Tony toasts Broadway

Say what you will about the 60th annual Tony Awards TV program, the producers know how to keep a show running on time. Last night's program ended in exactly two hours, a good lesson to the bloated Oscar awards program that bleeds past most folks' bedtimes.

You can tell, though, that the stage actors aren't used to stand-up microphones. Most of the presenters and recipients hunched over the mic like osteoporosis sufferers.

The presenter pairings were inspired, and non-theater celebs were woven into the mix without the show looking desperate for star power, which is always a gamble. (How many theater stars, who aren't also in movies, present at the Oscars?)

The full-blown musical numbers certainly sold those shows to a wider audience, even to people who weren't familiar with them. "Jersey Boys" and "The Drowsy Chaperone," the latter a send-up of 1920s musicals, in particular probably sold a lot of tickets today.

Julia Roberts, who sold-out her run in "Three Days of Rain," but mostly was panned, reluctantly, by the critics, addressed the whole industry: "You people are insanely talented."

Joe Pesci, who grew up in Jersey and is represented in the musical as a whiny kid on the periphery of the band (as opposed to a whiny actor), appeared with the three living Four Seasons to introduce that's show's musical showcase.

Take a look at the list of winners below. It was a good night to be a boy, whether "History" or "Jersey."

- Michael K.



THE WINNERS

Best Play:
The History Boys by Alan Bennett

Best Musical:
Jersey Boys

Best Book of a Musical:
The Drowsy Chaperone - Book by: Bob Martin and Don McKellar

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics):
The Drowsy Chaperone - Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison (music & lyrics)

Best Revival of a Play:
Awake and Sing!

Best Revival of a Musical:
The Pajama Game

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play:
Richard Griffiths, The History Boys

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play:
Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical:
John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical:
LaChanze, The Color Purple

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play:
Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play:
Frances de la Tour, The History Boys

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical:
Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical:
Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Scenic Design of a Play:
Bob Crowley, The History Boys

Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Costume Design of a Play:
Catherine Zuber, Awake and Sing!

Best Costume Design of a Musical:
Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Mark Henderson, The History Boys

Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys

Best Direction of a Play:
Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys

Best Direction of a Musical:
John Doyle, Sweeney Todd

Best Choreography:
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game

Best Orchestrations:
Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd