55th Tony Awards

The 55th Annual Tony Awards was held at Radio City Music Hall on June 3, 2001 and broadcast by CBS. "The First Ten" awards ceremony was telecast on PBS television . The event was co-hosted by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. The Producers won a record breaking 12 awards.

The ceremony

Presenters: Joan Allen, Dick Cavett, Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Close, Dame Edna, Edie Falco, Kathleen Freeman, Gina Gershon, Heather Headley, Cherry Jones, Jane Krakowski, Mark Kudisch, Eric McCormack, Audra McDonald, Reba McEntire, Donna McKechnie, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Gwynneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Natasha Richardson, Doris Roberts, Gary Sinise, Lily Tomlin, Henry Winkler, and three "Broadway Babies" (Meredith Patterson, Bryn Bowling, and Carol Bentley).^[1]

Musicals represented were:^[1][2]

• A Class Act ("Follow Your Star"/"Better"/"Self Portrait" -- Nancy Anderson, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Donna Bullock, Randy Graff, David Hibbard, Lonny Price, Patrick Quinn, Sara Ramirez);
• Bells Are Ringing ("I'm Going Back" -- Faith Prince);
• 42nd Street ("42nd Street" -- David Elder, Kate Levering and company);
• Follies ("I'm Still Here" -- Polly Bergen with Louis Zorich, Jessica Leigh Brown, Colleen Dunn, Amy Heggins, and Wendy Waring);
• The Full Monty ("Let It Go" -- John Ellison Conlee, Jason Danieley, André De Shields, Kathleen Freeman, Romain Fruge, Marcus Neville, Patrick Wilson, Thomas Fiss, and company);
• Jane Eyre ("Sirens" -- Marla Schaffel and James Barbour);
• The Producers, the new Mel Brooks Musical ("Along Came Bially" -- Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Matthew Broderick, Cady Huffman, Nathan Lane, Brad Oscar, and company); and
• The Rocky Horror Show ("Time Warp" -- Dick Cavett, Lea Delaria, Jerrod Emick, Kristen Lee Kelly, Alice Ripley, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tom Hewitt, Raul Esparza, Sebastian LaCause, and company).

Plays were also presented:^[1][2]

• The Invention of Love, introduced by playwright Tom Stoppard. Montage with voice-over by Richard Easton.
• King Hedley II, introduced by playwright August Wilson. Excerpt performed by Viola Davis and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, introduced by Joan Allen. Excerpt performed by Gary Sinise, Amy Morton, Tim Sampson, Bruce McCarty, Jeanine Morick, and Afram Bill Williams.
• Proof, introduced by playwright David Auburn. Scene with Mary-Louise Parker and Ben Shenkman.
• The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, introduced by playwright Charles Busch. Scene with Linda Lavin, Tony Roberts, and Michele Lee.

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold

Source: BroadwayWorld^[3]

Summary of wins and nominations (more than one)^[4]

• The Producers: 12 / 15
• Proof: 3 / 6
• The Invention of Love: 2 / 5
• 42nd Street: 2 / 9
• King Hedley II: 1 / 6
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: 1 / 2
• The Full Monty: 0 / 10
• A Class Act: 0 / 5
• Follies: 0 / 5
• Jane Eyre: 0 / 5
• The Rocky Horror Show: 0 / 4
• Stones in His Pockets: 0 / 3
• The Tale of the Allergist's Wife: 0 / 3
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: 0 / 2
• Bells Are Ringing: 0 / 2
• Betrayal: 0 / 2
• Judgment at Nuremberg: 0 / 2
• Blast!: 1 (special Tony) / 2

Special awards

• Regional Theatre Award

Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois

Special Theatrical Event

Blast!

• Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award

Paul Gemignani

• Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre

Betty Corwin and the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

New Dramatists

Theatre World

References

External links

• Official Site Tony Awards