Nominations for the 74th Annual Tony Awards were announced today, with several categories looking much different this year.
All Broadway plays were shuttered on March 12, with Broadway expected to stay closed until mid-2021 at least, resulting in a slimmer awards field than usual.
As a result, Aaron Tveit was named as the sole nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his turn in Moulin Rouge!, as the actor reacted on Twitter.
Sole nominee: Nominations for the 74th Annual Tony Awards were announced today, with several categories looking much different this year
‘Thank you to @TheTonyAwards for this nomination! Barely have words. I am BEYOND grateful, elated, and honored!!’ Tveit began.
‘For our show, for all the shows, for ALL the people who work in this incredible industry. I miss it every single day. Live Theatre is a beautiful gift,’ he concluded, with the hashtag #BeAnArtsHero
He also delivered a lengthier statement to Playbill, revealing how honored he is with the nomination.
No words: ‘Thank you to @TheTonyAwards for this nomination! Barely have words. I am BEYOND grateful, elated, and honored!!’ Tveit began
‘It’s a huge honor and I am so grateful to be nominated!! It’s also vitally important to highlight that this recognition represents, collectively, thousands of hours of work by hundreds of individuals working on Moulin Rouge! The Musical,’ he added.
‘All the brilliant craftspeople, technicians, stagehands and crew that run our show night to night, those in the front and back of the house, inside and outside our stage doors, our incredible audience and fans, and of course the cast, creative team, and producers,’ he added.
Tveit added that he misses the theatre every day, and he looks forward to the day they can all return to the stage.
Huge honor: ‘It’s a huge honor and I am so grateful to be nominated!! It’s also vitally important to highlight that this recognition represents, collectively, thousands of hours of work by hundreds of individuals working on Moulin Rouge! The Musical,’ he added
‘I hope this can be a positive lift amidst an industry shut down with an ever-changing timeline, as well as a reminder of power of live theatre, and what it can do for us as individuals. And for our world.”
While Tveit is the only nominee, he isn’t an exact lock to win the award, since there are already rules in place for such a scenario.
‘If the Tony Awards Nominating Committee has determined that if there is only one nominee in a category listed, such category shall be submitted to the Tony Voters which may, by the affirmative vote of sixty (60%) percent of the total ballots cast, grant an Award in that category,’ the Tony rules state.
No lock: While Tveit is the only nominee, he isn’t an exact lock to win the award, since there are already rules in place for such a scenario
Just days after Broadway shut down, Tveit became the first Broadway star to announce he tested positive for COVID-19.
He was ultimately one of four Moulin Rouge! cast members to test positive for the deadly virus.
Earlier this month he signed on to star in a currently-untitled musical TV series for Apple TV Plus, alongside Keegan Michael Key and Cecily Strong.
COVID-positive: Just days after Broadway shut down, Tveit became the first Broadway star to announce he tested positive for COVID-19