NEW YORK -- Silly reigned supreme on Broadway as "Monty Python's Spamalot," dominated the nominations Tuesday for the 59th annual Tony Awards. The satiric musical, based on the 1975 cult film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," captured a total of 14 nominations, including best musical, score, and book, along with five citations for acting: Hank Azaria and Tim Curry for lead musical actor, Michael McGrath and Christopher Sieber for featured musical actor, and Sara Ramirez for featured musical actress.

The 14 nominations ties "Spamalot" with the musical "Company" (1970) for the second-highest total ever, with the record still held by "The Producers" (2001) with 15. Two other tuners, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," and "The Light in The Piazza," were close behind with 11 nominations apiece.

A quartet of previous Tony nominees and winners -- Kate Burton, Lynn Redgrave, Alan Cumming and Brian Stokes Mitchell -- announced the nominations Tuesday morning at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Presented jointly by the League of American Theatres and Producers and the American Theatre Wing, the awards will be handed out June 5 in a gala ceremony at Radio City Music Hall hosted by Hugh Jackman and broadcast by CBS.

Among straight plays, John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt," a drama about a nun who accuses a priest of molesting a young male student, garnered the most nominations with eight. The play, which already has copped the Pulitzer Prize in drama and four Outer Critics Circle Awards, is in the running for best play and its entire four-person cast is nominated. Likewise, the entire ensemble of the revival of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" received nominations. Edward Albee, who authored the 1962 dispatch from the battle of the sexes, will receive a special Tony for lifetime achievement.

David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross." is another revival to receive major recognition, including nominations for three of its cast members (Alan Alda, Gordon Clapp, Liev Schreiber). All were placed in the category of featured actor in a play because of a ruling by the Tony administration committee that was unsuccessfully appealed by the show's producers, who argued that certain performers ought to be classified as leading actors. The Tony nominations are determined by a separate, 23-member committee composed of theater professionals and will be voted on by 758 members of the theatrical community.

In addition to "Virginia Woolf" and "Glengarry," which nabbed six nods apiece, two other productions -- "The Pillowman" and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" -- scored six as well.

There also were some notable omissions, with such major stars as Natasha Richardson ("A Streetcar Named Desire"), Jessica Lange ("The Glass Menagerie") and Denzel Washington ("Julius Caesar") failing to gain nominations, and Lange and Washington's vehicles, in fact, totally overlooked. Also completely blanked were the musicals "All Shook Up," "Brooklyn," "Dracula," "Good Vibrations" and "The Frogs," plus the plays "Brooklyn Boy," "Steel Magnolias" and "After the Fall."

In a new development, the design categories for sets, costumes and lighting were split between musicals and plays. In previous seasons, musical productions frequently dominated those categories.

Based on a recommendation by the American Theatre Critics Assn., Theatre de la Jeune Lune of Minneapolis will receive the 2005 Tony Award for best regional theater, along with a grant of $25,000 sponsored by Visa USA.

A complete list of nominations follows:

BEST PLAY
"Democracy"; "Doubt"; "Gem of the Ocean"; "The Pillowman."

BEST MUSICAL
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"; "The Light in the Piazza"; "Monty Python's Spamalot"; "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," Book: Jeffrey Lane; "The Light in the Piazza," Book: Craig Lucas; "Monty Python's Spamalot," Book: Eric Idle; "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," Book: Rachel Sheinkin.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek; "The Light in the Piazza," Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel; "Monty Python's Spamalot," Music: John Du Prez and Eric Idle, Lyrics: Eric Idle; "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," Music & Lyrics: William Finn.

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"; "Glengarry Glen Ross"; "On Golden Pond"; "Twelve Angry Men."

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
"La Cage aux Folles"; "Pacific Overtures"; "Sweet Charity."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Philip Bosco, "Twelve Angry Men"; Billy Crudup, "The Pillowman "; Bill Irwin, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"; James Earl Jones, "On Golden Pond "; Brian F. O'Byrne, "Doubt."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Cherry Jones, "Doubt "; Laura Linney, "Sight Unseen "; Mary-Louise Parker, "Reckless"; Phylicia Rashad, "Gem of the Ocean"; Kathleen Turner, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Hank Azaria, "Monty Python's Spamalot"; Gary Beach, "La Cage aux Folles"; Norbert Leo Butz, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"; Tim Curry, "Monty Python's Spamalot "; John Lithgow, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Christina Applegate, "Sweet Charity"; Victoria Clark, "The Light in the Piazza"; Erin Dilly, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"; Sutton Foster, "Little Women"; Sherie Rene Scott, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Alan Alda, "Glengarry Glen Ross"; Gordon Clapp, "Glengarry Glen Ross"; David Harbour, Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"; Liev Schreiber, "Glengarry Glen Ross"; Michael Stuhlbarg, "The Pillowman."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Mireille Enos, Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"; Heather Goldenhersh, "Doubt"; Dana Ivey, "The Rivals"; Adriane Lenox, "Doubt"; Amy Ryan, "A Streetcar Named Desire."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Dan Fogler, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"; Marc Kudisch, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"; Michael McGrath, "Monty Python's Spamalot"; Matthew Morrison, "The Light in the Piazza"; Christopher Sieber, Monty Python's Spamalot."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Joanna Gleason, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"; Celia Keenan-Bolger, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"; Jan Maxwell, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"; Kelli O'Hara, "The Light in the Piazza"; Sara Ramirez, "Monty Python's Spamalot."

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
John Lee Beatty, "Doubt"; David Gallo, "Gem of the Ocean"; Santo Loquasto, "Glengarry Glen Ross"; Scott Pask, "The Pillowman."

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Tim Hatley, "Monty Python's Spamalot"; Rumi Matsui, "Pacific Overtures"; Anthony Ward, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"; Michael Yeargan, "The Light in the Piazza."

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Jess Goldstein, "The Rivals"; Jane Greenwood, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"; William Ivey Long, "A Streetcar Named Desire"; Constanza Romero, "Gem of the Ocean ."

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Tim Hatley, "Monty Python's Spamalot"; Junko Koshino, "Pacific Overtures"; William Ivey Long, "La Cage aux Folles"; Catherine Zuber, "The Light in the Piazza."

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Pat Collins, "Doubt"; Donald Holder, "Gem of the Ocean"; Donald Holder, "A Streetcar Named Desire"; Brian MacDevitt, "The Pillowman ."

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Christopher Akerlind, "The Light in the Piazza"; Mark Henderson, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"; Kenneth Posner, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"; Hugh Vanstone, "Monty Python's Spamalot."

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
John Crowley, "The Pillowman"; Scott Ellis, "Twelve Angry Men"; Doug Hughes, "Doubt"; Joe Mantello, "Glengarry Glen Ross."

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
James Lapine, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"; Mike Nichols, "Monty Python's Spamalot"; Jack OBrien, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"; Bartlett Sher, "The Light in the Piazza."

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Wayne Cilento, "Sweet Charity"; Jerry Mitchell, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" Jerry Mitchell, "La Cage aux Folles"; Casey Nicholaw, "Monty Python's Spamalot."

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Larry Hochman, "Monty Python's Spamalot"; Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, "The Light in the Piazza"; Jonathan Tunick, "Pacific Overtures"; Harold Wheeler, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

BEST SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENT
"Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance!"; "Laugh Whore"; "700 Sundays"; "Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show."

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Wayne Cilento, "Sweet Charity"; Jerry Mitchell, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"; Jerry Mitchell, "La Cage aux Folles"; Casey Nicholaw, "Monty Python's Spamalot."

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Larry Hochman, "Monty Python's Spamalot"; Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, "The Light in the Piazza"; Jonathan Tunick, "Pacific Overtures"; Harold Wheeler, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

REGIONAL THEATRE TONY AWARD
Theatre de la Jeune Lune of Minneapolis.

SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATRE
Edward Albee.

Leonard Jacobs is associate news editor and David Sheward is managing editor of Back Stage.