Tony nominations sort out an eclectic, erratic season — with mixed results
Long story short: It was a strange Broadway season - one in which old formulas proved unreliable and a few long-shot experiments yielded unexpected rewards.
Rendering an up or down verdict on such an eclectic, not to say erratic, year is a fool's errand. The Tony Award nominations, announced Tuesday, tried to separate the wheat from the chaff. But even more, they sent a message of support to artists with fresh and forward-leaning sensibilities, no matter if these endorsements occasionally came at the expense of recognizing worthier work.
April, the cruelest month for theater critics contending with the stampede of openings, brought redemption to the musical categories. "Hadestown" and "Tootsie," greeted
