# 29th Tony Awards

The 29th Annual Tony Awards ceremony was held on April 20, 1975, at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City, and broadcast by ABC television. Hosts/Performers/Presenters were Larry Blyden, George S. Irving, Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence, Michele Lee, Bernadette Peters and Bobby Van.

## The ceremony

The theme centered on the Winter Garden Theatre, where many of the greatest stars in theatrical history began their careers.
Presenters: Jack Albertson, Eve Arden, Fred Astaire, Milton Berle, Ray Bolger, Carol Channing, Clifton Davis, Buddy Ebsen, Jack Haley, Angela Lansbury, Jack Lemmon, John V. Lindsay, Cleavon Little, Walter Matthau, Vincente Minnelli, Carl Reiner, Rosalind Russell, Joe Smith, Jean Stapleton.
Performers: Clive Baldwin, Joey Faye, Angela Lansbury, Alexis Smith.
Musicals represented:
* Mame ("Mame" - Angela Lansbury and Men)
* Follies ("The Story of Lucy and Jessie" - Alexis Smith and Dancers)
* Gypsy ("Everything's Coming up Roses" - Angela Lansbury and Company)

## Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold
| Best Play | Best Musical |
| Equus – Peter Shaffer Short Eyes – Miguel Pinero Same Time, Next Year – Bernard Slade Seascape – Edward Albee Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island – Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona The National Health – Peter Nichols | The Wiz Mack and Mabel The Lieutenant Shenandoah |
| Best Book of a Musical | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre |
| James Lee Barrett, Peter Udell and Philip Rose – Shenandoah Michael Stewart – Mack and Mabel Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman and Chuck Strand – The Lieutenant William F. Brown – The Wiz | The Wiz – Charlie Smalls (music and lyrics) A Letter for Queen Victoria – Alan Lloyd (music and lyrics) Shenandoah – Gary Geld (music) and Peter Udell (lyrics) The Lieutenant – Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman and Chuck Strand (music and lyrics) |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play |
| John Kani and Winston Ntshona – Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island as Various Characters Jim Dale – Scapino! as Scapino Peter Firth – Equus as Alan Strang Henry Fonda – Clarence Darrow as Clarence Darrow Ben Gazzara – Hughie and Duet as "Erie" Smith John Wood – Sherlock Holmes as Sherlock Holmes | Ellen Burstyn – Same Time, Next Year as Doris Elizabeth Ashley – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as Maggie Pollitt Diana Rigg – The Misanthrope as Celimene Maggie Smith – Private Lives as Amanda Prynne Liv Ullmann – A Doll's House as Nora Helmer |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical |
| John Cullum – Shenandoah as Charlie Anderson Joel Grey – Goodtime Charley as Charley Raúl Juliá – Where's Charley? as Charley Wykeham Eddie Mekka – The Lieutenant as Lieutenant Robert Preston – Mack and Mabel as Mack Sennett | Angela Lansbury – Gypsy as Mama Rose Lola Falana – Doctor Jazz as Edna Mae Sheridan Bernadette Peters – Mack and Mabel as Mabel Normand Ann Reinking – Goodtime Charley as Joan of Arc |
| Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Play | Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play |
| Frank Langella – Seascape as Leslie Larry Blyden – Absurd Person Singular as Sidney Leonard Frey – The National Health as Barnet Philip Locke – Sherlock Holmes as Professor Moriarty George Rose – My Fat Friend as Henry Dick Anthony Williams – Black Picture Show as Alexander | Rita Moreno – The Ritz as Googie Gomez Linda Miller – Black Picture Show as Jane Geraldine Page – Absurd Person Singular as Marion Carole Shelley – Absurd Person Singular as Jane Elizabeth Spriggs – London Assurance as Lady Gay Spanker Frances Sternhagen – Equus as Dora Strang |
| Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical | Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Musical |
| Ted Ross – The Wiz as The Cowardly Lion Tom Aldredge – Where's Charley? as Mr. Spettigue John Bottoms – Dance with Me as Jimmy Dick II Doug Henning – The Magic Show as Doug Gilbert Price – The Night That Made America Famous as Performer Richard B. Shull – Goodtime Charley as Minguet | Dee Dee Bridgewater – The Wiz as Glinda Susan Browning – Goodtime Charley as Agnès Sorel Zan Charisse – Gypsy as Louise Taina Elg – Where's Charley? as Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez Kelly Garrett – The Night That Made America Famous as Various Characters Donna Theodore – Shenandoah as Ann Anderson |
| Best Direction of a Play | Best Direction of a Musical |
| John Dexter – Equus Arvin Brown – The National Health Frank Dunlop – Scapino! Ronald Eyre – London Assurance Athol Fugard – Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island Gene Saks – Same Time, Next Year | Geoffrey Holder – The Wiz Gower Champion – Mack and Mabel Grover Dale – The Magic Show Arthur Laurents – Gypsy |
| Best Choreography | Best Scenic Design |
| George Faison – The Wiz Gower Champion – Mack and Mabel Donald McKayle – Doctor Jazz Margo Sappington – Where's Charley? Robert Tucker – Shenandoah Joel Zwick – Dance with Me | Carl Toms – Sherlock Holmes Scott Johnson – Dance with Me Tanya Moiseiwitsch – The Misanthrope William Ritman – God's Favorite Rouben Ter-Arutunian – Goodtime Charley Robin Wagner – Mack and Mabel |
| Best Costume Design | Best Lighting Design |
| Geoffrey Holder – The Wiz Arthur Boccia – Where's Charley? Raoul Pene Du Bois – Doctor Jazz Willa Kim – Goodtime Charley Tanya Moiseiwitsch – The Misanthrope Patricia Zipprodt – Mack and Mabel | Neil Peter Jampolis – Sherlock Holmes Chip Monk – The Rocky Horror Show Abe Feder – Goodtime Charley Andy Phillips – Equus Thomas Skelton – All God's Chillun Got Wings James Tilton – Seascape |

## Special awards

* Neil Simon, for his plays

### Special Award

* Al Hirschfeld for 50 years of theatrical cartoons