The Tonys Award Excellence in Theater
June 9, 2015
The 69th annual ceremony to grant the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, better known as the Tony Award, was held in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday night, June 7.
The musical “Fun Home” was the big winner at the 2015 Tony Awards. It was the first show adapted from a graphic novel to win a Tony. The story portrayed the emotionally turbulent early life of popular cartoonist Alison Bechdel. The show took Tonys for best musical and for best score for Jeanine Tesori (composer) and Lisa Kron (lyricist). Kron also took the award for best book. Michael Cerveris, who played the cartoonist’s father, won the Tony as best actor in a musical for his performance, and Sam Gold won as best director of a musical.
As usual, the British took plenty of major awards. “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by English playwright Simon Stephens was named best play. The play was based upon a 2003 novel by British author Mark Haddon and features a brilliant young man with social disabilities who tries to solve a neighborhood mystery. London-born Alex Sharp took the Tony in the category of actor in a leading role in a play for his performance as the teenager in the show. In addition, English director Marianne Elliott took the Tony as director of a play for “Curious Incident.” “Skylight,” a 1995 drama by English dramatist David Hare, won the Tony for revival of a play. Helen Mirren received the Tony for actress in a leading role as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Audience.” And Scottish actor Richard McCabe took home the Tony for actor in a featured role in a play for his supporting performance in “The Audience,” as British Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical classic “The King and I” swept three major awards, starting with the award for revival of a musical. Kelli O’Hara received the Tony as best actress in a leading role in a musical for her performance as Anna. Ruthie Ann Miles took the prize for actress in a featured role in a musical, playing the part of Lady Thiang, chief wife of the king of Siam. The British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon won a Tony for his choreography for “An American in Paris,” an adaptation of the 1951 movie musical that became one of the big hits of the Broadway season. The musical features the music of George Gershwin.
The 76-year old Tommy Tune was one of the evening’s most popular winners, receiving the lifetime achievement award for his long career as a dancer, director, and choreographer on Broadway.
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