YAY! TONY AWARDS (or - YAY! NORBERT WON THE TONY!)

So another Broadway season has come and gone and the Tonys have all been awarded. The one award I was most excited about was Best Actor In A Musical. And the one nominee I was really and truly rooting for was in that category - Norbert Leo Butz. Who I have loved since his days in the cast of Rent. AND HE WON!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Other highlights for me were Dan Folger's win, Christina Applegate's HILARIOUS entrance, and Hugh Jackman's opening song.

Here are the winners! I liked that this year the winners were all over the map. Kept it interesting!

Best Play
Democracy
Doubt
Gem of the Ocean
The Pillowman
Woo hoo! I love this show! So happy it won. Not much of a surprise after winning the Pulitzer and the Drama Desk. One of the best plays I have ever seen.

Best Musical
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Monty Python's Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Not a surprising win. I know people like to cheer on the little guy (I usually do too) but Spamalot was damn hilarious and very well done. Happy with this win as well.

Best Revival of a Play
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Glengarry Glen Ross
On Golden Pond
Twelve Angry Men
This was really hard. Pretty impossible to predict. I would have been happy with any of these. I really though Virginia Woolf would get it.

Best Revival of a Musical
La Cage aux Folles
Pacific Overtures
Sweet Charity
Disappointed here. Wanted Charity to win. Oh well!

Best Special Theatrical Event
Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance!
Laugh Whore
700 Sundays
Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show
Not surprised. Would have loved to see a Mario Cantone acceptance speech though!

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Philip Bosco, Twelve Angry Men
Billy Crudup, The Pillowman
Bill Irwin, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
James Earl Jones, On Golden Pond
Brían F. O'Byrne, Doubt
Didn't really see this one coming!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Cherry Jones, Doubt
Laura Linney, Sight Unseen
Mary-Louise Parker, Reckless
Phylicia Rashad, Gem of the Ocean
Kathleen Turner, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
YAY! Cherry Jones! And she smooched on her girlfriend Sarah Paulson (from Menagerie) when she won. Cool!

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Hank Azaria, Monty Python's Spamalot
Gary Beach, La Cage aux Folles
Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tim Curry, Monty Python's Spamalot
John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
YAAAAAAAAAAY! YAY! YAY!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Christina Applegate, Sweet Charity
Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza
Erin Dilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sutton Foster, Little Women
Sherie Rene Scott, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
In my heart I would have loved to have seen Sherie or Christina win. But Victoria Clark was a critical darling.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Alan Alda, Glengarry Glen Ross
Gordon Clapp, Glengarry Glen Ross
David Harbour, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Liev Schreiber, Glengarry Glen Ross
Michael Stuhlbarg, The Pillowman
COOL! Wasn't sure who would win here. It was pretty much anybody's category. TRhough Alan Alda might take it. Cool for Liev Schreiber. And his acceptance speech was so genuine and humble.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Mireille Enos, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Heather Goldenhersh, Doubt
Dana Ivey, The Rivals
Adriane Lenox, Doubt
Amy Ryan, A Streetcar Named Desire
WHAT?!? Heather Goldenhersh was completely robbed in my opinion. Adriane Lenox doesn't do a whole lot in this show and doesn't leave much of an impact in the short time she does appear onstage. And her speech bordered on obnoxious.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Marc Kudisch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael McGrath, Monty Python's Spamalot
Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
Christopher Sieber, Monty Python's Spamalot
While I would have LOVED to have seen Matt Morrison or Chris Sieber take this one, it was really fun and exciting to see Dan Folger win.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Joanna Gleason, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jan Maxwell, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kelli O'Hara, The Light in the Piazza
Sara Ramirez, Monty Python's Spamalot
Not too much of a surprise here. And deserved!

Best Direction of a Play
John Crowley, The Pillowman
Scott Ellis, Twelve Angry Men
Doug Hughes, Doubt
Joe Mantello, Glengarry Glen Ross
Best play should win best direction!

Best Direction of a Musical
James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot
Jack O’Brien, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza
This guy gets nominated 9 times and wins all 9 times. Crazy!

Best Choreography
Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python's Spamalot
FINALLY he wins. And when you are 2 of the nominees you really should.

Best Orchestrations
Larry Hochman, Monty Python's Spamalot
Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
I don't know a whole lots about Piazza's music. But nice!

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
The Light in the Piazza Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
Monty Python's Spamalot Music: John Du Prez and Eric Idle; Lyrics: Eric Idle
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Music & Lyrics: William Finn
POOR David Yazbek. It's The Full Monty all over again. But very exciting for Adam Guettel (who I didn't realize was really cute!)

Best Book of a Musical
Jeffrey Lane, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Craig Lucas, The Light in the Piazza
Eric Idle, Monty Python's Spamalot
Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
VERY (pleasantly) surprised here.

Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, Doubt
David Gallo, Gem of the Ocean
Santo Loquasto, Glengarry Glen Ross
Scott Pask, The Pillowman
Have yet to see this one.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza
Haven't seen this yet either but I'm dying to.

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Rivals
Jane Greenwood, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
William Ivey Long, A Streetcar Named Desire
Constanza Romero, Gem of the Ocean
I thought this win came out of nowhere!

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Junko Koshino, Pacific Overtures
William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza
Another big surprise. With all the elaborate costumes in La Cage I am shocked Piazza won here. I don't get it.

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Pat Collins, Doubt
Donald Holder, Gem of the Ocean
Donald Holder, A Streetcar Named Desire
Brian MacDevitt, The Pillowman
Again, I didn't see this show so not much I can contibute here.

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
Mark Henderson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kenneth Posner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Hugh Vanstone, Monty Python's Spamalot
Still wanna this show!