Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of "The Book of Mormon"
from LA:
"The Book of Mormon," the equal-opportunity-offending Broadway musical from the creators of "South Park," led the Tony Award nominations Tuesday with 14 nods. The musical "The Scottsboro Boys," which closed earlier this season, received 12 nominations, and the revival of "Anything Goes" had nine.
The nominees for best play included "Good People," "The Mother... With the Hat," "Jerusalem" and "War Horse."
This year's acting nominees include Al Pacino in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," Edie Falco in "The House of Blue Leaves," Frances McDormand in "Good People," Mark Rylance in "Jerusalem," Ellen Barkin in "The Normal Heart" and Vanessa Redgrave in "Driving Miss Daisy."
The awards, organized by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, honor Broadway productions during the 2010-11 season. This year's ceremony will take place June 12 at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The show will be broadcast live on CBS, with a delay for the West Coast.
"The Book of Mormon," at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, is the creation of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the duo behind the popular animated series "South Park." The musical comedy, which was co-created by Robert Lopez, tells the story of Mormon missionaries who travel to Africa.
The show's 14 nominations fell just shy of the record 15 nominations earned by "The Producers" in 2001 and "Billy Elliot" in 2009.
"War Horse," adapted by Nick Stafford from the book by Michael Morpurgo, was first produced at the National Theatre in London before moving to the West End. The play, which uses life-size puppets to represent the equine characters, will come to the Ahmanson Theatre in 2012. A film version directed by Steven Spielberg is scheduled to open in December.
The year's most talked-about show, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," was ineligible for awards consideration this season because its opening date has been delayed until June 14.
