Risky new productions are vying with more classic shows, and newcomers are in tight races with veteran stars for the 2015 Tony Awards.
The ceremony will celebrate the best in a record-breaking season in which audience numbers topped 13.1 million and grosses rose to a $1.36 billion.
"The numbers have shown and reflected that this has been an incredibly lucrative season at the box office," said producer Debbie Bisno. "There is really great product."
Tony winners Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth, also a nominee this year, are hosting the awards in a live broadcast from Radio City Music Hall.
Actor Bradley Cooper, a nominee for his role as a physically deformed male in "The Elephant Man" and rock star Sting, who earned a nod for his "The Last Ship" score, will be among the presenters along with last year's Tony winners Neil Patrick Harris and Bryan Cranston.
Broadway legend Tommy Tune will receive a special lifetime achievement Tony Award during the show, which will feature songs from the nominated musicals and a special number by singer Josh Groban with more than 175 performers on stage, the most in Tony Awards history.
An Australian nominee
Jeremy Youett is among a long list of producers behind "The Visit", which is up for five Tonys including Best Musical.
“Working on an incredible new production written by musical theatre luminaries and then to have the show be so wonderfully received has been an amazing experience," he said.
"The Visit" is the final collaboration between John Kander and Fred Ebb, who created shows like "Chicago", "Cabaret" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman".
“The opportunity to become a co-producer on the show was offered by one of the shows Lead Producers, Tom Smedes, whom I’ve worked alongside for two years now," he said. "He’s been a very generous mentor and an incredible person to learn from, with over 35 years of experience in the New York industry."
Jeremy Youett began Your Theatrics International seven years ago, and has offices in Sydney and New York. He's currently the General Manager of a host of New York Institutions, including The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) and Cesa Entertainment.
Abundance of Riches
"An American in Paris," the breezy, beautiful romantic hit based on the 1951 film starring Gene Kelly, and the lesbian coming-out story "Fun Home" are the leaders in the Tony race with 12 nominations each, including best musical, book, actor, actress and director.
"Something Rotten!," a bawdy parody of Broadway musicals set in 1590s Tudor England that earned 10 nominations and has been packing in audiences, is also a contender for the top musical awards.
Actor Michael Cerveris, up for his second Tony as the closeted homosexual father in "Fun Home," and newcomer Robert Fairchild, a ballet dancer making his Broadway debut in "An American in Paris" look to be the ones to beat for best actor in a musical.
The best musical actress category appears to be a three-way race between Chenoweth, up for her second Tony as a Hollywood star in "On the Twentieth Century," against Kelli O'Hara, a six-time nominee as the governess in "The King and I," and Broadway veteran and two-time Tony winner Chita Rivera as a revenge-seeking woman in "The Visit".
Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Helen Mirren seems a sure bet to win her first Tony for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Audience."
"The wonderful thing about Helen Mirren is that she has such daring and dignity. You actually feel like you're had an audience with the queen," said Harry Haun of Playbill Magazine.
Recent Juilliard School graduate Alex Sharp, making his Broadway debut as a teenage math whiz with Asperger Syndrome in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," could dash the hopes of Hollywood star Cooper and veteran actor Bill Nighy in "Skylight" for the best actor accolade.
In a season with an abundance of riches, "Skylight" and "The Elephant Man" are vying with "This Is Our Youth" and "You Can't Take it With You" for best revival of a play.
Going into the final stretch, "The King and I" seems to have an edge over "On the Town" and "On the Twentieth Century" for best musical revival.
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