24th Tony Awards explained

24th Tony Awards
Date:	April 19, 1970
Location:	Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York City, New York
Host:	Julie Andrews, Shirley MacLaine and Walter Matthau
Network:	NBC
Previous:	23rd
Main:	Tony Awards
Next:	25th

The 24th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by NBC television on April 19, 1970, from the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City. Hosts were Julie Andrews, Shirley MacLaine and Walter Matthau.

The ceremony

Presenters: Clive Barnes, Mia Farrow, Elliott Gould, Claire Bloom, Michael Caine, Jack Cassidy, David Frost, Cary Grant, Patricia Neal, George C. Scott, James Stewart, Maggie Smith, Robert Stephens.^[1]

Musicals represented:

• Applause ("Applause" - Bonnie Franklin and Company/"Welcome to the Theatre" and "Applause" (reprise) - Lauren Bacall and Company)
• Coco ("Always Mademoiselle" - Katharine Hepburn and Company)
• Purlie ("I Got Love" - Melba Moore/"Walk Him up the Stairs" - Cleavon Little and Company)

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold

Best Play	Best Musical
Borstal Boy – Frank McMahon Child's Play – Robert Marasco Indians – Arthur Kopit Last of the Red Hot Lovers – Neil Simon	Applause Coco Purlie
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Fritz Weaver – Child's Play as Jerome Malley James Coco – Last of the Red Hot Lovers as Barney Cashman Frank Grimes – Borstal Boy as Young Behan Stacy Keach – Indians as Buffalo Bill	Tammy Grimes – Private Lives as Amanda Prynne Geraldine Brooks – Brightower as Sara Brightower Helen Hayes – Harvey as Veta Louise Simmons
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Cleavon Little – Purlie as Purlie Len Cariou – Applause as Bill Sampson Robert Weede – Cry for Us All as Edward Quinn	Lauren Bacall – Applause as Margo Channing Katharine Hepburn – Coco as Coco Chanel Dilys Watling – Georgy as Georgina 'Georgy' Parkin
Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play
Ken Howard – Child's Play as Paul Reese Joseph Bova – The Chinese and Dr. Fish as Mr. Lee Dennis King – A Patriot for Me as Baron von Epp	Blythe Danner – Butterflies Are Free as Jill Tanner Alice Drummond – The Chinese and Dr. Fish as Mrs. Lee Eileen Heckart – Butterflies Are Free as Mrs. Baker Linda Lavin – Last of the Red Hot Lovers as Elaine Navazio
Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Musical
René Auberjonois – Coco as Sebastian Baye Brandon Maggart – Applause as Buzz Richards George Rose – Coco as Louis Greff	Melba Moore – Purlie as Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins Bonnie Franklin – Applause as Bonnie the Gypsy Penny Fuller – Applause as Eve Harrington Melissa Hart – Georgy as Meredith
Best Direction of a Play	Best Direction of a Musical
Joseph Hardy – Child's Play Milton Katselas – Butterflies Are Free Tómas Mac Anna – Borstal Boy Robert Moore – Last of the Red Hot Lovers	Ron Field – Applause Michael Benthall – Coco Philip Rose – Purlie
Best Choreography	Best Scenic Design
Ron Field – Applause Michael Bennett – Coco Grover Dale – Billy Louis Johnson – Purlie	Jo Mielziner – Child's Play Howard Bay – Cry for Us All Ming Cho Lee – Billy Robert Randolph – Applause
Best Costume Design	Best Lighting Design
Cecil Beaton – Coco Ray Aghayan – Applause W. Robert Lavine – Jimmy Freddy Wittop – A Patriot for Me	Jo Mielziner – Child's Play Tharon Musser – Applause Thomas Skelton – Indians

Special awards

• Sir Noël Coward for his multiple and immortal contributions to the theatre
• Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
• New York Shakespeare Festival, for pioneering efforts on behalf of new plays
• Barbra Streisand – Star of the Decade ^[2]

Multiple nominations and awards

These productions had multiple nominations:

• 11 nominations: Applause
• 7 nominations: Coco
• 6 nominations: Child's Play
• 5 nominations: Purlie
• 4 nominations: Last of the Red Hot Lovers
• 3 nominations: Borstal Boy, Butterflies Are Free and Indians
• 2 nominations: Billy, The Chinese and Dr. Fish, Cry for Us All, Georgy and A Patriot for Me

The following productions received multiple awards.

• 5 wins: Child's Play
• 4 wins: Applause
• 2 wins: Coco and Purlie

External links

• Tony Awards Official Site

Notes and References

1. Program for The 24th Annual Antoinette Perry Awards at Mark Hellinger Theater, New York. Playbill, 1970.
2. Web site: Columbia Records News: Barbra Streisand Goes Gold for Groundbreaking 52nd Time with "Partners" . The Recording Industry Association of America . November 7, 2014. November 7, 2014.