Here’s a look at the Tony Awards which honor achievements on Broadway
June 10, 2018 – The 72nd Annual Tony Awards are scheduled to take place at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
June 11, 2017 – The 71st Annual Tony Awards airs on CBS.
Facts:
The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.
Only productions staged in designated Broadway theatres are eligible for nominations.
The musical that holds the record for most Tony Awards is “The Producers,” in 2001. It won 12 awards out of 15 nominations.
The hip-hop infused musical “Hamilton” earned a record-setting 16 Tony nominations on May 3, 2016, including Best Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for playwright/star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Producer/director Harold “Hal” Prince has won the most Tony Awards overall (21).
Actress Audra McDonald has won the most Tony awards as a performer (six).
The Tonys are named after Antoinette Perry, a Broadway actress and director who died in 1946.
Her charitable work with the American Theatre Wing during WWII inspired the Broadway community to create an award in her honor.
American Theatre Wing became famous for the “Stage Door Canteens,” in which GIs could drop in and be entertained by famous Hollywood and Broadway stars.
Timeline:
April 6, 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.
The first “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play” award is a tie with Ingrid Bergman for “Joan of Lorraine” and Helen Hayes for “Happy Birthday.”
The first “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play ” award is also a tie, between Jose Ferrer for “Cyrano de Bergerac” and Fredric March for “Years Ago.”
1956 – The Tonys are broadcast on television for the first time, on the Dumont Network.
2017 Tony Award Winners:
Best Play – “Oslo”
Best Musical – “Dear Evan Hansen”
Best Revival of a Play – “August Wilson’s Jitney”
Best Revival of a Musical – “Hello, Dolly!”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Kevin Kline in “Present Laughter”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Laurie Metcalf in “A Doll’s House, Part 2”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Ben Platt in “Dear Evan Hansen”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Bette Midler in “Hello, Dolly!”