At Tony Award nominations, there’s no clear juggernaut but opportunity for female directors

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The final list of almost 40 new plays and musicals vying for Tony Award nominations this year are ready and hoping for their closeups. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry will announce nominees for the 26 competitive Tony Awards on Tuesday morning. The spring barrage — 14 shows opened in an 11-day span this year — is not unusual as producers hope their work will be fresh in the mind of voters ahead of the Tony Awards ceremony on June 16. But no clear single juggernaut has emerged, like the megahit “Hamilton” in 2016 or a critical darling like last year’s “Kimberly Akino.”