60th Tony Awards


The 60th Annual Tony Awards were held at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2006. The award ceremony was broadcast live on the CBS television network in the United States. The 2006 Tony Awards did not feature a host, but instead over 60 stars presented awards at the ceremony.
The biggest winner of the night was the Royal National Theatre production The History Boys by British playwright Alan Bennett winning six Tonys out of seven nominations, including Best Play, Best Direction, Best Leading Actor and Best Featured Actress.
Natasha Richardson, Phylicia Rashad and Liev Schreiber announced the nominations on May 16, 2006.
The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are for Broadway productions and performances plus several non-competitive Special Awards.

The ceremony

opened the show singing three popular songs from three Broadway musicals. Connick,, was also a nominee and a performer with the cast of The Pajama Game. All of the sixty presenters and co-hosts joined the stage during the third song. Connick performed "Tonight", "Give My Regards to Broadway", and "There's No Business Like Show Business".

Performances

New Musicals

Source: tonyawards.com
Beginning with the 2006 awards, an additional category was added on a trial basis for the 2005–2006, 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 seasons: Best Recreation of a Leading Role by an Actor/Actress. This category was intended to honor actors and actresses who were cast as replacements and joined a long-running show after its official opening, and would not have otherwise had the chance to be recognized for a potentially Tony-worthy performance. This award may or may not have been given in any particular year. Shows were to submit replacements they deemed worthy of consideration and a twenty-four-member committee, The Tony Awards Administration Committee, were to attend the shows and evaluate the performances.
No award was given in 2006, because neither of the two performers nominated, Jonathan Pryce and Harvey Fierstein, received the necessary sixteen votes for a win.
Following the 2006 Tony Awards, the Administration Committee voted unanimously to abandon the category.

Winners and nominees

Sources:PlaybillNew York Times
Winners are in bold
Best PlayBest Musical

  • Jersey Boys
  • * The Color Purple
  • * The Drowsy Chaperone
  • * The Wedding Singer
    • Best Revival of a PlayBest Revival of a Musical
  • Awake and Sing!
  • * The Constant Wife
  • * Seascape
  • * Faith Healer
  • The Pajama Game
  • * '
  • * The Threepenny Opera
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
  • Richard Griffiths – The History Boys as Hector
  • * Ralph Fiennes – Faith Healer as Frank
  • * Željko Ivanek – The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial as Lt. Com. Phillip Francis Queeg
  • * Oliver Platt – Shining City as John
  • * David Wilmot – The Lieutenant of Inishmore as Padraic
  • Cynthia Nixon – Rabbit Hole as Becca Corbett
  • * Kate Burton – The Constant Wife as Constance Culver Middleton
  • * Judy Kaye – Souvenir as Florence Foster Jenkins
  • * Lisa Kron – Well as Lisa Kron
  • * Lynn Redgrave – The Constant Wife as Mrs. Culver
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
  • John Lloyd Young – Jersey Boys as Frankie Valli
  • * Michael Cerveris – ' as Sweeney Todd
  • * Harry Connick Jr. – The Pajama Game as Sid Sorokin
  • * Stephen Lynch – The Wedding Singer as Robbie Hart
  • * Bob Martin – The Drowsy Chaperone as Man in Chair
  • LaChanze – The Color Purple as Celie Harris Johnson
  • * Sutton Foster – The Drowsy Chaperone as Janet Van De Graaff
  • * Patti LuPone – ' as Mrs. Lovett
  • * Kelli O'Hara – The Pajama Game as Catherine 'Babe' Williams
  • * Chita Rivera – ' as Herself
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
  • Ian McDiarmid – Faith Healer as Teddy
  • * Samuel Barnett – The History Boys as Posner
  • * Domhnall Gleeson – The Lieutenant of Inishmore as Davey
  • * Mark Ruffalo – Awake and Sing! as Moe Axelrod
  • * Pablo Schreiber – Awake and Sing! as Ralph Berger
  • Frances de la Tour – The History Boys as Mrs. Lintott
  • * Tyne Daly – Rabbit Hole as Nat
  • * Jayne Houdyshell – Well as Ann
  • * Alison Pill – The Lieutenant of Inishmore as Mairead
  • * Zoë Wanamaker – Awake and Sing! as Bessie Berger
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Christian Hoff – Jersey Boys as Tommy DeVito
  • * Danny Burstein – The Drowsy Chaperone as Adolpho
  • * Jim Dale – The Threepenny Opera as Mr. Peachum
  • * Brandon Victor Dixon – The Color Purple as Harpo
  • * Manoel Felciano – ' as Tobias
  • Beth Leavel – The Drowsy Chaperone as The Drowsy Chaperone
  • * Carolee Carmello – Lestat as Gabrielle de Lioncourt
  • * Felicia P. Fields – The Color Purple as Sofia Johnson
  • * Megan Lawrence – The Pajama Game as Gladys Hotchkiss
  • * Elisabeth Withers – The Color Purple as Shug Avery
    • Best Book of a MusicalBest Original Score Written for the Theatre
  • Bob Martin and Don McKellar – The Drowsy Chaperone
  • * Marsha Norman – The Color Purple
  • * Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice – Jersey Boys
  • * Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy – The Wedding Singer
  • The Drowsy Chaperone – Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
  • * The Color Purple – Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray
  • * The Wedding Singer – Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin
  • * The Woman in White – Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel
    • Best Scenic Design of a PlayBest Scenic Design of a Musical
  • Bob Crowley – The History Boys
  • * John Lee Beatty – Rabbit Hole
  • * Santo Loquasto – Three Days of Rain
  • * Michael Yeargan – Awake and Sing!
  • David Gallo – The Drowsy Chaperone
  • * John Lee Beatty – The Color Purple
  • * Derek McLane – The Pajama Game
  • * Klara Zieglerova – Jersey Boys
    • Best Costume Design of a PlayBest Costume Design of a Musical
  • Catherine Zuber – Awake and Sing!
  • * Michael Krass – The Constant Wife
  • * Santo Loquasto – A Touch of the Poet
  • * Catherine Zuber – Seascape
  • Gregg Barnes – The Drowsy Chaperone
  • * Susan Hilferty – Lestat
  • * Martin Pakledinaz – The Pajama Game
  • * Paul Tazewell – The Color Purple
    • Best Lighting Design of a PlayBest Lighting Design of a Musical
  • Mark Henderson – The History Boys
  • * Christopher Akerlind – Awake and Sing!
  • * Paul Gallo – Three Days of Rain
  • * Mark Henderson – Faith Healer
  • Howell Binkley – Jersey Boys
  • * Ken Billington and Brian Monahan – The Drowsy Chaperone
  • * Natasha Katz – Tarzan
  • * Brian MacDevitt – The Color Purple.
    • Best Direction of a PlayBest Direction of a Musical
  • Nicholas Hytner – The History Boys
  • * Wilson Milam – The Lieutenant of Inishmore
  • * Bartlett Sher – Awake and Sing!
  • * Daniel Sullivan – Rabbit Hole
  • John Doyle –
  • * Kathleen Marshall – The Pajama Game
  • * Des McAnuff – Jersey Boys
  • * Casey Nicholaw – The Drowsy Chaperone
    • Best ChoreographyBest Orchestrations
  • Kathleen Marshall – The Pajama Game
  • * Rob Ashford – The Wedding Singer
  • * Donald Byrd – The Color Purple
  • * Casey Nicholaw – The Drowsy Chaperone
  • Sarah Travis – '
  • * Larry Blank – The Drowsy Chaperone
  • * Dick Lieb and Danny Troob – The Pajama Game
  • * Steve Orich – Jersey Boys

    • Special awards

  • Special Tony Award
  • * Sarah Jones for Bridge & Tunnel
  • Regional Theater Tony Award
  • * Intiman Theatre, Seattle, Washington
  • Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
  • * Harold Prince

    Multiple nominations and awards

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