# 13th Tony Awards

The 13th Annual Tony Awards took place at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom on April 12, 1959, and was broadcast on local television station WCBS-TV in New York City. The Master of Ceremonies was Bud Collyer.

## The ceremony

Presenters: Dana Andrews, Ina Balin, Ralph Bellamy, Polly Bergen, Claudette Colbert, Robert Dowling, Faye Emerson, Farley Granger, Oscar Hammerstein II, Celeste Holm, Robert Preston, and Rip Torn. Music was by Meyer Davis and his Orchestra.

## Winners and nominees

Source:InfoPlease
Winners are in bold
| Best Play | Best Musical |
| J.B. – Archibald MacLeish A Touch of the Poet – Eugene O'Neill Epitaph for George Dillon – John Osborne and Anthony Creighton The Disenchanted – Budd Schulberg and Harvey Breit The Visit – Friedrich Dürrenmatt | Redhead Flower Drum Song La Plume de Ma Tante |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play |
| Jason Robards – The Disenchanted as Manley Halliday Cedric Hardwicke – A Majority of One as Koichi Asano Alfred Lunt – The Visit as Anton Schill Christopher Plummer – J.B. as Nickles Cyril Ritchard – The Pleasure of His Company as Biddeford Poole Robert Stephens – Epitaph for George Dillon as George Dillon | Gertrude Berg – A Majority of One as Bertha Jacoby Claudette Colbert – The Marriage-Go-Round as Content Lowell Lynn Fontanne – The Visit as Claire Zachanassian Kim Stanley – A Touch of the Poet as Sara Melody Maureen Stapleton – The Cold Wind And The Warm as Aunt Ida |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical |
| Richard Kiley – Redhead as Tom Baxter Larry Blyden – Flower Drum Song as Sammy Fong | Gwen Verdon – Redhead as Essie Whimple Miyoshi Umeki – Flower Drum Song as Mei-Li |
| Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play |
| Charlie Ruggles – The Pleasure of His Company as Mackenzie Savage Marc Connelly – Tall Story as Professor Charles Osman George Grizzard – The Disenchanted as Shep Stearns Walter Matthau – Once More, with Feeling! as Maxwell Archer Robert Morse – Say, Darling as Ted Snow George C. Scott – Comes a Day as Tydings Glenn | Julie Newmar – The Marriage-Go-Round as Katrin Sveg Maureen Delany – God and Kate Murphy as Carrie Donovan Dolores Hart – The Pleasure of His Company as Jessica Poole Nan Martin – J.B. as Sarah Bertice Reading – Requiem for a Nun as Nancy Mannigoe |
| Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Musical |
| Russell Nype – Goldilocks as George Randolph Brown (tie) Leonard Stone – Redhead as George Poppett (tie) | Pat Stanley – Goldilocks as Lois Lee Julienne Marie – Whoop-Up as Mary Champlain |
| Best Director | Best Choreography |
| Elia Kazan – J.B. Peter Brook – The Visit Robert Dhéry – La Plume de Ma Tante William Gaskill – Epitaph for George Dillon Peter Glenville – Rashomon Cyril Ritchard – The Pleasure of His Company Dore Schary – A Majority of One | Bob Fosse – Redhead Agnes de Mille – Goldilocks Carol Haney – Flower Drum Song Onna White – Whoop-Up |
| Best Scenic Design | Best Costume Design |
| Donald Oenslager – A Majority of One Boris Aronson – J.B. Ballou – The Legend of Lizzie Ben Edwards – Jane Eyre Oliver Messel – Rashomon Teo Otto – The Visit | Rouben Ter-Arutunian – Redhead Antonio Castillo – Goldilocks Dorothy Jenkins – The World of Suzie Wong Oliver Messel – Rashomon Irene Sharaff – Flower Drum Song |
| Best Conductor and Musical Director | Best Stage Technician |
| Salvatore Dell'Isola – Flower Drum Song Jay Blackston – Redhead Lehman Engel – Goldilocks Gershon Kingsley – La Plume de Ma Tante | Sam Knapp – The Music Man Thomas Fitzgerald – Who Was That Lady I Saw You With? Edward Flynn – The Most Happy Fella |

## Special awards

* John Gielgud, for contribution to theatre for his extraordinary insight into the writings of Shakespeare as demonstrated in his one-man play, Ages of Man.
* Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, for a collaboration that lasted longer than Gilbert and Sullivan.
* Cast of La Plume de Ma Tante: Pamela Austin, Colette Brosset, Roger Caccia, Yvonne Constant, Genevieve Coulombel, Robert Dhéry, Michael Kent, Jean Lefevre, Jacques Legras, Michael Modo, Pierre Olaf, Nicole Parent, Ross Parker, Henri Pennec, for contribution to the theatre.