Tonys To Be Handed Out Tonight

Broadway celebrates its biggest event of the year tonight with its 56th annual Tony Awards celebration at Radio City Musical Hall in New York City.

"Thoroughly Modern Millie," a Roaring 20s musical based on the 1967 Oscar-winning film starring Julie Andrews, leads the charge into the evening with 11 nominations, including nods for best musical, best actor (Gavin Creel), best actress (newcomer Sutton Foster), and best original score.

The other nominees for best musical are "Urinetown," "Mamma Mia" and "Sweet Smell of Success."

Other top nominees include "Into the Woods" and "Urinetown The Musical," which have 10 nods each.

The nominees for best play are "The Goat," "Fortune's Fool," "Metamorphoses," and "Top Dog/Underdog." The latter recently won a Pulitzer Prize for literature.

Several familiar film actors will be part of the proceedings tonight. Among them are Liam Neeson (nominated for "The Crucible"), Billy Crudup ("The Elephant Man"), and Alan Rickman ("Private Lives"), who are all up for best actor-play Tony.

Film stars in the best actress-play category include Helen Mirren ("Dance of Death"), and Laura Linney ("The Crucible"). John Lithgow ("Sweet Smell of Success") was nominated in the best actor-musical category, while Vanessa Williams ("Into the Woods") has a best actress-musical nomination.

One name you won't hear among the nominees tonight is Kathleen Turner, whose star vehicle, "The Graduate," was shut out of the nominations.

The Tony Awards show will be hosted Bernadette Peters and Gregory Hines.

Complete List Of Nominations:

• Play: "The Goat," "Fortune's Fool," "Metamorphoses," "Topdog/Underdog."
• Musical: "Mamma Mia!," "Sweet Smell of Success," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Urinetown The Musical."
• Book of a Musical: Catherine Johnson, "Mamma Mia!"; John Guare, "Sweet Smell of Success"; Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"; Greg Kotis, "Urinetown The Musical."
• Original Score: "Sweet Smell of Success," Marvin Hamlisch (music), Craig Carnelia (lyrics); "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Jeanine Tesori (music), Dick Scanlan (lyrics); "Thou Shalt Not," Harry Connick, Jr. (music & lyrics); "Urinetown The Musical," Mark Hollmann (music), Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis (lyrics).
• Revival-Play: "The Crucible," "Morning's at Seven," "Noises Off," "Private Lives."
• Revival-Musical: "Into the Woods," "Oklahoma!"
• Special Theatrical Event: "Bea Arthur on Broadway," "Just Between Friends," "Elaine Stritch at Liberty," "Mostly Sondheim," "Sexaholix -- A Love Story."
• Actor-Play: Alan Bates, "Fortune's Fool"; Billy Crudup, "The Elephant Man"; Liam Neeson, "The Crucible"; Alan Rickman, "Private Lives"; Jeffrey Wright, "Topdog/Underdog."
• Actress-Play: Kate Burton, "Hedda Gabler"; Lindsay Duncan, "Private Lives"; Laura Linney, "The Crucible"; Helen Mirren, "Dance of Death"; Mercedes Ruehl, "The Goat."
• Actor-Musical: Gavin Creel, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"; John Cullum, "Urinetown The Musical"; John Lithgow, "Sweet Smell of Success"; John McMartin, "Into the Woods"; Patrick Wilson, "Oklahoma."
• Actress-Musical: Sutton Foster, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"; Nancy Opel, "Urinetown The Musical"; Louise Pitre, "Mamma Mia!"; Jennifer Laura Thompson, "Urinetown The Musical"; Vanessa Williams, "Into the Woods."
• Featured Actor-Play: Frank Langella, "Fortune's Fool"; William Biff McGuire, "Morning's at Seven"; Brian Murray, "The Crucible"; Sam Robards, "The Man Who Had All the Luck"; Stephen Tobolowsky, "Morning's at Seven."
• Featured Actress-Play: Kate Burton, "The Elephant Man"; Katie Finneran, "Noises Off"; Elizabeth Franz, "Morning's at Seven"; Estelle Parsons, "Morning's at Seven"; Frances Sternhagen, "Morning's at Seven."
• Featured Actor-Musical: Norbert Leo Butz, "Thou Shalt Not"; Gregg Edelman, "Into the Woods"; Shuler Hensley, "Oklahoma!"; Brian d'Arcy James, "Sweet Smell of Success"; Marc Kudisch, "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
• Featured Actress-Musical: Laura Benanti, "Into the Woods"; Harriet Harris, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"; Spencer Kayden, "Urinetown The Musical"; Judy Kaye, "Mamma Mia!"; Andrea Martin, "Oklahoma!"
• Scenic Design: John Lee Beatty, "Morning's at Seven"; Tim Hatley, "Private Lives"; Daniel Ostling, "Metamorphoses"; "Douglas W. Schmidt, "Into the Woods."
• Costume Design: Jenny Beavan, "Private Lives"; Jane Greenwood, "Morning's at Seven"; Susan Hilferty, "Into the Woods"; Martin Pakledinaz, "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
• Lighting Design: Paul Gallo, "The Crucible"; David Hersey, "Oklahoma!"; Natasha Katz, "Sweet Smell of Success"; Brian MacDevitt, "Into the Woods."
• Choreography: Rob Ashford, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"; John Carrafa, "Into the Woods"; John Carrafa, "Urinetown The Musical"; Susan Stroman, "Oklahoma!"
• Direction of a Play: Howard Davies, "Private Lives"' Richard Eyre, "The Crucible"; Daniel Sullivan, "Morning's at Seven," Mary Zimmerman, "Metamorphoses."
• Direction of a Musical: James Lapine, "Into the Woods," Michael Mayer, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"; Trevor Nunn, "Oklahoma!"; John Rando, "Urinetown The Musical."
• Orchestrations: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus & Martin Koch, "Mamma Mia!"; Doug Besterman & Ralph Burns, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"; William David Brohn, "Sweet Smell of Success"; Bruce Coughlin, "Urinetown The Musical."
• Special Awards: Julie Harris and Robert Whitehead.
• Regional Theater: Williamstown (Mass.) Theatre Festival.