29th Tony Awards


The 29th Annual Tony Awards ceremony was held on April 20, 1975, at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City, and broadcast by ABC television. Hosts/Performers/Presenters were Larry Blyden, George S. Irving, Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence, Michele Lee, Bernadette Peters and Bobby Van.

The ceremony

The theme centered on the Winter Garden Theatre, where many of the greatest stars in theatrical history began their careers.
Presenters: Jack Albertson, Eve Arden, Fred Astaire, Milton Berle, Ray Bolger, Carol Channing, Clifton Davis, Buddy Ebsen, Jack Haley, Angela Lansbury, Jack Lemmon, John V. Lindsay, Cleavon Little, Walter Matthau, Vincente Minnelli, Carl Reiner, Rosalind Russell, Joe Smith, Jean Stapleton.
Performers: Clive Baldwin, Joey Faye, Angela Lansbury, Alexis Smith.
Musicals represented:
Winners are in bold
Best PlayBest Musical

  • The Wiz
  • * Mack and Mabel
  • * The Lieutenant
  • * Shenandoah
    • Best Book of a MusicalBest Original Score Written for the Theatre
  • James Lee Barrett, Peter Udell and Philip Rose – Shenandoah
  • *Michael Stewart – Mack and Mabel
  • * Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman and Chuck Strand – The Lieutenant
  • * William F. Brown – The Wiz
  • The Wiz – Charlie Smalls
  • *A Letter for Queen Victoria – Alan Lloyd
  • * Shenandoah – Gary Geld and Peter Udell
  • * The Lieutenant – Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman and Chuck Strand
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
  • John Kani and Winston Ntshona – Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island as Various Characters
  • * Jim Dale – Scapino! as Scapino
  • * Peter Firth – Equus as Alan Strang
  • * Henry Fonda – Clarence Darrow as Clarence Darrow
  • * Ben Gazzara – Hughie and Duet as "Erie" Smith
  • * John Wood – Sherlock Holmes as Sherlock Holmes
  • Ellen Burstyn – Same Time, Next Year as Doris
  • * Elizabeth Ashley – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as Maggie Pollitt
  • * Diana Rigg – The Misanthrope as Celimene
  • * Maggie Smith – Private Lives as Amanda Prynne
  • * Liv Ullmann – A Doll's House as Nora Helmer
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
  • John Cullum – Shenandoah as Charlie Anderson
  • * Joel Grey – Goodtime Charley as Charley
  • * Raúl Juliá – Where's Charley? as Charley Wykeham
  • * Eddie Mekka – The Lieutenant as Lieutenant
  • * Robert Preston – Mack and Mabel as Mack Sennett
  • Angela Lansbury – Gypsy as Mama Rose
  • * Lola Falana – Doctor Jazz as Edna Mae Sheridan
  • * Bernadette Peters – Mack and Mabel as Mabel Normand
  • * Ann Reinking – Goodtime Charley as Joan of Arc
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
  • Frank Langella – Seascape as Leslie
  • * Larry Blyden – Absurd Person Singular as Sidney
  • * Leonard Frey – The National Health as Barnet
  • * Philip Locke – Sherlock Holmes as Professor Moriarty
  • * George Rose – My Fat Friend as Henry
  • * Dick Anthony Williams – Black Picture Show as Alexander
  • Rita Moreno – The Ritz as Googie Gomez
  • * Linda Miller – Black Picture Show as Jane
  • * Geraldine Page – Absurd Person Singular as Marion
  • * Carole Shelley – Absurd Person Singular as Jane
  • * Elizabeth Spriggs – London Assurance as Lady Gay Spanker
  • * Frances Sternhagen – Equus as Dora Strang
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Ted Ross – The Wiz as the Cowardly Lion
  • * Tom Aldredge – Where's Charley? as Mr. Spettigue
  • * John Bottoms – Dance with Me as Jimmy Dick II
  • * Doug Henning – The Magic Show as Doug
  • * Gilbert Price – The Night That Made America Famous as Performer
  • * Richard B. Shull – Goodtime Charley as Minguet
  • Dee Dee Bridgewater – The Wiz as Glinda
  • * Susan Browning – Goodtime Charley as Agnès Sorel
  • * Zan Charisse – Gypsy as Louise
  • * Taina Elg – Where's Charley? as Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez
  • * Kelly Garrett – The Night That Made America Famous as Various Characters
  • * Donna Theodore – Shenandoah as Ann Anderson
    • Best Direction of a PlayBest Direction of a Musical
  • John Dexter – Equus
  • *Arvin Brown – The National Health
  • *Frank Dunlop – Scapino!
  • * Ronald Eyre – London Assurance
  • * Athol Fugard – Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island
  • * Gene Saks – Same Time, Next Year
  • Geoffrey Holder – The Wiz
  • * Gower Champion – Mack and Mabel
  • * Grover Dale – The Magic Show
  • * Arthur Laurents – Gypsy
    • Best ChoreographyBest Scenic Design
  • George Faison – The Wiz
  • * Gower Champion – Mack and Mabel
  • * Donald McKayle – Doctor Jazz
  • * Margo Sappington – Where's Charley?
  • * Robert Tucker – Shenandoah
  • * Joel Zwick – Dance with Me
  • Carl Toms – Sherlock Holmes
  • * Scott Johnson – Dance with Me
  • * Tanya Moiseiwitsch – The Misanthrope
  • * William Ritman – God's Favorite
  • * Rouben Ter-Arutunian – Goodtime Charley
  • * Robin Wagner – Mack and Mabel
    • Best Costume DesignBest Lighting Design
  • Geoffrey Holder – The Wiz
  • * Arthur Boccia – Where's Charley?
  • * Raoul Pene Du Bois – Doctor Jazz
  • * Willa Kim – Goodtime Charley
  • * Tanya Moiseiwitsch – The Misanthrope
  • * Patricia Zipprodt – Mack and Mabel
  • Neil Peter Jampolis – Sherlock Holmes
  • * Chip Monk – The Rocky Horror Show
  • * Abe Feder – Goodtime Charley
  • * Andy Phillips – Equus
  • * Thomas Skelton – All God's Chillun Got Wings
  • * James Tilton – Seascape

    • Special awards

  • Neil Simon, for his plays

    Theatre Award '75 Winner

  • Al Hirschfeld for 50 years of theatrical cartoons

    Multiple nominations and awards

    • These productions had multiple nominations:
    The following productions received multiple awards.