55th Tony Awards

The 55th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS from Radio City Music Hall on June 3, 2001; "The First Ten" awards ceremony was telecast on PBS television . The event was co-hosted by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.

Presenters: Joan Allen, Dick Cavett, Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Close, Dame Edna, Edie Falco, Kathleen Freeman, Gina Gershon, Heather Headley, Cherry Jones, Jane Krakowski, Mark Kudisch, Eric McCormack, Audra McDonald, Reba McEntire, Donna McKechnie, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Gwynneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Natasha Richardson, Doris Roberts, Gary Sinise, Lily Tomlin, Henry Winkler, and three "Broadway Babies" (Meredith Patterson, Bryn Bowling, and Carol Bentley).

Musicals represented were:
*"A Class Act" ("Follow Your Star"/"Better"/"Self Portrait" -- Nancy Anderson, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Donna Bullock, Randy Graff, David Hibbard, Lonny Price, Patrick Quinn, Sara Ramirez);
*"Bells Are Ringing" ("I'm Going Back" -- Faith Prince);
*"42nd Street" ("42nd Street" -- David Elder, Kate Levering and company);
*"Follies" ("I'm Still Here" -- Polly Bergen with Louis Zorich, Jessica Leigh Brown, Colleen Dunn, Amy Heggins, and Wendy Waring);
*"The Full Monty" ("Let It Go" -- John Ellison Conlee, Jason Danieley, André De Shields, Kathleen Freeman, Romain Fruge, Marcus Neville, Patrick Wilson, and company);
*"Jane Eyre" ("Sirens" -- Marla Schaffel and James Barbour);
*"The Producers", the new Mel Brooks Musical ("Along Came Bialy" -- Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Matthew Broderick, Cady Huffman, Nathan Lane, Brad Oscar, and company); and
*"The Rocky Horror Show" ("Time Warp" -- Dick Cavett, Leah Delaria, Jerrod Emick, Kristen Lee Kelly, Alice Ripley, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tom Hewitt, Raul Esparza, Sebastian LaCause, and company).

Plays were also presented:
*"The Invention of Love", introduced by playwright Tom Stoppard. Montage with voice-over by Richard Easton.
*"King Hedley II", introduced by playwright August Wilson. Excerpt performed by Viola Davis and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
*"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", introduced by Joan Allen. Excerpt performed by Gary Sinise, Amy Morton, Tim Sampson, Bruce McCarty, Jeanine Morick, and Ron O. J. Parson.
*"Proof", introduced by playwright David Auburn. Scene with Mary-Louise Parker and Ben Shenkman.
*"The Tale of the Allergist's Wife", introduced by playwright Charles Busch. Scene with Linda Lavin, Tony Roberts, and Michele Lee.

Winners and nominees

"Winners are in bold **"

Production

Best Play----
*"Proof **" by David Auburn
*"The Invention of Love" by Tom Stoppard
*"King Hedley II by August Wilson
*"The Tale of the Allergist's Wife by Charles Busch

Best Musical----
*"The Producers **"
*"A Class Act"
*"The Full Monty"
*"Jane Eyre"

Best Revival of a Play----
*"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest **"
*"Betrayal"
*"The Best Man (play)The Best Man"
*"The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe"

Best Revival of a Musical----
*"42nd Street **"
*"Bells Are Ringing"
*"Follies"
*"The Rocky Horror Show"

Performances

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play----
*Richard Easton ** ("The Invention of Love")
*Seán Campion ("Stones in His Pockets")
*Conleth Hill ("Stones in His Pockets")
*Brian Stokes Mitchell ("King Hedley II")
*Gary Sinise ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest")

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play----
*Mary-Louise Parker ** ("Proof")
*Juliette Binoche ("Betrayal")
*Linda Lavin ("The Tale of the Allergist's Wife")
*Jean Smart ("The Man Who Came to Dinner")
*Leslie Uggams ("King Hedley II")

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical----
*Nathan Lane ** ("The Producers")
*Matthew Broderick ("The Producers")
*Kevin Chamberlin ("Seussical")
*Tom Hewitt ("The Rocky Horror Show")
*Patrick Wilson ("The Full Monty")

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical----
*Christine Ebersole **("42nd Street")
*Blythe Danner ("Follies")
*Randy Graff ("A Class Act")
*Faith Prince ("Bells Are Ringing")
*Marla Schaffel ("Jane Eyre")

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play----
*Robert Sean Leonard ** ("The Invention of Love")
*Charles Brown ("King Hedley II")
*Larry Bryggman ("Proof")
*Michael Hayden ("Judgment at Nuremberg")
*Ben Shenkman ("Proof")

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play----
*Viola Davis **("King Hedley II")
*Johanna Day ("Proof")
*Penny Fuller ("The Dinner Party")
*Marthe Keller ("Judgment at Nuremberg")
*Michele Lee ("The Tale of the Allergist's Wife")

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical----
*Gary Beach ** ("The Producers")
*Roger Bart ("The Producers")
*John Ellison Conlee ("The Full Monty")
*André De Shields ("The Full Monty")
*Brad Oscar ("The Producers")

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical----
*Cady Huffman ** ("The Producers")
*Polly Bergen ("Follies")
*Kathleen Freeman ("The Full Monty")
*Kate Levering ("42nd Street")
*Mary Testa ("42nd Street")

Craft

Best Direction of a Play----
*Daniel Sullivan** ("Proof")
*Marion McClinton ("King Hedley II")
*Ian McElhinney ("Stones in His Pockets")
*Jack O'Brien ("The Invention of Love")

Best Direction of a Musical----
*Susan Stroman** ("The Producers")
*Christopher Ashley ("The Rocky Horror Show")
*Mark Bramble ("42nd Street")
*Jack O'Brien ("The Full Monty") Best Choreography----
*Susan Stroman** ("The Producers")
*Jerry Mitchell ("The Full Monty")
*Jim Moore, George Pinney & Jonathan Vanderkolff ("Blast!")
*Randy Skinner ("42nd Street")

Best Book of a Musical----
*Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan** ("The Producers")
*Linda Kline and Lonny Price ("A Class Act")
*Terrence McNally (""The Full Monty)
*John Caird ("Jane Eyre")

Best Original Score Written for the Theatre----
*"The Producers**" Music & lyrics by Mel Brooks
*"A Class Act" Music & lyrics by Edward Kleban
*"The Full Monty" Music & lyrics by David Yazbek
*"Jane Eyre" Music by Paul Gordon and lyrics by Paul Gordon/John Caird

Best Orchestrations----
*Doug Besterman** ("The Producers")
*Larry Hochman ("A Class Act")
*Jonathan Tunick ("Follies")
*Harold Wheeler ("The Full Monty")

Best Scenic Design----
*Robin Wagner** ("The Producers")
*Bob Crowley ("The Invention of Love")
*Heidi Ettinger ("The Adventures of Tom Sawyer")
*Douglas W. Schmidt (42nd Street)

Tony Award for Best Costume Design----
*William Ivey Long** ("The Producers")
*Theoni V. Aldredge ("Follies")
*Roger Kirk ("42nd Street")
*David C. Woolard ("The Rocky Horror Show")

Tony Award for Best Lighting ----
*Peter Kaczorowski** ("The Producers")
*Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer ("Jane Eyre")
*Paul Gallo ("42nd Street")
*Kenneth Posner ("The Adventures of Tom Sawyer")

pecial Awards

*Regional Theatre Award ::Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois

Special Theatrical Event::"Blast!"

*Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award ::Paul Gemignani

*Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre::Betty Corwin and the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

::New Dramatists

::Theatre World