63rd Tony Awards


The 63rd Annual Tony Awards, which recognized Broadway productions of the 2008-2009 season, were presented on June 7, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony was broadcast by CBS, with Neil Patrick Harris as host.
The cut-off date for eligibility for the awards was April 30, 2009. Nominations were announced on May 5, 2009 by Cynthia Nixon and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Of the musicals, Billy Elliot the Musical received 15 nominations that was the most it was eligible for, which at the time tied for the most received by any Broadway production until surpassed by Hamilton, followed by Next to Normal with eleven. Among the nominees for Best Revival of a Musical, Hair had the most nominations, with eight. Of the plays, the revivals Mary Stuart and The Norman Conquests tied for the most nominations, with seven each. All four stars of God of Carnage were nominated, as was the play itself.
The Isabelle Stevenson Award, a non-competitive award named after the late president of the American Theatre Wing, was presented for the first time. Its purpose is to recognize individuals from the theatre community who have volunteered time to one or more humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations. The first recipient of this honor was Phyllis Newman. This was the first non-competitive category to be introduced since the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre was established in 1990.
The broadcast won the 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Programs. The telecast also was nominated in the category of Outstanding Art Direction for Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming.

Pre-telecast events

The Visa Signature Tony Awards Preview Concert featured performers from the musicals Guys and Dolls, Hair, West Side Story, 9 to 5; Billy Elliot the Musical, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, and Shrek The Musical. The concert was televised on various CBS stations, and in New York City on May 30. Newscaster Harry Smith from The Early Show hosted the special.
The red-carpet arrivals and pre-Tony telecast awards were webcast on TonyAwards.com. A Creative Arts Awards ceremony, hosted by Laura Benanti and Brian Stokes Mitchell, was held prior to the main ceremony. The CAA presented the awards for orchestrations and scenery, costume, lighting and sound design.

Presenters

Presenters included Lucie Arnaz, Kate Burton, Kristin Chenoweth, Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Edie Falco, Will Ferrell, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Hallie Foote, James Gandolfini, Lauren Graham, Colin Hanks, Marcia Gay Harden, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Lange, Frank Langella, Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, David Hyde Pierce, Piper Perabo, Oliver Platt, Susan Sarandon, John Stamos and Chandra Wilson.

Performances

Performances included scenes from nine Broadway musicals: Billy Elliot the Musical ; Guys and Dolls, with Tituss Burgess and company performing "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat"; Hair, with the company performing the title song and "Let the Sunshine In"; Next to Normal, with Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, and Aaron Tveit performing "You Don't Know/I Am The One"; Pal Joey, represented by Stockard Channing singing a few lines from "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" during the opening segment; Rock of Ages, with Constantine Maroulis and fellow cast members singing "Don't Stop Believin'"; Shrek the Musical, with the company performing "What's Up, Duloc" and "Freak Flag"; West Side Story; and 9 to 5, with Dolly Parton joining the cast to sing the title tune. Cast members from national touring companies of three musicals also appeared: The lead character from four Jersey Boys casts, Rick Faugno, Courter Simmons and Dominic Scaglione, Jr. sang together with Jarrod Spector from the Broadway cast; Legally Blonde spotlighted Becky Gulsvig; and Michelle Dawson, Kittra Wynn Coomer and Rachel Tyler from the national tour of Mamma Mia! sang "Dancing Queen" with fellow cast members.
Performers from the nominated Best Plays category presented brief clips of those plays, which included God of Carnage, 33 Variations, Dividing the Estate and reasons to be pretty.
Liza Minnelli performed in the opening sequence, and rock icon Bret Michaels and his band Poison joined the cast of Rock of Ages during their segment in the opening number, performing the band's 1988 Top Ten hit "Nothin' but a Good Time". While exiting the stage, Michaels was struck in the head by a descending set and knocked to the floor. He suffered a fractured nose and a split lip that required three stitches. He subsequently sued the event's organizers, claiming that the collision led to his 2010 brain hemorrhage. The suit was settled in May 2012 for an undisclosed amount.
Neil Patrick Harris ended the show with a pastiche of "Tonight" from West Side Story and "Luck Be a Lady" from Guys and Dolls, with lyrics re-written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman that recapped the awards.

Competitive awards

Winners in bold.
Best PlayBest Musical

  • Billy Elliot the Musical
  • *Next to Normal
  • * Rock of Ages
  • * Shrek The Musical
    • Best Revival of a PlayBest Revival of a Musical
  • The Norman Conquests
  • * Joe Turner's Come and Gone
  • * Mary Stuart
  • * Waiting for Godot
  • Hair
  • * Guys and Dolls
  • * Pal Joey
  • * West Side Story
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
  • Geoffrey Rush – Exit the King as King Berenger
  • * Jeff Daniels – God of Carnage as Alan
  • * Raúl Esparza – Speed-the-Plow as Charlie Fox
  • * James Gandolfini – God of Carnage as Michael
  • * Thomas Sadoski – Reasons to be Pretty as Greg
  • Marcia Gay Harden – God of Carnage as Veronica
  • * Hope Davis – God of Carnage as Annette
  • * Jane Fonda – 33 Variations as Katherine Brandt
  • * Janet McTeer – Mary Stuart as Mary Stuart
  • * Harriet Walter – Mary Stuart as Elizabeth I
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
  • David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish – Billy Elliot the Musical as Billy Elliot
  • * Gavin Creel – Hair as Claude
  • * Brian d'Arcy James – Shrek The Musical as Shrek
  • * Constantine Maroulis – Rock of Ages as Drew
  • * J. Robert Spencer – Next to Normal as Dan
  • Alice Ripley – Next to Normal as Diana Goodman
  • * Stockard Channing – Pal Joey as Vera Simpson
  • * Sutton Foster – Shrek The Musical as Princess Fiona
  • * Allison Janney – 9 to 5 as Violet Newstead
  • * Josefina Scaglione – West Side Story as Maria
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
  • Roger Robinson – Joe Turner's Come and Gone as Bynum Walker
  • * John Glover – Waiting for Godot as Lucky
  • * Zach Grenier – 33 Variations as Beethoven
  • * Stephen Mangan – The Norman Conquests as Norman
  • * Paul Ritter – The Norman Conquests as Reg
  • Angela Lansbury – Blithe Spirit as Madame Arcati
  • * Hallie Foote – Dividing the Estate as Mary Jo
  • * Jessica Hynes – The Norman Conquests as Annie
  • * Marin Ireland – Reasons to be Pretty as Steph
  • * Amanda Root – The Norman Conquests as Sarah
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Gregory Jbara – Billy Elliot the Musical as Dad
  • * David Bologna – Billy Elliot the Musical as Michael Caffrey
  • * Marc Kudisch – 9 to 5 as Franklin Hart Jr.
  • * Christopher Sieber – Shrek The Musical as Lord Farquaad
  • * Will Swenson – Hair as Berger
  • Karen Olivo – West Side Story as Anita
  • * Jennifer Damiano – Next to Normal as Natalie Goodman
  • * Haydn Gwynne – Billy Elliot the Musical as Ms. Wilkinson
  • * Martha Plimpton – Pal Joey as Gladys Bumps
  • * Carole Shelley – Billy Elliot the Musical as Grandma
    • Best Book of a MusicalBest Original Score Written for the Theatre
  • Lee Hall – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • * Brian Yorkey – Next to Normal
  • * David Lindsay-Abaire – Shrek The Musical
  • * Hunter Bell – title of show|
  • Next to Normal – Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey
  • * Billy Elliot the Musical – Elton John and Lee Hall
  • * 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton
  • * Shrek The Musical – Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire
    • Best Scenic Design of a PlayBest Scenic Design of a Musical
  • Derek McLane – 33 Variations
  • * Dale Ferguson – Exit the King
  • * Rob Howell – The Norman Conquests
  • * Michael Yeargan – Joe Turner's Come and Gone
  • Ian MacNeil – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • * Robert Brill – Guys and Dolls
  • * Scott Pask – Pal Joey
  • * Mark Wendland – Next to Normal
    • Best Costume Design of a PlayBest Costume Design of a Musical
  • Anthony Ward – Mary Stuart
  • * Dale Ferguson – Exit the King
  • * Jane Greenwood – Waiting for Godot
  • * Martin Pakledinaz – Blithe Spirit
  • Tim Hatley – Shrek The Musical
  • * Gregory Gale – Rock of Ages
  • * Nicky Gillibrand – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • * Michael McDonald – Hair
    • Best Lighting Design of a PlayBest Lighting Design of a Musical
  • Brian MacDevitt – Joe Turner's Come and Gone
  • * David Hersey – Equus
  • * David Lander – 33 Variations
  • * Hugh Vanstone – Mary Stuart
  • Rick Fisher – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • * Kevin Adams – Hair
  • * Kevin Adams – Next to Normal
  • * Howell Binkley – West Side Story
    • Best Sound Design of a PlayBest Sound Design of a Musical
  • Gregory Clarke – Equus
  • * Paul Arditti – Mary Stuart
  • * Russell Goldsmith – Exit the King
  • * Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg – Joe Turner's Come and Gone
  • Paul Arditti – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • * Acme Sound Partners – Hair
  • * Peter Hylenski – Rock of Ages
  • * Brian Ronan – Next to Normal
    • Best Direction of a PlayBest Direction of a Musical
  • Matthew Warchus – God of Carnage
  • * Phyllida Lloyd – Mary Stuart
  • * Bartlett Sher – Joe Turner's Come and Gone
  • * Matthew Warchus – The Norman Conquests
  • Stephen Daldry – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • * Michael Greif – Next to Normal
  • * Kristin Hanggi – Rock of Ages
  • * Diane Paulus – Hair
    • Best ChoreographyBest Orchestrations
  • Peter Darling – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • * Karole Armitage – Hair
  • * Andy Blankenbuehler – 9 to 5
  • * Randy Skinner – Irving Berlin's White Christmas
  • Martin Koch – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt – Next to Normal
  • * Larry Blank – Irving Berlin's White Christmas
  • * Danny Troob and John Clancy – Shrek The Musical
    • Best Special Theatrical Event-
  • Liza's at The Palace...!
  • * Slava's Snowshow
  • * Soul of Shaolin
  • * You're Welcome America - A Final Night with George W. Bush
    		• -

    ''In Memoriam''

    introduced a special number to honor those who died during the past theatre season. The Broadway Inspirational Voices and orchestra performed "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line. Broadway theatres dimmed their lights in memoriam, as well. Among those remembered were:
    These productions had multiple nominations:
    The following productions received multiple awards.