2009 Tony Award Nominations Announced; Billy Elliot Leads with 15

Billy Elliot topped the list of the 2009 Tony Award nominations with a total of 15, equaling the record number previously held by The Producers. The new musical Next to Normal picked up 11 Tony nods, including Best Musical. Nominations in 27 competitive categories were announced on May 5 at the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center by Tony winners Lin-Manuel Miranda and Cynthia Nixon. The awards ceremony will be held at Radio City Music Hall on June 7.

As usual, musicals led the tallies Hair and Shrek tied for third with eight Tony nominations each, but a quartet of plays also drew healthy numbers: The revivals of Mary Stuart and The Norman Conquests picked up seven Tony nominations each, and the revival of August Wilson's Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage drew six each, including acting nominations for all four stars of Reza’s dark comedy, Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden.

The morning’s biggest surprise was the strong showing of Rock of Ages, which picked up five 2009 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design and a Best Actor nomination for American Idol alum Constantine Maroulis. The show’s Best Musical nod pushed 9 to 5 and [title of show] out of contention for the top prize.

And the nominees are...

Best Play
33 Variations by Moises Kaufman
Dividing the Estate by Horton Foote
God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza
Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute

Best Musical
Billy Elliot
Next to Normal
Rock of Ages
Shrek the Musical

Best Revival of a Play
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Mary Stuart
The Norman Conquests
Waiting for Godot

Best Revival of a Musical
Guys and Dolls
Hair
Pal Joey
West Side Story

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/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

Stockard Channing, Pal Joey
Sutton Foster, Shrek the Musical
Allison Janney, 9 to 5
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
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot
Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5
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
Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey
Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot

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


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

Best Choreography
Karole Armitage, Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot
Randy Skinner, White Christmas

Best Book of a Musical
[title of show] - Hunter Bell
Billy Elliot - Lee Hall
Next to Normal - Brian Yorkey
Shrek the Musical - David Lindsay-Abaire

Best Original Score Music and/or Lyrics Written for the Theatre
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Billy Elliot - Elton John and Lee Hall
Next to Normal - Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey
Shrek the Musical - David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Best Direction of a Musical

Best Orchestrations
Billy Elliot - Martin Koch
Next to Normal - Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt
Shrek the Musical - Danny Troob and John Clancy
White Christmas - Larry Blank

Best Scenic Design of a Play
33 Variations - Derek McLane
Exit the King - Dale Ferguson
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone - Michael Yeargan
The Norman Conquests - Rob Howell

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Billy Elliot - Ian MacNeil
Guys and Dolls - Robert Brill
Next to Normal - Mark Wendland
Pal Joey - Scott Pask

Best Costume Design of a Play
Blithe Spirit - Martin Pakledinaz
Exit the King - Dale Ferguson
Mary Stuart - Anthony Ward
Waiting for Godot - Jane Greenwood

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Billy Elliot - Nicky Gillibrand
Hair - Michael McDonald
Rock of Ages - Gregory Gale
Shrek the Musical - Tim Hatley

Best Lighting Design of a Play
33 Variations - David Lander
Equus - David Hersey
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone - Brian MacDevitt
Mary Stuart - Hugh Vanstone

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Billy Elliot - Rick Fisher
Hair - Kevin Adams
Next to Normal - Kevin Adams
West Side Story - Howell Binkley


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

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Billy Elliot - Paul Arditti
Hair - Acme Sound Partners
Next to Normal - Brian Ronan
Rock of Ages - Peter Hylenski

Best Special Theatrical Event
Liza’s at the Palace…
Slava’s Snowshow
Soul of Shaolin
You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush

Multiple Nominations by Show
Billy Elliot - 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 - 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
White Christmas - 2

Best Sound Design of a Play