Eva Noblezada gets Tony nomination for Hadestown

The nominations for the 73rd Tony Awards have been announced and among them is Fil-Am Eva Noblezada for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical. This is for her work in Hadestown, where she plays Eurydice.

It will be recalled that Eva, born of Filipino father Jon and Mexican American mother Angie, was only 17 years old when she burst into sudden fame after she was chosen to play the role of Kim in the London revival of Miss Saigon.

That was the same show that also starred Jonjon Briones as The Engineer and Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi. With Eva in the lead, it was the same cast that eventually also opened the show on Broadway in 2016. That was when Eva got her first Tony nomination.

Now often referred to as the Tony, the full name of the honor is the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theater. It, of course, recognizes excellence in plays and musicals in live Broadway theater. The Tony is the most coveted prize among stage actors.

The awards are presented by the American Theater Wing and the Broadway League in an annual ceremony in Manhattan, New York City. This year’s Tony Awards will be held on June 10.

What are Eva’s chances of bagging the trophy on her second try? The competition is always tough at the Tonys. No campaigning for fan favorites out there. All nominees have an even chance of winning. I believe that Eva has a very good chance since she is in a show that is a success both with critics and with the regular audience. In fact, Hadestown got 14 nominations, which is the most number at the Tonys this year.

With book, music and lyrics by Anais Mitchell, Hadestown is based on her folk opera album of the same title. It is a new take on the Greek legend of Orpheus. This is the one where Orpheus goes down to the underworld ruled by King Hades and Queen Persephone to rescue his love Eurydice.

And now for all those planning to watch some shows when they visit New York one of these days, here is the list of the Tony 2018 nominees for musicals.

• Musical: Ain’t Too Proud — the Life and Times of the Temptations; Beetlejuice; Hadestown; The Prom; Tootsie.

• Revival: Kiss Me, Kate; Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!.

• Performance by a Leading Actress: Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show; Caitlin Kinnuen, The Prom; Beth Leavel, The Prom; Eva Noblezada, Hadestown; Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me Kate.

• Performance by a Leading Actor: Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom; Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations; Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice; Damon Daunno, Oklahoma!; Santino, Fontana, Tootsie.

• Performance by a Featured Actress: Lilli Cooper, Tootsie; Amber Gray, Hadestown; Sarah Stilles, Tootsie; Ali Stroker, Oklahoma!; Mary Testa, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

• Performance by a Featured Actor: Andre de Shields, Hadestown; Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie; Patrick Page, Hadestown; Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations; Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations.

• Direction: Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown; Scott Ellis, Tootsie; Daniel Fish, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!; Des McAnuff, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations; Casey Nicholaw, The Prom.

• Book: Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations, Dominique Morisseau; Beetlejuice, Scott Brown and Anthony King; Hadestown, Anais Mitchell; The Prom, Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin; Tootsie; Robert Horn.

• Original Score Music and or Lyrics Written for the Theater: Be More Chill, Joe Iconis; Beetlejuice, Eddie Perfect; Hadestown, Anais Mitchell; The Prom, Matthew Skllar and Chad Beguelin; To Kill a Mockingbird, Adam Guettel; Tootsie, David Yazbek.

• Choreography: Camille A. Brown; Choir Boy; Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate; Denis Jones, Tootsie; David Neumann, Hadestown; Sergio Trujillo, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations.

• Scenic Design: Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations; Peter England, King Kong; Rachel Hauk, Hadestown; Laura Jellinek, Rodgers & Hammerstain’s Oklahoma!; David Korins, Beetlejuice.

• Costume Design: Michael Krass, Hadestown; William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice; William Ivey Long, Tootsie; Bob Mckie, The Cher Show; Paul Tazewll, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations.

• Lighting Design: Kevin Adams, The Cher Show; Howell Binkley, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations; Bradley King, Hadestown; Peter Mumford, King Kong; Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice.

• Sound Design: Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice; Peter Hylenski, King Kong; Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations; Drew Levy, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!; Nevin Stenberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown.

• Orchestration: Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown; Simon Hale, Tootsie; Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate; Daniel Kluger, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!; Harold Wheeler, Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations.