# 55th Tony Awards

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.

## 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).
The musicals that performed were:
* 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:
* 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
| Best Play | 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 |
| Best Revival of a Play | 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 |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | 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 |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | 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 |
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play | 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 |
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | 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 |
| Best Book of a Musical | 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) |
| Best Scenic Design | 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 |
| Best Lighting Design | 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 |
| Best Direction of a Play | 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 |
| Best Choreography |
| Susan Stroman – The Producers Jerry Mitchell – The Full Monty Jim Moore, George Pinney and Jonathan Vanderkolff – Blast! Randy Skinner – 42nd Street |

## Special awards

Regional Theatre Award
* Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois
Special Theatrical Event
* Blast!
Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award
* Paul Gemignani
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
* Betty Corwin and the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
* New Dramatists
* Theatre World