2021 Tony Awards In the strangest of years here are 9 things to watch for

With the unpredictability of the theater world, it's often "a year like no other."But this time, I think they really, really, really mean it. The 74th annual (2020? 2021?) Tony Awards are set for Sunday, Sept. 26, honoring productions that hit Broadway prior to the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020. The Tony Awards, originally set for June 2020, became an afterthought as the world grappled with the deadly pandemic and the theater industry fought for its survival — and began to confront systemic issues surrounding racism, equity, inclusion, abuse and more that have long plagued it. There is more work to be done. But 18 months later, Broadway is opening back up and it's time to take a moment to celebrate. The quirky way that seasons shake out often leads to interesting juxtapositions of  nominees and categories. But with so much more in play in terms of shows that opened, shows that didn't open and changing rules to accommodate the unexpected showdown, this year's awards are in a league of their own. There were only 18 productions eligible for nominations this year (roughly half of the usual), including only four musicals, which spelled a lot of interesting choices in many categories. Here are 9 things to watch out for in a Tony Awards ceremony that is sure to be like none other. In a typical year, many shows time their openings so they're fresh in the minds of voters and audiences come Tony time. Of course, due to scheduling issues, availability of theaters, actors and creatives and more, that's not always true, and some shows do open and run in the earlier part of a season. That was the case of "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune." The revival, starring Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon, opened in May 2019 (interestingly enough, a few days prior to the 2019 Tony Awards), and closed at the end of July — 791 days before these Tony Awards, where it is nominated for two awards."Grand Horizons," which opened on Jan. 23, 2020, and starred Jane Alexander and James Cromwell, is nominated for two awards: Best Play, and Alexander for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play. Aaron Tveit is nominated for best leading actor in a musical for his work in "Moulin Rouge!" He's the only one nominated in the category. Chalk this one up to musicals slated to come in later in the season. That doesn't mean Tveit is a lock to win, though. Tony rules say that when there is only one nominee in a category, they must garner a "yes" from 60 percent of returned ballots. We like his chances. There's an emphasis on "original" in Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre. That means of the four musicals that opened during the abbreviated season ("Moulin Rouge!"; "Jagged Little Pill"; "Tina - The Tina Turner Musical" and "The Lightning Thief"), the first three were automatically excluded because they were built off existing material, and nominators did not recognize the latter.


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