Transfers of hit British dramas Wolf Hall/Bring Up The Bodies, Skylight, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time and The Audience dominate the play nominations for the 2015 Tony Awards.
Wolf Hall/Bring Up The Bodies, which recently won a pair of Olivier Awards, leads the way with eight nominations. Nathaniel Parker (Featured Actor in a Play) and Christopher Oram (Costume Design of a Play) will hope to follow their Olivier wins with Tonys. Jeremy Herrin (Direction of a Play), Paule Constable and David Plater (Lighting Design of a Play), Ben Miles (Actor in a Leading Role in a Play), Lydia Leonard (Actress in a Featured Role in a Play) and the production itself can also hope to pick up one of US theatre’s most prestigious prizes. Oram is also nominated in the Scenic Design of a Play category.
Constable has a double chance of winning the Lighting Design of a Play category, as the Olivier winner is also nominated for her work on The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time. Constable’s nomination is one of six for the National Theatre hit that is also nominated for Best Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Alex Sharp), Best Direction of a Play (Marianne Elliott), Best Choreography (Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett) and Best Scenic Design of a Play (Bunny Christie and Finn Ross).
Skylight, which received one Olivier Award nomination, receives seven of New York’s equivalent. Its trio of actors, Bill Nighy, Carey Mulligan and Matthew Beard, all collect nominations alongside Bob Crowley (Scenic Design of a Play), Natasha Katz (Lighting Design of a Play) and director Stephen Daldry.
Daldry’s production of The Audience has three nominations, but none for the director. Crowley is nominated for the Costume Design of the show that has also recently returned to the West End, while Helen Mirren and Richard McCabe, who both won Oliviers in 2013 for their original London performances, both receive Tony nominations.
The Royal Court’s production of Nick Payne’s multiverse-spanning drama Constellations also receives recognition, with leading lady Ruth Wilson picking up a nomination.
The Elephant Man, which begins a London run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket next month, picks up a quartet of nominations, for the revival of the play and for three cast members, Bradley Cooper, Alessandro Nivola and Patricia Clarkson.
There is also British success for The Last Ship, with Sting receiving a nomination for Best Original Score.
The musical categories, however, are dominated by US productions An American In Paris and Fun Home, which receive 12 nominations each, and Something Rotten, which receives 10.
Theatre fans will find out how well the British contingent does when the winners of the Tony Awards are announced on Sunday 7 June in a ceremony hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming.
If you would like to see what caught the Tony judges’ eyes, you can book to see The Audience, now starring Kristin Scott Thomas, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time and The Elephant Man in London.