On April 30, Mary Jane by Amy Herzog was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Play. The show is led by screen star Rachel McAdams, who plays the title role, a single mother caring for her sick child. McAdams does not leave the stage for the entirety of the show's 90-minute running time, which probably helped her get her first Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.
In a statement sent to Playbill May 1, McAdams responded to the honor with: “Playing Mary Jane has been the role of a lifetime and I am so honored to bring her story to the stage every day. I am so grateful to Amy and [director] Anne [Kauffman] and the entire cast and crew for trusting me in this process and to be embraced by the theater community is such a humbling experience. Thank you Thank you Thank you!” The play marks McAdams' Broadway debut, and she was critically acclaimed for her work in the show.
McAdams is nominated in a category that also includes Betsy Aidem (Prayer for the French Republic), Jessica Lange (Mother Play), Sarah Paulson (Appropriate), and Amy Ryan (Doubt: A Parable).
Previously, playwright Herzog also responded to being nominated (she is nominated for Mary Jane and for her adaptation of An Enemy of the People), with: "I'm thrilled to be nominated for two plays I care so deeply about—An Enemy of the People and Mary Jane. I salute my extraordinary leading actors, Tony nominees Jeremy Strong and Rachel McAdams, for carrying the hell out of these plays eight times a week. I'm indebted to my wonderful directors, Sam Gold and Anne Kauffman, and the exquisite ensembles of both shows. In the new play category, I'm elated to be one of three women nominated—my research doesn't go that far back, but it must be deeply uncommon if not unprecedented for women playwrights to constitute the majority of new play nominees—congrats to Jocelyn [Bioh] and Paula [Vogel]! And congratulations to all my fellow nominees, especially my current and past collaborators and all the other writers I've known, admired, studied with, been in writers' groups with, etc. I love seeing my generation of writers recognized for the theatre's highest honors this year. Thank you to the brave producers of both shows, American Theater Wing, Broadway League, and indefatigable nominators!”
Read more reactions from this years' nominees in the plays and musicals category.
Winners will be named at the 77th Annual Tony Awards, set for June 16 at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. The evening will kick off with The Tony Awards: Act One, streaming for free on Pluto TV. Details are to be announced. The 77th Annual Tony Awards will follow beginning at 8 PM ET, broadcasting live on CBS (check local listings) and streaming live (for premium-level subscribers) via Paramount+. All Paramount+ subscribers will have on demand access to the broadcast beginning June 17. Stage and screen star Ariana DeBose will be back for the third consecutive year to host.
Visit Playbill.com/Tonys for more.
Jajas African Hair Braiding
Brittany Adebumola and Dominique Thorne in Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Nana Mensah, Dominique Thorne, and Somi Kakoma in Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Rachel McAdams and Brenda Wehle in Mary Jane
Rachel McAdams and Lily Santiago in Mary Jane
Mother Play
Jim Parsons, Jessica Lange, and Celia Keenan-Bolger in Mother Play
Jessica Lange and Celia Keenan-Bolger in Mother Play
Prayer For The French Republic
Betsy Aidem and Molly Ranson
Molly Ranson, Francis Benhamou, Nael Nacer, Aria Shahghasemi, Betsy Aidem, and Anthony Edwards
Stereophonic
Company of Stereophonic
Sarah Pidgeon, Juliana Canfield, and Tom Pecinka in Stereophonic
