Last night’s Tony Awards put an end to Kelli O’Hara’s long run as the Susan Lucci of the show. She won for “The King and I,” beating Kristen Chenoweth (who was co hosting the show with Alan Cumming) and Chita Rivera, who’s been waiting for another Tony since “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in 1923. Kelli’s speech was the best on a night when all the speeches were pretty fun.
Alex Sharp, who’s 25, won Best Actor in a Play — his first time on Broadway, his first job out of Juilliard School. When he came off stage he looked dazed and asked to be taken back to his seat where his parents were waiting. Later, at the Plaza Hotel Food Court, where part of the official party takes place, he huddled with Best Actress in a Play winner Helen Mirren and her famous director husband Taylor Hackford for advice.
Dame Helen, you know, beats even Meryl Streep for unpretentious. She came off the red carpet before the show started and sort of wafted into the little ante room on a sidestreet that was set up before you set foot into Radio City Music Hall. She did a little jig for the security ladies, who got a kick out of seeing Helen Mirren in a a gauzy dress pretending she could fly like an angel. She asked me, “Where is my husband?” Another security guard asked if she’d like to be accompanied to her seat. “Oh heavens no,” she said, “I have my ticket right here.” She marched off into the theater, no muss, no fuss.
Here’s a little aside about Dame Helen: it turns out famed actor Richard McCabe, who won Best Supporting Actor in “The Audience” playing Harold Wilson to Helen’s QE2, is her tenant in London. He rents out the Hackfords’ basement apartment. Also: after Dame Helen won her Tony, which was early on in the show, she went around the corner to a local bar and raised a glass with “The Audience” cast and crew who weren’t in Radio City. Nice!
Around the Plaza: Nominee Sting and wife Trudie Styler, Patricia Clarkson hanging with “Elephant Man” co-star Alessandro Nivola and of all people, Monica Lewinsky. More to come…
FULL LIST OF TONY AWARD WINNERS
Best Musical:
An American in Paris
Fun Home (WINNER)
Something Rotten!
The Visit
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home (WINNER)
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O’Hara, The King and I (WINNER)
Chita Rivera, The Visit
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)
Best Revival of a Musical
The King and I (WINNER)
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Best Revival of a Play
The Elephant Man
Skylight (WINNER)
This Is Our Youth
You Can’t Take It with You
Best Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)
Disgraced
Hand to God
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I (WINNER)
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home
Best Direction of a Play
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)
Scott Ellis, You Can’t Take It with You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God
Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Gold, Fun Home (WINNER)
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It with You (WINNER)
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten! (WINNER)
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Richard McCabe, The Audience (WINNER)
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It’s Only a Play
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Helen Mirren, The Audience (WINNER)
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations
Best Book of a Musical
An American in Paris
Craig Lucas
Fun Home (WINNER)
Lisa Kron
Something Rotten!
Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell
The Visit
Terrence McNally
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Fun Home (WINNER)
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can’t Take It with You
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris (WINNER)
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home
Best Costume Design of a Play
Bob Crowley, The Audience
Jane Greenwood, You Can’t Take It with You
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two (WINNER)
David Zinn, Airline Highway
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Catherine Zuber, The King and I (WINNER)
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)
Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Natasha Katz, Skylight
Japhy Weideman, Airline Highway
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Donald Holder, The King and I
Natasha Katz, An American in Paris (WINNER)
Ben Stanton, Fun Home
Japhy Weideman, The Visit
Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Christopher Gattelli, The King and I
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris (WINNER)
Best Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris (WINNER)
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship
Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories:
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre:
Tommy Tune
Special Tony Award:
John Cameron Mitchell
Regional Theatre Tony Award:
Cleveland Play House, Cleveland, Ohio
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award:
Stephen Schwartz
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre:
Arnold Abramson
Adrian Bryan-Brown
Gene O’Donovan
