Aaron Tveit makes history with the 2020 Tony Awards nominations

The stage adaptation of Alanis Morissette's album "Jagged Little Pill", led nominations for the annual Tony Awards on Thursday although Broadway theatres remain dark in a prolonged pandemic shutdown until summer of 2021.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is also up for Best Musical, alongside Jagged Little Pill and Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, while Slave Play, Sea Wall/A Life, Grand Horizons, The Inheritance, and The Sound Inside will compete for the Best Play honour.

There are five best play nominees which include "Slave Play", the most nominated play in Tony history with 12.

The other best musical nominee with 12 nods is Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, that tells the story of the rock icon's life.

NEW YORK: One of Stephen King's most creepy and tense stories, "Mr. Mercedes" was acquired by NBC's Peacock streaming service. One category - best musical revival - had no eligible shows at all and was cut. She added: "It's his moment, for sure".

In another sign of a odd season, the best score category-an honour for the music and lyrics that is usually dominated by musicals-is filled this year with five plays.

A surprising snub was The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical since this is the only eligible musical which had an original musical score.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Karen Olivo, Moulin Rouge!

In the performance categories, Adrienne Warren got a best leading actress in a musical nomination for inhabiting the lead character in "Tina - The Tina Turner Musical". This includes Jake Gyllenhaal for Sea Wall/A Life, Tom Hiddleston for Betrayal, Laura Linney for My Name is Lucy Barton, and Audra McDonald for Frankie and Johnny.

Broadway theatres have been shut since March, a fact reflected by the limited scope of this year's field. The cutoff for eligibility for all shows was set at February 19. The actor, who made his Broadway debut in "Hairspray" and also performed in "Wicked", originated standout roles in "Next to Normal" and "Catch Me If You Can" that were arguably deserving of awards recognition. "Just to tell the universe that we're still alive". None of the musicals were nominated for best original score since they were all jukebox musicals. Two high profile shows-Freestyle Love Supreme and David Byrne's American Utopia-did not accommodate Tony voters and weren't eligible.

No date has been set for this year's ceremony, originally scheduled for 7 July, though it is likely the awards will be presented virtually in early December.

"Theater will survive", James Monroe Iglehart, the Tony-winning nominations host, promised during Thursday's announcement.

Many Broadway fans were surprised and excited by the news.