A musical set in Minnesota and a comedy/drama that debuted at the Guthrie Theater are among the theatrical offerings that earned multiple nominations in this year's Tony Awards, announced Monday.
Inspired by the music of Hibbing native Bob Dylan and set in a Duluth boarding house during the Depression, "Girl From the North Country" is up for seven Tonys. Dylan was ineligible because the songs (including "Like a Rolling Stone") were not written specifically for the show but "Girl" is nominated for best musical, director, actress (Mare Winningham) and supporting actress (Jeannette Bayardelle). Forced to pause twice during the pandemic, "Girl" is scheduled to end its run June 11, the day before the awards are handed out, but there's been talk that multiple nominations might encourage its producers to keep the show running.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage's "Clyde's" is up for five awards. The dark comedy about the denizens of a truck stop, all of whom are trying to create the perfect sandwich, debuted at the Guthrie in 2019 as "Floyd's" but Nottage changed its title to avoid confusion with the George Floyd tragedy.
In "Clyde's" credits, former Guthrie artistic director Joe Dowling is listed as "original commissioner" and successor Joseph Haj is listed as "original producer." The play was recast after its Minneapolis debut, although Reza Salazar, who plays one of the cooks, was in it here and still is on Broadway (Johanna Ray, who played the restaurant's owner at the Guthrie, is currently on Broadway in "How I Learned to Drive," which received a trio of nominations.)
"Six," the high-concept show in which the wives of Henry VIII give a concert about their lives and beheadings, is up for eight awards. It originated in Scotland and played runs in Chicago and St. Paul before its Broadway debut. It had played several weeks of preview performances in New York and was scheduled to open March 12, 2020, the day Broadway shut down because of the COVID pandemic.
Leading all nominees with 11, "A Strange Loop" also has a Minnesota connection. A cast member of the show about a young Black man writing a musical, understudy Jon-Michael Reese, has appeared in many Twin Cities productions, including "To Let Go and Fall" at Theater Latte Da and "This Bitter Earth" at Penumbra Theatre.
After "Strange Loop," tied for second with 10 apiece are "MJ," the Michael Jackson jukebox show with a book by Nottage, and musical "Paradise Square." The leading nominee among plays, with eight, is "The Lehman Trilogy," which closed in January.
Virus outbreaks proved common this winter, often pausing productions and even delaying the nominations announcement, which had been scheduled for last week. Because of actor absences and last-minute openings, the number of nominators who were able to see all the eligible shows was curtailed from 54 to 29, but one of the 29 was Maija Garcia, the Guthrie's director of education and professional training.
The Tony Awards are scheduled to air at 7 p.m., June 12 on CBS. Oscar winner Ariana DeBose will host from Radio City Music Hall.
