Nominations reflect wide range of shows

NEW YORK — A year after falling head-overheels for a musical about Alexander Hamilton, the Broadway community threw its arms wide open at the 2017 Tony Award nominations, handing out nods to 25 shows in a season notable for its breathtaking range.

“Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” an improbable pop-opera musical inspired by a Leo Tolstoy novel, got 12 nominations. A revival of the 53-year-old “Hello, Dolly!” earned 10. “Dear Evan Hansen,” a heartfelt show that begins with a misfit teen’s suicide, got nine.

On the new-play side, nominations were given to works about working-class angst (“Sweat”), Middle East peace negotiations (“Oslo”), a behind-the-scenes look at a controversial 1923 Yiddish play (“Indecent”) and a bold sequel to a Henrik Ibsen play (“A Doll’s House, Part 2”).

“Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” will compete for the best new musical Tony with “Come From Away,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Groundhog Day.”

The best-play revivals are “August Wilson’s Jitney,” “Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes,” “Present Laughter” and “Six Degrees of Separation.”

Bette Midler, who stars as the matchmaker in “Hello, Dolly!” will compete with “War Paint” stars Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole; Denee Benton, of “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” and Eva Noblezada of “Miss Saigon.”

Cate Blanchett made her Broadway debut in Anton Chekhov’s “The Present.” For the best leading-actress trophy, she will face off against Jennifer Ehle of “Oslo,” Sally Field in “The Glass Menagerie,” Laurie Metcalf in “A Doll’s House, Part 2” and Laura Linney in “Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes.”

Danny DeVito earned a nomination for his Broadway debut in a revival of Arthur Miller’s “The Price.”

Final Tony winners will be determined by 850 industry insiders. Kevin Spacey will host the awards show June 11 from Radio City Music Hall.