# 37th Tony Awards

The 37th Annual Tony Awards was held at the Gershwin Theatre on June 5, 1983, and broadcast by CBS television. Hosts were Richard Burton, Lena Horne, and Jack Lemmon.

## Eligibility

Shows that opened on Broadway during the 1982–1983 season before May 16, 1983 are eligible.

## The ceremony

Presenters included George Abbott, Diahann Carroll, David Cassidy, James Coco, Cleavant Derricks, Colleen Dewhurst, Sergio Franchi, Bonnie Franklin, Peter Michael Goetz, Mark Hamill, Cheryl Hartley, Florence Lacey, Frank Langella, Court Miller, Liliane Montevecchi, Jerry Orbach, Jay Patterson, John Rubinstein, and Pamela Sousa.
The Special Salute was a medley of George Gershwin songs. At the end of the ceremony the Uris Theatre was renamed the Gershwin Theatre. Songs included: "The Real American Folk Song" sung by Diahann Carroll, "Stairway to Paradise" sung by Ben Vereen, "Somebody Loves Me" sung by Jack Lemmon and Ginger Rogers, "Lady Be Good" sung by Hal Linden and Ginger Rogers, "Someone to Watch Over Me" sung by Melissa Manchester, "How Long Has This Been Going On?" sung by Bonnie Franklin, "Vodka" sung by Dorothy Loudon, "I Got Rhythm" sung by Michele Lee and "There's a Boat dat's Leavin' Soon For New York" sung by Robert Guillaume.
Musicals represented:
* Cats, "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" - Company/"Memory" - Betty Buckley
* Merlin, "It's About Magic" - Doug Henning, Company
* My One and Only, "Kicking the Clouds Away" - Tommy Tune, Company
During his acceptance speech, Torch Song Trilogy producer John Glines thanked his partner and lover, Lawrence Lane, in a statement widely thought to be the first open acknowledgement of a gay partner at a major awards show.

## Winners and nominees

Source: BroadwayWorld
Winners are in bold
| Best Play | Best Musical |
| Torch Song Trilogy – Harvey Fierstein Angels Fall – Lanford Wilson 'night, Mother – Marsha Norman Plenty – David Hare | Cats Blues in the Night Merlin My One and Only |
| Best Revival | Best Book of a Musical |
| On Your Toes All's Well That Ends Well A View from the Bridge The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial | T.S. Eliot – Cats Betty Comden and Adolph Green – A Doll's Life Richard Levinson and William Link – Merlin Peter Stone and Timothy S. Mayer – My One and Only |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play |
| Harvey Fierstein – Torch Song Trilogy as Arnold Beckoff Jeffrey DeMunn – K2 as Taylor Edward Herrmann – Plenty as Raymond Brock Tony Lo Bianco – A View from the Bridge as Eddie | Jessica Tandy – Foxfire as Annie Nations Kathy Bates – 'night, Mother as Jessie Cates Kate Nelligan – Plenty as Susan Traherne Anne Pitoniak – 'night, Mother as Thelma Cates |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical |
| Tommy Tune – My One and Only as Cpt. Billy Buck Chandler Al Green – Your Arms Too Short to Box with God as Performer George Hearn – A Doll's Life as Various Characters Michael V. Smartt – Porgy and Bess as Porgy | Natalia Makarova – On Your Toes as Vera Barnova Lonette McKee – Show Boat as Julie La Verne Chita Rivera – Merlin as The Queen Twiggy – My One and Only as Edith Herbert |
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play |
| Matthew Broderick – Brighton Beach Memoirs as Eugene Jerome Željko Ivanek – Brighton Beach Memoirs as Stanley Jerome George N. Martin – Plenty as Leonard Darwin Stephen Moore – All's Well That Ends Well as Captain Parolles | Judith Ivey – Steaming as Josie Elizabeth Franz – Brighton Beach Memoirs as Kate Jerome Roxanne Hart – Passion as Kate Margaret Tyzack – All's Well That Ends Well as The Countess of Rossillion |
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical |
| Charles "Honi" Coles – My One and Only as Mr. Magix Harry Groener – Cats as Munkustrap Stephen Hanan – Cats as Bustopher Jones / Asparagus / Growltiger Lara Teeter – On Your Toes as Junior | Betty Buckley – Cats as Grizabella Christine Andreas – On Your Toes as Frankie Frayne Karla Burns – Show Boat as Queenie Denny Dillon – My One and Only as Mickey |
| Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Best Choreography |
| Cats – Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and T.S. Eliot (lyrics) A Doll's Life – Larry Grossman (music) and Betty Comden and Adolph Green (lyrics) Merlin – Elmer Bernstein (music) and Don Black (lyrics) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – Gene de Paul, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (music) and Johnny Mercer, Kasha and Hirschhorn (lyrics) | Thommie Walsh and Tommy Tune – My One and Only George Faison – Porgy and Bess Gillian Lynne – Cats Donald Saddler – On Your Toes |
| Best Direction of a Play | Best Direction of a Musical |
| Gene Saks – Brighton Beach Memoirs Marshall W. Mason – Angels Fall Tom Moore – 'night, Mother Trevor Nunn – All's Well That Ends Well | Trevor Nunn – Cats Michael Kahn – Show Boat Ivan Reitman – Merlin Tommy Tune and Thommie Walsh – My One and Only |
| Best Scenic Design | Best Costume Design |
| Ming Cho Lee – K2 John Gunter – All's Well That Ends Well David Mitchell – Foxfire John Napier – Cats | John Napier – Cats Lindy Hemming – All's Well That Ends Well Rita Ryack – My One and Only Patricia Zipprodt – Alice in Wonderland |
| Best Lighting Design ||
| David Hersey – Cats Ken Billington – Foxfire Robert & Beverly Bryan – All's Well That Ends Well Allen Lee Hughes – K2 ||

## Special awards

* Regional Theatre Award - Oregon Shakespeare Festival Association