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Updated 05/05/2009 08:20 PM

"Billy Elliot" Leads Tony Award Nominees

By: NY1 News

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""Billy Elliot" leads the pack among the shows receiving Tony Award nominations, which were unveiled Tuesday morning at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

This British import, which is based on the 2000 film, danced its way to 15 nominations – tying a record set by "The Producers" back in 2001.

It will compete against "Next to Normal," "Rock of Ages," and "Shrek the Musical" for Best Musical.

"Shrek the Musical" received eight nominations.

"Next to Normal," the musical about a family torn apart by mental illness, racked up 11 nominations. The show's journey to Broadway has been anything but normal. It received major overhauls as it moved from an Off-Broadway run early last year to an out-of-town run in Washington, D.C., before returning to New York this spring for a time on the Great White Way.

"It's actually never been done before," said the show's producer David Stone. "Maybe now that'll be the new thing, the out-of-town tryout. You try out in New York and then you go out of town. It's not anything we planned, it just seemed like the right thing to do so we could keep working on the show."

"Billy Elliot" Leads Tony Award Nominees
Alice Ripley won a nod for her role in the show, playing a woman suffering from bipolar disorder.

"I keep saying I've never been so happy day after day without interruption and I think it's because I get to play all my sadness and darkness on stage in the show," said Ripley. "I save it for the show. It seems to work that way."

The critically-acclaimed production of "Hair" is up for eight Tonys, including Best Revival of a Musical.

Other shows vying for that award are the bilingual production of "West Side Story," the star-studded "Guys and Dolls" and "Pal Joey."

In the straight play categories, the revival of "Mary Stuart" and "The Norman Conquests" led the way with seven nods a piece, while "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" and "God of Carnage" followed with six nominations a piece. Each member of the high-profile quartet in "Carnage" – Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Hardin received a best actor or actress nod.

Other starry nominees include Jane Fonda for "33 Variations," Angela Lansbury for "Blithe Spirit" and, in the Best Special Theatrical Event category, Liza Minelli was honored for her show "Liza's at the Palace."

The Broadway League says 43 new shows debuted this season, the most since the 1982-1983 season.

The nominations were announced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Cynthia Nixon.

The 63rd annual Tony Awards will be handed out Sunday, June 7.

Complete List Of Nominees

Best Play

Dividing the Estate
Reasons to Be Pretty
33 Variations

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical
Next to Normal
Rock of Ages
Shrek The Musical

Best Book of a Musical

Lee Hall, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Brian Yorkey, Next to Normal
David Lindsay-Abaire, Shrek The Musical
Hunter Bell, [Title of Show]

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Billy Elliot, The Musical
Music: Elton John
Lyrics: Lee Hall

Next to Normal
Music: Tom KittLyrics: Brian Yorkey

9 to 5: The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton

Shrek The Musical
Music: Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

Best Revival of a Play

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
The Norman Conquests
Waiting for Godot

Best Revival of a Musical

Guys and Dolls
Hair
West Side Story
Pal Joey

Best Special Theatrical Event

Liza’s at The Palace
Soul of Shaolin
You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

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

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Hope Davis, God of Carnage
Jane Fonda, 33 Variations
Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage
Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart
Harriet Walter, Mary Stuart

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish – Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gavin Creel, Hair
Brian d’Arcy James, Shrek The Musical
Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages
J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Stockard Channing, Pal Joey
Sutton Foster, Shrek The Musical
Allison Janney, 9 to 5: The Musical
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

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

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

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

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

David Bologna, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5: The Musical
Christopher Sieber, Shrek The Musical
Will Swenson, Hair

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey
Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson, Exit the King
Rob Howell, The Norman Conquests
Derek McLane, 33 Variations
Michael Yeargan, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Robert Brill, Guys and Dolls
Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Scott Pask, Pal Joey
Mark Wendland, Next to Normal

Best Costume Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson, Exit the King
Jane Greenwood, Waiting for Godot
Martin Pakledinaz, Blithe Spirit
Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregory Gale, Rock of Ages
Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical
Michael McDonald, Hair

Best Lighting Design of a Play

David Hersey, Equus
David Lander, 33 Variations
Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Hugh Vanstone, Mary Stuart

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, Hair
Kevin Adams, Next to Normal
Howell Binkley, West Side Story
Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play

Paul Arditti, Mary Stuart
Gregory Clarke, Equus
Russell Goldsmith, Exit the King
Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners, Hair
Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Peter Hylenski, Rock of Ages
Brian Ronan, Next to Normal

Best Direction of a Play

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

Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Greif, Next to Normal
Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages
Diane Paulus, Hair

Best Choreography

Karole Armitage, Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Best Orchestrations

Larry Blank, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal
Danny Troob and John Clancy, Shrek The Musical