55th Tony Awards explained

55th Tony Awards
Date:	June 3, 2001
Location:	Radio City Music Hall, New York City, New York
Host:	Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane
Most Wins:	The Producers (12)
Most Nominations:	The Producers (15)
Network:	CBS
Producer:	Ricky Kirshner Gary Smith
Director:	Glenn Weiss
Ratings:	8.9 million^[1]
Previous:	54th
Main:	Tony Awards
Next:	56th

The 55th Annual Tony Awards was held at Radio City Music Hall on June 3, 2001 and broadcast by CBS. "The First Ten" awards ceremony was telecast on PBS television . The event was co-hosted by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. The Producers won 12 awards (every award it was eligible to win), breaking the 37-year-old record set by Hello, Dolly! to become the most awarded show in Tony Awards history. Mel Brooks's win made him the eighth person to become an EGOT.

Eligibility

Shows that opened on Broadway during the 2000–01 season before May 3, 2001 are eligible.

Original plays

Original musicals

Play revivals

The Best Man
Betrayal
Design for Living
Macbeth
The Man Who Came to Dinner
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe

Musical revivals

Bells Are Ringing
Follies
42nd Street
The Rocky Horror Show

The ceremony

Presenters: Joan Allen, Dick Cavett, Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Close, Dame Edna, Edie Falco, Kathleen Freeman, Gina Gershon, Heather Headley, Cherry Jones, Jane Krakowski, Marc Kudisch, Eric McCormack, Audra McDonald, Reba McEntire, Donna McKechnie, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Natasha Richardson, Doris Roberts, Gary Sinise, Lily Tomlin, Henry Winkler, and three "Broadway Babies" (Meredith Patterson, Bryn Bowling, and Carol Bentley).^[2]

The musicals that performed were:^[2] ^[3]

A Class Act ("Follow Your Star"/"Better"/"Self Portrait"—Nancy Anderson, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Donna Bullock, Randy Graff, David Hibbard, Lonny Price, Patrick Quinn, Sara Ramirez);
Bells Are Ringing ("I'm Going Back" -- Faith Prince);
42nd Street ("42nd Street" -- David Elder, Kate Levering and company);
Follies ("I'm Still Here" -- Polly Bergen with Louis Zorich, Jessica Leigh Brown, Colleen Dunn, Amy Heggins, and Wendy Waring);
The Full Monty ("Let It Go"—John Ellison Conlee, Jason Danieley, André De Shields, Kathleen Freeman, Romain Fruge, Marcus Neville, Patrick Wilson, Thomas Fiss, and company);
Jane Eyre ("Sirens" -- Marla Schaffel and James Barbour);
The Producers, the new Mel Brooks Musical ("Along Came Bialy" -- Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Matthew Broderick, Cady Huffman, Nathan Lane, Brad Oscar, and company); and
The Rocky Horror Show ("Time Warp" -- Dick Cavett, Lea Delaria, Jerrod Emick, Kristen Lee Kelly, Alice Ripley, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tom Hewitt, Raul Esparza, Sebastian LaCause, and company).

Plays were also presented:^[2] ^[3]

The Invention of Love, introduced by playwright Tom Stoppard. Montage with voice-over by Richard Easton.
King Hedley II, introduced by playwright August Wilson. Excerpt performed by Viola Davis and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, introduced by Joan Allen. Excerpt performed by Gary Sinise, Amy Morton, Tim Sampson, Bruce McCarty, Jeanine Morick, and Afram Bill Williams.
Proof, introduced by playwright David Auburn. Scene with Mary-Louise Parker and Ben Shenkman.
The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, introduced by playwright Charles Busch. Scene with Linda Lavin, Tony Roberts, and Michele Lee.

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold

Source: BroadwayWorld^[4]

! style="background:silver; width:50%;"	Best Play	! style="background:silver; width:50%;"	Best Musical
Proof – David Auburn The Invention of Love – Tom Stoppard King Hedley II – August Wilson The Tale of the Allergist's Wife – Charles Busch	*The Producers* A Class Act The Full Monty Jane Eyre
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Revival of a Play	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Revival of a Musical
*One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* Betrayal The Best Man The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe	*42nd Street* Bells Are Ringing Follies The Rocky Horror Show
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
*Richard Easton – The Invention of Love* as A. E. Housman** Seán Campion – Stones in His Pockets as Jake Quinn Conleth Hill – Stones in His Pockets as Charlie Conlon Brian Stokes Mitchell – King Hedley II as King Gary Sinise – One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as Randle P. McMurphy	*Mary-Louise Parker – Proof* as Catherine** Juliette Binoche – Betrayal as Emma Linda Lavin – The Tale of the Allergist's Wife as Marjorie Taub Jean Smart – The Man Who Came to Dinner as Lorraine Sheldon Leslie Uggams – King Hedley II as Ruby
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
*Nathan Lane – The Producers* as Max Bialystock** Matthew Broderick – The Producers as Leo Bloom Kevin Chamberlin – Seussical as Horton the Elephant Tom Hewitt – The Rocky Horror Show as Frank N Furter Patrick Wilson – The Full Monty as Jerry Lukowski	*Christine Ebersole – 42nd Street* as Dorothy Brock** Blythe Danner – Follies as Phyllis Rogers Stone Randy Graff – A Class Act as Sophie Faith Prince – Bells Are Ringing as Ella Peterson Marla Schaffel – Jane Eyre as Jane Eyre
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
*Robert Sean Leonard – The Invention of Love* as A. E. Housman** Charles Brown – King Hedley II as Elmore Larry Bryggman – Proof as Robert Michael Hayden – Judgment at Nuremberg as Oscar Rolfe Ben Shenkman – Proof as Hal	*Viola Davis – King Hedley II* as Tonya** Johanna Day – Proof as Claire Penny Fuller – The Dinner Party as Gabrielle Buonocelli Marthe Keller – Judgment at Nuremberg as Mme. Bertholt Michele Lee – The Tale of the Allergist's Wife as Lee
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
*Gary Beach – The Producers* as Roger DeBris** Roger Bart – The Producers as Carmen Ghia John Ellison Conlee – The Full Monty as Dave Bukatinsky André DeShields – The Full Monty as Noah "Horse" T. Simmons Brad Oscar – The Producers as Franz Liebkind	*Cady Huffman – The Producers* as Ulla** Polly Bergen – Follies as Carlotta Campion Kathleen Freeman – The Full Monty as Jeanette Burmeister Kate Levering – 42nd Street as Peggy Sawyer Mary Testa – 42nd Street as Maggie Jones
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Book of a Musical	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan – The Producers Linda Kline and Lonny Price – A Class Act Terrence McNally – The Full Monty John Caird – Jane Eyre	The Producers – Mel Brooks (music and lyrics) A Class Act – Edward Kleban (music and lyrics) The Full Monty – David Yazbek (music and lyrics) Jane Eyre – Paul Gordon (music and lyrics)
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Scenic Design	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Costume Design
Robin Wagner – The Producers Bob Crowley – The Invention of Love Heidi Ettinger – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Douglas W. Schmidt – 42nd Street	William Ivey Long – The Producers Theoni V. Aldredge – Follies Roger Kirk – 42nd Street David C. Woolard – The Rocky Horror Show
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Lighting Design	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Orchestrations
Peter Kaczorowski – The Producers Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer – Jane Eyre Paul Gallo – 42nd Street Kenneth Posner – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer	Doug Besterman – The Producers Larry Hochman – A Class Act Jonathan Tunick – Follies Harold Wheeler – The Full Monty
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Direction of a Play	! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Direction of a Musical
Daniel Sullivan – Proof Marion McClinton – King Hedley II Ian McElhinney – Stones in His Pockets Jack O'Brien – The Invention of Love	Susan Stroman – The Producers Christopher Ashley – The Rocky Horror Show Mark Bramble – 42nd Street Jack O'Brien – The Full Monty
! style="background:silver; width=;"50%"	Best Choreography
Susan Stroman – The Producers Jerry Mitchell – The Full Monty Jim Moore, George Pinney and Jonathan Vanderkolff – Blast! Randy Skinner – 42nd Street