- Host Doogie Patrick Harris emerges on stage eating a plate of sushi, mentioning how the raw fish gives him so much energy he’s decided to eat it every night during the run of his next Broadway engagement. In the audience, Speed the Plow actor Raúl Esparza exchanges knowing looks with the rest of the thespian community, while in L.A. Jeremy Piven undoubtedly does something douchey.
- For some reason, Bret frickin’ Michaels shows up during the fantastically great opening medley of Broadway musical numbers — and LIP-SYNCHS. As punishment, Dionysus, the god of theater, caused the quasi-talented venereal disease to smash into a stage set — and then, adding insult to injury, Stockard Channing, Dolly Parton, Allison Janney and just about every other single person in Radio City Music Hall proceed to wipe the floor with the pansy-ass by actually, y’know, singing the rest of the number.
- Liza Minelli, still batshit crazy.
- The three adorable youngsters who play Billy Eliot in the musical version of Stephen Daldry’s eponymous 2000 film about a coal miner’s ballet dancing son jointly win the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and stand on stage giggling in their little tiny tuxedos, then eventually get around to thanking their sisters, parents, teachers and Elton John while 80 percent of America’s theater geeks (myself included) let out a collective, “Awwwwww!!!!!”
- Even the squeaky clean, bewigged, Up With People hippies of the current revival of Hair turn out to be incapable of ruining “Let the Sunshine In,” and actually manage to improve the musical’s title song by using it as an excuse to leap into the audience and shake their booties in close proximity to James Gandolfini’s giant head. Meanwhile, the erstwhile Tony Soprano proves himself 100 percent cooler than the Piv by not only laughing along with the potentially annoying antics, but also wisecracking with Edie Falco throughout the ceremony, joking about his physical resemblance to Shrek and, of course, actually showing up for performances of his Tony-award winning play, God of Carnage. — Andrew Osborne
63rd Tony Award Winners:
Competitive awards:
Best Play
Best Musical
Best Book of a Musical
- Lee Hall for Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
- Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (lyrics) for Next to Normal
Best Revival of a Play
Best Revival of a Musical
Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
- Marcia Gay Harden in God of Carnage
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
- David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish (joint nomination) in Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
- Alice Ripley in Next to Normal
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
- Roger Robinson in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
- Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
- Gregory Jbara in Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
- Karen Olivo in West Side Story
Best Scenic Design of a Play
- Derek McLane for 33 Variations
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
- Ian MacNeil for Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Costume Design of a Play
- Anthony Ward for Mary Stuart
Best Costume Design of a Musical
- Tim Hatley for Shrek the Musical
Best Lighting Design of a Play
- Brian MacDevitt for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
- Rick Fisher for Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Sound Design of a Play
- Gregory Clarke for Equus
Best Sound Design of a Musical
- Paul Arditti for Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Direction of a Play
- Matthew Warchus for God of Carnage
Best Direction of a Musical
- Stephen Daldry for Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Choreography
- Peter Darling for Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Orchestrations
TIE:
- Martin Koch for Billy Elliot, The Musical
- Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt for Next to Normal
Non-competitive awards
- Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre – Jerry Herman
- Regional Theatre Tony Award – Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia
- Isabelle Stevenson Award – Phyllis Newman
- Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre – Press Agent Shirley Herz
Here’s a link to a video with Bret Michaels on the morning of the Tony Awards telecast:
There’s also red carpet footage from the Tonys on the account — or you can view it here: http://www.newyorkhotflashes.com