, Tootsie
  • Daniel Fish, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
  • Des McAnuff, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
  • Casey Nicholaw, The Prom

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

  • Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
  • Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate
  • Denis Jones, Tootsie
  • David Neumann, Hadestown
  • Sergio Trujillo, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS

  • Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown
  • Simon Hale, Tootsie
  • Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate
  • Daniel Kluger, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
  • Harold Wheeler, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

The 73rd Tony Awards will broadcast live from the Radio City Music Hall on CBS, Sunday, June 9, at 8 p.m. (ET / PT time delay). James Corden will host.