By David Gordon, Managing Editor

The nominations for this year’s Tony Awards were announced Tuesday morning. Here are some of my thoughts, along with educated predictions as to winners.

Biggest Surprises

For me, the biggest surprise is “Million Dollar Quartet” in the categories Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical. It was very clear that, at least after the reviews came out, “The Addams Family,” would not receive a nomination in either category, despite its consistently making over $1 million/week at the box office. I figured that Twyla Tharp’s Frank Sinatra-inspired dance musical “Come Fly Away” would join the obvious nominees “American Idiot,” “Fela!” and ‘Memphis.’ In the best book category, I figured that, in order not to nominate “Addams,” they would have selected “American Idiot” to join obvious nominees “Everyday Rapture,” “Fela!” and “Memphis.” Instead, ‘Quartet,’ about the one-night recording session of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, got it again.

In the acting categories, the biggest surprise, to me, was the inclusion of Scarlett Johansson as Best Featured Actress for “A View from the Bridge.” I was disappointed that Alicia Silverstone, who I felt delivered a far superior performance in “Time Stands Still,” was shut out. Nathan Lane did not receive a nomination for “The Addams Family,” another shocker, since, by all accounts, he carries that show on his back.

Closed shows shown love

The nominating committee, it seems, went out of their way not to nominate “Promises, Promises,” for best revival of a musical, instead choosing two closed shows, “Finian’s Rainbow,” and “Ragtime,” to round out a category that also includes the wonderful London imports “La Cage aux Folles” and “A Little Night Music.” I’m particularly happy that “Ragtime,” which received seven nominations total (including best director, leading actress and featured actor) was remembered. Another closed show, Sarah Ruhl’s 2010 Pulitzer finalist “In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play,” was nominated in the Best Play category, along with an acting and design nod.

What’s the score?

By far, the weakest category this season is Best Original Score, for which, in musicals, there were only two: “The Addams Family,” with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and “Memphis,” with music by David Bryan and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and Bryan. Rounding out the category are Branford Marsalis’ incidental score for August Wilson’s “Fences,” and Adam Cork and Lucy Prebble’s music and lyrics for “Enron.”

Enron falls again

Enron, a British play about the American scandal, failed to ignite at the box office, got decent, but not money reviews and didn’t receive any Tony nominations in categories that sell tickets. The production, currently selling out nightly in London, will close on Broadway on May 9, after 20-odd performances.

Predictions:

Best Play – Next Fall (a little Off-Broadway show that could)

Best Musical – Memphis (as much as I hated it, it’s the only 100% original musical of the season)

Best Revival of a Play – Fences

Best Book of a Musical – La Cage aux Folles

Best Book of a Musical – Everyday Rapture (truly the most original script this season)

Best Original Score – Mempis (again, as much as I hated it, it’s a completely original score)

Best Actor – Denzel Washington, Fences (play); Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles (musical)

Best Actress – Laura Linney, Time Stands Still (play); Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music (musical)

Best Featured Actor – Eddy Redmayne, Red (play); Bobby Steggert, Ragtime (musical)

Best Featured Actress – Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor (play); Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises (musical)

Best Director – Kenny Leon, Fences (Play); Terry Johnson, La Cage (musical)

Best Choreography – Bill T. Jones, Fela

Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge in ‘La Cage Aux Folles” ( Joan Marcus)