Live Blogging the Tony Award Nominations

A complete list of Tony Award nominees can be found here. Slide shows for Best Musicals and Best Revival of a Musical and Best Play and Best Revival of a Play.

Ready to start picking your winners for Tony night? An interactive ballot can be found here.

Final Thoughts | 10:56 a.m. This year’s Tonys looks like a “Billy Elliot”-“Next to Normal” musical showdown. “Billy” has 15 nominees, “Normal” has 11, and they are facing off in 10 categories. The only category where “Normal” is free of the Billys is Leading Actress, where Alice Ripley (giving an exceptionally praised performance in “Normal”) is squaring off chiefly against Sutton Foster (Princess Fiona in “Shrek The Musical”) and Josefina Scaglione (Maria in “West Side Story”).

Both productions received rapturous reviews from the critics. “Billy” opened in November and has been seen by far more people, and probably more Tony voters ­ yet “Normal” is also fresh, and something of a labor-of-love for its cast and producers. Does it matter that “Normal” is a home-grown American show and “Billy” is a British import? Does it matter that “Billy,” unlike “Normal,” has magical dancing to go along with its lovely music and performances?

Among the musicals, the modest-to-big surprises were the strong number of nominations for “Shrek” (eight in total) versus the comparably weak number for another movie-turned-musical, “9 to 5: The Musical,” which received only four. “Rock of Ages,” a musical that few people expected to be a major Tonys contender before opening this spring on Broadway, took in a tidy five nominations.

The “Hair” vs. “West Side Story” face-off is set in Best Revival of a Musical, though “West Side” did not do quite as well as some people expected; its leading actor, Matt Cavenaugh, did not receive a nomination for his turn as Tony. “Hair” did just fine with eight nominations, while “West Side” pulled in four.

There were so many good productions of plays this season, and inevitably, there were so many shut-outs. Kristin Scott Thomas was blanked for “The Seagull,” John Lithgow missed out for “All My Sons,” as well as John Goodman/Nathan Lane/Bill Irwin for “Waiting for Godot,” Daniel Radcliffe (a.k.a. Harry Potter) for “Equus,” and Carla Gugino for “Desire Under the Elms.”

The hot play ticket in town, “God of Carnage,” cleaned up with the Tony nominations as well, with six in total ­ including Best Play and top acting slots for all four of its cast members. Yet it was two other plays that received the highest number of nominations (seven) for a play ­ “Mary Stuart” and “The Normal Conquests.”

We’re glad we don’t have to pick among the four nominees for best revival for a play: “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” “Mary Stuart,” “The Norman Conquests,” and “Waiting for Godot.” And the category of Best Play has memorable work: “Dividing the Estate,” “God of Carnage,” “reasons to be pretty,” and “33 Variations.”

We’ll be mulling and debating the nominations here all day, all week — heck, all the way up to the night of the awards on June 7 ­– and, as always, welcome your continuing comments and insights!

Entries from the live blog of the Tony Award nominations can be found below.

Comment of the Moment | 10:47 a.m.
In the comments, Tracy writes: My only conclusion is that the Tony committee suffers from acute amnesia due to the incredible shows that they overlooked. Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths delivered excellent performances that deserved acting nods, and the final scene in Equus alone should have been nominated for Best Revival of a Play. And where is Carey Mulligan for her “I am the Seagull” speech? Mackenzie Crook? Kristin Scott Thomas? Those are only two of the shows that have closed and were overlooked, but there are many more. I think its time to have Tony nominators with have longer attention spans so they don’t forget about a show as soon as it closes.

Comment of the Moment | 10:36 a.m. In the comments, Alexandra Samuel writes: I’m also disappointed about [title of show] . I had imagined it would be up for best score for sure (have these folks heard Die Vampire Die?) and likely best musical. It seems like shows that close before nomination season are at a brutal disadvantage.

Just Askin’ — What About a Tony for Best Ensemble? | 10:28 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: Given the quality of the ensembles this season, that question virtually demands an answer from the Tonys committee.

Among plays, the casts of “Waiting for Godot,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” “reasons to be pretty,” “The Seagull,” “The Norman Conquests,” “Speed-the-Plow,” and “Desire Under the Elms” were such strong ensembles, and yet only a handful of the actors were nominated.

Among musicals, the casts of “Hair” and “West Side Story” and the diaspora of fairy tale characters of “Shrek” were delightful ensembles as well.

I nominate Jeffrey Richards — a lead producer of four of the above-mentioned shows — to wage the sort of battle with the Tonys on this matter that he is waging against Jeremy Piven right now in his Actors’ Equity grievance.

Anyone with me? Or would that simply dilute the lead and featured acting categories too much? There must be a way for this to be worked out so people could be recognized in all categories…

Tonys Trivia | 10:26 a.m. Stephen Daldry, who is nominated for a Tony for his direction of “Billy Elliot,” was also nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year for his direction of “The Reader,” starring Kate Winslet. The only previous time a director has been nominated for a Tony and an Oscar was in 1973, when Bob Fosse won the Oscar for “Cabaret,” the Tony for “Pippin” — and the Emmy for “Liza with a Z.”

A Tally of Nominations by Production | 10:18 a.m.

Billy Elliot, The Musical – 15
Next to Normal – 11
Hair – 8
Shrek The Musical – 8
Mary Stuart – 7
The Norman Conquests – 7
God of Carnage – 6
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – 6
Rock of Ages – 5
33 Variations – 5
Exit the King – 4
9 to 5: The Musical – 4
Pal Joey – 4
West Side Story – 4
Reasons to Be Pretty – 3
Waiting for Godot – 3
Blithe Spirit – 2
Dividing the Estate – 2
Equus – 2
Guys and Dolls – 2
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas – 2
Liza’s at The Palace – 1
Slava’s Snowshow – 1
Soul of Shaolin – 1
Speed-the-Plow – 1
[Title of Show] – 1
You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush – 1

Comment of the Moment | 10:13 a.m.
In the comments, Jeff Hillery writes: Very surprised that Nathan Lane (is he taken for granted now?), John Goodman and Bill Irwin were overlooked for “Godot,” but thrilled that John Glover was recognized for his role as “Lucky.” His only speaking role is 3 pages of difficult, stream-of-consciousness dialogue, which, the night I saw him, he performed superbly and flawlessly. Honestly, I thought he stole the show. Fingers crossed he wins the Tony…and gives his acceptance speech a la Lucky.

Comment of the Moment | 10:04 a.m.
In the comments, Deborah Broide writes: I’m more than a bit surprised that Carla Gugino wasn’t nominated for her role in “Desire Under the Elms.” So many others were left out including Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Brian Dennehy, Richard Griffiths.

A Boost at the Box Office? | 10:01 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: The new musical “Next to Normal” has been struggling at the box office, so will this morning’s 11 nominations help?

It’s a big number for a show that just opened and that, by many appearances, has yet to find a significant audience — last week, it played to about 72 percent capacity. Nominations include Best Musical, Lead Actress (Alice Ripley), Lead Actor (J. Robert Spencer), Featured Actress (Jennifer Damiano), best director, best book, and best score, among other honors.

A new play, “reasons to be pretty,” which has also been trying to build an audience — its attendance last week was barely 31 percent — received only three nominations this morning, but they were biggies: Best Play, Lead Actor (Thomas Sadoski), and Best Featured Actress (Marin Ireland).

How will these slates of nominations affect ticket sales and box office grosses for these shows? And, on a related note, which productions (if any) aren’t likely to keep running in the aftermath of the nominations?

Comment of the Moment | 9:50 a.m.
In the comments, fashionista writes: The production of The Seagull in general was robbed. Mackenzie Crook was fantastic, Carey Mulligan deeply poignant, and Zoe Kazan a scene stealer. No revival nomination and not a single acting nomination for the entire cast? Ludicrous. I am deeply behind (in seeing shows) this season and have much to catch up on, but am surprised that Megan Hilty didn’t get a nomination for 9 to 5 – she seemed to have a lot more buzz than Alison Janney, although admittedly 9 to 5 was seriously snubbed. It didn’t get good reviews, but word of mouth seems to be good; on the other hand, did ANYONE like Shrek The Musical?

The Toughest Category for Making the Cut? | 9:49 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: Despite high praise from the critics, the directors of the plays “The Seagull,” “Desire Under the Elms,” “Speed-the-Plow,” “Waiting for Godot,” “Exit the King,” Dividing the Estate,” and “reasons to be pretty” did not make the cut for the Best Direction of the Play category. Another sign of the surfeit of good plays on Broadway this year.

And there were just too many worthy contenders for Best Revival of a Play, no? “Exit the King,” “Speed-the-Plow,” “Desire Under the Elms,” “The Seagull,” and “Blithe Spirit” were among those who were squeezed out by the four nominees.

Which other categories proved too crowded and too tough this year?

Don’t Stop Believing | 9:40 a.m.
Dave Itzkoff writes: As one of a handful of New York Times staff members who has seen — and enjoyed — “Rock of Ages,” even I’m a little bowled over by the Tonys love it received this morning. But if it means that Dennis DeYoung of Styx, Steve Perry of Journey or David Coverdale of Whitesnake (whose hair-rock anthems are performed in the show) are invited to the Tony Awards in June, then it’s all for the good.

Shut-outs! | 9:39 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: Here is a quick first cut at the Broadway productions that were shut out from the Tonys: “Impressionism,” Irena’s Vow,” “13,” “Hedda Gabler,” “A Tale of Two Cities,” “To Be or Not to Be,” “The American Plan,” “All My Sons,” “Accent on Youth,” “The Philanthropist,” “A Man for All Seasons.” Other outrages?

Slide Show: A look at the shows nominated for Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical for 2009 can be found here.

Message from a Theater Junkie | 9:34 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: Geez, if you didn’t see “Next to Normal” or “Billy Elliot,” who wants to tune into the Tonys?

Nominees for Shows That Fared Worse Than Expected | 9:29 a.m.
“ Desire Under the Elms”?
“ The Seagull”?
“ Irena’s Vow” — no Tovah Feldshuh for Leading Actress in a Play — wasn’t she supposed to be a lock?
“ Waiting for Godot” in the acting categories?
“ The American Plan”?
“ Equus”?

Who else and what else got overlooked? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Best Direction of a Play | 9:21 a.m.
Phyllida Lloyd, “Mary Stuart”
Bartlett Sher, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Matthew Warchus, “God of Carnage”
Matthew Warchus, “The Norman Conquests”

Best Direction of a Musical | 9:21 a.m.
Stephen Daldry, “Billy Elliot”
Michael Greif, “Next to Normal”
Kristin Hanggi, “Rock of Ages”
Diane Paulus, “Hair”

Celebrity Scorecard | 9:15 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: The four big names in “God of Carnage” will go some way toward filling the celebrity quotient for the Tonys. Everyone who is missing HBO’s “The Sopranos” will enjoy watching James Gandolfini on CBS that night. Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden, and Hope Davis are familiar faces too. Jane Fonda made the cut for “33 Variations.”

Two celebrity actresses who aren’t especially strong singers nabbed nominations for Leading Actress in a Musical: Stockard Channing for “Pal Joey” and Allison Janney for “9 to 5.”

Other well-known and well-regarded nominees: Angela Lansbury for “Blithe Spirit” and Martha Plimpton for “Pal Joey.”

Which celebs missed out? Daniel Radcliffe (a.k.a. Harry Potter) for “Equus,” John Lithgow for “All My Sons,” Frank Langella for “A Man for All Seasons,” Carla Gugino for “Desire Under the Elms,” Kristin Scott Thomas for “The Seagull,” Nathan Lane and John Goodman for “Waiting for Godot,” and Jeremy Piven for “Speed-the-Plow” (ahem).

On balance, did the most deserving Big Names win nominations? Who missed out unfairly?

Slide Show: A look at the shows nominated for Best Play and Best Revival of a Play for 2009 can be found here.

Best Costume Design of a Musical | 9:10 a.m.
Gregory Gale, “Rock of Ages”
Nicky Gillibrand, “Billy Elliot, The Musical”
Tim Hatley, “Shrek The Musical”
Michael McDonald, “Hair”

Best Costume Design of a Play | 9:09 a.m.
Dale Ferguson, “Exit the King”
Jane Greenwood, “Waiting for Godot”
Martin Pakledinaz, “Blithe Spirit”
Anthony Ward, “Mary Stuart”

Best Special Theatrical Event | 9:05 a.m.
“ Liza’s at The Palace….”
“ Slava’s Snowshow”
“ Soul of Shaolin”
“ You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush”

Better to Be Open Than Closed? | 9:00 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: These nominations are REALLY favoring productions that are still running. Except for “Dividing the Estate,” which closed in January, so many of the shows that shuttered last winter have been blanked. No Kristin Scott Thomas for “The Seagull,” no John Lithgow for “All My Sons.” “The Seagull” received some of the best reviews of the season, but it missed out on Best Play revival. Were Chekhov and Kristin robbed?

“Billy” the Kid | 8:57 a.m. The musical “Billy Elliot” received the most nominations of any show, with 15.

In Praise of the Three Billys | 8:55 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: The Three Billys of “Billy Elliot” nab a joint nomination! These three charming teen-age boys are bound to be all over CBS on the night of the Tonys. But will their infectious energy be enough to beat other crowd-pleasers like Brian d’Arcy James as Shrek or Constantine Maroulis in “Rock of Ages”? Or might the Tony voters go for the emotionally demanding performances “Next to Normal” and “Hair”? This looks like a very competitive category.

Cat Fight Alert! | 8:53 a.m.
Patrick Healy writes: Wow, the Tony nominators are casting their lot with feuding ladies in the category of Leading Actress in a Play. The two women in “God of Carnage” are almost as vicious as the two women in “Mary Stuart” — though, of course, there’s no beheading in “Carnage.” Of these four deliciously, colorfully, nasty roles, which proved the most memorable?

Scenic Design in a Musical | 8:52 a.m.
Robert Brill, “Guys and Dolls”
Ian MacNeil, “Billy Elliot”
Scott Pask, “Pal Joey”
Mark Wendland, “Next to Normal”

Scenic Design in a Play | 8:51 a.m.
Dale Ferguson, “Exit the King”
Rob Howell, “The Norman Conquests”
Derek McLane, “33 Variations”
Michael Yeargan, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”

What A Way to Make a Living | 8:50 a.m. Patrick Healy writes: For Best Musical, there was a great deal of buzz about whether “Rock of Ages” or “9 to 5″ would grab a nom; the other three slots seemed sealed up. “Rock of Ages” won out, despite all the attention that Dolly Parton received for “9 to 5.” Did “9 to 5″ deserve a nod in this category?

Featured Actress in a Musical | 8:48 a.m.
Jennifer Damiano, “Next to Normal”
Haydn Gwynne, “Billy Elliot”
Karen Olivo, “West Side Story”
Martha Plimpton, “Pal Joey”
Carole Shelley, “Billy Elliot”

Featured Actor in a Musical | 8:48 a.m.
David Bologna, “Billy Elliot, The Musical”
Gregory Jbara, “Billy Elliot, The Musical”
Marc Kudisch, “9 to 5”
Christopher Sieber, “Shrek the Musical”
Will Swenson, “Hair”

Featured Actress in a Play | 8:47 a.m.
Hallie Foote, “Dividing the Estate”
Jessica Hynes, “The Norman Conquests”
Marin Ireland, “reasons to be pretty”
Angela Lansbury, “Blithe Spirit”
Amanda Root, “The Norman Conquests”

Featured Actor in a Play | 8:46 a.m.
John Glover, “Waiting for Godot”
Zach Grenier, “33 Variations”
Stephen Mangan, “The Norman Conquests”
Paul Ritter, “The Norman Conquests”
Roger Robinson, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”

Leading Actor in a Play | 8:44 a.m.
Jeff Daniels, “God of Carnage”
Raúl Esparza, “Speed-the-Plow”
James Gandolfini, “God of Carnage”
Geoffrey Rush, “Exit the King”
Thomas Sadoski, “reasons to be pretty”

Play Revival | 8:42 a.m.
“ Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
“ Mary Stuart”
“ The Norman Conquests”
“ Waiting for Godot”

Musical Revival | 8:41 a.m.
“ Guys and Dolls”
“ Hair”
“ Pal Joey”
“ West Side Story”

Leading Actress in a Musical | 8:39 a.m.
Stockard Channing, “Pal Joey”
Sutton Foster, “Shrek the Musical”
Allison Janney, “9 to 5”
Alice Ripley, “Next to Normal”
Josefina Scaglione, “West Side Story”

Leading Actor in a Musical | 8:38 a.m.
David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish, “Billy Elliot”
Gavin Creel, “Hair”
Brian d’Arcy James, “Shrek the Musical”
Constantine Maroulis, “Rock of Ages”
J. Robert Spencer, “Next to Normal”

Score | 8:38 a.m.
“ Billy Elliot”
“ Next to Normal”
“ 9 to 5”
“ Shrek the Musical”

Leading Actress in a Play | 8:37 a.m.
Hope Davis, “God of Carnage”
Jane Fonda, “33 Variations”
Marsha Gay Harden, “God of Carnage”
Janet McTeer, “Mary Stuart”
Harriet Walter, “Mary Stuart”

Best Play | 8:26 a.m.
“ Dividing the Estate”
“ God of Carnage”
“ reasons to be pretty”
“ 33 Variations”

Best Musical | 8:26 a.m.
“ Billy Elliot”
“ Next to Normal”
“ Rock of Ages”
“ Shrek the Musical”

The nominations for the 63rd annual Tony Awards will be announced at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, and the competition for a nod is the fiercest in memory — not only because the 2008-09 theater season had the highest number of new Broadway plays, musicals, and revivals in 25 years, but because so many of these productions received such high critical praise.

A whopping 15 plays, for instance, will compete for four nominations for best revival; among them are “All My Sons,” “Blithe Spirit,” “Desire Under the Elms,” “Equus,” “Exit the King,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” “Mary Stuart,” “Speed-the-Plow,” “The Norman Conquests,” “The Seagull,” and “Waiting for Godot.” Another 8 plays, including “33 Variations,” “Dividing the Estate,” “God of Carnage” and “reasons to be pretty,” will contend for best new play. Whoosh.

More than 20 actors are eligible for the 5 slots for best actor in a play. The fields are only slightly less large for other three lead acting categories for a play and for musicals. So who won nominations? Who wuz robbed? Which young hot dogs edged out storied veterans — or vice versa? Which big-name celebrities were honored, and which missed out? We’re live-blogging the Tony nominations at 8:30 a.m. here.