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Billy Elliot sweeps up at US Tony Awards

Published Monday 8 June 2009 at 10:29 by Judd Hollander

Billy Elliot the Musical has capped its dominance of the US theatre award ceremonies with a haul of ten prizes at the 63rd Annual Tony Awards, held last night in New York City.

No other show won more than three gongs, with Billy Elliot picking up the awards for direction (Stephen Daldry) book (Lee Hall), choreography (Peter Darling), sound design (Paul Arditti), scenic design (Ian MacNeil), lighting design (Rich Fisher), and tied for a win in best orchestrations (Martin Koch won for Elliot, and Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt won for Next to Normal.) However Elliot’s costume designer Nicky Gillibrand lost out to fellow Brit Tim Hatley for the latter’s work in Shrek The Musical.

On the acting front, a bit of Tony history was made when, for the first time, an award was split between three separate people. Specifically, for David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish, who alternate in the title role of Billy Elliot. The three won the award for Best Actor in a Musical. Gregory Jbarra, who played Billy Elliot’s father, received the award for Best Supporting Actor. Haydn Gwynne, reprising the role she originated in London, lost out in the Supporting Actress Category to Karen Olivo in West Side Story.

Also in the winner’s circle was playwright Yasmina Reza whose work God of Carnage - a transfer from the UK - won the award for Best Play. Reza dedicated the award to her mother who “overcame her fear of flying to be with us tonight.”

The show’s director Matthew Warchus, who was up against himself for his direction in The Norman Conquests, won for his helming of the Reza work. When he came up on stage, Warchus remarked “I was hoping for another tie actually,” referring to the previously-announced tie in the Orchestrations category. During his acceptance speech, Warchus took time to acknowledge the company from The Norman Conquests, and ended by thanking his wife saying “because she has maintained calm and harmony back home [in London], I’ve been able to manufacture marital mayhem on stage here in New York.”

Also honored in Carnage was Marcia Gay Harden winning the prize for Best Actress in a Play, beating out Jane Fonda (for 33 Variations), and Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter, who were both nominated for their work in Mary Stuart. (However, Anthony Ward did win for his Costume Design work on Stuart.) Elsewhere, Australian actor Geoffrey Rush took home the Best Actor Award for his role in Eugene Inoseco’s Exit The King. However, Stephen Mangan and Paul Ritter in The Norman Conquests lost out to Roger Robinson, in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone in the Supporting Actor in a Play category.

The sentimental favourite of the evening was Angela Lansbury, who became only the second actress to win five Tony Awards (Julie Harris is the other), and her first for Supporting Actress, winning for her role as Madame Arcati in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. (Lansbury’s previous Best Actress wins were for Mame, Dear World, Gypsy and Sweeney Todd.) Lansbury beat out both Jessica Hynes and Amanda Root in The Norman Conquest in this category

Winning for Best Revival was the cast of the critically-acclaimed revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests, a production that originated at the Old Vic. Other winners included Gregory Clarke for his Sound Design for Equus, which starred Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths, and was the only award the show received. Clarke was gracious in his acceptance speech but did note that “it does give me an enormous problem as I now have to tell my parents that I don’t actually work in a bank.”

Liza’s At The Palace, starring Liza Minnelli, won the Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event, while composer Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly, Mame, La Cage Aux Folles) was honored with special Tony celebrating his achievement in the theatre.

Named after actress Antoinette Perry, the Tony Awards are presented jointly by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. For more information go to www.tonysawards.com.

The 2009 Tony Awards were telecast live in a three-hour event from New York’s Radio City Musical Hall. The evening was hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris and opened with Elton John singing “Electricity” from Billy Elliot, the sequence then segueing into the songs “Tonight” from West Side Story and “Luck Be A Lady” from Guys and Dolls.

The winners in full were:

Best Play

God of Carnage

Author: Yasmina Reza

Producers: Robert Fox, David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Jon B. Platt, The Weinstein Company, The Shubert Organization

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical

Producers: Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions, Weinstein Live Entertainment

Best Book of a Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical

Lee Hall

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Next to Normal

Music: Tom Kitt

Lyrics: Brian Yorkey

Best Revival of a Play

The Norman Conquests

Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Dede Harris, Tulchin/Bartner/Lauren Doll, Jamie deRoy, Eric Falkenstein, Harriet Newman Leve, Probo Productions, Douglas G. Smith, Michael Filerman/Jennifer Manocherian, Richard Winkler, Dan Frishwasser, Pam Laudenslager/Remmel T. Dickinson, Jane Dubin/True Love Productions, Barbara Manocherian/Jennifer Isaacson, The Old Vic Theatre Company

Best Revival of a Musical

Hair

Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Kathleen K. Johnson, Nederlander Productions, Inc., Fran Kirmser Productions/Jed Bernstein, Marc Frankel, Broadway Across America, Barbara Manocherian/Wencarlar Productions, JK Productions/Terry Schnuck, Andy Sandberg, Jam Theatricals, The Weinstein Company/Norton Herrick, Jujamcyn Theaters, Joey Parnes, Elizabeth Ireland McCann

Best Special Theatrical Event

Liza’s at The Palace

Producers: John Scher and Metropolitan Talent Presents, LLC; Jubilee Time Productions, LLC

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Alice Ripley, Next to Normal

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

Roger Robinson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Karen Olivo, West Side Story

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Derek McLane, 33 Variations

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Costume Design of a Play

Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play

Gregory Clarke, Equus

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Direction of a Play

Matthew Warchus, God of Carnage

Best Direction of a Musical

Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Choreography

Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Orchestrations (tie)

Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Jerry Herman

Regional Theatre Tony Award

Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia

Isabelle Stevenson Award

Phyllis Newman

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre

Shirley Herz

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