Best Play

All the Way

Casa Valentina

Outside Mullingar

Mothers and Sons

Act One

The nominators saw fit to expand this category to five nominees, which is odd considering the new plays weren't really the story of this Broadway season. It was a good morning for Tony veteran playwrights, as Harvey Fierstein (Casa Valentina), John Patrick Shanley (Outside Mullingar), and Terrence McNally (Mothers and Sons) all saw nominations.

Best Revival of a Play

Twelfth Night

The Glass Menagerie

A Raisin in the Sun

The Cripple of Inishmaan

The late-breaking raves for Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan, coupled with the apparent ice-cold shoulder given to Waiting for Godot, gave shape to this quartet of nominees. This is, somewhat improbably, the first time any production of The Glass Menagerie has been Tony nominated.

Best Lead Actor in a Play

Samuel Barnett - Twelfth Night

Bryan Cranston – All the Way

Chris O'Dowd - Of Mice and Men

Mark Rylance – Richard III

Tony Shalhoub – Act One

Denzel Washington, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Daniel Radcliffe's snubs clear the way for a Bryan Cranston win. The Tonys love Mark Rylance, yes, but they can always throw him a trophy in Featured Actor. In the wake of all those powerhouse actors on the sidelines, it's gotta be a good morning for Samuel Barnett (previously of The History Boys fame), enjoying his second career Tony nominations.

Best Lead Actress in a Play

Tyne Daly – Mothers & Sons

LaTanya Richardson Jackson - A Raisin in the Sun

Cherry Jones – The Glass Menagerie

Audra McDonald – Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill

Estelle Parsons – The Velocity of Autumn

Jackson grabs a nod for the role that won Phylicia Rashad a Tony merely a decade ago. Audra McDonald stands a chance at winning her 73rd career Tony, though it's more likely that this comes down to Cherry Jones versus Estelle Parsons.

Featured Actor in a Play

Reed Birney – Casa Valentina

Paul Chahidi – Twelfth Night

Stephen Fry - Twelth Night

Mark Rylance – Twelfth Night

Brian J. Smith – The Glass Menagerie

They really liked Twelfth Night. A lot. Rylance stands the best chance at a win among these three, but if there's vote-splitting to be done, it could pave the way for Reed Birney.

Featured Actress in a Play

Celia Keenan-Bolger – The Glass Menagerie

Anika Noni Rose – A Raisin in the Sun

Mare Winningham - Casa Valentina

Sarah Greene - The Cripple of Inishmaan

Sophie Okonedo - A Raisin in the Sun

A pair of Raisin in the Sun nominees here means, somewhat improbably, Denzel Washington is the only one of the play's four stars to miss out. It's tough to complain too much about a category that throws some love to Mare Winningham and which may well give a Tony statue to Celia Keenan-Bolger.

Best Musical

After Midnight

Aladdin

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

Out of that great mass of possibilities emerge these four highly tour-able productions. The near total shut-out for The Bridges of Madison County in the major categories has to count as the morning's most stinging snub.