Facts & Trivia - History from the Tony Awards - TonyAwards.com - The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® - Official Website by IBM the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® Play productions with the most Tony nominations: Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia (2007) and August Wilson's Fences (2010 revival) - 10 Play production that has won the most Tony Awards: Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia (2007) - 7 Musical productions with the most Tony nominations: Hamilton (2016) - 16 Musical production that has won the most Tonys: The Producers, the new Mel Brooks musical (2001) - 12 Musical revival with most Tony Awards: South Pacific (2008) - 7 Musical revival with most Tony nominations: Kiss Me, Kate (2000) - 12 Performer with most Tony nominations: Chita Rivera - 10 Performers with the most Tony Awards: Audra McDonald – 6; Julie Harris – 6 including one Special Tony Award Individual who has received most Tony Awards: Harold Prince - 21 Composer with most Tony Awards:

 Stephen Sondheim - 8 Choreographer with most Tony Awards: Bob Fosse - 8 (plus one for direction) Host of most Tony Awards telecasts: Angela Lansbury - 5 The Phantom of the Opera (1988 - ) Theatre that housed the most Tony-winning Best Plays and Best Musicals: Richard Rodgers Theatre - 11 Number of ties in Tony history: 10 TONYS TRIVIA Coasting to Glory Tom Stoppard's epic trilogy The Coast of Utopia (2007) earned seven Tony Awards, more than any other play in Tony history.

It also received a record 10 nominations, tied with the 2010 revival of August Wilson's Fences for the most nominations for a play production. Musical Champions Hamilton (2016) holds the record as the most-nominated production in Tony history, with 16. In second place are The Producers, the new Mel Brooks musical (2001) and Billy Elliot, The Musical (2009) with 15 each. The Producers is the most-winning show, triumphing in 12 categories including Best Musical. The Prince of Broadway Harold Prince has earned more Tony Awards than anyone else (21 awards), including eight for directing, eight for producing, two as producer of the year's Best Musical, and three special Tony Awards. Send in the Tonys Stephen Sondheim has received eight Tony Awards, more than any other composer. He has won seven times: Best Music and Best Lyrics for Company (1971); and Best Score for Follies (1972), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd (1979), Into the Woods (1988) and Passion (1994).

His eighth honor was a 2008 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. Dancin' Man Bob Fosse is the choreographer with the most Tony Awards, with an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction. Choreography: The Pajama Game (1955), Damn Yankees (1956), Redhead (1959), Little Me (1963), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1973), Dancin' (1978), and Big Deal (1986). Direction: Pippin (1973). The Hostess with the Mostess Angela Lansbury has hosted or co-hosted more Tony telecasts than any other individual, with five telecasts (1968, 1971, 1987, 1988, and 1989).

In second place, with four telecasts each, are Neil Patrick Harris (2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013) and Hugh Jackman (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2014). Eight is Great Jason Robards Jr. received more Tony Award nominations than any other male actor. His eight nominations were for Long Day's Journey Into Night (1957), The Disenchanted (1959), Toys in the Attic (1960), After the Fall (1964), Hughie (1965), The Country Girl (1972), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1974), and A Touch of the Poet (1978). Out of all of those nominations, he only won one Tony Award, for The Disenchanted. Four-play Boyd Gaines and Raúl Esparza are the only men to have been nominated in all four performance categories in which an actor may be eligible: Best Actor in a Play, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Play, and Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Three women have been nominated in all four corresponding performance categories: Angela Lansbury, Jan Maxwell, and Audra McDonald. Reproductions The revival that won the most Tony Awards was South Pacific (2008), with seven. Kiss Me, Kate (2000) received 12 nominations, the most for any revival, but it only won five Tonys. 0 for 12 The musical that fared most poorly on Tony night was The Scottsboro Boys in 2011. The show received 12 nominations but won no awards. 0 for 9 The play that fared the worst on Tony night was Indiscretions (1995), which won no awards despite having received nine nominations. Phan-tastic! The Best Musical with the longest Broadway run to date is the 1988 winner, The Phantom of the Opera, which opened on January 26, 1988 and is still going strong. Mr. Versatility Michael Blakemore is the only director to win Tony Awards as Best Director of a Play and Best Director of a Musical in the same year.

He won for Copenhagen (play) and Kiss Me, Kate (musical) in 2000. Triple Crown Bob Fosse was the only director to win a Tony, an Oscar, and an Emmy in the same year (1973). He won two Tonys (direction and choreography) for Pippin, an Oscar for Cabaret and an Emmy for "Liza with a Z." At the Helm Mike Nichols has won more Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Play than any other individual. His six nods were for Barefoot in the Park (1964), Luv and The Odd Couple (1965), Plaza Suite (1968), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1972), The Real Thing (1984), and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (2012). He has also won in other categories for directing the musical Monty Python's Spamalot (2005), and for producing Annie (1977) and The Real Thing (1984). That makes a total of nine Tonys. Together Forever Three pairs of performers have shared a single nomination for playing separate roles.

Donal Donnelly and Patrick Bedford were jointly nominated as Best Actor for Philadelphia, Here I Come! (1966). John Kani and Winston Ntshona won jointly as Best Actor in a Play for the double bill Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island (1975). Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley (playing a set of Siamese twins) were nominated as Best Actress in a Musical for Side Show (1998). All My Children Lauri Peters shared a single 1960 nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical with Kathy Dunn, Evanna Lien, Mary Susan Locke, and Marilyn Rogers-and two boys, William Snowden, and Joseph Stewart. They played various younger Von Trapp children in the original production of The Sound of Music. Three Billys David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish are the only performers to have jointly won a Tony Award for their alternating performances of a single role: the title character of Billy Elliot, The Musical (2009). In Her Genes Amanda Plummer is the only Tony Award winner whose parents have both won Tonys. She won as Best Featured Actress in a Play for Agnes of God (1982).

Her father, Christopher Plummer, won as Best Actor in a Musical for Cyrano (1974) and Best Actor in a Play for Barrymore (1997). Her mother, Tammy Grimes, won as Featured Actress in a Musical for The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1961) and Best Actress in a Play for Private Lives (1970). A Very Good Year Five actresses have won a Tony and an Oscar in the same year. Shirley Booth won a Tony for The Time of the Cuckoo and an Oscar for Come Back, Little Sheba (1953). Audrey Hepburn won a Tony for Ondine and an Oscar for Roman Holiday (1954). Ellen Burstyn won a Tony for Same Time, Next Year and an Oscar for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1975). Mercedes Ruehl won a Tony for Lost in Yonkers and an Oscar for The Fisher King (1991). Judi Dench won a Tony for Amy's View and an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love (1999). Leading Ladies Audra McDonald has won six Tony Awards for performance, more than any other individual.

She is the only person to have won Tony Awards in four different acting categories. Julie Harris also earned six Tony Awards. She won five competitive awards for performance, and received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. Leading Men Boyd Gaines and Frank Langella are the male performers with the most Tony Awards in acting categories. Both have won four to date. Gaines won for performances in The Heidi Chronicles (1989); She Loves Me (1994); Contact (2000) and Gypsy (2008). Langella was honored for Seascape (1975); Fortune's Fool (2002); Frost/Nixon (2007) and The Father (2016). Diva! Diva! Diva! Angela Lansbury and Gwen Verdon have each won four Tony Awards in the musical categories, more than any other actress. Ms. Lansbury won for Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Gypsy (1975), and Sweeney Todd (1979). She earned a fifth Tony for her work in the Noël Coward play Blithe Spirit in 2009. Ms.

Verdon won for Can-Can (1954), Damn Yankees (1956), New Girl in Town (1958) and Redhead (1959). Déjà Vu Eight performers have won the Tony and later the Oscar for the same role: José Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac (Tony: 1947/Oscar: 1950), Shirley Booth in Come Back, Little Sheba (1950/1953), Yul Brynner in The King and I (1952/1956), Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (1957/1964), Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker (1960/1962), Paul Scofield in A Man for All Seasons (1962/1966), Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses (1965/1968) and Joel Grey in Cabaret (1967/1973). Lila Kedrova did it the other way around.

She won an Oscar for Zorba the Greek, and 20 years later won a Tony for the same role in Zorba (1964 Oscar/1984 Tony). You Can Say That Again The Tony Award-winning play with the longest title was The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade (1966). That's 151 letters, 26 words, 44 syllables (and four Tonys). It was known as Marat/Sade for short. Making Herstory In 2015, Fun Home became the first show written entirely by women to win the Tony Award as Best Musical. Its authors are Lisa Kron (Best Book, Best Score - lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (Best Score - music); the show’s source material is a graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel. The Soul of Wit The Tony Award-winning play with the shortest title was Da (1978). Twice Blessed Five individuals in Tony history have been nominated in two different performance categories in the same year.

Amanda Plummer was the first in 1982, when she was nominated as Best Actress in a Play for A Taste of Honey and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Agnes of God. She won for Agnes of God. Dana Ivey made history in 1984 as an acting nominee for both a play and a musical. She was nominated as Best Featured Actress in a Play for Heartbreak House and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Sunday in the Park with George. Kate Burton was nominated for two plays in 2002: Hedda Gabler (leading role) and The Elephant Man (featured). Jan Maxwell was nominated twice in 2010, for the plays The Royal Family (lead) and Lend Me a Tenor (featured). Mark Rylance snagged two nominations in 2014, for Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (featured) and Richard III (lead). He won for Twelfth Night. Gender Bender Ben Vereen and Patina Miller are the only pair of individuals of different genders to win a Tony Award for portraying the same character.

They were honored for their performances as "Leading Player" in Pippin, he in 1973 for the original Broadway production (Best Actor in a Musical); she for the 2013 revival (Best Actress in a Musical). All in the Family Three sets of family members have been nominated for Tonys in the same category in the same year: Richard Rodgers and daughter Mary Rodgers were both nominated as the composer of the Best Musical in 1960; he for The Sound of Music and she for Once Upon a Mattress. He won. Lynn Redgrave and niece Natasha Richardson were both nominated for Best Actress in a Play in 1993; Ms. Redgrave for Shakespeare for My Father and Ms. Richardson for Anna Christie. Jennifer Ehle and her mother, Rosemary Harris, were both nominated for Best Actress in a Play in 2000. Ms. Ehle won for her performance in The Real Thing. Harris had appeared in Waiting in the Wings. Three Generations Adam Guettel is the only Tony winner who is both the grandson of another winner and the son of a Tony nominee.

Guettel earned two Tonys in 2005: Best Score and Best Orchestrations for The Light in the Piazza. His grandfather, Richard Rodgers, won six Tonys as a composer and producer of such shows as South Pacific, The King and I, No Strings, and The Sound of Music. He also received three Special Tony Awards. Guettel's mother, Mary Rodgers (Richard's daughter) was a 1960 Tony nominee as the composer of Once Upon a Mattress. At This Performance... Only one cast replacement has ever been nominated for a Tony Award in a competitive category. Larry Kert was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Company (1971). Dean Jones originated the role (and can be heard on the cast album) but left the production soon after the opening. Renaissance Men Tommy Tune, Harvey Fierstein and Trey Parker have each received Tony Awards in four different categories.

Tune won as Best Actor in a Musical for My One and Only; Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Seesaw; Best Choreography for A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, My One and Only, Grand Hotel: The Musical, and The Will Rogers Follies; and Best Director of a Musical for Nine, Grand Hotel: The Musical, and The Will Rogers Follies. Fierstein received Tonys as Best Actor and as the author of the Best Play for Torch Song Trilogy; he also won Best Book of a Musical for La Cage aux Folles and Best Actor in a Musical for Hairspray. Parker won his four on a single night, for The Book of Mormon: Best Book, Best Score, Best Direction, and (as a producer) Best Musical. On the Alley The Tony Awards ceremony has been presented at the Shubert Theatre eight times, more than at any other Broadway house.

House of Hits The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly the 46th Street Theatre) has housed the most Tony Award-winning Best Plays and Best Musicals: 11, including Guys and Dolls (1951), Damn Yankees (1956), Redhead (1959), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962), 1776 (1969), Raisin (1974), Nine (1982), Fences (1987), Lost in Yonkers (1991), In The Heights (2008) and Hamilton (2016). Short but Sweet Passion (1994) was the Tony Award winning Best Musical with the shortest run (280 performances), and Rags (1987) was the Tony-nominated Best Musical with the fewest regular performances (it closed after only four). What a Scene! Oliver Smith is the scenic designer with the most Tony Awards.

He collected eight Tonys, all within a nine-year period: My Fair Lady (1957), West Side Story (1958), The Sound of Music (1960), Becket (1961), Camelot (1961), Hello, Dolly! (1964) and Baker Street (1965), as well as a special Tony Award (1965). Light the Lights! Jules Fisher has won nine Tony Awards, more than any other lighting designer. He won for Pippin (1973), Ulysses in Nighttown (1974), Dancin' (1978), Grand Hotel: the Musical (1990), The Will Rogers Follies (1991), Jelly's Last Jam (1992), and, with Peggy Eisenhauer, Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk (1996), Assassins (2004), and Lucky Guy (2013). He has received a total of 20 nominations as a lighting designer and one as a producer, of Dancin’.

Ties in Tony History There have been a number of ties in Tony Awards history, including: Actress in a Musical (1958): Gwen Verdon, New Girl in Town and Thelma Ritter, New Girl in Town Featured Actor in a Musical (1959): Russell Nype, Goldilocks, and Leonard Stone, Redhead Musical (1960): The Sound of Music and Fiorello! Actress in a Musical (1962): Anna Maria Alberghetti, Carnival! and Diahann Carroll, No Strings Actress in a Musical (1968): Patricia Routledge, Darling of the Day and Leslie Uggams, Hallelujah, Baby! Costume Design (1977): Theoni V.

Aldredge, Annie and Santo Loquasto, The Cherry Orchard Actress in a Play (1979): Constance Cummings, Wings and Carole Shelley, The Elephant Man Scenic Design (1980): John Lee Beatty, Talley's Folly and David Mitchell, Barnum Score (1993): John Kander/Fred Ebb, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Pete Townshend, The Who's Tommy Orchestrations (2009): Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical and Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal Did You Catch That? Dolores Gray performed the shortest-lived Tony Award-winning role. She won a Tony Award for her performance in Carnival in Flanders (1953), a musical that ran only six performances. His and Hers Some of the husbands-and-wife couples who have both won Tony Awards: Hume Cronyn won for featured actor in a play for Hamlet (1964). His wife, Jessica Tandy, won three Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play: for A Streetcar Named Desire (1948), The Gin Game (1978), and Foxfire 1983.

Phyllis Newman won for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Subways Are for Sleeping (1962). Her husband, Adolph Green, won Tony Awards for the book and/or lyrics for Wonderful Town (1953), Hallelujah, Baby! (1968), Applause (1970), On The Twentieth Century (1978), and The Will Rogers Follies (1991). Actress Anne Bancroft won Tony Awards for Two for the Seesaw (1958) and The Miracle Worker (1960). Her husband, Mel Brooks, won three Tonys in 2001 for The Producers, the new Mel Brooks musical. He took home medallions for Best Book of a Musical, Best Score, and Best Musical (as a producer). In 1996, Zoe Caldwell won the Tony (her fourth) as Best Actress in a Play for her work in Master Class. The production was honored as that year's Best Play, which earned her husband, Robert Whitehead, his third Tony Award, as one of its producers.

Director, choreographer, and nine-time Tony-winner Bob Fosse was married to four-time Tony-winning performer Gwen Verdon. Multiple Tony-winning director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall (Wonderful Town, The Pajama Game, Anything Goes) is married to Scott Landis, a Tony-winner for producing The Pajama Game (2006). Shaffer x 2 Twin brothers Peter Shaffer and Anthony Shaffer both won Tony Awards in the Best Play category. Anthony was honored for Sleuth (1971). Peter earned Tony Awards for Equus (1975) and Amadeus (1981). Our One and Only The only one-person play to win the Best Play Tony Award was I Am My Own Wife by Douglas Wright (2004). Its star, Jefferson Mays, also won a Tony that year, as Best Actor in a Play.

Tony and Oscar Tony Award-winning Best Plays and Best Musicals that were turned into Academy Award-winning Best Pictures include My Fair Lady (Tony, 1957; Oscar, 1964), The Sound of Music (Tony 1960; Oscar 1965), A Man for All Seasons (Tony, 1962; Oscar, 1966), and Amadeus (Tony, 1981; Oscar, 1984). Though they were both based on the same notorious shipwreck, the 1997 Best Musical Titanic is not otherwise connected with the film of the same title that won the Best Picture award in the same year. The original Broadway production of Chicago didn't win any Tony Awards in 1976, but in 1997 a new production won the Tony as Best Revival, and an Oscar-winning Best Picture followed in 2002. EGOTS: They're the Top Only a few artists have won all four of the entertainment industry's top competitive honors: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.

The list of these multi-talented "EGOTs" includes: Performers John Gielgud, Helen Hayes, Audrey Hepburn, and Rita Moreno Director/producer/performer Mike Nichols Composers Marvin Hamlisch, Robert Lopez (won daytime Emmys), and Richard Rodgers Orchestrator Jonathan Tunick Performer/producer Whoopi Goldberg (won daytime Emmys) Producer Scott Rudin James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones, Liza Minnelli, and Barbra Streisand have each won three of these awards and received a special, non-competitive version of the fourth. Andrew Lloyd Webber has won Tony, Oscar, and Grammy Awards, while his production company, Really Useful Films, has received an International Emmy Award. Worth Waiting For Barbara Cook received her first Tony Award and nomination in 1958, for creating the role of Marian (the Librarian) Paroo in The Music Man. She was next nominated in 2010 for her performance in Sondheim on Sondheim.

That’s a 52-year gap, the longest any individual has had to wait between nominations (though in the interim, she starred in the 2002 revue Barbara Cook in Mostly Sondheim, which earned a nomination as Best Special Theatrical Event for the show’s producers). Cook beat out Jane Fonda, who received her first nomination in 1960 and her second 49 years later, in 2009. Children and Art The youngest performer to win a Tony Award is Frankie Michaels, who was honored in 1966 for his work in Mame, shortly after he turned 11. The youngest actress is Daisy Eagan, who was 11 when she won for The Secret Garden in 1991. The youngest nominee was an 8-year-old Evanna Lien, as the original Gretl in The Sound of Music (1960). The four girls who created the title character of Matilda The Musical on Broadway—Sophia Gennusa (9), Oona Laurence (10), Bailey Ryon (11) and Milly Shapiro (10)—are the youngest individuals to receive Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre.

Life Imitates Art Past Tony-winners Michael Cerveris and Donna Murphy were both Tony-nominated in 2007 for playing a pair of past Tony-winners. They starred in the musical LoveMusik, in which Cerveris played composer Kurt Weill (Best Score for Street Scene in 1947) and Murphy portrayed his wife, performer Lotte Lenya (Featured Actress in a Musical for Threepenny Opera, 1956). Back for More The only play to have won a Best Revival Tony in three different productions is Death of a Salesman, in 1984, 1999, and 2012. In addition, the original production of Arthur Miller's drama won the Best Play award in 1949. What a Bargain! Tickets to the first Tony Awards ceremony in 1947 cost $7.00 each. Given the event's overwhelming success, the price shot up the very next year, to $10. When Broadway Babies Say Goodnight... The first Tony ceremony began with supper at 9:00 p.m. at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Entertainment and dancing continued until midnight, at which time the awards were announced live over the radio. Way Back When During the first two years of the Tonys (1947 and 1948), there was no official Tony Award. The winners were presented with a scroll and, in addition, a money clip, a cigarette lighter (for the men) or a compact (for the women). A Musical! -- "Something Rotten's" Tony-Nominated Brad Oscar Brings Down the House at the St. James Theatre | The Huffington Post A Musical! -- "Something Rotten's" Tony-Nominated Brad Oscar Brings Down the House at the St. James Theatre 06/01/2015 04:08 pm ET | Updated May 30, 2016 Josh Getlin New York-based writer The term "showstopper" has come to mean something special in the annals of musical theatre. While there have been plenty of powerful, high-wattage songs that erupt onstage and define the shows they're in, the showstopper literally halts a musical in mid-performance--sometimes for minutes at a time--while an audience rises to its feet with tumultuous applause.

This year, Brad Oscar--up for a Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Musical for "Something Rotten"--is not only center-stage in a showstopper; he drives it from start to finish. Playing Thomas Nostradamus, a wild-eyed Elizabethan soothsayer, he performs "A Musical," an exuberant-verging-on-delirious extravaganza that spoofs some of the most heralded production numbers in Broadway history. By the end, the audience at the St. James Theatre is on its feet and "Rotten," a zany, inspired send-up of Shakespearean England that's garnered 10 Tony nominations, is stopped in its tracks. It marks the second Tony nomination for Oscar--who cut a memorable swath in "The Producers" as Franz Liebkind, the lunatic Nazi playwright--and the latest milestone in a Broadway career stretching over three decades. On June 9 he'll be honored with the industry's Richard Seff Award, honoring the best performance in a supporting role (this year's other winner is veteran actress Julie Halston).

And in the sweetest moment of all, he'll bring his rich baritone and comic bravado to a live performance of "A Musical," along with 17 other cast members, on next Sunday's Tony TV broadcast. All of this might swell another actor's head. But Oscar is loved--and respected--by his colleagues for being one of the most genuinely gracious performers on the Great White Way. He's dreamed of a life in the theatre since he was a kid. Recently, theatre historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper uncovered a handwritten 1980 letter in director Harold Prince's archives from Oscar, then just 16. The 11th grader from Maryland had auditioned for Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along," and got a callback thanks to a chance encounter with Prince. Although he wasn't cast in the show, the young Oscar wrote: "I would like to thank you for the opportunity to go back up to my favorite city and audition.

I hope that in the future I will be able to work for you." In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Oscar reflected on the path he's traveled since then, the best way to cope with Tony fever and how to act when an audience stops the show: Q: When you were first cast in "Something Rotten" what was it like just reading your big number on the printed page? A: Honestly, the first time I read it I thought it would be a fabulous number. And then I prayed it was a number I could do physically, having no idea what (Director) Casey Nicholaw envisioned at that point. I knew it would involve some tap dancing, which has never been a strong suit. But just hearing the arrangement and all of the internal references throughout, I knew it could be a number that celebrated the American musical like few I've ever seen. Q: What does it feel like to deliver a bona fide showstopper--to have the performance halt as the audience reacts? What goes through your mind each night? A: The number is such a celebration of the musical, and I'm very fortunate to be front and center. But there are seventeen other people up there who "stop" the show with me.

It's so satisfying because I think we all grew up loving the musical form, and who doesn't want to be in a big number that the audience just eats up? Early on I kept waiting for an audience that wouldn't be as enthusiastic, for the other tap shoe to drop, as t'were, but we haven't had one yet. And so I just stand there during the applause and look at Brian (D'Arcy James) who has the next line, and try to stay in the scene, as we're both often saying "Can you believe this??!" with our eyes! Q: Regarding the letter you sent at such a young age to Harold Prince -- what are some of the major changes separating that young man who auditioned for "Merrily" and who you are today? A: Wow, seeing that letter was crazy. I love the enthusiasm of the letter because I still feel all of that today. But I had never been part of a true cattle call until that audition, and then an actual scheduled call back. It was all very exciting. I was old enough to know that this is what I wanted to do, so that first experience happening in that way was thrilling. And the encouragement was so meaningful.

Q: Apart from early talent, when did you know that you truly wanted a career on Broadway? A: I guess when I started to see professional productions in Washington DC. I realized that it was something I could do professionally, not just putting on shows in the basement and the backyard. I saw many out of town tryouts, and then saw my first Broadway show in 1978. It was "On the 20th Century" at the St. James theater, how about that? And it wasn't just the show, which I adored and is still a favorite, but first seeing this neighborhood, this place where all of these shows happened nightly, a fantasy land. It became my dream to be a part of it. Q: How does it feel to be doing the rounds as a Tony nominee, and being chosen to do your number on the Tony Awards show on June 7th? It must be a heady experience. A: That's the word I've been using. It was always a dream to work on Broadway and in this profession. But then to be honored with the nomination and to actually perform on the telecast, I have to stay in the moment so my head doesn't explode.

It has been exhausting and overwhelming to add in all of the additional events that occur in this six-week Tony window, and still do eight shows a week! But I'm loving the ride, and sharing it with my husband and family makes it that much sweeter. Q: What's different from the first time you experienced this in 2001, as a member of The Producers? A: Well, I did not expect to even be nominated for The Producers, so that alone really surprised and delighted me. But even I wanted Gary Beach to win! I've been very lucky to continue to work on Broadway since, but I know how random it is to get a role that can put you in that nomination pool. So it's very sweet to experience it again and I appreciate it now in a different way. Q: Tell us about the creators of the show. A: They all have been in the business for years, just other parts of the business. One, Karey Kirkpatrick, is primarily a screenwriter living in Los Angeles; his brother, Wayne, is a composer living in Nashville, and the third, John O'Farrell, is an English writer from, are you ready, England!

They all have a love and understanding of how a musical comedy works, and with Casey at the bat, and (Producer) Kevin McCollum in full support, they've written something entirely new and yet delightfully familiar. And I am most impressed at how much they trusted in Casey, and were so collaborative. Q: What does the Richard Seff Award mean to you -- and why did you pick Susan Stroman to make the presentation to you? A: It's an honor to receive an award that is given through our union, and again, I'm so honored to be recognized amongst all this exceptional work done throughout the city. I chose Stro because she has always been so supportive and believed in me and given me opportunities to do what I love. And those opportunities changed my career path so much for the better, undeniably. Q: Beyond this show what are your ambitions as an actor and performer -- are you interested in television or films? A: My ambition is always to keep working, to keep all the balls in the air. I would love to do more film and TV and experience and explore that kind of work, but I'm not moving to Los Angeles or anything yet.

Q: What roles would you most want to play on the dramatic or musical stage in the future, and why? A: I would love to play Albin in La Cage, though I hate the idea of shaving my chest and legs! And I've always worshiped Sweeney Todd. And it would be fun to do a comedy, without the musical part! Q: Who are some of the key people who have influenced you creatively during your career? A: I was very fortunate to have some fabulous teachers and mentors along the way. Doris Anderson was the librarian at my elementary school, Bruce Silver headed up the theater department at my local JCC, and Ann Amenta was my first voice teacher. Each of them guided and encouraged me at very important times in my life. And I was blessed with the most supportive and loving parents, who introduced me to the theater at an early age and were nothing but supportive in my love and pursuit of it. And I would certainly include Susan Stroman and Casey Nicholaw, again for their trust, guidance and the opportunity to learn and create. Q: What advice would you give to a young person hoping to make a career on the stage?

A: Be true to who you are in regard to your place in the profession. We are all so unique, and the more you can bring of your self to any part of the process, starting with the audition, will only serve you well. Art is so subjective, you can't please everyone, so please yourself. Q: If you win the Tony award Sunday night, what will that mean to you? A: Look, it will be that crazy dream most of us in the theater have, and I would love it. And who knows how it may help me professionally. But regardless, on Tuesday, June 9, I will go back to the St. James and do the job I've been so lucky to land. And that's really what it's all about. If I don't win, I still get to go back to work and have this wonderful experience nightly. More: California Honors Home California Honors THE RITA MORENO CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL HONORS will be co-hosted for the fourth year by CMT San Jose and Broadway San Jose at the California Center for Performing Arts. This awards competition recognizes outstanding achievement in high school musical theater north of Santa Barbara.

The Outstanding Actor and Actress winners will be sent to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) - also known as the Jimmy™ Awards - in New York City, where they’ll perform on a Broadway stage before industry experts, and compete for scholarship opportunities to NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. ( . Entrants may register as individuals or entire productions to be considered for nomination in the following categories: Best Overall Production, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actress. We look forward to working with some of the brightest high school theater stars in California! Prior, winners from the area competed in the Bay Area High School Musical Theatre Stage Top Honor Awards, hosted by the San Jose Stage company from 2010-2013. About CMT San Jose Currently in its 48th season, CMT San Jose impacts over 10,000 youth per season through multiple educational programs. CMT produces 10 shows a season encompassing 107 performances at the Montgomery Theater in San Jose.

( ) About Broadway San Jose Broadway San Jose - the northern California affiliate of the Nederlander organization - presents touring Broadway musicals at the San Jose Center for Performing Arts in partnership with Team San Jose, and is a member of the Broadway League. ( ) About James Nederlander James M. Nederlander or “Jimmy” as the theatrical community knows him, is the Chairman of the Nederlander Producing Company of America Inc., which recently marked its 100th anniversary, and is in his 70th year as a producer of distinguished entertainment. He has produced innumerable Broadway plays and musicals, winning 11 Tony® Awards, and has presented operas, ballets, concerts and artists ranging from Nureyev to Sinatra to Billy Joel to U2. Nine of his theatres are on Broadway and the balance in Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego, Tucson, Durham, Chicago and London.

( ) Oscars 2015: 'Birdman' wins best picture, 3 more - NY Daily News Oscars 2015: 'Birdman' wins best picture, 3 other Academy Awards; Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne notch top acting prizes Oscars 2015: 'Birdman' wins best picture, 3 more Updated: Monday, February 23, 2015, 12:38 AM “Birdman” flew away with a nest of honors at the Academy Awards on Sunday night. The behind-the-curtain Broadway dramedy fetched Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography, and garnered Mexican moviemaker Alejandro González Iñárritu the Best Director statuette. “Tonight I am wearing the real Michael Keaton tighty-whities,” said Iñárritu, referring to the famous scene in his flick in which his leading man has to hustle through Times Square in his underwear when he gets locked out of the St. James Theatre.

While the briefs were Iñárritu’s “good luck charm,” Keaton was beat out for the Best Actor award by Brit Eddie Redmayne, who won for his portrayal of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.” 'Birdman' director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu and the cast and crew hit the stage to accept their best picture Oscar at Sunday night's 87th Academy Awards. (ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) “I don’t think I’m capable of articulating how I feel right now. I’m a lucky, lucky man,” Redmayne said in accepting his golden Oscar. He dedicated the award to those, like Hawking , who suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. New Yorker Julianne Moore, who had been nominated for an Oscar four times times previously, won Best Actress for her stellar performance in “Still Alice.” Moore played a linguistics professor suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. “I read an article that said winning an Oscar could add five years to your life. If that’s true, I want to thank the Academy because my husband is younger than me,” Moore said.

Julianne Moore accepts the award for best actress for 'Still Alice.' (John Shearer/Invision/AP) 'The Theory of Everything' star Eddie Redmayne wins for best actor Sunday night. (ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) If there were an award for best choice in hosting , Neil Patrick Harris would have been a shoo-in. The virtuoso showman, a veteran Tony and Emmy Award host who was stewarding the Oscars for the first time, kicked off the night at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre with a comedic musical number that featured backup from Jack Black, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella from “Into the Woods” — and dancing “Star Wars” stormtroopers. “Welcome to the 87th Oscars. Tonight we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest — sorry, brightest,” Harris joked in his opening monologue, digging at the controversy over all 20 of the actor nominations going to whites.

Oscars 2015: Best and worst red carpet looks Civil rights groups, including Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, had planned to use the limelight to mount a just-beyond-the-red-carpet protest of the all-white nomation list, and the poor reception of civil rights flick “Selma,” which notched just two nominations. But on a stormy night in Hollywood, there was a last minute rewriting of the script. “I received a phone call from the director of ‘Selma,’ Ava DuVernay, and she asked that we not protest,” National Action Network political director Najee Ali told the Daily News. “She thought it would be better if we reached out to the Academy president directly with our complaints. “I agreed to cancel the protest after consulting with Rev. Sharpton.” Oscars 2015: Winners, losers and top show moments Instead, Ali said the groups would call for a sit-down with Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the first black president of the Academy. Longtime character actor J.K.

Simmons drummed up the first Oscar and the first major honor of the night, winning Best Supporting Actor for his acclaimed performance as a maniacal music teacher in “Whiplash.” After thanking his wife, Simmons, 60, implored everyone to call their parents . Host Neil Patrick Harris opens the 87th Academy Awards with a musical number. (MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS) Jack Black adds a metal flair to the opening number. (John Shearer/Invision/AP) “If you’re lucky enough to have a living parent or two on this planet, call them, don’t text or email, call them and tell them you love them,” Simmons said. “Whiplash” also picked up awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. Another veteran actor, Patricia Arquette, received the Best Supporting Actress award for her part in “Boyhood,” a labor of love that took 12 years to make. Arquette used her acceptance speech to thank “every woman who gave birth.” “It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all!” Arquette said, prompting a standing ovation and wild fist pumping from Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez .

The duo of John Legend and Common walked away with the Best Original Song award for “Glory,” the soulful anthem to “Selma.” Common, left, and John Legend accept the award for best original song in a feature film for 'Glory' from 'Selma' Sunday night. (John Shearer/Invision/AP) Broadway star Idina Menzel, who presented the Best Original Song award, took revenge on John Travolta for flubbing her name “Adele Dazeem” at last year’s Oscars. Menzel got a huge laugh when she introduced Travolta as her “very dear friend, Glom Gazingo.” Graham Moore won for Best Adapted Screenplay for Nazi code-breaking film “The Imitation Game” and its gay hero, Alan Turing. Patricia Arquette calls for equal wages for women during her acceptance speech after winning the best supporting actress Oscar. (John Shearer/Invision/AP) Setting his sights on Oscar glory: Bradley Cooper appears in a scene from 'American Sniper.' (Keith Bernstein/Warner Bros.

Pictures/AP) “The disclosures that Edward Snowden reveals don’t only expose a threat to our privacy but to our democracy itself,’ the film’s director, Laura Poitras, said. “When the most decisions being made affecting all of us are made in secret, we lose out ability to check the powers that control.” Harris had an array of music stars throughout the night to help him out, including Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Tim McGraw and Common and John Legend, who performed “Glory.” Gaga sang a sensational tribute to the “The Sound of Music,” honoring that movie’s 50th anniversary, and introduced the film’s star Julie Andrews, who presented the Best Original Score award. While the Clint Eastwood-directed Iraq-war flick “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper, has grossed more than $300 million at the box office, it won just one award for Best Sound Editing. The widow of late war hero Chris Kyle, the real-life American sniper, was on hand to lend a dose of emotionalism to the events. “We’re grateful for everything that went into ‘American Sniper,’ ” Tara Kyle said to Robin Roberts on ABC’s red carpet. “I wanted to be here to represent Chris and wanted to embrace everything he meant to me.

Bradley absolutely got it right. Chris would be blown away by all this, but his usual humble self. But deep down he’d be really happy.”

Question: What award is the musical theater equivalent to an Oscar?
Answer: Tony