FIRST OFF . . .

Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” and the revival of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” led the way with 10 nods each in the 1987-88 Tony Award nominations, announced Monday in New York. A pair of plays, David Henry Hwang’s “M. Butterfly” and August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” gathered seven and six nominations, respectively. John Lithgow was nominated for best actor in “M. Butterfly,” and four featured “Joe Turner” performers received nods. The other best play nominations include Lee Blessing’s “A Walk in the Woods” and David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow.” In addition to Sondheim’s and Webber’s works, the other original musical nominees are “Romance/Romance” and “Sarafina!” Joining “Anything Goes” in the best revival category are: “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Cabaret” and “Dreamgirls.” Lanford Wilson’s “Burn This,” which played at the Mark Taper Forum last year, received nominations for Joan Allen (best actress, play) and Lou Liberatore (best featured actor, play). Special Tonys were given to the South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The winners will be announced on June 5 in a CBS-TV broadcast from Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre.