Tony Awards 2017: And the Nominees Are...

Bette Midler, Josh Groban and 'Dear Evan Hansen' Among 2017 Tony Awards Nominees

They're the toughest tickets to get on Broadway. And on Tuesday, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Dear Evan Hansen and Hello Dolly! led the nominees for the 2017 Tony Awards

Dave Quinn

Published on May 2, 2017 09:00AM EDT

bette-midler-2 — Photo: Julieta Cervantes

They're the toughest tickets to get right now on Broadway. And on Tuesday morning, seats to Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Dear Evan Hansen and Hello Dolly! just got that much harder — as all three shows scored top nominations in their respective categories for the 2017 Tony Awards.

Jane Krakowski and Hamilton alum Christopher Jackson announced the candidates Tuesday morning, live from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 — the Josh Groban-led musical inspired by a 70-page section of War and Peace — led the new musical nominations with 12 in total, including best musical and acting honors for Groban and UnReal alum Denée Benton.

Natasha, Pierre and Broadway's Great Comet PierogiesCredit: Chad Batka — Chad Batka

Hot on its heels is the tearjerking teen tale Dear Evan Hansen, whose composers — Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — picked up an Oscar for their lyrics to La La Land's "City of Stars." It has 9 nominations, including best musical and one for lead actor (and Pitch Perfect star) Ben Platt.

Other best musical contenders include the musical stage adaptation of Groundhog Day and the 9/11 musical Come From Away — which tells the true story of some of the thousands of people who were stranded in Newfoundland, Canada after traffic was grounded in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

Bette Midler snagged a lead actress in a musical nomination for her turn in Hello Dolly! — her first leading role in a Broadway musical ever. The revival is "looking swell" with 10 nominations including best revival of a musical — where it will compete with the now-closed Falsettos and the limited-run Miss Saigon.

The four plays up for best play — A Dolls House, Part 2, Indecent, Oslo and Sweat — are all written by American authors (Lucas Hnath, Paula Vogel, J.T. Rogers, and Lynn Nottage respectively). They're each also making their Broadway playwriting debut this season. Nottage's Sweat was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama earlier this year.

"The Glass Menagerie" Opening Night - Curtain Call — Walter McBride/WireImage

Some of Hollywood's biggest stars scored big nominations in the play acting categories, including Cate Blanchett (The Present), Sally Field (The Glass Menagerie), Laura Linney (The Little Foxes) and Laurie Metcalf (A Doll's House, Part 2) — who are all competing (alongside Oslo's Jennifer Ehle) for lead actress.

Cynthia Nixon, Kevin Kline, Chris Cooper and Danny DeVito all picked up nominations too — the latter for his Broadway debut in Arthur Miller's The Price.

RELATED VIDEO: From Fanboy to Broadway Sensation: All about Dear Evan Hansen Star Ben Platt

Of the 13 new musicals this year, a few big names were left in the dark in the top categories — including the screen-to-stage musical adaptations of Anastasia, Amélie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Bronx Tale.

The revival of Cats, which returned to Broadway after a 15-year hiatus, also failed to claw up a nomination. Its original 1982 production won 7 Tonys including best musical.

At least one person can already start prepping his speech — James Earl Jones. The two-time Tony winner is one of the handful of people who will be given a special Tony this year. His honor will be for lifetime achievement in the theater.

Select 2017 nominees include:

Best Musical

Come From Away

Dear Evan Hansen

Groundhog Day

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

Best Play

A Dolls House, Part 2

Indecent

Oslo

Sweat

Best Revival, Musical