'Modern Millie' gets 11 Tony nominations

NEW YORK, May 6 (UPI) -- "Thoroughly Modern Millie," a new musical based on a 1967 Hollywood film, was the big winner in the 2001-2002 Broadway season Tony Award nominations lineup announced Monday, receiving 11 nominations, including for Best Musical and the four musical acting categories.

The runners-up for the number of nominations were a revival of Stephen Sondheim's fairy tale musical, "Into the Woods," 10 nominations; "Urinetown, The Musical" 10 nominations; a revival of Paul Osborn's play, "Morning's at Seven," nine nominations; a revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, "Oklahoma!," seven nominations; and a revival of Noel Coward's play, "Private Lives" and a revival of Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible," with six nominations each.

The awards, after voting by more than 700 theatrical professionals and journalists, will be announced June 2.

Nominations earned by "Thoroughly Modern Millie" were best actress in a musical, Sutton Foster; best actor in a musical, Gavin Creel; best featured actress, Harriet Harris; best featured actor, Marc Kudisch; best director, Michael Mayer; best book, the late Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan; best score, Jeanine Tesori with lyrics by Dick Scanlan; best choreography; costume designs; and orchestration.

Suzan-Lori Parks' play, "Topdog/Underdog," which won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for drama, was nominated for best play of the season but got only one other nomination, Jeffrey Wright for best actor in a play.

There were few surprises on the list except for the failure of the revival of "The Elephant Man" to be nominated for best play, although its star Billy Crudup was nominated for best actor, and the failure to nominate hip performer Mo Def along with Wright, for best actor for his performance in "Top Dog/Underdog."

Ivan Turgenev's 1848 play, "Fortune's Fool," never before produced on Broadway, was nominated in the new play category and won nominations for best play and for best actor, Alan Bates, and best supporting actor, Frank Langella.

One-performer shows were lumped into a Special Theatrical Event Category and included the Bea Arthur, Elaine Stritch and John Leguizamo shows, plus a Lincoln Center Theater Production titled "Mostly Sondheim."

Veteran actress Julie Harris and legendary Broadway producer Robert Whitehead will be given a special Tonys for lifetime achievement in the theater. It will be Harris' sixth Tony and Whitehead's fifth. A Tony Award for regional theater will be given to the Williamstown Theater Festival of Williamstown, Mass.

Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards are given in 22 competitive categories. They are in their 56th year, having been founded by the American Theater Wing in 1947 and are presented annually by the Wing and its co-producer, the League of American Theaters and Producers.

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The complete nominations list:

Best Play -- "Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia," "Fortune's Fool," "Metamorphoses," and "Topdog/Underdog.".

Best Musical -- "Mamma Mia!," "Sweet Smell of Success," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," and "Urinetown, The Musical.".

Best Book of a Musical -- "Mamma Mia!," "Sweet Smell of Success," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," and "Urinetown, The Musical."

Best Original Score Written for the Theater -- "Sweet Smell of Success," "Thoroughly Modern Mille," "Thou Shalt Not," and "Urinetown, The Musical."

Best Revival of a Play" -- "The Crucible," "Morning's at Seven," "Noises Off," and "Private Lives."

Best Revival of a Musical -- "Into the Woods," and "Oklahoma!" (the only two shows available for this nomination).

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play -- Alan Bates in 'Fortune's Fool," Billy Crudup in "The Elephant Man," Liam Neeson in "The Crucible, " Alan Rickman in "Private Lives," and Jeffrey Wright in "Topdog/Underdog."

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play -- Kate Burton in "Hedda Gabler," Lindsay Duncan in "Private Lives," Laura Linney in "The Crucible," Helen Mirren in "Dance of Death," and Mercedes Ruehl in "Edward Albee's The Goat or Who is Sylvia?"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical -- Gavin Creel in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," John Cullum in "Urinetown, The Musical," John Lithgow in "Sweet Smell of Success," John McMartin in "Into the Woods," and Patrick Wilson in "Oklahoma!"

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical -- Sutton Foster in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Nancy Opel in "Urinetown, The Musical," Louise Pitre in "Mamma Mia!," Jennifer Laura Thompson in "Urinetown, The Musical," and Vanessa Williams in "Into the Woods."

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play -- Frank Langella in "Fortune's Fool," William Biff McGuire in "Morning's at Seven," Brian Murray in "The Crucible," Sam Robards in "The Man Who Had All the Luck," and Stephen Tobolowsky in "Morning's at Seven."

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play -- Kate Burton in "Elephant Man, Katie Finneran in "Noises Off," and Elizabeth Franz, Estelle Parsons, and Frances Sternhagen, all three in "Morning's at Seven."

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical -- Norbert Leo Butz in "Thou Shalt Not," Gregg Edelman in "Into the Woods," Shuler Hensley in "Oklahoma!," Brian d'Arcy James in "Sweet Smell of Success," and Marc Kudisch in "

Thoroughly Modern Millie."

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical -- Laura Benanti in "Into the Woods," Harriet Harris in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Spencer Kayden in "Urinetown, The Musical," and Andrea Martin in "Oklahoma!".

Best Direction of a Play -- Howard Davies for "Private Lives," Richard Eyre for "The Crucible," Daniel Sullivan for "Morning's At Seven," Mary Zimmerman for "Metamorphoses."

Best Direction of a Musical -- James Lapine for "Into the Woods," Michael Mayer for "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Trevor Nunn for "Oklahoma!," John Rando for "Urinetown, The Musical."

Best Choreography -- Rob Ashford for "Thoroughly Modern Millie," John Carrafa for both "Into the Woods" and "Urinetown, The Musical," and Susan Stroman for "Oklahoma!"

Best Scenic Design -- John Lee Beatty for "Morning's at Seven," Tim Hatley for "Private Lives," Daniel Ostling for "Metamorphoses," and Douglas W. Schmidt for "Into the Woods."

Best Costume Design -- Jenny Beavan for "Private Lives," Jane Greenwood for "Morning's at Seven," Susan Hilferty for "Into the Woods," and Martin Pakledinaz for "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

Best Lighting -- Paul Gallo for "The Crucible," David Hersey for "Oklahoma!," Natasha Katz for "Sweet Smell of Success," and Brian MacDevitt for "Into the Woods."

Best Orchestrations -- Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Martin Koch for "Mamma Mia!," Doug Besterman and Ralph Burns for "Thoroughly Modern Millie," William David Brohn for "Sweet Smell of Success," and Bruce Coughlin for "Urinetown, The Musical."