Cynthia Nixon Earns Tony Nomination; ‘Once’ Leads With 11 Nods

The low-tech musical “Once,” based on the love story of a Czech flower seller and an Irish street musician in Dublin, got a leading 11 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, proving sentiment can sway nominators just as much as special effects.

Two other musicals — “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It” — each got 10 nominations as the Tony committee spread the wealth. Unlike last year’s “The Book of Mormon,” no monster single hit dominated the nominations.

“Peter and the Starcatcher,” a play about the origins of Peter Pan, earned nine nominations and the now-closed revival of “Follies” and the new Disney musical “Newsies” got eight nods each.

“Other Desert Cities,” a play by Jon Robin Baitz that moved to Broadway after critical acclaim at Lincoln Center Theater, earned five nominations, including best play.

“My psychology is such that I can’t jump up and down. I suppose that makes me Jewish and of the theater,” he said after the announcement.

“Once,” with songs by Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard, was originally a low-budget movie made for about $150,000. The film earned $20 million, thanks in part to an original score that included the sublime, 2007 Oscar-winning song, “Falling Slowly.”

The musical captured the film’s spirit and earned Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti best actor nominations. It also earned nods for best scenic design, best book of a musical and Elizabeth A. Davis got best performance by an actress in a featured role, among other nods.

The Tony Awards will be broadcast on CBS from the Beacon Theatre on June 10. Neil Patrick Harris, the star of “How I Met Your Mother,” will be the host.

Broadway’s most expensive show, the $75 million “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” got only two nominations, for best scenic design and costume.

In the musical revival category, “Follies” and “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” will compete against two Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice works: “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Evita.”

The best leading actor in a play Tony will pit James Corden from the British import “One Man, Two Guvnors,” Philip Seymour Hoffman from Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” James Earl Jones from “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man,” Frank Langella from “Man and Boy” and John Lithgow of “The Columnist.”

Nominations for the 2012 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards, announced Tuesday.

Best Play: “Clybourne Park,” ‘‘Other Desert Cities,” ‘‘Peter and the Starcatcher,” ‘‘Venus in Fur.”

Best Musical: “Leap of Faith,” ‘‘Newsies,” ‘‘Nice Work If You Can Get It,” ‘‘Once.”

Best Book of a Musical: “Lysistrata Jones,” ‘‘Newsies,” ‘‘Nice Work If You Can Get It,” ‘‘Once.”

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre: “Bonnie&Clyde,” ‘‘Newsies,” ‘‘One Man, Two Guvnors,” ‘‘Peter and the Starcatcher.”

Best Revival of a Play: “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman,” ‘‘Gore Vidal’s The Best Man,” ‘‘Master Class,” ‘‘Wit.”

Best Revival of a Musical: “Evita,” ‘‘Follies,” ‘‘The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” ‘‘Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: James Corden, “One Man, Two Guvnors”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”; James Earl Jones, “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man”; Frank Langella, “Man and Boy”; John Lithgow, “The Columnist.”

Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Play: Nina Arianda, “Venus in Fur”; Tracie Bennett, “End of the Rainbow”; Stockard Channing, “Other Desert Cities”; Linda Lavin, “The Lyons”; Cynthia Nixon, “Wit.”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Danny Burstein, “Follies”; Jeremy Jordan, “Newsies”; Steve Kazee, “Once”; Norm Lewis, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”; Ron Raines, “Follies.”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Jan Maxwell, “Follies”; Audra McDonald, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”; Cristin Milioti, “Once”; Kelli O’Hara, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”; Laura Osnes, “Bonnie&Clyde.”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Christian Borle, “Peter and the Starcatcher”; Michael Cumpsty, “End of the Rainbow”; Tom Edden, “One Man, Two Guvnors”; Andrew Garfield, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”; Jeremy Shamos, “Clybourne Park.”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Linda Emond, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”; Spencer Kayden, “Don’t Dress for Dinner”; Celia Keenan-Bolger, “Peter and the Starcatcher”; Judith Light, “Other Desert Cities”; Condola Rashad, “Stick Fly.”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Phillip Boykin, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”; Michael Cerveris, “Evita”; David Alan Grier, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”; Michael McGrath, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”; Josh Young, “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Elizabeth A. Davis, “Once”; Jayne Houdyshell, “Follies”; JudyKaye, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”; Jessie Mueller, “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”; Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “Ghost the Musical.”