Lesbian musical The Prom lands 7 Tony Awards nominations
The Prom musical stars Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla (Official photo)
Lesbian musical The Prom has landed seven nominations at the Tony Awards.
The nominations for the 73rd annual Tony Awards were announced on Tuesday (April 30), with The Prom among the most-nominated shows.
The musical tells the story of a girl who is denied permission to bring a female date to her high school prom, mirroring several real-life news stories.
The Prom receives seven Tony Awards nominations
The show was nominated for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.
The Prom stars Caitlin Kinnunen and Beth Leavel were both nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, while Brooks Ashmanskas was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
Casey Nicholaw was nominated for Best Direction of a Musical.
In November, The Prom sparked an outpouring of joy after its Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade performance featured the parade’s first ever same-sex kiss.
The Prom stars Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla (Official photo)
The passionate embrace, which took place during a performance of “Build a Prom,” was broadcast by NBC to an estimated audience of 50 million people who tuned in for the annual parade through the streets of New York City.
The show is to receive a film adaptation from Pose creator Ryan Murphy, set for release on Netflix in September 2020.
On April 10, Murphy wrote in an Instagram post: “The Prom is one of the most uplifting, heartfelt and special musicals I have ever seen on Broadway.
“It’s truly an original that celebrates the underdog and says in a loving spectacular way that LGBTQ rights are human rights. I feel a special connection to it because it’s set in Indiana, and that’s where I grew up, too. I’m thrilled to announce I’m turning it into a MOVIE EVENT for Netflix, and I’m bringing producers @billdamaschke and @dori.berinstein and the amazing creative team with me.”
He added: “It has a musical score that will leave you singing for days, a hilarious and moving book and some of the most showstopping direction, choreography and performances I’ve ever seen on Broadway.”
The Boys in the Band also nominated for two Tony Awards
The revival of gay play The Boys in the Band also landed two nominations.
The play was nominated for Best Revival of a Play, while Robin De Jesús was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.
The cast of The Boys in the Band (Cindy Ord/Getty)
Ryan Murphy, known for juggling many projects at once, is also making a Netflix adaptation of The Boys in the Band as part of his production deal with the streaming platform.
Murphy announced on April 18 that the show’s Broadway stars Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells and Charlie Carver are all in line to return to their roles.
He teased: “Last summer, The Boys in the Band were on Broadway, breaking house records at The Booth. THIS summer, The Boys In the Band will be filming a Netflix movie event.
“The Broadway cast of BOYS was so important to me, and as equally groundbreaking as Mart Crowley’s seminal work.
“Everyone in the cast was out and proud…and feeling so blessed to mark the 50th anniversary of Mart’s landmark play. The entire Broadway cast will reprise their roles in the film.”
