(CBS/AP) Updated 10:15 a.m. EDT
The nominees for the 66th annual Tony Awards have
been revealed and the love story “Once” is in the lead.
The low-tech musical about a Czech flower seller and an Irish
street musician in Dublin earned 11 nominations, including a nod for best musical. “Newsies,” “Leap of Faith” and “Nice Work
If You Can Get It” are also nominated in that category.
Two other musicals – “The Gershwins’ Porgy and
Bess” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It” – each got 10 nominations as the Tony committee spread the wealth. Unlike last
year’s “The Book of Mormon,” no monster single hit dominated the nominations.
“Peter and the Starcatcher,” a play
about the origins of Peter Pan, earned nine nominations and the now-closed revival of “Follies” and the new Disney musical
“Newsies” got eight nods each.
“Other Desert Cities,” a play by Jon Robin Baitz that moved to Broadway after critical
acclaim at Lincoln Center Theater, earned five nominations, including best play.
“Once,” with songs by Marketa Irglova
and Glen Hansard, was originally a low-budget movie made for about $150,000. The film earned $20 million, thanks in part to
an original score that included the 2007 Oscar-winning song, “Falling Slowly.”
The musical captured the film’s spirit
and earned Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti best actor nominations. It also earned nods for best scenic design, best book of a
musical and Elizabeth A. Davis got best performance by an actress in a featured role, among other nods.
Broadway’s
most expensive show, the $75 million “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” got only two nominations, for best scenic design and
costume.
The Tony for best leading actor in a play will pit James Corden from the British import “One Man, Two
Guvnors,” Philip Seymour Hoffman from Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” James Earl Jones from “Gore Vidal’s The Best
Man,” Frank Langella from “Man and Boy” and John Lithgow of “The Columnist” against one another.
The nods for leading
actress in a play went to Nina Arianda for “Venus in Fur,” Stockard Channing for “Other Desert Cities,” Tracie Bennett for
“End of the Rainbow,” Linda Lavin for “The Lyons” and Cynthia Nixon for “Wit.”
There were also a few nomination snubs.
Neither Ricky Martin nor Argentine actress Elena Roger earned nods for their roles in “Evita,” Bernadette Peters didn’t
receive one for “Follies” and Matthew Broderick of “Nice Work If You Can Get It” was left off the leading actor in a musical
category.
Actors Kristin Chenoweth and Jim Parsons announced the nominations live from New York’s Lincoln Center on
Tuesday morning.
The awards will be handed out in a ceremony on June 10 at New York’s Beacon Theater, airing live on
CBS. Neil Patrick Harris will host for the third time.
