23rd Tony Awards

Date

April 20, 1969

Location

Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York City, New York

Host

Diahann Carroll and Alan King

Television/Radio coverage

Network

NBC

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The 23rd Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by NBC television on April 20, 1969, from the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City. Hosts were Diahann Carroll and Alan King.

The ceremony

Presenters: Lauren Bacall, Pearl Bailey, Harry Belafonte, Richard Benjamin, Godfrey Cambridge, Betty Comden, Patty Duke, Adolph Green, Dustin Hoffman, Angela Lansbury, Jack Lemmon, Ethel Merman, Arthur Miller, Robert Morse, Zero Mostel, Paula Prentiss, Robert Preston, Vanessa Redgrave, Leslie Uggams, Gwen Verdon, Shelley Winters.

Musicals represented:

Zorba ("Life Is" - Lorraine Serabian and Company)
Promises, Promises ("She Likes Basketball"/"Turkey Lurkey Time" - Jerry Orbach, Donna McKechnie and Company)
1776 ("Momma, Look Sharp" - Scott Jarvis, William Duell, B.J. Slater)
Hair ("Three-Five-Zero-Zero"/Let The Sun Shine In" - Company)

Scenes from plays were presented for the first time. Plays represented were:

Lovers (Scene with Art Carney and Anna Mannahan)
The Great White Hope (Scene with James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander)

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold

Best Play	Best Musical
The Great White Hope – Howard Sackler Hadrian the Seventh – Peter Luke Lovers – Brian Friel The Man in the Glass Booth – Robert Shaw	1776 Hair Promises, Promises Zorba
style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
*James Earl Jones – The Great White Hope* as Jack Jefferson** Art Carney – Lovers as Andy Tracey Alec McCowen – Hadrian the Seventh as Fr. William Rolfe Donald Pleasence – The Man in the Glass Booth as Arthur Goldman	*Julie Harris – Forty Carats* as Ann Stanley** Estelle Parsons – The Seven Descents of Myrtle as Myrtle Charlotte Rae – Morning, Noon and Night as Various Characters Brenda Vaccaro – The Goodbye People as Nancy Scott
style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
*Jerry Orbach – Promises, Promises* as Chuck Baxter** Herschel Bernardi – Zorba as Zorba Jack Cassidy – Maggie Flynn as The Clown Joel Grey – George M! as George M. Cohan	*Angela Lansbury – Dear World* as Countess Aurelia** Maria Karnilova – Zorba as Madame Hortense Dorothy Loudon – The Fig Leaves Are Falling as Lillian Stone Jill O'Hara – Promises, Promises as Fran Kubelik
style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play	style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
*Al Pacino – Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?* as Bickham** Richard Castellano – Lovers and Other Strangers as Frank Tony Roberts – Play It Again Sam as Dick Christie Louis Zorich – Hadrian the Seventh as Cardinal Ragna	*Jane Alexander – The Great White Hope* as Eleanor Bachman** Diane Keaton – Play It Again Sam as Linda Christie Lauren Jones – Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? as Linda Anna Manahan – Lovers as Hanna
style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical	style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
*Ronald Holgate – 1776* as Richard Henry Lee** Larry Haines – Promises, Promises as Dr. Dreyfuss Edward Winter – Promises, Promises as J.D. Sheldrake William Daniels – 1776 as John Adams (refused nomination)	*Marian Mercer – Promises, Promises* as Marge MacDougall** Sandy Duncan – Canterbury Tales as Various Characters Lorraine Serabian – Zorba as Leader Virginia Vestoff – 1776 as Abigail Adams
style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Direction of a Play	style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Direction of a Musical
Peter Dews – Hadrian the Seventh Joseph Hardy – Play It Again Sam Harold Pinter – The Man in the Glass Booth Michael A. Schultz – Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?	Peter Hunt – 1776 Robert Moore – Promises, Promises Tom O'Horgan – Hair Harold Prince – Zorba
style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Choreography	style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Scenic Design
Joe Layton – George M! Sammy Bayes – Canterbury Tales Ron Field – Zorba Michael Bennett – Promises, Promises	Boris Aronson – Zorba Derek Cousins – Canterbury Tales Jo Mielziner – 1776 Oliver Smith – Dear World
style="background:#C0C0C0;" ! style="width="50%" \| Best Costume Design
Loudon Sainthill – Canterbury Tales^[1] Michael Annals – Morning, Noon and Night Robert Fletcher – Hadrian the Seventh Patricia Zipprodt – Zorba

Special awards

The National Theatre Company of Great Britain (accepted by artistic director Sir Laurence Olivier)
The Negro Ensemble Company
Rex Harrison
Leonard Bernstein
Carol Burnett

References

↑ Australia Dancing — Sainthill, Loudon (1919–1969)

External links

Tony Awards Official Site

Tony Awards

Play	Best Play Best Direction of a Play Best Leading Actor in a Play Best Leading Actress in a Play Best Featured Actor in a Play Best Featured Actress in a Play Best Costume Design of a Play Best Lighting Design of a Play Best Revival of a Play Best Scenic Design of a Play Best Sound Design of a Play

Musical	Best Musical Best Direction of a Musical Best Leading Actor in a Musical Best Leading Actress in a Musical Best Featured Actor in a Musical Best Featured Actress in a Musical Best Book of a Musical Best Choreography Best Costume Design of a Musical Best Lighting Design of a Musical Best Orchestrations Best Original Score Best Revival of a Musical Best Scenic Design of a Musical Best Sound Design of a Musical

Special (non-competitive)	Regional Theatre Tony Award Special Tony Award Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre Isabelle Stevenson Award

Retired	Best Author Best Conductor and Musical Director Best Director Best Revival Best Special Theatrical Event Best Stage Technician

Ceremonies	1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

List of people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards