08-05-2025
After 12 career nominations, Scott Ellis could win his first ever Tony Award for producing ‘Yellow Face'
Over the course of 25 years, Scott Ellis has been nominated at the Tony Awards for directing nine times, but has never emerged victorious. This year, he earned three more bids for producing: Best Play for English, Best Musical Revival for Pirates! The Penzance Musical, and Best Play Revival for Yellow Face. The latter in particular is the current frontrunner in that category. If it prevails, it would mark Ellis' first Tony win after 12 nominations.
As of now, Ellis is among several notable individuals who have earned multiple Tony bids, but never won. Others include director-choreographer Graciela Daniele (10 noms; Lifetime Achievement Award recipient), lighting designer Paul Gallo (eight noms), orchestrator Harold Wheeler (seven noms; Lifetime Achievement Award recipient), and choreographer Onna White (eight noms).
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Ellis' nine prior directing nominations were for the following:
1994 for She Loves Me; lost to Nicholas Hytner for Carousel
1997 for Steel Pier; lost to Walter Bobbie for Chicago
1998 for 1776; lost to Julie Taymor for The Lion King
2005 for 12 Angry Men; lost to Doug Hughes for Doubt
2007 for Curtains; lost to Michael Mayer for Spring Awakening
2013 for The Mystery of Edwin Drood; lost to Diane Paulus for Pippin
2015 for You Can't Take It With You; lost to Marianne Elliott for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
2016 for She Loves Me; lost to Thomas Kail for Hamilton
2019 for Tootsie; lost to Rachel Chavkin for Hadestown
Following the death of Roundabout Theatre Company's longtime artistic director Todd Haimes in 2023, Christopher Ashley is set to take over in July 2026. Until then, Ellis, who has been with the organization as an associate since 1998, is currently filling in, which could help boost his Tony chances.
The Broadway premiere of David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face may have ended its limited run back in the fall, but it was filmed during the final week of performances. The production is set to air on PBS on May 16. Therefore, voters who didn't get to catch it on the Great White Way will soon be able to from the comfort of their homes during Tony season. Thus, the show would have a serious leg up over its fellow Best Play Revival nominees Eureka Day (in second place), Our Town (in third place), and Romeo + Juliet (in fourth place).
Ellis' English faces off in Best Play against Oh, Mary!, John Proctor Is the Villain, Purpose, and The Hills of California; and his Pirates! The Penzance Musical is competing in Best Musical Revival against Sunset Blvd., Gypsy, and Floyd Collins.
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