Tony Awards 2018: Snubs, surprises, and shut-outs

'Frozen' duo, Chris Evans, and Joshua Jackson are among those who missed out on nominations
By Jessica Derschowitz and Marc Snetiker
May 01, 2018 at 02:56 PM EDT

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SNUB: Frozen

Credit: Deen van Meer

Disney’s latest Broadway venture picked up a trio of nominations on Tuesday morning, including Best Musical and Best Score, but it was surprisingly omitted from other major categories — including its well-reviewed leading performances from Patti Murin and Caissie Levy as princess sisters Anna and Elsa, as well as the striking scenic and costume design by Christopher Oram. This'll be a hard one to let go.

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SNUB: Chris Evans (Lobby Hero)

Credit: Joan Marcus

Blame it on the mustache? While the Avengers star's costars Brian Tyree Henry and Michael Cera received acting nominations for the auspicious Kenneth Lonergan revival, Evans' performance as a brutish, alpha-male cop didn't make the cut—a snub which we hope won't stop the A-lister from returning to the stage in the future.

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SURPRISE: Amy Schumer (Meteor Shower)

Credit: Matthew Murphy

Amy Schumer, Tony nominee! The actress earned high praise for her role in this surreal (albeit shuttered) Steve Martin-penned comedy, and turned it into a nomination for her Broadway debut—a remarkable achievement, no matter one's star power.

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SNUB: Joshua Jackson (Children of a Lesser God)

Credit: Matthew Murphy

Jackson is on stage for the entirety of this revival, but somehow it wasn't enough to secure him an acting nomination for his debut. The show, which earned mixed reviews from critics, was similarly shut out of nearly every category — save for a much-deserved nomination for Lauren Ridloff's astounding performance.

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SURPRISE: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Credit: Joan Marcus

The show that dared critics to write it off has proven its mettle over time, but its abundance of award nominations is a nice surprise for this inventive adaptation of the Nickelodeon series. At a whopping 12 nominations — tying it with Mean Girls for the most of any production this year — it was a very good Bikini Bottom Day, especially for stars Ethan Slater (as the title sponge) and Gavin Lee (as the not-so-titular Squidward).

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SURPRISE: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical

Credit: © Joan Marcus, 2018

It was double the Donna love on Tony nominations day, and for such an exceptionally last-minute entry in the season. Despite underwhelming reviews for the biographical musical of the Queen of Disco, powerhouse performances from LaChanze and Ariana DeBose did score nominations. Oooh, they feel love, they feel love, they feel love.

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SNUB: Sam Clemmett

Credit: Manuel Harlan

Poor Albus Potter. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child landed 10 Tony nominations, including nods for stars Jamie Parker, Anthony Boyle, and Noma Dumezweni, but Clemment's emotional performance as Harry Potter's son didn't crack the Featured Actor category, a reprise of the similarly unfortunate situation with the Olivier Awards. Clemmett surely deserves appreciation for his searing, understated performance.

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SNUB: Erika Henningsen and Kate Rockwell, Mean Girls 

Credit: Joan Marcus

Mean Girls' grool 12 nominations sadly did not include neither Henningsen's endearing lead performance as school newbie Cady Heron nor Rockwell's hilarious take on dimwit Plastic, Karen Smith. Still, the show is nominated for Best Musical (as are title Mean Girls Taylor Louderman and Ashley Park and scene-stealer Grey Henson), so in that sense, everyone gets to share a piece of the crown.

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SURPRISE: Latin History for Morons

Credit: Joan Marcus

John Leguizamo's latest one-man show broke through into this year's Best Play race and even earned the perennially underappreciated actor a special Tony honor for his groundbreaking piece.

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SNUB: Escape to Margaritaville

Credit: Matthew Murphy

The musical boasts a breezy island setting and songs by Jimmy Buffett, but received less-than-favorable reviews and was completely shut out of this year's Tonys contenders. Snub? Sure, you could say that. Surprise? Not so much.

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SNUB: James McArdle and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Angels in America

Credit: Brinkhoff & Mögenburg

Angels in America's acclaimed return to Broadway received a rapturous response — and has 11 Tony nominations to show for it (the most of any play this year). However, we'd be remiss not to mention the powerful supporting performances of McArdle and Stewart-Jarrett, which understandably albeit regretfully weren't able to crack the crowded Featured Actor field.

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SNUB: Time and the Conways

Credit: Jeremy Daniel

No one does stately period drama better than Downton Abbey's Elizabeth McGovern, but this play about a wealthy British family, told over a period of 19 years, didn't clock any nominations.

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SNUB: Alex Newell (Once On This Island)

Credit: Boneau Bryan Brown

The gods smiled down on Once On This Island in the form of eight nominations, but Alex Newell's standout rendition of "Mama Will Provide" didn't place him among that set. Thankfully, it'll at least live on in heavy rotation on our Broadway playlists.

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SNUB: The Parisian Woman

Credit: Matthew Murphy

The timely political drama (starring Uma Thurman in her Broadway debut) didn't exactly wow critics, nor did it apparently catch on with the Tony nominators, as the show was completley shut out of this year's race.

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