In Contention: 2011 Tony Awards (The Musicals)

For those who have seen BABY IT'S YOU! and THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE, can you please use your best judgment and add to this list the performers you believe will be categorized as "Leading" and "Featured." Merci!

Below you will find an exhaustive listing for all Musical categories for the 2011 Tony Awards:

BEST MUSICAL
BABY IT'S YOU!
BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
THE BOOK OF MORMON
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
DONNY & MARIE
ELF
THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT
RAIN
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
SISTER ACT
WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
WONDERLAND: A NEW ALICE

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
ANYTHING GOES
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

BEST PERFORMANCE OF A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Nick Adams, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Sebastian Arcelus, ELF
Norbert Leo Butz, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Joel Grey, ANYTHING GOES
Joshua Henry, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Josh Gad, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Daniel Radcliffe, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Andrew Rannells, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Tony Sheldon, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Will Swenson, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Aaron Tveit, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Benjamin Walker, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON

BEST PERFORMANCE OF A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Janet Dacal, WONDERLAND
Sutton Foster, ANYTHING GOES
Beth Leavel, BABY IT'S YOU!
Patina Miller, SISTER ACT
Donna Murphy, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
Sherie Rene Scott, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

BEST PERFORMANCE OF A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Fred Applegate, SISTER ACT
Josh Breckenridge, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Derrick Cobey, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
E. Clayton Cornelious, WONDERLAND
John Cullum, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Colman Domingo, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Colin Donnell, ANYTHING GOES
John Treacy Egan, SISTER ACT
Darren Goldstein, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Desmond Green, SISTER ACT
Chester Gregory, SISTER ACT
Justin Guarini, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Jeremy Gumbs, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Matthew Gumley, ELF
Christopher J. Hanke, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Rodney Hicks, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Greg Hildreth, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Jeff Hiller, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Mark Jacoby, ELF
C. David Johnson, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Kendrick Jones, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
James T. Lane, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
John Larroquette, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Kinsley Leggs, SISTER ACT
Jose Llana, WONDERLAND
Michael Mandell, ELF
Forrest McClendon, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
John McMartin, ANYTHING GOES
Brian Stokes Mitchell, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Bryce Pinkham, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Darren Ritchie, WONDERLAND
Caesar Samayoa, SISTER ACT
Edward Staudenmayer, WONDERLAND
Ben Steinfeld, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Danny Stiles, WONDERLAND
Julius Thomas III, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
George Wendt, ELF
Christian Dante White, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Tom Wopat, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

BEST PERFORMANCE OF A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
De'Adra Aziza, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Laura Benanti, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Tammy Blanchard, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Sarah Bolt, SISTER ACT
Kerry Butler, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Victoria Clark, SISTER ACT
Linda Hart, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Ellen Harvey, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Rose Hemingway, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Nikki M. James, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Nikka Graff Lanzarone, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Beth Leavel, ELF
Patti LuPone, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Karen Mason, WONDERLAND
Marla Mindelle, SISTER ACT
Kristine Nielsen, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Laura Osnes, ANYTHING GOES
Nicole Parker, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
Kate Cullen Roberts, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Kate Shindle, WONDERLAND
Amy Spanger, ELF
Carly Rose Sonenclar, WONDERLAND
Sharon Washington, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Emily Young, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Rob Ashford, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Gregory Boyd, WONDERLAND
Kathleen Marshall, ANYTHING GOES
Floyd Mutrux, Sheldon Epps, BABY IT'S YOU!
Casey Nicholaw, ELF
Jack O'Brien, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Trey Parker, Casey Nicholaw, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Simon Phillips, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Bartlett Sher, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Susan Stroman, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Alex Timbers, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Jerry Zaks, SISTER ACT

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Ross Coleman, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Marguerite Derricks, WONDERLAND
Christopher Gatelli, WOMEN ON A VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Kathleen Marshall, ANYTHING GOES
Danny Meford, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Jerry Mitchell, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Birgitte Mutrux, BABY IT'S YOU!
Casey Nicholaw, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Casey Nicholaw, ELF
Susan Stroman, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Anthony Van Laast, SISTER ACT

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Gregory Boyd, Jack Murphy, WONDERLAND
Iris Rainer Dart, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
Stephan Elliot, Allan Scott, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Jeffrey Lane, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Robert Lopez, Matt Stone, Trey Parker, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Bob Martin, Thomas Meehan, ELF
Terrence McNally, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Floyd Mutrux, Sheldon Epps, BABY IT'S YOU!
Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner, Douglas Carter Beane, SISTER ACT
Alex Timbers, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
David Thompson, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Music & Lyrics: Michael Friedman, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Music & Lyrics: John Kander, Fred Ebb, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Music: Alan Menken, Lyrics: Glenn Slater, SISTER ACT
Music: Marc Shaiman, Lyrics: Scott Wittman, Marc Shaiman, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Music: Matthew Sklar, Lyrics: Chad Beguelin, ELF
Music & Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Matt Stone, Trey Parker, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Music: Mike Stoller, Artie Butler, Lyrics: Iris Rainer Dart, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
Music: Frank Wildhorn, Lyrics: Jack Murphy, WONDERLAND
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Doug Besterman, ELF
Doug Besterman, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Doug Besterman, SISTER ACT
Michael Friedman, Gabriel Kahane, Justin Levine, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Michael Gibson, Bill Elliott, ANYTHING GOES
Simon Hale, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Larry Hochman, Stephen Oremus, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Larry Hochman, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Stephen "Spud" Murphy, Charlie Hull, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Kim Scharnberg, WONDERLAND
Don Sebesky, BABY IT'S YOU!
Marc Shaiman, Larry Blank, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Michael Starobin, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE

SCENIC DESIGN
Beowulf Boritt, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Scott Christensen, Todd Skinner, RAIN - A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES ON BROADWAY
Riccardo Hernandez, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
Anna Louizos, BABY IT'S YOU!
Derek McLane, ANYTHING GOES
Derek McLane, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Scott Pask, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Neil Patel, WONDERLAND
David Rockwell, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
David Rockwell, ELF
Brian Thomson, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Donyale Werle, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Michael Yeargan, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Klara Zieglerova, SISTER ACT

COSTUME DESIGN
Gregg Barnes, ELF
Lez Brotherston, SISTER ACT
Tim Chappel, Lizzy Gardiner, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Susan Hilferty, WONDERLAND
Ann Hould-Ward, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
Toni-Leslie James, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
William Ivey Long, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Martin Pakledinaz, ANYTHING GOES
Emily Rebholz, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Ann Roth, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Lizza Wolf, BABY IT'S YOU!
Catherine Zuber, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Catherine Zuber, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

LIGHTING DESIGN
Ken Billington, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Howell Binkley, BABY IT'S YOU!
Howell Binkley, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Howell Binkley, James F. Ingalls, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
Paul Gallo, WONDERLAND
Stephan Gotschel, RAIN - A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES ON BROADWAY
Peter Kaczorowski, ANYTHING GOES
Natasha Katz, ELF
Natasha Katz, SISTER ACT
Brian MacDevitt, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Brian MacDevitt, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Kenneth Posner, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Nick Schlieper, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Justin Townsend, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON

SOUND DESIGN
Steve Canyon, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Carl Casella, BABY IT'S YOU!
Jonathan Deans, Peter Fitzgerald, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Bart Fasbender, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
Peter Hylenski, ELF
Peter Hylenski, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Peter Hylenski, WONDERLAND
Abe Jacob, RAIN - A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES ON BROADWAY
Scott Lehrer, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Brian Ronan, ANYTHING GOES
Brian Ronan, THE BOOK OF MORMON
Dan Moses Schreier, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE
John Shivers, SISTER ACT
Jon Weston, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

---

Updated On: 4/11/11 at 11:37 PM

Add Jessica Walter and Jessica Stone, both for Anything Goes, to Best Featured Actress. I think they're definitely in the running.

---

Truth. I would go so far as to call him a frontrunner in his category.

---

Any word on where Josh Gad is going?

---

Updated On: 4/10/11 at 11:53 PM

I really don't see how anyone could think of Gad as anything other than Leading Actor if they have seen the show.

---

I too think there's a strong chance Butz will end up in featured having seen the show. While his role is vital and very pronounced, it isn't a situation where you can say that Tveit really shares the lead, at all. Butz may outshine Tveit (I didn't actually think so - I thought they were both equally godd, not incredible, but definitely good) but that doesn't make him a lead. Then again, I don't know the exact process to determine featured/not.

---

And I'd assume for best revival of a musical they'll just have two nominees. I just double-checked and in 2006 there were only 3 revivals and all 3 were nominated, one of them closed within two months, so I'd assume there'd be no difference with 2.

---

Updated On: 4/11/11 at 12:06 AM

And Revival is probably going to be a tough race. I know that if they do the title number of Anything Goes on the awards, it will be one of the best parts of the telecast. Sheer bliss, that number is. It is strange to think, though, that last year, we had triple the amount of revivals that we do this year.

I think it'd be a real shame if Adams/Sheldon/Swenson all end up in lead. They don't all belong there, and not all three will be nominated. Adams and/or Sheldon would fare MUCH better in featured.

---

"Saw BOOK OF MORMON and definitely considered Gad as featured. But that's definitely just in my mind. I'd understand either way."

How do you reason? He has as much stage time as Rannells, as many numbers featuring him, and the plot circles around him in the second act.

---

Of course he could easily win, because he'd be getting rewarded for playing a leading role and having the material a leading role gets to work with.

Why are people so quick to push Gad into the featured category? Is it because he's not the traditional lead actor?

---

I can't believe the Lead Actress category. I saw BABY IT'S YOU on Friday and it was so completely awful in every way, I'd be annoyed if it got a Lead Actress filler nomination, but it looks like that's what will happen.
From PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE, I imagine only Murphy will be nominated though I'd love to see Rachel Resheff get in for Featured.

---

I can't imagine Gad any more in the featured category than I could imagine Adams in the lead category. I'm really hoping the nominees for Best Musical will be:

The Book of Mormon
The Scottsboro Boys
Catch Me if You Can
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

---

VERGE doesn't stand a chance in the Best Musical category. The category that it truly deserves a nomination in is Best Original Score. But even that is unlikely now. Maybe if they snub Shaiman/Wittman....