23rd Tony Awards

The 23rd Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by NBC television on April 20, 1969, from the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City. Hosts were Diahann Carroll and Alan King.

Presenters: Lauren Bacall, Pearl Bailey, Harry Belafonte, Richard Benjamin, Godfrey Cambridge, Betty Comden, Patty Duke, Adolph Green, Dustin Hoffman, Angela Lansbury, Jack Lemmon, Ethel Merman, Arthur Miller, Robert Morse, Zero Mostel, Paula Prentiss, Robert Preston, Vanessa Redgrave, Leslie Uggams, Gwen Verdon, Shelley Winters.

Musicals represented: "Zorba" ("Life Is" - Lorraine Serabian and Company); "Promises, Promises" ("She Likes Basketball"/"Turkey Lurkey Time" - Jerry Orbach, Donna McKechnie and Company); "1776" ("Momma, Look Sharp" - Scott Jarvis, William Duell, B.J. Slater); Hair ("Three-Five-Zero-Zero"/Let The Sun Shine In" - Company)

Scenes from plays were presented for the first time. Plays represented were: "Lovers" (Scene with Art Carney and Anna Mannahan); "The Great White Hope" (Scene with James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander)

Winners and nominees

"Winners are in bold "

Production

Best Play----
*"The Great White Hope" by Howard Sackler. Produced by Herman Levin
*"Hadrian VII" by Peter Luke. Produced by Lester Osterman Productions, Bill Freedman, and Charles Kasher
*"Lovers" by Brian Friel. Produced by Helen Bonfils and Morton Gottlieb
*"The Man in the Glass Booth" by Robert Shaw. Produced by Glasshouse Productions and Peter Bridge, Ivor David Balding Associates Ltd., and Edward M. Meyers with Leslie Ogden

Best Musical----
*"1776". Book by Peter Stone, music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards. Produced by Stuart Ostrow
*"Hair". Book by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot, lyrics by James Rado. Produced by Michael Butler
*"Promises, Promises". Book by Neil Simon, music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David. Produced by David Merrick
*"Zorba". Book by Joseph Stein, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb. Produced by Harold Prince

Performance

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play----
*James Earl Jones ("The Great White Hope")
*Art Carney ("Lovers")
*Alec McCowen ("Hadrian VII")
*Donald Pleasance ("The Man in the Glass Booth")

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play----
*Julie Harris ("Forty Carats")
*Estelle Parsons ("Seven Descents of Myrtle")
*Charlotte Rae ("Morning, Noon and Night")
*Brenda Vaccaro ("The Goodbye People")

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical----
*Jerry Orbach ("Promises, Promises")
*Herschel Bernardi ("Zorba")
*Jack Cassidy ("Maggie Flynn")
*Joel Grey ("George M!")

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical----
*Angela Lansbury ("Dear World")
*Maria Karnilova ("Zorba")
*Dorothy Loudon ("The Fig Leaves Are Falling")
*Jill O'Hara ("Promises, Promises")

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play----
*Al Pacino ("Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?")
*Richard Castellano ("Lovers and Other Strangers")
*Tony Roberts ("Play It Again Sam")
*Louis Zorich ("Hadrian VII")

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play----
*Jane Alexander ("The Great White Hope")
*Diane Keaton ("Play It Again Sam")
*Lauren Jones ("Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?")
*Anna Manahan ("Lovers")

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical----
*Ronald Holgate ("1776")
*Larry Haines ("Promises, Promises")
*Edward Winter ("Promises, Promises")

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical----
*Marian Mercer ("Promises, Promises")
*Sandy Duncan ("Canterbury Tales")
*Lorraine Serabian ("Zorba")
*Virginia Vestoff ("1776")

Craft

Best Direction of a Play----
*Peter Dews ("Hadrian VII")
*Joseph Hardy ("Play It Again Sam")
*Harold Pinter ("The Man in the Glass Booth")
*Michael A. Schultz ("Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?")

Best Direction of a Musical----
*Peter Hunt ("1776")
*Robert Moore ("Promises, Promises")
*Tom O'Horgan ("Hair")
*Harold Prince ("Zorba")

Best Choreography----
*Joe Layton ("George M!")
*Sammy Bayes ("Canterbury Tales")
*Ron Field ("Zorba")
*Michael Bennett ("Promises, Promises")

Best Scenic Design----
*"'Boris Aronson ("Zorba")
*Derek Cousins ("Canterbury Tales")
*Jo Mielziner ("1776")
*Oliver Smith ("Dear World")

Tony Award for Best Costume Design----
*Louden Sainthill ("Canterbury Tales")
*Michael Annals ("Morning, Noon and Night")
*Robert Fletcher ("Hadrian VII")
*Patricia Zipprodt ("Zorba")

pecial awards

*The National Theatre Company of Great Britain
*The Negro Ensemble Company
*Rex Harrison
*Leonard Bernstein
*Carol Burnett

ee also

Tony Awards

External links

* [http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/index.html Tony Awards Official Site]