The 2024 Tony nominations were pretty brutal

nypost.com:

2024 Tony Award nominations announced on Tuesday.When the list was read aloud by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry, it was snub city.

Barry Manilow’s “Harmony,” the Britney Spears pop-sical “Once Upon a One More Time,” Huey Lewis’ funny “The Heart of Rock and Roll” and “How To Dance in Ohio” were all totally shut out.The musicals “The Great Gatsby” (one mention), “The Notebook” (three) and “Back to the Future” (two) got a dusting, but you can’t very well put “Best costume design nominee!” on a poster.Well, not on a good poster, anyway.David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Imelda Marcos disco show “Here Lies Love” managed four noms, and “Days of Wine and Roses” got three, including score and best actress and actor for terrific Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James, respectively.

But those productions both closed months ago.In the end, we’re left with an eclectic quintet of best musical contenders: “Hell’s Kitchen,” Alicia Keys’ exciting semi-autobiographical show; “Illinoise,” a tender dance piece set to the music of Sufjan Stevens; “The Outsiders,” a galvanizing take on S.E.

Hinton’s classic novel; “Suffs,” about the early days of women’s suffrage; and “Water for Elephants,” a dreadful circus thing.The real race though is now between “Hell’s Kitchen,” with 13 nominations — including best actress for its breakout star Maleah Joi Moon — and “The Outsiders,” with 12.“Hell’s Kitchen,” featuring Keys’ hits such as “Empire State of Mind” and “Girl on Fire,” has the makings of a traditional hit that Broadway is craving, while “The Outsiders” is, in most people’s estimations, the better-made show.