That’s the question New York theatre folk are asking this morning, following the announcement of the 2011 Tony nominations, honouring the best of the Broadway theatre season just gone. Radcliffe was thought to be a dead cert for a nomination for his performance as the careerist window washer in the smash-hit revival of Frank Loesser’s How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. And there were many who thought Radcliffe would go on to win the trophy on 12 June, just as another visiting British film star, Catherine Zeta-Jones, did for her Broadway musical theatre debut in A Little Night Music last year.
Not that the Brits did poorly by any means: Jez Butterworth’s wonderful Jerusalem is up for six awards including Best Play and acting nods for both Mark Rylance and Mackenzie Crook (though nothing for director Ian Rickson: second time unlucky in New York, following his non-nomination for the acclaimed Broadway revival of The Seagull several seasons ago). And Joanna Lumley, surprisingly, made the supporting-actress cut for La Bête, in the process eclipsing the far worthier (in my view, anyway) Lia Williams in Arcadia – Williams being the revelation of director David Leveaux’s latest London-to-New York Stoppard transplant.
Other Brits have been named here and there – Hannah Yelland for her starring role in director Emma Rice’s Brief Encounter, where competition includes Vanessa Redgrave’s latest Broadway spin in Driving Miss Daisy. Adam Godley – a 2009 Olivier nominee for his West End turn as Charlie Babbitt in Rain Man – has been named for his supporting performance in Anything Goes, though he’ll doubtless lose to Rory O'Malley from the unstoppable juggernaut that is The Book of Mormon, the season’s musical sensation with 14 nods in all.
Britain’s best hopes for victory rest with the five-times-nominated War Horse, which is already due to receive a special prize for its puppetry so could hypothetically snare six trophies in all, starting with best play. War Horse v Jerusalem, which is to say Joey the horse v Johnny Byron? Butterworth deserves the top Tony hands down, but just as WC Fields advised against acting with animals, I wouldn’t this year want to be nominated against one, either.
- The Tony Awards are on 12 June
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