The Tony Awards are capping a record Broadway season, with no clear frontrunner among the leading nominees and a mix of star-driven shows and new works signalling sustained momentum for the New York theatre industry.
Pop singer Pink will host the televised ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sunday from 8pm local time (10am Monday Sydney time).
New musicals The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! lead all nominees with 12 nods each, followed by the revival Ragtime with 11, with 24 shows vying for wins across 26 categories.
Alongside leading contenders The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon!, Titaníque and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) have built strong followings, making the best musical category one of the most competitive in recent memory.
Broadway generated $US1.91 billion ($A2.7 billion) in grosses this year - the highest total on record - as audiences turned out for both established hits and new productions.
For best play, Pulitzer Prize winner Liberation by Bess Wohl enters with momentum, but David Lindsay-Abaire's The Balusters has emerged as a formidable challenger after winning top honors at the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards.
The best musical revival race appears to be a two-show contest between a sweeping production of Ragtime and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a ballroom-inspired reinvention of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.
The acting races feature a mix of Broadway veterans and Hollywood stars, including Nathan Lane, John Lithgow and Daniel Radcliffe, underscoring theatre's continued ability to attract major screen talent.
Adding to the season's intrigue was the announcement the revival Chess will close early after its leading lady Lea Michele was passed over for a nomination.
All seven nominees for best musical and best musical revival will perform during the broadcast.
The ceremony will also feature anniversary celebrations for Chicago, which marks 30 years on Broadway with a tribute led by Queen Latifah, and The Book of Mormon, whose original cast will reunite for the musical's 15th anniversary.
Rachel Zegler, who will be coming back to Broadway next season in the Jamie Lloyd production of Evita, will perform a tribute to A Chorus Line for its 50th anniversary, and Leslie Odom Jr will do a song from Rent for that show's 30th anniversary.
Tony-winning actor Laura Benanti and Emmy-nominated actor Tituss Burgess will host the preshow, where the creative arts Tony Awards honouring designers, technicians and other behind-the-scenes theatre artists will be presented.
