Tony Award nominations: ‘Natasha, Pierre’ leads with 12

“Natasha, NEW YORK — Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,” a pop opera based on a passage from Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” scooped up more Tony nominations than any other show Tuesday, capping one of the most competitive seasons in years on Broadway for both new musicals and new plays.

The musical, which collected 12 nominations, representing every design category, three acting categories as well as those for best score, book of a musical, choreography, orchestrations, and direction — the last for Silver Spring native Rachel Chavkin — will vie now with three others selected in the category: “Dear Evan Hansen,” the story of a lonely boy who perpetuates a lie that earns him internet fame; “Come From Away,” about the compassion extended by residents of Newfoundland to airline passengers stranded there after Sept. 11 and “Groundhog Day,” a musical version of the beloved 1993 film comedy that starred Bill Murray.

It was a particularly stellar year for productions nurtured in Washington, D.C. Two of the musicals have D.C. roots — “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Come From Away” — as did one of new plays nominated in the best play category, Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer-winning “Sweat.”

They together garnered a total of 19 nominations in the contests for the Tonys in 24 categories, to be handed out at Radio City Music Hall on June 11.