Tonys: "Spamalot" Nominated a Lot

Spamalot racked up a lot of Tony recognition.

The musical, loosely based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, led the field Tuesday when the nominations for the 59th Annual Tony Awards were announced, snaring a total of 14 nods, including the coveted Best Musical.

Both Tim Curry, who plays King Arthur in the send-up, and Hank Azaria, who plays Lancelot, are in the running for Best Actor in a Musical.

Spamalot's Christopher Sieber and Michael McGrath are nominated for Best Featured Actor while Sara Ramirez is up for Best Featured Actress.

The musical was the prohibitive favorite going into Tuesday's nominations. On Sunday, Spamalot scored four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical; it's also up for a leading 12 Drama Desk Awards, which will be doled out May 22.

Trailing just behind Spamalot are the musicals Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Light in the Piazza, both of which racked up 11 nominations apiece, including Best Musical.

There was no doubt that John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt was a worthy Tony contender, with its dramatic tale of a nun's suspicions of a priest's inappropriate behavior at a Catholic school in the Bronx. The work pulled in eight nominations in all, including Best Play.

Though Christina Applegate's Broadway dreams almost went unrealized due to an injury and poor ticket sales, her performance as a dancehall hostess in the musical revival Sweet Charity snared the former Married...With Children star a nom for Best Actress in a Musical.

Sweet Charity is also in the running for Best Revival of a Musical, up against La Cage aux Folles and Pacific Overtures.

Kathleen Turner's booze-and-angst-filled turn as Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf earned her a Best Actress nomination, while Bill Irwin pulled in a Best Actor nom for his work as Turner's combative husband George.

Virginia Woolf is also nominated for Best Revival of a Play.

Competing with Turner for the Best Actress in a Play prize are Cherry Jones (Doubt), Laura Linney (Sight Unseen), Mary-Louise Parker (Reckless) and Phylicia Rashad (Gem of the Ocean).

Up against for Irwin for Best Actor in a Play are Philip Bosco (Twelve Angry Men), Billy Crudup (The Pillowman), James Earl Jones (On Golden Pond) and Brian F. O'Byrne (Doubt).

On the musical side, Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza), Erin Dilly (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Sutton Foster (Little Women) and Sherie Rene Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) are vying with Applegate for Best Actress honors.

In addition to Curry and Azaria, Gary Beach (La Cage aux Folles), Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and John Lithgow (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) are up for Best Actor in a Musical.

There were also several marquee disses. David Hyde Pierce was the lone star of Spamalot not to be nominated. Meanwhile, Denzel Washington failed to snag a nomination for Julius Caesar, Jeff Goldblum didn't register for The Pillowman, Jessica Lange was overlooked for The Glass Menagerie, and Natasha Richardson was shut out for A Streetcar Named Desire.

Hugh Jackman will serve as host of the 59 Annual Tony Awards, which will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall June 5 on CBS.

Here's a complete list of the 2005 Tony nominees:

Best Play:

Democracy
Doubt
Gem of the Ocean
The Pillowman

Best Musical:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Monty Python's Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Book of a Musical:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Monty Python's Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Original Score:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Monty Python's Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Revival of a Play:

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Glengarry Glen Ross
On Golden Pond
Twelve Angry Men

Best Revival of a Musical:

La Cage aux Folles
Pacific Overtures
Sweet Charity

Best Special Theatrical Event:

Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance!
Laugh Whore
700 Sundays
Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play:

Philip Bosco, Twelve Angry Men
Billy Crudup, The Pillowman
Bill Irwin, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
James Earl Jones, On Golden Pond
Brian F. O'Byrne, Doubt

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play:

Cherry Jones, Doubt
Laura Linney, Sight Unseen
Mary-Louise Parker, Reckless
Phylicia Rashad, Gem of the Ocean
Kathleen Turner, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical:

Hank Azaria, Monty Python's Spamalot
Gary Beach, La Cage aux Folles
Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tim Curry, Monty Python's Spamalot
John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical:

Christina Applegate, Sweet Charity
Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza
Erin Dilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sutton Foster, Little Women
Sherie Rene Scott, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play:

Alan Alda, Glengarry Glen Ross
Gordon Clapp, Glengarry Glen Ross
David Harbour, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Liev Schreiber, Glengarry Glen Ross
Michael Stuhlbarg, The Pillowman

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play:

Mireille Enos, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Heather Goldenhersh, Doubt
Dana Ivey, The Rivals
Adriane Lenox, Doubt
Amy Ryan, A Streetcar Named Desire

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical:

Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Marc Kudisch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael McGrath, Monty Python's Spamalot
Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
Christopher Sieber, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical:

Joanna Gleason, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jan Maxwell, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kelli O'Hara, The Light in the Piazza
Sara Ramirez, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Scenic Design of a Play:

John Lee Beatty, Doubt
David Gallo, Gem of the Ocean
Santo Loquasto, Glengarry Glen Ross
Scott Pask, The Pillowman

Best Scenic Design of a Musical:

Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza

Best Costume Design of a Play:

Jess Goldstein, The Rivals
Jane Greenwood, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
William Ivey Long, A Streetcar Named Desire
Constanza Romero, Gem of the Ocean

Best Costume Design of a Musical:

Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Junko Koshino, Pacific Overtures
William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza

Best Lighting Design of a Play:

Pat Collins, Doubt
Donald Holder, Gem of the Ocean
Donald Holder, A Streetcar Named Desire
Brian MacDevitt, The Pillowman

Best Lighting Design of a Musical:

Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
Mark Henderson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kenneth Posner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Hugh Vanstone, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Direction of a Play: John Crowley, The Pillowman
Scott Ellis, Twelve Angry Men
Doug Hughes, Doubt
Joe Mantello, Glengarry Glen Ross

Best Direction of a Musical:

James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot
Jack O Brien, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza

Best Choreography:

Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Orchestrations:

Larry Hochman, Monty Python's Spamalot
Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Regional Theater Tony Award:

Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater:

Edward Albee