Tonys cap record Broadway season with no clear favorites in key races

Sunday’s Tony Awards cap a record Broadway season, with no clear frontrunner among the leading nominees and a mix of star-driven shows and new works signaling sustained momentum for the New York theater industry.

Pop singer Pink will host the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York starting at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday (0000 GMT on Monday) on CBS.

New musicals “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!” lead all nominees with 12 nods each, followed by the revival “Ragtime” with 11.

Alongside leading contenders “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!,” “Titaníque” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” have built strong followings, making the best musical category one of the most competitive in recent memory.

This year Broadway generated $1.91 billion in grosses, the highest total on record, as audiences turned out for both established hits and new productions.

For best play, Pulitzer Prize winner “Liberation” by Bess Wohl enters with momentum, but David Lindsay-Abaire's “The Balusters” has emerged as a formidable challenger after winning top honors at the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards.

The best musical revival race appears to be a two-show contest between a sweeping production of “Ragtime” and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” a ballroom-inspired reinvention of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical.

The acting races feature a mix of Broadway veterans and Hollywood stars, including Nathan Lane, John Lithgow and Daniel Radcliffe, underscoring theater's continued ability to attract major screen talent.

Adding to the season's intrigue was the announcement the revival “Chess” will close early after its leading lady Lea Michele was passed over for a nomination.

All seven nominees for best musical and best musical revival will perform during the broadcast.

The ceremony will also feature anniversary celebrations for “Chicago,” which marks 30 years on Broadway with a tribute led by Queen Latifah, and “The Book of Mormon,” whose original cast will reunite for the musical's 15th anniversary.

Rachel Zegler, who will be coming back to Broadway next season in the Jamie Lloyd production of “Evita,” will perform a tribute to “A Chorus Line” for its 50th anniversary, and Leslie Odom Jr. will do a song from “Rent” for that show’s 30th anniversary.

Tony-winning actor Laura Benanti and Emmy-nominated actor Tituss Burgess will host the preshow, where the creative arts Tony Awards honoring designers, technicians and other behind-the-scenes theater artists will be presented.

Read the full list of nominations here.

-Reporting by Kathryn Lurie; Editing by Howard Goller/Reuters