63rd Tony Awards

The 63rd Annual Tony Awards, which recognized Broadway productions of the 2008-2009 season, were presented on June 7, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony was broadcast by CBS, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

The cut-off date for eligibility for the awards was April 30, 2009. Nominations were announced on May 5, 2009 by Cynthia Nixon and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Of the musicals, Billy Elliot the Musical received 15 nominations, every one that it was eligible for, which tied for the most received by any Broadway production until this record was surpassed by Hamilton (16), followed by the Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner Next to Normal with eleven. Among the nominees for Best Revival of a Musical, Hair had the most nominations, with eight. Of the plays, the revivals Mary Stuart and The Norman Conquests tied for the most nominations, with seven each. All four stars of God of Carnage were nominated, as was the play itself. Billy Elliot won 10 awards, the most of the night, including Best Musical. Next to Normal and God of Carnage each won three.

The Isabelle Stevenson Award, a non-competitive award named after the late president of the American Theatre Wing, was presented for the first time. Its purpose is to recognize individuals from the theatre community who have volunteered time to one or more humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations. The first recipient of this honor was Phyllis Newman. This was the first non-competitive category to be introduced since the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre was established in 1990.

The broadcast won the 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Programs. The telecast also was nominated in the category of Outstanding Art Direction for Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming.

Eligibility
Shows that opened on Broadway during the 2008–09 season before May 1, 2009 are eligible.


 * Original plays
 * The American Plan
 * Dividing the Estate
 * God of Carnage
 * Impressionism
 * Irena's Vow
 * Reasons to Be Pretty
 * 33 Variations
 * To Be or Not to Be


 * Original musicals
 * Billy Elliot the Musical
 * Next to Normal
 * 9 to 5
 * Rock of Ages
 * Shrek The Musical
 * The Story of My Life
 * A Tale of Two Cities
 * 13
 * title of show
 * White Christmas


 * Play revivals
 * Accent on Youth
 * ''All My Sons
 * American Buffalo
 * Blithe Spirit
 * Desire Under the Elms
 * Equus
 * Exit the King
 * ''Hedda Gabler
 * ''Joe Turner's Come and Gone
 * Mary Stuart
 * A Man for All Seasons
 * ''The Norman Conquests
 * The Philanthropist
 * ''The Seagull
 * ''Speed-the-Plow
 * ''Waiting for Godot


 * Musical revivals
 * Guys and Dolls
 * Hair
 * Pal Joey
 * West Side Story

Pre-telecast events
The Visa Signature Tony Awards Preview Concert featured performers from the musicals Guys and Dolls, Hair, West Side Story, 9 to 5; Billy Elliot the Musical, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, and Shrek The Musical. The concert was televised on various CBS stations, and in New York City on May 30. Newscaster Harry Smith from The Early Show hosted the special.

The red-carpet arrivals and pre-Tony telecast awards (Creative Arts Awards) were webcast on TonyAwards.com. A Creative Arts Awards (CAA) ceremony, hosted by Laura Benanti and Brian Stokes Mitchell, was held prior to the main ceremony. The CAA presented the awards for orchestrations and scenery, costume, lighting and sound design.

Presenters
Presenters included Lucie Arnaz, Kate Burton, Kristin Chenoweth, Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Edie Falco, Will Ferrell, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Hallie Foote, James Gandolfini, Lauren Graham, Colin Hanks, Marcia Gay Harden, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Lange, Frank Langella, Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, David Hyde Pierce, Piper Perabo, Oliver Platt, Susan Sarandon, John Stamos and Chandra Wilson.

Performances
Performances included scenes from nine Broadway musicals: Billy Elliot the Musical (with an appearance by Elton John); Guys and Dolls, with Tituss Burgess and company performing "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" (at the start of the performance, Burgess's microphone was not working, so a stagehand ran up to him to give him a handheld); Hair, with the company performing the title song and "Let the Sunshine In"; Next to Normal, with Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, and Aaron Tveit performing "You Don't Know/I Am The One"; Pal Joey, represented by Stockard Channing singing a few lines from "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" during the opening segment; Rock of Ages, with Constantine Maroulis and fellow cast members singing "Don't Stop Believin'"; Shrek the Musical, with the company performing "What's Up, Duloc"; West Side Story, with the company performing the Dance At The Gym; and 9 to 5, with Dolly Parton joining the cast to sing the title tune. Cast members from national touring companies of three musicals also appeared: The lead character from four Jersey Boys casts (Joseph Leo Bwarie (Toronto), Rick Faugno (Las Vegas), Courter Simmons (national tour) and Dominic Scaglione, Jr. (Chicago) sang together with Jarrod Spector from the Broadway cast; Legally Blonde spotlighted Becky Gulsvig; and Michelle Dawson, Kittra Wynn Coomer and Rachel Tyler from the national tour of Mamma Mia! sang "Dancing Queen" with fellow cast members.

Performers from the nominated Best Plays category presented brief clips of those plays, which included God of Carnage, 33 Variations, Dividing the Estate and Reasons to Be Pretty.

Liza Minnelli performed in the opening sequence, and rock icon Bret Michaels and his band Poison joined the cast of Rock of Ages during their segment in the opening number, performing the band's 1988 Top Ten hit "Nothin' but a Good Time". While exiting the stage, Michaels was struck in the head by a descending set and knocked to the floor. He suffered a fractured nose and a split lip that required three stitches. He subsequently sued the event's organizers, claiming that the collision led to his 2010 brain hemorrhage. The suit was settled in May 2012 for an undisclosed amount.

Neil Patrick Harris ended the show with a pastiche of "Tonight" from West Side Story and "Luck Be a Lady" from Guys and Dolls, with lyrics re-written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman that recapped the awards.

Competitive awards
Winners in bold.

In Memoriam
Bebe Neuwirth introduced a special number to honor those who died during the past theatre season. The Broadway Inspirational Voices and orchestra performed "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line. Broadway theatres dimmed their lights in memoriam, as well. Among those remembered were:


 * Natasha Richardson
 * Gerald Schoenfeld
 * Harold Pinter
 * Luther Davis
 * Estelle Getty
 * Dale Wasserman
 * A. Larry Haines
 * Edie Adams
 * Bruce Adler
 * Horton Foote
 * James Whitmore
 * Sydney Chaplin
 * Clive Barnes
 * Marilyn Cooper
 * Tom O'Horgan
 * Bea Arthur
 * Ron Silver
 * Robert Prosky
 * Roy Somlyo
 * Robert Anderson
 * Lee Solters
 * Pat Hingle
 * Irving Cheskin
 * Anna Manahan
 * Sam Cohn
 * George Furth
 * Eartha Kitt
 * Hugh Leonard
 * Rodger McFarlane
 * William Gibson
 * Tharon Musser
 * Paul Sills
 * Lawrence Miller
 * Paul Newman

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

Multiple nominations and awards
These productions had multiple nominations:


 * 15 nominations: Billy Elliot the Musical
 * 11 nominations: Next to Normal
 * 8 nominations: Hair & Shrek The Musical
 * 7 nominations: Mary Stuart & The Norman Conquests
 * 6 nominations: God of Carnage & Joe Turner's Come and Gone
 * 5 nominations: Rock of Ages & 33 Variations
 * 4 nominations: Exit the King, 9 to 5, Pal Joey & West Side Story
 * 3 nominations: Reasons to Be Pretty & Waiting for Godot
 * 2 nominations: Blithe Spirit, Dividing the Estate, Equus, Guys and Dolls & White Christmas

The following productions received multiple awards.
 * 10 wins: Billy Elliot the Musical
 * 3 wins: God of Carnage & Next to Normal
 * 2 wins: Joe Turner's Come and Gone