The 66th Annual Tony Awards was held on June 10, 2012, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2011–2012 season. The ceremony was held at the Beacon Theatre, and was broadcast live on CBS television.[4]

66th Tony Awards
Cover of the Official Program for the 66th Annual Tony Awards
DateJune 10, 2012
LocationBeacon Theatre
Hosted byNeil Patrick Harris[1][2]
Most awardsOnce (8)
Most nominationsOnce (11)
Websitetonyawards.com
Television/radio coverage
NetworkCBS
Viewership6.0 million[3]
Produced byNeil Patrick Harris
Ricky Kirshner
Glenn Weiss
Directed byGlenn Weiss
← 65th · Tony Awards · 67th →

With Neil Patrick Harris was the host of the ceremony, it marked the third time that Harris hosted the Tony Awards show. He previously hosted the show in 2009, 2011 and later in 2013.[5] The original musical number that opened the show had Harris singing and dancing to "What If Life Were More Like Theatre?" with appearances by Patti LuPone, Amanda Seyfried, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The telecast had 6.01 million viewers (preliminary numbers), in contrast to the 2011 Tony Awards telecast, which had 6.950 million viewers.[6]

Alan Menken's win for the Tony Award for Best Original Score for Newsies marked it his first win after three nominations. He was previously nominated for Beauty and the Beast (1994), The Little Mermaid (2008), Sister Act (2011).

The Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre has been awarded to Emanuel Azenberg.[7] Bernadette Peters was presented with the Isabelle Stevenson Award and Special Tony Awards were given to Hugh Jackman and the Actors’ Equity Association.[8] The Regional Theatre Tony Award has been awarded to the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Eligibility

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Shows that opened on Broadway during the 2011–12 season before April 27, 2012 are eligible.[9]

Ceremony

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Neil Patrick Harris was the host of the ceremony. This marked the third time that Harris hosted the Tony Awards show.[5]

The telecast had 6.01 million viewers (preliminary numbers), in contrast to the 2011 Tony Awards telecast, which had 6.950 million viewers.[6]

Performances

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There were performances from musicals including Evita featuring Ricky Martin and Elena Roger, Follies, with Danny Burstein singing "Buddy's Blues" and introduced by Bernadette Peters, Ghost the Musical, Godspell, Hairspray (from a production on a Royal Caribbean ship), Jesus Christ Superstar, Leap of Faith with Raúl Esparza and company, Newsies featuring Jeremy Jordan and company, Nice Work If You Can Get It with Kelli O'Hara, Matthew Broderick and company, Once featuring Steve Kazee and company, and The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess featuring Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis.[10][11] There also were performances from Tony-nominated plays, including End of the Rainbow with Tracie Bennett, One Man, Two Guvnors with James Corden, and Peter and the Starcatcher, with Christian Borle, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Adam Chanler-Berat.[12]

The Book of Mormon cast members, along with Harris, started the show by singing a version of "Hello". The original musical number that opened the show had Harris singing and dancing to "What If Life Were More Like Theatre?" with Patti LuPone, Amanda Seyfried, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and company.[13] The closing musical number was "If I Had Time," sung by Harris. Both the opening and closing musical numbers were written by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger.[14]

Presenters

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As announced on June 1, Angela Lansbury, Candice Bergen, Jessica Chastain, Jim Parsons, Christopher Plummer, Tyler Perry, Nick Jonas, Amanda Seyfried, Paul Rudd, Ellen Barkin, Bernadette Peters, James Marsden, Mandy Patinkin, and Sheryl Crow, among others, were presenters.[15] On June 7, Matthew Morrison, Josh Groban, and Cote de Pablo were added to the presenter line-up.[15] Other presenters included Patti LuPone, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Creative Arts awards

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Several awards, named the "Creative Arts" awards, were presented prior to the main televised ceremony as well as during breaks. These included awards for: Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Play, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Musical and Best Choreography. These awards were announced by Norbert Leo Butz and Beth Leavel.[16][17][18]

Nominees and winners

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The nominees were announced on May 1, 2012.[19] The winners were announced on June 10, 2012.[20]

Best Play Best Musical
Best Revival of a Play Best Revival of a Musical
Best Actor in a Play Best Actress in a Play
Best Actor in a Musical Best Actress in a Musical
Best Featured Actor in a Play Best Featured Actress in a Play
Best Featured Actor in a Musical Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Best Book of a Musical Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Best Scenic Design of a Play Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Best Costume Design of a Play Best Costume Design of a Musical
Best Lighting Design of a Play Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Best Sound Design of a Play Best Sound Design of a Musical
Best Direction of a Play Best Direction of a Musical
Best Choreography Best Orchestrations

Multiple nominations

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Multiple wins

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Non-competitive awards

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The Tony Award for Excellence in the Theatre has been awarded to Freddie Gershon, Artie Siccardi and the TDF Open Doors Program.[21] Those awards were presented at the Tony Eve Cocktail party, held on June 9, 2012 at the InterContinental Hotel (Times Square).[22] The Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre has been awarded to Emanuel Azenberg.[7] Bernadette Peters was presented with the Isabelle Stevenson Award and Special Tony Awards were given to Hugh Jackman and the Actors’ Equity Association.[8] The Regional Theatre Tony Award has been awarded to the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

In Memoriam

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (April 2, 2012). "Footnote". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  2. ^ Ng, David (April 3, 2012). "Can Neil Patrick Harris boost Tony Awards ratings?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  3. ^ Ng, Philiana (June 11, 2012). "TV Ratings: Neil Patrick Harris-Hosted Tony Awards Drops From 2011". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  4. ^ Gans, Andrew (January 17, 2012). "66th Annual Tony Awards Set for June 10". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Gans, Andrew (April 3, 2012). "Neil Patrick Harris Will Host 66th Annual Tony Awards". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2012-04-13. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Gans, Andrew.Tony Awards Ratings Hit Record Low, According to Preliminary Numbers" Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, June 11, 2012
  7. ^ a b Gans, Andrew (April 10, 2012). "Emanuel Azenberg Will Receive Special Tony Award for Lifetime AchievemenEmanuel Azenberg Will Receive Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievementt". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2012-04-13. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Bernadette Peters, Hugh Jackman & Actors' Equity to Receive Special Tony Awards & Honors" broadwayworld.com, April 30, 2012
  9. ^ Healy, Patrick (January 17, 2012). "A Date for the Tony Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  10. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, Ricky Martin, Danny Burstein, Norm Lewis Will Be Featured on Tonys" Archived 2012-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com, May 23, 2012
  11. ^ Gans, Andrew."'Leap of Faith' Will Perform on Tony Awards" Archived 2012-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, May 30, 2012
  12. ^ Gans, Andrew."'Godspell', 'Ghost', 'End of the Rainbow', 'One Man', 'Starcatcher', Raúl Esparza Will Perform on Tony Awards" Archived 2012-06-06 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, June 4, 2012
  13. ^ Gioia, Michael."THE SCREENING ROOM: "What If Life Were More Like Theatre?": Watch the Tony Awards Opening Number (Video)" Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, June 10, 2012
  14. ^ Hetrick, Adam."David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger Authored Tony Awards Opening and Closing Numbers (Plus Video)" Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, June 11, 2012
  15. ^ a b "The 2012 Tony Awards® to Feature More Performances Than Ever Before!". TonyAwards.com. June 7, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-06-07. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  16. ^ Gans, Andrew.Norbert Leo Butz and Beth Leavel to Host Creative Arts Tony Awards Archived 2012-06-10 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, June 8, 2012
  17. ^ Jones, Kenneth."Judith Light, Michael McGrath Win Featured Performer Tony Awards; 'Once', 'Salesman' Have Best Direction" Playbill.com, June 10, 2012
  18. ^ Gioia, Michael."The Screening Room: Martin Lowe, Christopher Gattelli, Natasha Katz and More Accept 2012 Creative Arts Tonys (Video) Archived 2012-06-17 at the Wayback Machine June 14, 2012
  19. ^ Jones, Kenneth and Hetrick, Adam. 2012 "Tony Awards Nominations Announced; Once Earns 11 Nominations" Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine. Playbill.com, May 1, 2012
  20. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "'Once', 'Clybourne Park', 'Porgy and Bess', Audra McDonald, 'Salesman' Win Tony Awards" Playbill.com, June 10, 2012
  21. ^ Gans, Andrew (March 12, 2012). "Recipients of Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre Announced". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  22. ^ Fullerton, Krissie."PHOTO CALL: The 2012 Tony Eve Cocktail Party" Archived 2012-06-14 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, June 10, 2012
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