What’s in a nom? Oscar-winners, other celebs vs. new faces

The Tony Awards nods are out — and it’s looking a lot like the Oscars.

Starry Academy Award winners like Cate Blanchett and Sally Field are just two of the Hollywood hopefuls nominated for Broadway’s biggest prize fight.

Here are other noteworthy takeaways from the Tony nominations. Oscars will be in the house for the Tonys. Besides Kevin Spacey, the two-time Academy Award winner who’s hosting the June 11 celebration of Broadway’s best, Oscar winners are wellrepresented among those vying for Tonys. Along with Blanchett and Field, Kevin Kline and Chris Cooper are up for acting prizes. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who just won an Oscar for “La La Land,” are up for best score.

Other household names are all over the nominee roster. For casual Tonys viewers, there are plenty of familiar faces in the races — and that can help attract viewers. Among them — the Oscar-winning actors previously mentioned, plus Andrew Rannells, Laura Linney, Laurie Metcalf, Josh Groban, Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone and Cynthia Nixon. Youth quakes and classics on Broadway. Ben Platt, who’s just 23, is the guy to beat for best actor in a musical. Meanwhile, an even younger actress is in another race. Eva Noblezada’s star turn as Kim in “Miss Saigon” earned her a best actress in a musical nod. She’s 21. Among the actresses she’s competing against in that category is Bette Midler for “Hello, Dolly!” The Divine One is 71 — and widely expected to take home the prize. Which would mean bookends. Midler received a Tony in 1974 for “adding luster to the Broadway season.”

The best featured actor in a play role is a race to watch. Three of the five nominees are household names — Danny DeVito (“The Price”), Nathan Lane (“The Front Page”) and Richard Thomas (“The Little Foxes”). But these big stars face a fierce struggle against the lesserknown John Douglas Thompson (“Jitney”) and even more ferocious competition from Michael Aronov (“Oslo”), who could walk away the winner.