54th Tony Awards

54th Tony Awards
Official poster for the 54th annual Tony Awards
Date	June 4, 2000
Location	Radio City Music Hall, New York City, New York
Host	Rosie O'Donnell, Nathan Lane
Television/Radio coverage
Network	CBS

The 54th Annual Tony Awards was held at Radio City Music Hall on June 4, 2000 and broadcast by CBS. "The First Ten" awards ceremony was telecast on PBS television. The event was hosted by Rosie O'Donnell, with special guest Nathan Lane. O'Donnell has hosted a total of three times: 1997, 1998, and 2000.

The Ceremony

The opening number was "A Tony Opening", performed by Rosie O'Donnell, Jane Krakowski, Jesse L. Martin, and Megan Mullally.^[1]

Production numbers from musicals included Contact, Boyd Gaines and the Girl in the Yellow Dress, Deborah Yates; Kiss Me, Kate, "Too Darn Hot"; Jesus Christ Superstar, "Superstar" and "Gethsemane"; The Music Man, Craig Bierko in "Seventy-Six Trombones" ; The Wild Party, medley from Mandy Patinkin, Eartha Kitt and Toni Collette; Swing!, medley from company and Ann Hampton Callaway and Laura Benanti; and James Joyce's The Dead, "Parnell's Plight."^[2]

Ten awards were presented prior to the main ceremony and were broadcast on Public Television in a show titled "The First 10 Awards: Tonys 2000." The show had interviews and showed clips from the season's productions, and presented the awards: Direction (Play and Musical), Choreography, Original Score, Book of a Musical, Costume Design, Scenic Design, Orchestration, Lighting Design and Regional Theater.^[2] Michael Blakemore is the only director to win Tony Awards as Best Director of a Play and Best Director of a Musical in the same year. He won this year for Copenhagen (play) and Kiss Me, Kate (musical).

The television ratings for this broadcast were 7.2, down from the 1999 Tony Award broadcast of 7.9. In prior years in which O'Donnell hosted, the program had ratings of 11.2 (1997) and 10.3 (1998).^[3]

Contact controversy

The winner of the award for Best Musical, Contact, raised controversy about what constitutes a musical, as it is a dance musical with no singing and minimal dialogue; and instead of original music, it uses pre-recorded music and songs. As a result of the controversy, a new category was created for the Tony Awards: Best Special Theatrical Event.^[4]

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold

Best Play	Best Musical
Copenhagen – Michael Frayn Dirty Blonde – Claudia Shear The Ride Down Mt. Morgan – Arthur Miller True West – Sam Shepard	Contact James Joyce's The Dead Swing! The Wild Party
Best Revival of a Play	Best Revival of a Musical
The Real Thing Amadeus A Moon for the Misbegotten The Price	Kiss Me, Kate Jesus Christ Superstar The Music Man Tango Argentino
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
*Stephen Dillane – The Real Thing* as Henry** Gabriel Byrne – A Moon for the Misbegotten as James Tyrone, Jr. Philip Seymour Hoffman – True West as Austin (Alternated with Lee) John C. Reilly – True West as Lee (Alternated with Austin) David Suchet – Amadeus as Antonio Salieri	*Jennifer Ehle – The Real Thing* as Annie** Jayne Atkinson – The Rainmaker as Lizzie Curry Rosemary Harris – Waiting in the Wings as May Davenport Cherry Jones – A Moon for the Misbegotten as Josie Hogan Claudia Shear – Dirty Blonde as Jo/Mae West
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
*Brian Stokes Mitchell – Kiss Me, Kate* as Fred Graham/Petruchio** Craig Bierko – The Music Man as Harold Hill George Hearn – Putting It Together as The Husband Mandy Patinkin – The Wild Party as Burrs Christopher Walken – James Joyce's The Dead as Gabriel Conroy	*Heather Headley – Aida* as Aida** Toni Collette – The Wild Party as Queenie Rebecca Luker – The Music Man as Marian Paroo Marin Mazzie – Kiss Me, Kate as Lilli Vanessi/Katherine Audra McDonald – Marie Christine as Marie Christine L'Adrese
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
*Roy Dotrice – A Moon for the Misbegotten* as Phil Hogan** Kevin Chamberlin – Dirty Blonde as Various Characters Daniel Davis – Wrong Mountain as Maurice Montesor Derek Smith – The Green Bird as Tartaglia Bob Stillman – Dirty Blonde as Various Characters	*Blair Brown – Copenhagen* as Margrethe Bohr** Frances Conroy – The Ride Down Mt. Morgan as Theo Amy Ryan – Uncle Vanya as Sofya Alexandrovna Helen Stenborg – Waiting in the Wings as Sarita Myrtle Sarah Woodward – The Real Thing as Charlotte
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
*Boyd Gaines – Contact* as Michael Wiley** Michael Berresse – Kiss Me, Kate as Bill Calhoun/Lucentio Stephen Spinella – James Joyce's The Dead as Freddy Malins Lee Wilkof – Kiss Me, Kate as First Man Michael Mulheren – Kiss Me, Kate as Second Man	*Karen Ziemba – Contact* as Wife** Laura Benanti – Swing! as Various Characters Ann Hampton Callaway – Swing! as Various Characters Eartha Kitt – The Wild Party as Dolores Deborah Yates – Contact as Girl in a Yellow Dress/Gina Minetti
Best Book of a Musical	Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Richard Nelson – James Joyce's The Dead John Weidman – Contact Michael John LaChiusa – Marie Christine Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe – The Wild Party	Aida – Elton John (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics) James Joyce's The Dead – Shaun Davey (music and lyrics) and Richard Nelson (lyrics) Marie Christine – Michael John LaChiusa (music and lyrics) The Wild Party – Michael John LaChiusa (music and lyrics)
Best Scenic Design	Best Costume Design
Bob Crowley – Aida Thomas Lynch – The Music Man Robin Wagner – Kiss Me, Kate Tony Walton – Uncle Vanya	Martin Pakledinaz – Kiss Me, Kate Bob Crowley – Aida Constance Hoffman – The Green Bird William Ivey Long – The Music Man
Best Lighting Design	Best Orchestrations
Natasha Katz – Aida Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer – The Wild Party Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer – Marie Christine Peter Kaczorowski – Kiss Me, Kate	Don Sebesky – Kiss Me, Kate Doug Besterman – The Music Man Jonathan Tunick – Marie Christine Harold Wheeler – Swing!
Best Direction of a Play	Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Blakemore – Copenhagen James Lapine – Dirty Blonde David Leveaux – The Real Thing Matthew Warchus – True West	Michael Blakemore – Kiss Me, Kate Susan Stroman – The Music Man Susan Stroman – Contact Lynne Taylor-Corbett – Swing!
Best Choreography
Susan Stroman – Contact Kathleen Marshall – Kiss Me, Kate Susan Stroman – The Music Man Lynne Taylor-Corbett – Swing!

Special awards

Regional Theatre Award

The Utah Shakespearean Festival

Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award

T. Edward Hambleton

Special Tony Award For a Live Theatrical Presentation

Dame Edna: The Royal Tour

Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre

References

↑ Lefkowitz, David."1999-2000 Tony Awards" playbill.com, June 5, 2000
1 2 Lefkowitz, David."Putting It Together For PBS: How the First Tony Hour Is Created" playbill.com, June 2, 2000
↑ Lefkowitz, David.Tony Award TV Ratings Down Again; Overnights Bested by Regis and B-Ball" playbill.com, June 5, 2000
↑ Hofler, Robert. "Legit lightning strikes twice". Variety.com, May. 1, 2006, accessed April 27, 2011

External links

Official Site Tony Awards

Tony Awards

American Theatre Wing The Broadway League List of people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and 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

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