Tony Awards Preview: The star-studded nominees

Unlike the Oscars or the Emmys, it’s pretty mcuh impossible for me to handicap tonight’s Tony Awards since I didn’t make it to New York to see any of the Broadway shows. So it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch performances from nominated musicals and clips from nominated plays.

It will also be fun to see all the stars!

More famous faces than usual are competing for Tonys including Jane Fonda (pictured above), James Gandofini, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, Stockard Channing, Angela Lansbury, Marcia Gay Harden, Liza Minnelli for her one-woman show and Elton John and Dolly Parton for writing the music for Billy Elliot: The Musical (pictured below) and 9-5, respectively.

Who I’m rooting for:

*** Gavin Creel, the openly gay star of the revival of Hair, has been nominated for lead actor in a musical. He was previously a Tony nominee for Thoroughly Modern Millie and also starred in a revival of La Cage on Broadway. Gavin will face-off against David Alvarez, Trent Kowalk and Kiril Kulish for Billy Elliot: The Musical; Brian d-Arcy James for Shrek: The Musical; Constance Maroulis for Rock of Ages; and  J. Robert Spencer for Next to Normal.

*** Jane Fonda, on the Broadway stage for the first time since the early 60s, is up for lead actress in a play for 33 Variations. A Tony would look great alongside her two Oscars (Klute, Coming Home) and her Emmy (The Dollmaker). Jane is competing against Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden for God of Carnage, and Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter for Mary Stuart.

** Stockard Channing is nominated in the actress in a musical category for Pal Joey. Stockard is a Tony winner for Joe Egg and a nominee several other times. I’m rooting for Stockard who competes in a category that also includes Allision Janey (9 to 5: The Musical), Sutton Foster for Shrek the Musical, Alice Ripley for Next to Normal, and Josefina Scaglione for West Side Story.

*** Angela Lansbury, already a four-time Tony winning Broadway legend, is favored to win a fifth this time for featured actress in a play for her performance in Blithe Spirit. Lansbury’s competition is Hallie Foote in Dividing the Estate, Jessica Hynes in The Norman Conquests, Marin Ireland in reasons to be pretty and Amanda Root in The Norman Conquests.

** Out actor Christopher Sieber made the cut in the featured actor in a musical category for his performance in Shrek: The Musical. Christopher has previously been nominated in the same category for Spamalot. His competition is David Bologna for Billy Elliot, Gregory Jbara for Billy Elliot, Marc Kudisch for 9 to 5 and Will Swenson for Hair.

Here are the nominees in other major categories:

BEST MUSICAL: Billy Elliot,  Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, Shrek the Musical

BEST PLAY: 33 Variations, Dividing the Estate, God of Carnage, reasons to be pretty

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL: Guys and Dolls, Hair, Pal Joey, West Side Story

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Mary Stuart, The Norman Conquests, Waiting for Godot

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY: Jeff Daniels for God of Carnage, Raúl Esparza for Speed-the-Plow, James Gandolfini for God of Carnage, Geoffrey Rush for Exit the King, Thomas Sadoski for reasons to be pretty.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY: John Glover for Waiting for Godot, Zach Grenier for 33 Variations, Stephen Mangan for The Norman Conquests, Paul Ritter for The Norman Conquests, Roger Robinson for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Jennifer Damiano for Next to Normal, Haydn Gwynne for Billy Elliot, Karen Olivo for West Side Story, Martha Plimpton for Pal Joey, Carole Shelley for Billy Elliot.

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY: Phyllida Lloyd for Mary Stuart, Bartlett Sher for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Matthew Warchus for God of Carnage, Matthew Warchus for The Norman Conquests.

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL: Stephen Daldry for Billy Elliot, Michael Greif for Next to Normal, Kristin Hanggi for Rock of Ages, Diane Paulus for Hair.

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.

SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATER: Jerry Herman

REGIONAL THEATER TONY AWARD: Signature Theatre (Arlington, Va.)

ISABELLE STEVENSON AWARD: Phyllis Newman

SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE THEATER: Shirley Herz