‘The Life’ Is Tops in Tony Nominations

A musical set in the Broadway neighborhood, “The Life,” won 12 of Broadway’s Tony nominations on Monday--more than any other show.

“Steel Pier,” another new musical, was in second place with 11 nominations. Besides this pair, the best musical nominees are “Titanic” and “Juan Darien.”

Among the works nominated for best play is David Hare’s “Skylight,” a British import. The Mark Taper Forum will stage the West Coast premiere of “Skylight” next fall to open its 1997-98 season.

The domestic crop of best play nominees includes two shows with Pulitzer histories. Last year’s Pulitzer winner, Horton Foote’s “The Young Man From Atlanta,” is up against one of the finalists for this year’s Pulitzer, Alfred Uhry’s “The Last Night of Ballyhoo.” (The Pulitzer for drama was not awarded this year; the voters chose not to pick any of the finalists). The other nominee in this category is another British play, “Stanley.” Conspicuously missing from the list is Wendy Wasserstein’s new “The American Daughter.”

“Chicago,” the show to beat for best musical revival, won eight nominations.

Although the era of the British musical appears to be over, in this year’s nominations the British dominate the competition for best actor and actress in a play. Janet McTeer of “A Doll’s House” is the favorite for best actress. The best actor race pits three British stars--Brian Bedford, Michael Gambon and Antony Sher--against one Canadian, Christopher Plummer.

Generally, there wasn’t much of a California connection in this year’s Tony trials. “Play On!,” which was introduced at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, won three nominations but failed to snag one for best musical. “Jekyll & Hyde,” which played the Orange County Performing Arts Center, won four nods but likewise failed to crack the best musical category.

However, Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Northern California won the annual award for a resident theater company. And Bebe Neuwirth, the odds-on favorite to be named best actress in a musical for her performance in “Chicago,” performed the same role in Long Beach--with the city’s now-defunct civic light opera--in 1992, long before Broadway.

The Tonys will be presented on June 1. Parts of the ceremony will be televised on both PBS and CBS, with Rosie O’Donnell hosting.

The nominees:

* Play: “Skylight,” by David Hare; “Stanley,” by Pam Gems; “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” by Alfred Uhry; “The Young Man From Atlanta,” by Horton Foote.

* Musical: “Juan Darien, a Carnival Mass,” “Steel Pier,” “The Life,” “Titanic.”

* Revival/Play: “A Doll’s House,” “London Assurance,” “Present Laughter,” “The Gin Game.”

* Revival/Musical: “Annie,” “Candide,” “Chicago,” “Once Upon a Mattress.”

* Book of a Musical: Leslie Bricusse, “Jekyll & Hyde”; David Thompson, “Steel Pier”; David Newman, Ira Gasman and Cy Coleman, “The Life”; Peter Stone, “Titanic.”

* Original Score: Elliot Goldenthal, “Juan Darien, a Carnival Mass”; John Kander and Fred Ebb, “Steel Pier”; Cy Coleman and Ira Gasman, “The Life”; Maury Yeston, “Titanic.”

* Director/Musical: Michael Blakemore, “The Life”; Walter Bobbie, “Chicago”; Scott Ellis, “Steel Pier”; Julie Taymor, “Juan Darien, a Carnival Mass.”

* Director/Play: John Caird, “Stanley”; Richard Eyre, “Skylight”; Anthony Page, “A Doll’s House”; Charles Nelson Reilly, “The Gin Game.”

* Leading Actor/Play: Brian Bedford, “London Assurance”; Michael Gambon, “Skylight”; Christopher Plummer, “Barrymore”; Antony Sher, “Stanley.”

* Leading Actress/Play: Julie Harris, “The Gin Game”; Shirley Knight, “The Young Man From Atlanta”; Janet McTeer, “A Doll’s House”; Lia Williams, “Skylight.”

* Leading Actor/Musical: Robert Cuccioli, “Jekyll & Hyde”; Jim Dale, “Candide”; Daniel McDonald, “Steel Pier”; James Naughton, “Chicago.”

* Leading Actress/Musical: Pamela Isaacs, “The Life”; Bebe Neuwirth, “Chicago”; Tonya Pinkins, “Play On!”; Karen Ziemba, “Steel Pier.”

* Featured Actor/Play: Terry Beaver, “The Last Night of Ballyhoo”; William Biff McGuire, “The Young Man From Atlanta”; Brian Murray, “The Little Foxes”; Owen Teale, “A Doll’s House.”

* Featured Actress/Play: Helen Carey, “London Assurance”; Dana Ivey, “The Last Night of Ballyhoo”; Lynne Thigpen, “An American Daughter”; Celia Weston, “The Last Night of Ballyhoo.”

* Featured Actor/Musical: Joel Blum, “Steel Pier”; Chuck Cooper, “The Life”; Andre De Shields, “Play On!”; Sam Harris, “The Life.”

* Featured Actress/Musical: Marcia Lewis, “Chicago”; Andrea Martin, “Candide”; Debra Monk, “Steel Pier”; Lillias White, “The Life.”

* Scenic Design: John Lee Beatty, “The Little Foxes”; Stewart Laing, “Titanic”; G. W. Mercier and Julie Taymor, “Juan Darien, a Carnival Mass”; Tony Walton, “Steel Pier.”

* Costume Design: Ann Curtis, “Jekyll & Hyde”; Judith Dolan, “Candide”; William Ivey Long, “Chicago”; Martin Pakledinaz, “The Life.”

* Lighting Design: Ken Billington, “Chicago”; Beverly Emmons, “Jekyll & Hyde”; Donald Holder, “Juan Darien, a Carnival Mass”; Richard Pilbrow, “The Life.”

* Choreography: Wayne Cilento, “Dream”; Joey McKneely, “The Life”; Ann Reinking, “Chicago”; Susan Stroman, “Steel Pier.”

* Orchestrations: Michael Gibson, “Steel Pier”; Luther Henderson, “Play On!”; Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler, “The Life”; Jonathan Tunick, “Titanic.”

* Special Tonys: Berkeley Repertory Theatre; the late Bernard Jacobs.