Nominations Announced for 10th Annual Broadway.com Audience Awards

Broadway.com readers have revealed their nominations for 10th Annual Broadway.com Audience Awards, the only theatrical award that honors the best of the season as chosen by regular theatergoers. The nominations were determined after two weeks of online voting, in which readers were asked to choose from complete lists of eligible shows and performers. Winners will be determined after a second round of voting, with all previous votes wiped clean. Winners will be announced on Friday, May 22 and honored at a private reception.

Click here to vote for the winners!

Some highlights from this year's list of nominees:

— Next to Normal, which won the 2008 Audience Award for Favorite New Off-Broadway Musical, is nominated for 10 awards for its Broadway incarnation, including eight for stars Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Jennifer Damiano and Aaron Tveit, who were all eligible in multiple categories.

— The short-lived musical [title of show], about a group of friends putting on a Broadway musical, tied Next to Normal to earn a whopping 10 nominations. Among its honors are nominations for two of composer/lyricist Jeff Bowen's songs, "A Way Back to Then" and "Nine People's Favorite Thing" in the unique category of Favorite New Broadway Song competing against songs from Billy Elliot the Musical, 9 to 5 and Next to Normal.

— Heidi Blickenstaff is this year's most-nominated actress, earning four nods in four categories—Favorite Featured Actress, Favorite Breakthrough Performance and Favorite Diva Performance for playing a version of herself in [title of show] and a fourth nomination for Favorite Replacement for playing evil sea witch Ursula in The Little Mermaid. Hot on her heels with three nominations each are Sutton Foster Shrek the Musical, Brian d'Arcy James Shrek the Musical, Alice Ripley Next to Normal, Will Swenson Hair and Aaron Tveit Next to Normal.

— Shrek star James is nominated twice in the category of Favorite Onstage Pair, for his chemistry with both leading lady Foster a six-time past Audience Award winner! and leading donkey Daniel Breaker. Filling out the category are West Side Story lovers Matt Cavenaugh and Josefina Scaglione, Hair hippies Gavin Creel and Will Swenson and Next to Normal parents Ripley and Spencer.

— Although Jeremy Piven failed to earn a nomination for his work in Speed-the-Plow, both actors who picked up the ball when he abruptly left the show were honored in the Favorite Replacement category, Norbert Leo Butz and William H. Macy.

A complete list of this year's nominees follows:

Favorite New Broadway Musical
9 to 5
Billy Elliot
Next to Normal
Shrek the Musical
[title of show]

Favorite New Broadway Play
33 Variations
Dividing the Estate
God of Carnage
Reasons to Be Pretty
You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush

Favorite Broadway Musical Revival
Guys and Dolls
Hair
Pal Joey
West Side Story

Favorite Broadway Play Revival
All My Sons
Blithe Spirit
Equus
Speed-the-Plow
Waiting for Godot

Favorite New Off-Broadway Musical
Happiness
The Marvelous Wonderettes
Rooms: A Rock Romance
Saved
The Toxic Avenger

Favorite New Off-Broadway Play
Becky Shaw
Port Authority
Reasons to Be Pretty
Ruined
Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them

Favorite Leading Actor in a Broadway Musical
David Alvarez/Trent Kowalik/Kiril Kulish, Billy Elliot
Matt Cavenaugh, West Side Story
Gavin Creel, Hair
Brian d'Arcy James, Shrek the Musical
J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical
Stephanie J. Block, 9 to 5
Sutton Foster, Shrek the Musical
Megan Hilty, 9 to 5
Allison Janney, 9 to 5
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal

Favorite Leading Actor in a Broadway Play
Raul Esparza, Speed-the-Plow
Will Ferrell, You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush
Nathan Lane, Waiting for Godot
Daniel Radcliffe, Equus
Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King

Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Play
Christine Ebersole, Blithe Spirit
Jane Fonda, 33 Variations
Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage
Mary Louise-Parker, Hedda Gabler
Susan Sarandon, Exit the King

Favorite Featured Actor in a Broadway Musical
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot
Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5
Christopher Sieber, Shrek the Musical
Will Swenson, Hair
Aaron Tveit, Next to Normal

Favorite Featured Actress in a Broadway Musical
Susan Blackwell, [title of show]
Heidi Blickenstaff, [title of show]
Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot
Karen Olivo, West Side Story

Favorite Featured Actor in a Broadway Play
Michael Cerveris, Hedda Gabler
John Glover, Waiting for Godot
John Goodman, Waiting for Godot
Steven Pasquale, Reasons to Be Pretty
Patrick Wilson, All My Sons

Favorite Featured Actress in a Broadway Play
Lauren Ambrose, Exit the King
Katie Holmes, All My Sons
Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit
Andrea Martin, Exit the King
Kate Mulgrew, Equus

Favorite Diva Performance
Heidi Blickenstaff, [title of show]
Stephanie J. Block, 9 to 5
Sutton Foster, Shrek the Musical
Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal

Favorite Solo Performance
Mike Birbiglia, Sleepwalk With Me
Frank Blocker, Southern Gothic Novel
Mike Daisey, If You See Something, Say Something
Lorenzo Pisoni, Humor Abuse
Campbell Scott, The Atheist

Favorite Onstage Pair
Daniel Breaker & Brian d'Arcy James, Shrek the Musical
Matt Cavenaugh & Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story
Gavin Creel & Will Swenson, Hair
Sutton Foster & Brian d'Arcy James, Shrek the Musical
Alice Ripley & J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

Favorite Ensemble Cast
13
God of Carnage
Hair
Rock of Ages
[title of show]

Favorite Breakthrough Performance Male
David Alvarez/Trent Kowalik/Kiril Kulish, Billy Elliot
Hunter Bell, [title of show]
Daniel Radcliffe, Equus
Aaron Tveit, Next to Normal
Will Swenson, Hair

Favorite Breakthrough Performance Female
Susan Blackwell, [title of show]
Heidi Blickenstaff, [title of show]
Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
Kerry Ellis, Wicked
Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

Favorite Replacement Male
Norbert Leo Butz, Speed-the-Plow
William H. Macy, Speed-the-Plow
Javier Munoz, In the Heights
Hunter Parrish, Spring Awakening
Aaron Tveit, Wicked

Favorite Replacement Female
Heidi Blickenstaff, The Little Mermaid
Eden Espinosa, Rent
Beth Leavel, Young Frankenstein
Laura Osnes, South Pacific
Tracie Thoms, Rent

Favorite Long-Running Broadway Show
Avenue Q
In the Heights
The Phantom of the Opera
South Pacific
Wicked

Favorite Long-Running Off-Broadway Show
Altar Boyz
Blue Man Group
The Fantasticks
Naked Boys Singing
Stomp

Favorite New Broadway Song
"A Way Back to Then" - [title of show] Music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen
"Electricity" - Billy Elliot Music and Lyrics by Elton John
"Get Out and Stay Out" - 9 to 5 Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton
"Nine People's Favorite Thing" - [title of show] Music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen
"Superboy and the Invisible Girl" - Next to Normal Music by Tom Kitt, Lyrics by Brian Yorkey

Shows with Multiple Nominations:
Next to Normal - 10
[title of show] - 10
9 to 5 - 7
Shrek the Musical - 7
Billy Elliot - 6
Hair - 6
West Side Story - 6
Equus - 4
Exit the King - 4
Speed-the-Plow - 4
Waiting for Godot - 4
All My Sons - 3
Blithe Spirit - 3
God of Carnage - 3
Reasons to Be Pretty - 3
Wicked - 3
33 Variations - 2
In the Heights - 2
Rent - 2
South Pacific - 2
You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush - 2

Performers with Multiple Nominations:
Heidi Blickenstaff - 4
Sutton Foster - 3
Brian d'Arcy James - 3
Alice Ripley - 3
Will Swenson - 3
Aaron Tveit - 3
David Alvarez - 2
Susan Blackwell - 2
Stephanie J. Block - 2
Matt Cavenaugh - 2
Gavin Creel - 2
Jennifer Damiano - 2
Trent Kowalik - 2
Kiril Kulish - 2
Karen Olivo - 2
Daniel Radcliffe - 2
Josefina Scaglione - 2
J. Robert Spencer - 2