Tony Snubs & Surprises: No Nods For Big Names Steve Carell & Michael Imperioli; Little Love For Brit Hit ‘Patriots’ & Hearty Welcome For ‘Outsiders’

Tony nominators didn’t seem inclined to honor the dancers of the musical-dance hybrid Illinoise with performance nominations. A shame, since some of the most exhilarating and poignant moments on the stage this season were to be had there; Whatever one thinks about Back To The Future, the show’s appeal rests almost entirely on the energetic appeal of young Casey Likes as Marty McFly. I think he is more crucial to that musical than Dorian Harewood is to The Notebook, but that’s a quibble; I’d make the same argument for including Shaina Taub of Suffs over The Notebook‘s Maryann Plunkett, as fine an actress as Plunkett is; Rebecca Frecknall’s quirky, often unpleasant direction of Cabaret found no support among Tony nominators. Together with Patriots‘ near-shut-out, a clearer display of the sharp divide between UK and U.S. tastes can’t be imagined; No nomination for Francis Benhamou, who brought so much life to Prayer for the French Republic as the fiercely intellectual member of a family under siege, is inexcusable; And finally, songwriter Will Butler’s nomination for the original score of the play Stereophonic might well draw some raised eyebrows. Ignore the naysayers. Even though the non-musical play includes only a few songs – and more often just snippets of songs – the music is absolutely crucial to the story of a Fleetwood Mac-like ’70s supergroup coming unglued. Butler captured, without stealing, the various sounds of Buckingham, Nicks and McVie, creating a perfect and vital soundtrack to the proceedings. And the songs sound great. Back in the day, they coulda been hits. Still could, actually.