| 63rd Tony Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 63rd Tony Awards poster | ||||
| Date | June 7, 2009 | |||
| Location | Radio City Music Hall | |||
| Hosted by | Neil Patrick Harris | |||
| Most wins | Billy Elliot the Musical (10) | |||
| Most nominations | Billy Elliot the Musical (15) | |||
| Website | tonyawards | |||
| Television/radio coverage | ||||
| Network | CBS | |||
| Viewership | 7.4 million[1] | |||
| Produced by | Ricky Kirshner Glenn Weiss | |||
| Directed by | Glenn Weiss | |||
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The63rd Annual Tony Awards, which recognizedBroadway productions of the 2008-2009 season, were presented on June 7, 2009 atRadio City Music Hall inNew York City. The ceremony was broadcast byCBS, hosted byNeil Patrick Harris.[2]
The cut-off date for eligibility for the awards was April 30, 2009.[3] Nominations were announced on May 5, 2009 byCynthia Nixon andLin-Manuel Miranda.[4] Of the musicals,Billy Elliot the Musical received 15 nominations, every one that it was eligible for, which tied for the most received by any Broadway production[5] until this record was surpassed byHamilton (16), followed by thePulitzer Prize for Drama winnerNext to Normal with eleven. Among the nominees for Best Revival of a Musical,Hair had the most nominations, with eight. Of the plays, the revivalsMary Stuart andThe Norman Conquests tied for the most nominations, with seven each. All four stars ofGod of Carnage were nominated, as was the play itself.[6]Billy Elliot won 10 awards, the most of the night, includingBest Musical.Next to Normal andGod of Carnage each won three.[7]
TheIsabelle Stevenson Award, a non-competitive award named after the late president of theAmerican Theatre Wing, was presented for the first time. Its purpose is to recognize individuals from the theatre community who have volunteered time to one or more humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations. The first recipient of this honor wasPhyllis Newman. This was the first non-competitive category to be introduced since the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre was established in 1990.[8]
The broadcast won the 2009Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Programs. The telecast also was nominated in the category of Outstanding Art Direction for Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming.[9]
Shows that opened on Broadway during the 2008–09 season before May 1, 2009 are eligible.
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TheVisa Signature Tony Awards Preview Concert featured performers from the musicalsGuys and Dolls,Hair,West Side Story,9 to 5;Billy Elliot the Musical,Next to Normal,Rock of Ages, andShrek The Musical. The concert was televised on various CBS stations, and in New York City on May 30. NewscasterHarry Smith fromThe Early Show hosted the special.[10]
The red-carpet arrivals and pre-Tony telecast awards (Creative Arts Awards) were webcast on TonyAwards.com.[11] A Creative Arts Awards (CAA) ceremony, hosted byLaura Benanti andBrian Stokes Mitchell, was held prior to the main ceremony. The CAA presented the awards for orchestrations and scenery, costume, lighting and sound design.[12]
Presenters includedLucie Arnaz,Kate Burton,Kristin Chenoweth,Jeff Daniels,Hope Davis,Edie Falco,Will Ferrell,Carrie Fisher,Jane Fonda,Hallie Foote,James Gandolfini,Lauren Graham,Colin Hanks,Marcia Gay Harden,Anne Hathaway,Jessica Lange,Frank Langella,Angela Lansbury,Audra McDonald,David Hyde Pierce,Piper Perabo,Oliver Platt,Susan Sarandon,John Stamos andChandra Wilson.
Performances included scenes from nine Broadway musicals:Billy Elliot the Musical (with an appearance byElton John);Guys and Dolls, withTituss Burgess and company performing "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" (at the start of the performance, Burgess's microphone was not working, so a stagehand ran up to him to give him a handheld);Hair, with the company performing the title song and "Let the Sunshine In";Next to Normal, withAlice Ripley,J. Robert Spencer, andAaron Tveit performing "You Don't Know/I Am The One";Pal Joey, represented byStockard Channing singing a few lines from "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" during the opening segment;Rock of Ages, withConstantine Maroulis and fellow cast members singing "Don't Stop Believin'";Shrek the Musical, with the company performing "What's Up, Duloc";West Side Story, with the company performing the Dance At The Gym; and9 to 5, withDolly Parton joining the cast to sing the title tune. Cast members from national touring companies of three musicals also appeared: The lead character from fourJersey Boys casts (Joseph Leo Bwarie (Toronto), Rick Faugno (Las Vegas), Courter Simmons (national tour) and Dominic Scaglione, Jr. (Chicago) sang together with Jarrod Spector from the Broadway cast;Legally Blonde spotlightedBecky Gulsvig; and Michelle Dawson, Kittra Wynn Coomer and Rachel Tyler from the national tour ofMamma Mia! sang "Dancing Queen" with fellow cast members.
Performers from the nominated Best Plays category presented brief clips of those plays, which includedGod of Carnage,33 Variations,Dividing the Estate andReasons to Be Pretty.[13]
Liza Minnelli performed in the opening sequence, and rock iconBret Michaels and his bandPoison joined the cast ofRock of Ages during their segment in the opening number, performing the band's 1988 Top Ten hit "Nothin' but a Good Time". While exiting the stage, Michaels was struck in the head by a descending set and knocked to the floor. He suffered a fractured nose and a split lip that required three stitches.[14] He subsequently sued the event's organizers, claiming that the collision led to his 2010 brain hemorrhage. The suit was settled in May 2012 for an undisclosed amount.[15][16]
Neil Patrick Harris ended the show with apastiche of "Tonight" fromWest Side Story and "Luck Be a Lady" fromGuys and Dolls, with lyrics re-written byMarc Shaiman andScott Wittman that recapped the awards.[13]
Winners in bold.[7]
Bebe Neuwirth introduced a special number to honor those who died during the past theatre season. The Broadway Inspirational Voices[13] and orchestra performed "What I Did for Love" fromA Chorus Line.Broadway theatres dimmed their lights in memoriam, as well. Among those remembered were:
These productions had multiple nominations:
| The following productions received multiple awards.
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