J. Harrison Ghee, Alex Newell make Tony Awards history as first nonbinary-identifying actor nominees
J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell made history Tuesday morning as they became the first nonbinary-identifying actors to be nominated for Tony Awards.
Newell is nominated in the category of supporting actor in a musical for “Shucked,” a pop-country comedy set in a small town whose crop of corn has mysteriously gone awry. They play Lulu, a female whiskey distiller who encourages her naive cousin to find agricultural answers outside their rural community, but is then suspicious of the Floridian urbanite who claims he can fix everything.
Also nominated for supporting actor in a musical are Newell’s co-star Kevin Cahoon, as well as Justin Cooley (“Kimberly Akimbo”), Kevin Del Aguila (“Some Like It Hot”) and Jordan Donica (“Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot”). “Shucked” has nine nominations, including best musical, book, original score, director, orchestrations, scenic design and sound design.
Ghee, nominated in the category of lead actor in a musical, stars in the tap-filled adaptation of “Some Like It Hot,” the 1959 hit comedy in which two musicians, after witnessing a murder, attempt to escape town as members of an all-female swing band touring the country. Ghee plays Jerry, who initially adopts the name Daphne as a disguise, but comes to embrace a sense of self that touches on both identities.
Fellow lead actor in a musical nominees include Ghee’s co-star Christian Borle, as well as Josh Groban (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”), Brian d’Arcy James (“Into the Woods”), Ben Platt (“Parade”) and Colton Ryan (“New York, New York”). “Some Like It Hot” leads with 13 Tony nominations, including best musical, book, original score, director, choreography, orchestrations, scenic design, costume design, lighting design, supporting actor in a musical and supporting actress in a musical.
The Tonys milestone for the nonbinary actors follows last year’s historic first, when Toby Marlow — who wrote the book, music and lyrics of “Six” with Lucy Moss — became the first nonbinary person to receive a Tony nomination and win. Said Moss in their joint acceptance speech for the award for original score, “We wrote these songs because we wanted to give a funny voice to women and nonbinary people who are our friends, and it’s just so exciting to recognize them.”
Because the Tonys’ acting categories are gendered, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming actors must choose the category in which they want to be considered. In response to this requirement, “& Juliet” performer Justin David Sullivan, who plays Juliet’s close friend May in the pop jukebox musical, withdrew from consideration altogether.
“Because I was told I had no other option but to choose between one of the two gendered categories in which I would be eligible, I felt that I had no choice but to abstain from being considered for a nomination this season,” they said in a statement in February. “I could not in good faith move forward with denying any part of my identity to conform to a system and structure that does not hold space for people like me.”
In an interview with Variety last week, Newell praised Sullivan’s decision as “admirable,” “heartbreaking” and “a wake-up call” to the awards body. They also explained that they chose a category for themselves “based off the English language. The standard has always been a male is an actor and a female as an actress, and I don’t like that. Because when I say I’m an actor, I mean that is my profession, the craft that I studied, the craft that I’m doing. Everyone who does acting is an actor. That is genderless.”
Ghee told Elle in February that “staying in [Tonys consideration] was very intentional” and thanked the “Some Like It Hot” producers for the conversations they had about choosing a category. “Someone else’s labels or limits are not going to bound me and my ability to do anything,” they said. “My artistry and the work will speak for itself. What anybody claims or puts on is extra, and they’re trying to place someone else’s experience on me. I’m here to be intentional about my ministry and my work.”
“There’s room for all stories to exist and be told,” Ghee added. “Broadway just has to remain open to the conversation of keeping the options open and not limiting ourselves to being one thing. I’m grateful that conversations are being had. … As long as you keep the conversation open, that means there’s room for growth.”
The 76th Tony Awards will take place June 11 at the United Palace in New York City. It will air live at 5 p.m. Pacific on CBS and stream live and on demand on Paramount+. A first round of honors will be awarded during a pre-show presentation, streaming at 3:30 p.m. Pacific on Pluto TV.
Merle Dandridge, Montego Glover, Annaleigh Ashford, Katie Rose Clarke and Britney Coleman, each starring in a Stephen Sondheim musical, reflect on the texts of the late theater legend.
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