Tony Awards 2022: ‘A Strange Loop,’ ‘MJ,’ ‘Paradise Square’ Dominate Nominations

variety.com:

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“A Strange Loop,” an extremely meta musical, dominated the nominations for the 75th Tony Awards on Monday.

The show, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for its Off-Broadway run, scored a leading 11 nominations.“A Strange Loop” was followed closely behind by “MJ,” a jukebox musical featuring the music of Michael Jackson, and “Paradise Square,” a look at the Five Points area of Manhattan and the tensions that erupted in the violent Draft Riots of 1863, which both nabbed 10 nominations. “MJ” has battled controversy for failing to engage with allegations that Jackson molested children. “The Lehman Trilogy,” a sprawling drama about one of the financial institutions that helped spark the 2008 recession, received 8 nominations, the most of any play.

Other major contenders include “Company,” a gender-swapping re-imagining of the Stephen Sondheim classic, which picked up 9 nominations and “Six,” a feminist retelling of the story of Henry VIII’s six wives, that received 8 nominations.The nominations are welcome news for both “Paradise Square” and “A Strange Loop,” which were punching up against more star-driven Broadway shows and could receive a lift in ticket sales.

Best musical will be a race between those shows, as well as “MJ,” “Girl From North Country” and “Mr Saturday Night.” Best play is a battle between “Clyde’s,” “Hangmen” “The Lehman Trilogy,” “Skeleton Crew” and “The Minutes.”The best musical revival category includes “Company,” as well as “Caroline, or Change” and “The Music Man,” a star-studded revival of the Meredith Willson chestnut that has become one of the year’s hottest tickets.