'Once' and 'Clybourne Park' Win Top Tony Awards

"Once," the stage version of the Oscar-winning independent film, dominated the 66th annual Tony Awards, taking home a total of eight awards including best musical, direction of a musical, and in a surprise win, Steve Kazee as best actor in a musical. Danny Burstein of "Follies" and Jeremy Jordan of "Newsies" were seen in the industry as the forerunners. The team of producers indicated in the press room afterwards that the Tony wins might mean extra cities added the show's recently announced tour.

The Tonys were presented in a three-hour ceremony from Manhattan's Beacon Theater on Sunday night. "Newsies" which featured music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman won for best score. "Once" was ineligible, as the songs by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova were written for the film. "Clybourne Park," Bruce Norris's satiric Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama riff on Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun," was named best play. Both "Once" and "Clybourne Park" had previously played Off-Broadway before their current Broadway runs.

In another unexpected win, Nina Arianda was hailed as best actress in a play for her intense performance as a mysterious performer auditioning for the leading role of a dominatrix in David Ives' "Venus in Fur," another Off-Broadway-to-Broadway transfer, which is scheduled to close on June 17. Previous Tony winners Stockard Channing ("Other Desert Cities") and Linda Lavin ("The Lyons") and Tracie Bennett, the British actress who won Drama Dersk and Outer Critics Circle awards for her performance as Judy Garland in "End of the Rainbow," were seen as more likely winners. British actor James Corden was named best actor in a play for his hilarious turn as a wily servant in "One Man, Two Guvnors," beating out established American stars such as Philip Seymour Hoffman and James Earl Jones in revivals of the drama "Death of a Salesman" and "The Best Man." "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" won for best revival of a musical, and Audra McDonald won her fifth Tony and her first as a leading actress for her  performance as Bess. This ties McDonald with Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris for most Tonys won by an actress, and McDonald is the youngest to reach this milestone.

"Peter and the Starcatcher" won the second most awards after "Once," picking up a total of five prizes including best featured actor in a play for Christopher Borle's over-the-top performance as the pirate Black Stache and in the design categories of sets, sound, lighting, and costumes. Both "Once" and "Starcatcher" played Off-Broadway at the New York Theater Workshop.

The recently-closed hit production of "Death of a Salesman" took the best revival of a play category and its helmer Mike Nichols won his sixth directing Tony. Judith Light won for best featured actress in a play for "Other Desert Cities," which recently announced its closing date as June 17. Michael McGrath and Judy Kaye won for best featured actor and actress in a musical for "Nice Work If You Can Get It."

There were several emotional acceptance speeches. Both Judy Kaye and Steve Kazee tearfully spoke of recently departed parents. On the lighter side, Mike Nichols recalled attending the Beacon Theatre as a boy when it was a movie theater and winning a pie eating contest there. Previous Tony winners Beth Leavel and Norbert Leo Butz presented the design and special awards before the telecast and during commercial breaks.

Neil Patrick Harris hosted the ceremony for the third time, stopping the show with an elaborately staged original number called "What If Life Were More Like Theater" which also featured the cast of "The Book of Mormon," Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Patti LuPone. Harris also scored with a medley of show-tune titles and, in what has become a tradition for him as a Tony host, a closing song summarizing the entire evening. In addition to excerpts from shows nominated for best musical and musical revival, there were numbers from the current productions of "Godspell," "Ghost the Musical," and the Royal Caribbean cruise line edition of "Hairspray" broadcast live from onboard a ship.

A complete list of 2012 Tony Award nominees follows. (Winners are denoted by an asterisk.)

Best Play
*"Clybourne Park"
"Other Desert Cities"
"Peter and the Starcatcher"
"Venus in Fur"

Best Musical
"Leap of Faith"
"Newsies"
"Nice Work If You Can Get It"
*"Once"

Best Book of a Musical
Douglas Carter Beane, "Lysistrata Jones"
Harvey Fierstein, "Newsies"
Joe DiPietro, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
*Enda Walsh, "Once"

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Frank Wildhorn (music), Don Black (lyrics), "Bonnie & Clyde"
*Alan Menken (music), Jack Feldman (lyrics), "Newsies"
Grant Olding (music and lyrics), "One Man, Two Guvnors"
Wayne Barker (music), Rick Elice (lyrics), "Peter and the Starcatcher"

Best Revival of a Play
*"Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"
"Gore Vidal's The Best Man"
"Master Class"
"Wit"

Best Revival of a Musical
"Evita"
"Follies"
*"The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
"Jesus Christ Superstar"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
*James Corden, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"
James Earl Jones, "Gore Vidal's The Best Man"
Frank Langella, "Man and Boy"
John Lithgow, "The Columnist"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
*Nina Arianda, "Venus in Fur"
Tracie Bennett, "End of the Rainbow"
Stockard Channing, "Other Desert Cities"
Linda Lavin, "The Lyons"
Cynthia Nixon, "Wit"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, "Follies"
Jeremy Jordan, "Newsies"
*Steve Kazee, "Once"
Norm Lewis, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
Ron Raines, "Follies"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jan Maxwell, "Follies"
*Audra McDonald, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
Cristin Milioti, "Once"
Kelli O'Hara, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
Laura Osnes, "Bonnie & Clyde"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
*Christian Borle, "Peter and the Starcatcher"
Michael Cumpsty, "End of the Rainbow"
Tom Edden, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
Andrew Garfield, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"
Jeremy Shamos, "Clybourne Park"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role
Linda Emond, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"
Spencer Kayden, "Don't Dress for Dinner"
Celia Keenan-Bolger, "Peter and the Starcatcher"
*Judith Light, "Other Desert Cities"
Condola Rashad, "Stick Fly"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Phillip Boykin, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
Michael Cerveris, "Evita"
David Alan Grier, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
*Michael McGrath, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
Josh Young, "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Elizabeth A. Davis, "Once"
Jayne Houdyshell, "Follies"
*Judy Kaye, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
Jessie Mueller, "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever"
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "Ghost the Musical"

Best Direction of a Play:
Nicholas Hytner, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
Pam MacKinnon, "Clybourne Park"
*Mike Nichols, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"
Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, "Peter and the Starcatcher"

Best Direction of a Musical
Jeff Calhoun, "Newsies"
Kathleen Marshall, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
Diane Paulus, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
*John Tiffany, "Once"

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, "Evita"
*Christopher Gattelli, "Newsies"
Steven Hoggett, "Once"
Kathleen Marshall, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"

Best Orchestrations
William David Brohn and Christopher Jahnke, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
Bill Elliott, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
*Martin Lowe, "Once"
Danny Troob, "Newsies"

Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, "Other Desert Cities"
Daniel Ostling, "Clybourne Park"
Mark Thompson, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
*Donyale Werle, "Peter and the Starcatcher"

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
*Bob Crowley, "Once"
Rob Howell and Jon Driscoll, "Ghost the Musical"
Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel, "Newsies"
George Tsypin, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"

Best Costume Design of a Play
William Ivey Long, "Don't Dress for Dinner"
Paul Tazewell, "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Mark Thompson, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
*Paloma Young, "Peter and the Starcatcher"

Best Costume Design of a Musical
*Gregg Barnes, "Follies"
ESosa, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
Eiko Ishioka, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
Martin Pakledinaz, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"

Best Lighting Design of a Play
*Jeff Croiter, "Peter and the Starcatcher"
Peter Kaczorowski, "The Road to Mecca"
Brian MacDevitt, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"
Kenneth Posner, "Other Desert Cities"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Christopher Akerlind , "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
Natasha Katz, "Follies"
*Natasha Katz, "Once"
Hugh Vanstone, "Ghost the Musical"

Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
Scott Lehrer, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"
Gareth Owen, "End of the Rainbow"
*Darron L. West, "Peter and the Starcatcher"

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Acme Sound Partners, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"
*Clive Goodwin, "Once"
Kai Harada, "Follies"
Brian Ronan, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Emanuel Azenberg

Regional Theatre Award
The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Bernadette Peters

Special Tony Award:
Actors' Equity Association
Hugh Jackman

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater
Freddie Gershon
Artie Siccardi
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