Tony Awards: 'Book of Mormon' wins nine awards, including top musical

"The Book of Mormon," the cheerfully offensive musical from the creators of "South Park," was the big winner at Sunday's Tony Awards, winning in nine categories including best musical. The show's creators -- Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez -- each won multiple awards in the writing and other creative categories.

Parker, in accepting the top award, jokingly thanked "our co-writer who passed away, Joseph Smith," who is the founder of the Mormon faith.

The record for the most Tonys is held by "The Producers," with 12 wins.

"Mormon" was the favorite going into Sunday's ceremony, with a total of 12 nominations. The musical won in the categories of score and book of a musical, which were both written by Stone, Parker and Lopez.

The musical tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries who travel to a remote village in Africa. The show makes fun of various religions, the AIDS crisis and other hot-button topics.

The show also won for direction (Casey Nicholaw and Parker). Actress Nikki M. James, playing an African villager, took home the award for featured actress in a musical.

"Mormon's" other wins came in the categories for scenic design, lighting, sound design and orchestration.

"War Horse," the British drama that uses life-size puppets to represent its equine characters, received five Tonys, including best play. The drama also won for direction, scenic design, lighting design and and sound design.

Revivals of "Anything Goes" and "The Normal Heart" both won three Tonys, including musical revival and play revival, respectively.

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--David Ng

 

Photo (top): Trey Parker accepts the award for best musical for "The Book of Mormon." Credit: Jeff Christensen / Associated Press

Tony Awards: Mark Rylance, Norbert Leo Butz win actor awards

Actors Mark Rylance and Norbert Leo Butz took home Tony Awards for their performances in the play "Jerusalem" and the musical "Catch Me If You Can," respectively. The wins mark the second Tonys for both.

Rylance delivered a rambling acceptance speech that might have been in the spirit of the backwoods trailer-park character he plays in "Jerusalem," a role that he originated in London. The British actor also delivered his speech in an American accent. (Rylance spent part of his youth in the U.S.)

Rylance previously won a Tony for the 2008 revival of "Boeing-Boeing."

Butz beat out heavy competition from Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells in "The Book of Mormon." He won the Tony in 2005 for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): Mark Rylance accepts his Tony Award for "Jerusalem." Credit: Jeff Christensen / Associated Press

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing

Tony Awards: 'War Horse' wins for best play

The British drama "War Horse" has won for best play at the Tony Awards. The production, which uses life-size puppets for its four-legged characters, originated at London's National Theatre before moving to the West End and New York.

Playwright Nick Stafford adapted "War Horse" from the book of the same name by Michael Morpurgo. The drama, at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre, is set during World War I and follows the adventures of a horse named Joey from birth to war.

The other best-play nominees were "Good People" (David Lindsay-Abaire), "Jerusalem" (Jez Butterworth) and "The Mother... with the Hat" (Stephen Adly Guirgis).

"War Horse" has also won awards for direction and scenic design.

The drama is scheduled to play at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2012. A film version of the book by Steven Spielberg is set to open in December.

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): A scene from "War Horse." Credit: Paul Kolnik / Associated Press

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing

Tony Awards: John Larroquette wins for 'How to Succeed in Business'

Daniel Radcliffe wasn't even nominated for his starring role in the revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." But his costar John Larroquette  fame took home a Tony for his featured role in the musical.

Larroquette -- best known for NBC's "Night Court" -- is making his Broadway debut in "Business" as J.B. Biggley, the corporate overlord who rules over Radcliffe's climber.

The other nominees in the category were Colman Domingo, Adam Godley, Forrest McClendon and Rory O'Malley.

In his acceptance speech, Larroquette thanked Radcliffe, "without whom I would be sitting at home watching this in my underwear."

During a commercial break, "War Horse" took the Tony for scenic design for a play.

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): John Larroquette. Credit: Charles Sykes / AP

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing

Tony Awards: Nikki M. James wins Tony for 'Book of Mormon'

"The Book of Mormon" increased its haul of Tonys on Sunday when Nikki M. James won the award for featured actress in a musical.

James gave a rambling, effusive speech thanking colleagues and family members. She also thanked the show for "changing the face of American theater." The actress plays a member of the African village visited by two American Mormon missionaries.

James beat out stiff competition in her category, including Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, Tammy Blanchard and Victoria Clark.

"The Book of Mormon" has so far won five Tonys for the evening. The musical won't sweep the awards, however, since it lost in the choreography category to "Anything Goes."

During a commercial break, the revival of "The Importance of Being Earnest" picked up an award for costume design for a play.

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): Nikki M. James. Credit: Peter Foley / EPA

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing

Tony Awards: 'Book of Mormon,' 'War Horse' win for direction

 

"The Book of Mormon" and "War Horse" won Tonys for direction of a musical and play, respectively. The wins are seen as harbingers for the shows' chances for winning the top awards later.

Trey Parker and Casey Nicholaw shared the Tony for co-directing "The Book of Mormon." Parker thanked his parents as well as fans of "South Park," the long-running animated Comedy Central series that he co-created with Matt Stone.

So far Sunday, "The Book of Mormon" has won four Tonys.

Two directors also won for "War Horse" -- Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris. The pair directed the play at its first staging at the National Theatre in London and subsequently on the West End, before it opened in New York this season.

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): A scene from "War Horse." Credit: Paul Kolnik / Associated Press

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing

Tony Awards: John Benjamin Hickey wins for 'Normal Heart'

Veteran stage actor John Benjamin Hickey won his first Tony for his featured performance in "The Normal Heart."

Hickey thanked the large ensemble cast of the Larry Kramer drama. "We love this play, we love doing this play," he said. The actor thanked co-directors Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, as well as the producers.

He also gave a special thanks to some cast members of Showtime's "The Big C," including Laura Linney "for getting me to the stage door on time." Hickey plays Linney's formerly homeless brother on the television comedy.

The actor saved his final thanks for Kramer, whom he called "the great bad-ass of the American theater."

Hickey plays the role of Felix Turner in "The Normal Heart."

During a commercial break, "The Book of Mormon" won the award for sound design of a musical.

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Photo (top): John Benjamin Hickey. Credit: Peter Foley / EPA

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing

Tony Awards: Pre-show awards go to 'Book of Mormon'

"The Book of Mormon" took some of the key creative and technical Tony awards that were handed out in a pre-ceremony event at the Beacon Theatre on Sunday.

[Updated 6:36 p.m.]: "Mormon" won the Tonys for original score and orchestration of a musical. The musical comedy, which tells the story of two bumbling Mormon missionaries in Africa, is expected to dominate this year's awards.

Kathleen Marshall won the Tony for her choreography for the revival of "Anything Goes."

This year's regional theater award went to Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Athol Fugard, the prolific South African-born playwright, received a lifetime achievement award. Fugard -- whose most notable dramas include "Boesman and Lena" and "Master Harold ... and the Boys" -- has explored issues of race and class in apartheid-era South Africa.

Eve Ensler, the author of "The Vagina Monologues," received the Isabelle Stevenson Award, which honors individuals who has made commitments in the fields of humanitarian and social work.

Other recipients of special awards include Philip J. Smith, William Berloni and the Drama Book Shop. The Handspring Puppet Company, which designed the equine puppetry in "War Horse," also received a special award.

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): Rema Webb, Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad in "The Book of Mormon." Credit: Joan Marcus / Associated Press

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing

Tony Awards: Live coverage of Broadway's biggest night

Welcome to our live coverage of the Tony Awards ceremony. The awards, organized by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, will be broadcast live on CBS starting at 8 p.m. ET, with a delay for the West Coast.

This year's ceremony is taking place at the Beacon Theatre in New York. We'll be live blogging the event here so check back throughout the ceremony for updates and commentary. (Here's a list of this year's nominees.)

In addition, we will be hosting a live Tonys chat at The Envelope.

"The Book of Mormon" is the heavy favorite going into tonight's ceremony, with a total of 14 nominations. The musical comedy, from the makers of "South Park," has a chance of breaking the record for the most Tonys won by  a musical, which is the 12 won by "The Producers" in 2001.

In the play category, the favorite is harder to call, but many expected "War Horse" to be the big winner. The British war drama, adapted by Nick Stafford from the book by Michael Morpurgo, uses life-size puppets to represent its equine characters.

This year's host is Neil Patrick Harris, who previously hosted the Tonys in 2009.

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): Neil Patrick Harris arrives at the Tony Awards ceremony at the Beacon Theatre in New York. Credit: Jason Kempin / Getty Images

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing

Tony Awards: Daniel Radcliffe and 'Bengal Tiger' among snubs in 2011 nominations

Harry Potter won't be taking home a Tony Award this year. Actor Daniel Radcliffe didn't get great reviews for his high-profile performance in the revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," and now the Tonys have agreed, failing to give the young actor a Tony nomination Tuesday morning.

This is the second time Radcliffe has been snubbed by the Tony Awards, the first time being in 2009 for his Broadway debut in the play "Equus."

"Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo," which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize last year, was overlooked in the play category. Its high-profile star, Robin Williams, also failed to receive an acting nod for his performance in the title role. The war drama, which had its world premiere at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2009, received three nominations -- for featured actor, lighting and sound. The play has been struggling to fill seats at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it opened to mixed reviews in late March.

Among the snubs in the new-musical category were "Priscilla Queen of the Desert," based on 1994 movie, and "Baby It's You," which had its debut at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2009.

The revival of "That Championship Season" was left entirely out in the cold. None of its cast members -- featuring Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Chris Noth and Brian Cox -- received nominations.

Other acting snubs included Chris Rock in "The Mother... With the Hat," James Earl Jones in "Driving Miss Daisy," Raúl Esparza in "Arcadia" and Robert Sean Leonard and Jim Belushi for "Born Yesterday."

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): Daniel Radcliffe and Tammy Blanchard in Broadway's "How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying." Credit: Ari Mintz / Associated Press

Photo credit (bottom): American Theatre Wing