# 17th Tony Awards

The 17th Annual Tony Awards took place on April 28, 1963, in the Hotel Americana Imperial Ballroom in New York City. The ceremony was broadcast on local television station WWOR-TV (Channel 9) in New York City. The awards were given to plays and musicals from the 1962/63 season that had their premiere on Broadway. The Masters of Ceremonies were Abe Burrows and Robert Morse.

## The ceremony

Presenters: Elizabeth Ashley, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Orson Bean, Vivian Blaine, Diahann Carroll, Dane Clark, Betty Field, Martin Gabel, Anita Gillette, June Havoc, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Pat Hingle, Celeste Holm, Nancy Kelly, Sam Levene, Walter Matthau, Helen Menken, Phyllis Newman, Maureen O'Sullivan, Charles Nelson Reilly, William Prince, Rosalind Russell, David Wayne. Music was by Meyer Davis and his Orchestra.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold
Sources: InfoPlease, BroadwayWorld
| Best Play | Best Musical |
| Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Edward Albee A Thousand Clowns – Herb Gardner Mother Courage and Her Children – Bertolt Brecht Tchin-Tchin – Sidney Michaels | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Little Me Oliver! Stop the World – I Want to Get Off |
| Best Producer (Dramatic) | Best Producer (Musical) |
| Richard Barr and Clinton Wilder – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Actors Studio Theatre – Strange Interlude Cheryl Crawford and Jerome Robbins – Mother Courage and Her Children Paul Vroom, Buff Cobb and Burry Fredrik – Too True to Be Good | Harold Prince – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin – Little Me David Merrick and Donald Albery – Oliver! |
| Best Author (Musical) | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre |
| Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Lionel Bart – Oliver! Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley – Stop the World – I Want to Get Off Neil Simon – Little Me | Oliver! – Lionel Bart (music and lyrics) Stop the World – I Want to Get Off – Anthony Newley (music) and Leslie Bricusse (lyrics) Little Me – Cy Coleman (music) and Carolyn Leigh (lyrics) Bravo Giovanni – Milton Schafer (music) and Ronny Graham (lyrics) |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play |
| Arthur Hill – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as George Charles Boyer – Lord Pengo as Lord Pengo Paul Ford – Never Too Late as Harry Lambert Bert Lahr – The Beauty Part as Various Characters | Uta Hagen – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as Martha Hermione Baddeley – The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore as Flora Goforth Margaret Leighton – Tchin-Tchin as Pamela Pew-Pickett Claudia McNeil – Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright as Mama Morris |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical |
| Zero Mostel – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Pseudolus Sid Caesar – Little Me as Various Characters Anthony Newley – Stop the World – I Want to Get Off as Littlechap Clive Revill – Oliver! as Fagin | Vivien Leigh – Tovarich as Tatiana Georgia Brown – Oliver! as Nancy Nanette Fabray – Mr. President as Nell Henderson Sally Ann Howes – Brigadoon as Fiona MacLaren |
| Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play |
| Alan Arkin – Enter Laughing as David Kolowitz Barry Gordon – A Thousand Clowns as Nick Burns Paul Rogers – Photo Finish as Reginald Kinsale, Esq. Frank Silvera – The Lady of the Camellias as M. Duval | Sandy Dennis – A Thousand Clowns as Sandra Markowitz Melinda Dillon – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as Honey Alice Ghostley – The Beauty Part as Various Characters Zohra Lampert – Mother Courage and Her Children as Kattrin |
| Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Musical |
| David Burns – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Senex Jack Gilford – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Hysterium David Jones – Oliver! as The Artful Dodger Swen Swenson – Little Me as George Musgrove | Anna Quayle – Stop the World – I Want to Get Off as Various Characters Ruth Kobart – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Domina Virginia Martin – Little Me as Young Belle Poitrine Louise Troy – Tovarich as Natalia Mayovskaya |
| Best Direction of a Play | Best Direction of a Musical |
| Alan Schneider – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George Abbott – Never Too Late John Gielgud – The School for Scandal Peter Glenville – Tchin-Tchin | George Abbott – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Peter Coe – Oliver! John Fearnley – Brigadoon Cy Feuer and Bob Fosse – Little Me |
| Best Choreography | Best Conductor and Musical Director |
| Bob Fosse – Little Me Carol Haney – Bravo Giovanni | Donald Pippin – Oliver! Jay Blackton – Mr. President Anton Coppola – Bravo Giovanni Julius Rudel – Brigadoon |
| Best Stage Technician | Best Scenic Design |
| Solly Pernick – Mr. President Milton Smith – Beyond the Fringe | Sean Kenny – Oliver! Will Steven Armstrong – Tchin-Tchin Anthony Powell – The School for Scandal Franco Zeffirelli – The Lady of the Camellias |
| Best Costume Design ||
| Anthony Powell – The School for Scandal Marcel Escoffier – The Lady of the Camellias Robert Fletcher – Little Me Motley – Mother Courage and Her Children ||

## Special award

* Bette Davis, honored for her work with the National Repertory Theatre.