2005 Tony Awards Presented at Radio City Music Hall

The 59th annual Tony Awards ceremony was held this evening at Radio City Music Hall and was nationally televised by CBS. No single production dominated the awards in the major categories this year.

Besides encouraging televiewers near and far to buy tickets, the point of the ceremony is that actors, directors, playwrights, and other creative types pick up prizes for outstanding work in the theater — but only about one-fifth of those nominated get to do so. There is consolation for losers, however; like the winners, those who don’t receive awards are invited to pick up all sorts of swag. (That’s the explanation behind the frequent references during the three-hour CBS telecast to the “gift basket,” as in Billy Crystal asking, “Do I get a gift basket for this?”) The press was invited to the free-stuff room to cover the participants, including the presenters, claiming their loot. In other words: To watch stars get greedy.

On offer to the lucky one-stop shoppers, including early arrival and presenter Sally Field, were Invicta watches (mostly, men chose the big-faced watch and women chose the hourglass shaped style); Chantelle lingerie; Miss Dior Cherie and Dior Higher; Phyto hair care products; and other treasures that didn’t, however, include the names Prada or Tourneau. Nevertheless, while any of the nominees could have left the NAP Space — or Official Talent Gift Lounge — with an estimated $22,000 worth of glittery junque, those who went away later in the evening with the invauable Tony sculptures were especially happy. Here is a complete list of the nominees, with the winners noted in bold.

********************

Best Featured Actor in a Play
Alan Alda, Glengarry Glen Ross
Gordon Clapp, Glengarry Glen Ross
David Harbour, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Liev Schreiber, Glengarry Glen Ross
Michael Stuhlbarg, The Pillowman

Best Featured Actress in a Play
Mireille Enos, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Heather Goldenhersh, Doubt
Dana Ivey, The Rivals
Adriane Lenox, Doubt
Amy Ryan, A Streetcar Named Desire

Best 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

Best 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

Best Director of a Play
John Crowley, The Pillowman
Scott Ellis, Twelve Angry Men
Doug Hughes, Doubt
Joe Mantello, Glengarry Glen Ross

Best Director 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

Best Choreography
Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python’s Spamalot

Best Orchestrations
Larry Hochman, Spamalot
Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel, Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Original Score
David Yazbek, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Adam Guettel, The Light in the Piazza
Eric Idle and John Du Prez, Spamalot
William Finn, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

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

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

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael Yeargen, The Light in the Piazza

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Rivals
Jane Greenwood, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
William Ivey Long, A Streetcar Named Desire
Constanza Romero, Gem of the Ocean

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

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

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

Best Special Theatrical Event
Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance!
Laugh Whore
700 Sundays
Whoopi

Best Revival of a Play
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Glengarry Glen Ross
On Golden Pond
Twelve Angry Men

Best Revival of a Musical
La Cage aux Folles
Pacific Overtures
Sweet Charity

Best Leading Actress in a Play
Cherry Jones, Doubt
Laura Linney, Sight Unseen
Mary-Louise Parker, Reckless
Phylicia Rashad, Gem of the Ocean
Kathleen Turner, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Best Leading Actor in a Play
Philip Bosco, Twelve Angry Men
Billy Crudup, The Pillowman
Bill Irwin, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
James Earl Jones, On Golden Pond
Brían F. O’Byrne, Doubt

Best 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

Best 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

Best Musical
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Monty Python’s Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Play
Democracy
Doubt
Gem of the Ocean
The Pillowman

********************

In addition to the competitive award winners noted above, this year’s Regional Theatre Tony was presented to Theatre de la Jeune Lune of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre was presented to Edward Albee, author of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and many other plays.