# 34th Tony Awards

The 34th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS television on June 8, 1980, from the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The hosts were Mary Tyler Moore and Jason Robards. The theme was "understudies"; each of the hosts and presenters had been understudies and offered anecdotes of that beginning.

## Eligibility

Shows that opened on Broadway during the 1979–1980 season before May 15, 1980 are eligible.

## The ceremony

Presenters: Eve Arden, Carol Channing, Hume Cronyn, Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow, James Earl Jones, Elia Kazan, Richard Kiley, James MacArthur, Nancy Marchand, Dudley Moore, Anthony Perkins, Gilda Radner, Lynn Redgrave, Tony Roberts, Jessica Tandy, Cicely Tyson, Dick Van Dyke.
Musicals represented:
* A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine ("Doin' the Production Code" - Company)
* Barnum ("Come Follow the Band"/"There is a Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute" - Jim Dale and Company)
* Evita ("A New Argentina" - Patti LuPone and Company)
* Oklahoma! ("People Will Say We're In Love" - Joel Higgins and Christine Andreas)
* Peter Pan ("I'm Flying" - Sandy Duncan and children)
* Sugar Babies ("A McHugh Medley" - Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney)
* West Side Story ("America" - Debbie Allen and Company)

## Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold
| Best Play | Best Musical |
| Children of a Lesser God – Mark Medoff Bent – Martin Sherman Home – Samm-Art Williams Talley's Folly – Lanford Wilson | Evita A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine Barnum Sugar Babies |
| Best Revival | Best Book of a Musical |
| Morning's at Seven Major Barbara Peter Pan West Side Story | Tim Rice – Evita Dick Vosburgh – A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine Mark Bramble – Barnum Ralph G. Allen and Harry Rigby – Sugar Babies |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play |
| John Rubinstein – Children of a Lesser God as James Leeds Charles Brown – Home as Cephus Miles Gerald Hiken – Strider as Strider Judd Hirsch – Talley's Folly as Matt Friedman | Phyllis Frelich – Children of a Lesser God as Sarah Norman Blythe Danner – Betrayal as Emma Maggie Smith – Night and Day as Ruth Carson Anne Twomey – Nuts as Claudia Draper |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical |
| Jim Dale – Barnum as P. T. Barnum Gregory Hines – Comin' Uptown as Scrooge Mickey Rooney – Sugar Babies as Mickey Giorgio Tozzi – The Most Happy Fella as Tony | Patti LuPone – Evita as Eva Perón Christine Andreas – Oklahoma! as Laurey Williams Sandy Duncan – Peter Pan as Peter Pan Ann Miller – Sugar Babies as Ann |
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play |
| David Rounds – Morning's at Seven as Homer Bolton David Dukes – Bent as Horst George Hearn – Watch on the Rhine as Kurt Muller Earle Hyman – The Lady from Dubuque as Oscar Joseph Maher – Night and Day as Geoffrey Carson | Dinah Manoff – I Ought to Be in Pictures as Libby Tucker Maureen Anderman – The Lady from Dubuque as Carol Pamela Burrell – Strider as Various Characters Lois de Banzie – Morning's at Seven as Myrtle Brown |
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical |
| Mandy Patinkin – Evita as Che David Garrison – A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine as Serge B. Samovar Harry Groener – Oklahoma! as Will Parker Bob Gunton – Evita as Juan Perón | Priscilla Lopez – A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine as Gino/Usherette Debbie Allen – West Side Story as Anita Glenn Close – Barnum as Charity 'Chairy' Barnum Josie de Guzman – West Side Story as Maria |
| Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Best Choreography |
| Evita – Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics) A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine – Frank Lazarus (music) and Dick Vosburgh (lyrics) Barnum – Cy Coleman (music) and Michael Stewart (lyrics) Sugar Babies – Arthur Malvin (music and lyrics) | Tommy Tune and Thommie Walsh – A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine Ernest Flatt – Sugar Babies Larry Fuller – Evita Joe Layton – Barnum |
| Best Direction of a Play | Best Direction of a Musical |
| Vivian Matalon – Morning's at Seven Gordon Davidson – Children of a Lesser God Peter Hall – Betrayal Marshall W. Mason – Talley's Folly | Harold Prince – Evita Ernest Flatt and Rudy Tronto – Sugar Babies Joe Layton – Barnum Tommy Tune – A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine |
| Best Scenic Design | Best Costume Design |
| John Lee Beatty – Talley's Folly David Mitchell – Barnum Timothy O'Brien and Tazeena Firth – Evita Tony Walton – A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine | Theoni V. Aldredge – Barnum Pierre Balmain – Happy New Year Timothy O'Brien and Tazeena Firth – Evita Raoul Pene Du Bois – Sugar Babies |
| Best Lighting Design ||
| David Hersey – Evita Beverly Emmons – A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine Craig Miller – Barnum Dennis Parichy – Talley's Folly ||

## Special awards

* Lawrence Langner Memorial Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre — Helen Hayes
* Regional Theatre Award Winner - Actors Theatre of Louisville, Kentucky
* Mary Tyler Moore, Whose Life Is It Anyway?.