2018 Tony Award Nominations: SpongeBob SquarePants and Mean Girls Lead the Pack (2024)

Nominations for the 2018 Tony Awards were announced May 1, with Mean Girls and SpongeBob SquarePants coming out on top with 12 nods each including Best Musical. Joining the two titles in the category were The Band’s Visit (with 11 nominations) and Frozen (earning three nods).

Also earning 11 nominations were the Broadway revivals of Angels in America (becoming the most-nominated play in Broadway Tony history) and Carousel, with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and My Fair Lady trailing closely behind with ten.

TONY AWARDS TRENDS: PLAYBILL BREAKS DOWN THE 2018 NOMINATIONS

Five nominated performers represented the two leading shows: Mean Girls’ Taylor Louderman, Ashley Park, and Grey Henson, and SpongeBob SquarePants’ Ethan Slater and Gavin Lee.

The 72nd annual Tony Awards will take place June 10 at Radio City Music Hall. Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban will co-host.

Read: REACTIONS FROM THE 2018 TONY NOMINEES

See below for the full list of nominees.

Best Play
The Children, by Lucy Kirkwood
Farinelli and The King, by Claire van Kampen
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two, by Jack Thorne
Junk, by Ayad Akhtar
Latin History for Morons, by John Leguizamo

Best Musical
The Band's Visit
Frozen
Mean Girls
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Revival of a Play
Angels in America
Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh
Lobby Hero
Travesties

Best Revival of a Musical
My Fair Lady
Once On This Island
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Book of a Musical
The Band's Visit, Itamar Moses
Frozen, Jennifer Lee
Mean Girls, Tina Fey
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Kyle Jarrow

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Angels in America, Adrian Sutton
The Band's Visit, David Yazbek
Frozen, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Mean Girls, Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Music & Lyrics: Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman, John Legend, Panic! at the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, T.I., and Domani & Lil'C

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Tom Hollander, Travesties
Jamie Parker, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Mark Rylance, Farinelli and The King
Denzel Washington, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Glenda Jackson, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Condola Rashad, Saint Joan
Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God
Amy Schumer, Meteor Shower

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Tony Shalhoub, The Band's Visit
Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady
Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island
LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit
Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls
Jessie Mueller, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Michael Cera, Lobby Hero
Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero
Nathan Lane, Angels in America
David Morse, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Susan Brown, Angels in America
Noma Dumezweni, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Deborah Findlay, The Children
Denise Gough, Angels in America
Laurie Metcalf, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady
Alexander Gemignani, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Grey Henson, Mean Girls
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Ari'el Stachel, The Band's Visit

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Ariana DeBose, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Renée Fleming, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Lindsay Mendez, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and The King
Christine Jones, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Santo Loquasto, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh
Ian MacNeil and Edward Pierce, Angels in America

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Dane Laffrey, Once On This Island
Scott Pask, The Band's Visit
Scott Pask, Finn Ross & Adam Young, Mean Girls
Michael Yeargan, My Fair Lady
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and The King
Nicky Gillibrand, Angels in America
Katrina Lindsay, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Ann Roth, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Ann Roth, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Mean Girls
Clint Ramos, Once On This Island
Ann Roth, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Paule Constable, Angels in America
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh
Paul Russell, Farinelli and The King
Ben Stanton, Junk

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Once On This Island
Donald Holder, My Fair Lady
Brian MacDevitt, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Tyler Micoleau, The Band's Visit

Best Sound Design of a Play
Adam Cork, Travesties
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Angels in America
Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Tom Gibbons, 1984
Dan Moses Schreier, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada, The Band's Visit
Peter Hylenski, Once On This Island
Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Brian Ronan, Mean Girls
Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott, Angels in America
Joe Mantello, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Patrick Marber, Travesties
John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
George C. Wolfe, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Once On This Island
David Cromer, The Band's Visit
Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady

Best Choreography
Christopher Gattelli, My Fair Lady
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Steven Hoggett, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Justin Peck, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Orchestrations
John Clancy, Mean Girls
Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Annmarie Milazzo & Michael Starobin, Once On This Island
Jamshied Sharifi, The Band's Visit
Jonathan Tunick, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Productions with multiple nominations:
Mean Girls - 12
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical - 12
Angels in America - 11
The Band's Visit - 11
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel - 11
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - 10
My Fair Lady - 10
Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh - 8
Once On This Island - 8
Edward Albee's Three Tall Women - 6
Farinelli and the King - 5
Travesties - 4
Frozen - 3
Lobby Hero - 3
The Children - 2
Junk - 2
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical - 2

Also announced May 1 were this year's two Special Tony Award recipients: Bruce Springsteen, who currently makes his special engagement Springsteen on Broadway, and Latin History for Morons' John Leguizamo.

As previously announced, this year’s awards will present Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honors to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Chita Rivera, the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award to the Nederlander Organization’s Nick Scandalios, and Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre to New York Times photographer Sara Krulwich, costume beader Bessie Nelson, and Broadway dry cleaning service Ernest Winzer. New York City's La MaMa will receive the Regional Theatre Tony Award.

2018 Tony Award Nominations: SpongeBob SquarePants and Mean Girls Lead the Pack (2024)

FAQs

2018 Tony Award Nominations: SpongeBob SquarePants and Mean Girls Lead the Pack? ›

Nominations for the 2018 Tony Awards were announced May 1, with Mean Girls

Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a musical with a book by Tina Fey, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and music by Jeff Richmond. It is based on the 2004 Mark Waters film of the same name, which was also written by Fey and was in-turn inspired by Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Mean_Girls_(musical)
and SpongeBob SquarePants coming out on top with 12 nods each including Best Musical. Joining the two titles in the category were The Band's Visit (with 11 nominations) and Frozen (earning three nods).

What Tony nominations did SpongeBob get for the musical? ›

The production received 12 Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Ethan Slater), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Gavin Lee), Best Direction of a Musical (Tina Landau), Best Book of a Musical (Kyle Jarrow), Best Original Score (Various Artists), Best Choreography (Christopher Gattelli), ...

How many Tony nominations did Mean Girls get? ›

The show received positive to mixed reviews from critics and was nominated for twelve awards at the 72nd Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

What Tonys did SpongeBob win? ›

Mean Girls was completely shut out, something Regina George would've never tolerated, and SpongeBob only won one award, for best scenic design of a musical.

How many nominations did Funny Girl receive at the 18th annual Tony Awards? ›

The production received eight nominations at the 18th Tony Awards. The original cast recording of Funny Girl was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. A Broadway revival opened April 24, 2022, starring Beanie Feldstein as Brice.

How old is SpongeBob? ›

SpongeBob's Drivers License Contains An Important Clue

In the episode "Sleepy Time," fans get a glimpse of SpongeBob's drivers license, which lists his birthday as July 14, 1986. Given the episode aired in 2000, this puts SpongeBob at 14 years old -- if the show's timeline aligns with the episode air dates, that is.

Who is Tony in SpongeBob? ›

Tony is the first sea turtle to appear in a SpongeBob SquarePants episode. His species was previously mentioned in "Chum Caverns" and several sea turtles were present in Kash Krab. Unlike real sea turtles, he doesn't have flippers, making him look more like a tortoise. Also, his shell is bigger than the others.

Who created Mean Girls? ›

Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. It stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Fey. The film follows Cady Heron (Lohan), a naïve teenager who transfers to an American high school after years of homeschooling in Africa.

What happens in Mean Girls? ›

Things do not go as planned when Cady falls in love with Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron. When Regina finds out, she seeks revenge on Cady by taking Aaron back. What began as a game to discover secrets turns into a plan to destroy Regina, as Cady, Janis, and Damian plot together to bring Regina's status down.

Who is the youngest female Tony winners? ›

Daisy Eagan shares the unique experience of being the youngest female winner in Tony history. She recounted working with Mandy Patinkin, Rebecca Luker and John Cameron Mitchell who was writing Hedwig & The Angy Inch at the same time.

Who was 1 SpongeBob? ›

Krabs, using a fake ghost, tells SpongeBob that a man named "Smitty Werbenjägermanjensen" was #1. He also said that SpongeBob's soda-drinking hat is his and that he has to return it to him immediately, so SpongeBob buries it with this fish.

Is Ariana with SpongeBob? ›

As reported last week, Ariana Grande does appear to be dating a SpongeBob SquarePants actor — but not the original. Following her split from husband Dalton Gomez after a two-year marriage, Grande is reportedly dating her Wicked costar Ethan Slater.

Who runs SpongeBob now? ›

SpongeBob SquarePants
Executive producersStephen Hillenburg Paul Tibbitt (2008–2017) Marc Ceccarelli (2022–present) Vincent Waller (2022–present)
ProducersDonna Castricone (1999–2002) Anne Michaud (2001) Helen Kalafatic (2002–2004) Dina Buteyn (2005–2010) Jennie Monica (2010–2022)
25 more rows

Is Funny Girl appropriate for kids? ›

Funny Girl is an iconic musical comedy suitable for audiences of all ages. Due to running time and more serious themes, this show is best for ages 10 and up. Running Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes, 15-minute intermission included.

Is "Funny Lady" a true story? ›

The screenplay, written by Jay Presson Allen and Arnold Schulman as based on a story by Schulman, is a highly fictionalized account of the later life and career of comedienne Fanny Brice and her marriage to songwriter and impresario Billy Rose.

How does Funny Girl end? ›

Based on the Broadway musical, the film centers on stage and screen star Fanny Brice, ending with a separation from husband Nick Arnstein following his release from prison.

What awards did SpongeBob the musical win? ›

Original Broadway production
YearAward CeremonyCategory
2018Outer Critics Circle AwardsOutstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
20 more rows

Which musical has the most Tony nominations? ›

Nominations: The most Tony nominations ever received by a single production was the musical Hamilton (2016) with 16 nominations in 13 categories, narrowly passing the previous holders of this record, The Producers (2001; 15 nominations in 12 categories) and Billy Elliot (2009; 15 nominations in 13 categories).

What musicals have 13 Tony nominations? ›

“Hell's Kitchen,” Alicia Keys's semi-autobiographical musical, and “Stereophonic,” David Adjmi's play about a rock band recording a studio album, each picked up 13 Tony Award nominations, the most of any other productions this year.

How many Employee of the Month Awards did SpongeBob get? ›

Although it is not revealed who won the "Employee of the Month" award, it is revealed in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie that Spongebob has 374 consecutive "Employee of the Month" awards in the bedroom on the wall of his house.

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