By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Spider-Man was nowhere to be seen as a play about two mormon boys led the pack when the 65th Annual Tony nominees were announced live from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on Tuesday morning.
"The Book of Mormon," which follows a pair of mismatched Mormon boys sent on a mission, topped all shows with 14 nominations, including nods for Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Score as well as several acting nods. The musical is the first Broadway play by "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who wrote it along with "Avenue Q" co-creator Robert Lopez.
The controversial musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" was not eligible to be nominated because it hasn't made it past the preview phase and recently went dark while producers retool the script. Previews are scheduled to resume on May 12 and the show's opening night has been pushed back until June 14.
The "Scottsboro Boys" was next on the Tony nominee list, with 12 nominations despite a short six-week run on the Great White Way. The edgy play, which told the story of nine black teens wrongly accused of rape in 1931 Alabama, earned nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Score and three acting nods.
The revival of the Shakespeare classic "The Merchant of Venice" earned seven nominations, including one for lead actor Al Pacino. Other notable nominees in the acting categories were Billy Crudup in "Arcadia," Edie Falco for "The House of Blue Leaves," Vanessa Redgrave in "Driving Miss Daisy" and Sutton Foster for "Anything Goes."
One Hollywood star left out of the Tony party was Daniel Radcliffe. Radcliffe, known for his role in the "Harry Potter" films, received universal praise for his performance in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," but was not nominated on Tuesday.
Decorated Broadway actors Anika Noni Rose and Matthew Broderick announced the 2011 Tony Awards nominees live Tuesday morning. The Tonys will be presented June 12 at The Beacon Theatre.
