Eleven* of the 39 shows that opened on Broadway in the 2023-2024 season received no Tony nominations. This doesn’t necessarily mean they were cheated; the Tony nominators had to make choices for the 2024 Tony Award nominations. But it also doesn’t mean that they were without merit. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that NINE of the 11 opened in 2023; only two opened during the Spring 2024 season. This surely helps explain why ambitious producers choose to bunch the shows as close to the end of the season as possible; the Tony nominators don’t have to tax their memory to recall what’s good about the most recent shows.
I didn’t love all these shows (I did love some of them), but despite the Broadway-goer appetite for raves and pans, there is always something to like in even the most off-putting play or musical (and, conversely, few shows are perfect.)
So here are the Tony-less shows, listed chronologically by opening date, with links to my reviews, and my suggestion as to what each show could have been nominated for, representing some of what was best about them.
ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Adam Godley
Just for Us
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Alex Edelman
Best Direction of a Play: Adam Brace
(Update: Edelman was subsequently given a noncompetitive Special Tony Award)
The Cottage
Best Scenic Design of a Play: Paul Tate dePoo III.
The Shark is Broken
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Adam Brightman
El Mago Pop
Best Sound Design of a Play:Jordi Mateo
Melissa Etheridge: My Window
Best Sound Design of a Musical: Shannon Slaton
I Need That
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Danny DeVito
Harmony
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Chip Zien
Best Choreography: Warren Carlyle
How to Dance in Ohio
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Liam Pearce
The Wiz
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Phillip Johnson Richardson
The Heart of Rock and Roll
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Corey Cott
Best Choreography: Lorin Latarro
*Alex Edelman’s “Just For Us,” “El Mago Pop” and “Melissa Etheridge: My Window.” were all ruled ineligible to be nominated for anything, but I prefer to be inclusive..
