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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-- David Ng

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: Tom O'Neil's fearless, 100% perfect predictions

When comparing my Tony Award predictions with those of my L.A. Times colleague Charles McNulty, it's clear that we disagree on very few categories. We concur that Sunday night's kudofest will be a lovefest for "The Book of Mormon" and "War Horse" among original productions, and "Anything Goes" and "The Normal Heart" among revivals.

However, McNulty isn't clear which "Book of Mormon" star he believes will win lead actor in a musical. He says merely that "one of the doorbell ringers should bring home the prize." That means he's covering his bets if either Josh Gad or Andrew Rannells prevails.

However, I -– ever the fearless daredevil -– am prepared to be much more bold, and so I forecast a win by roly-poly scene stealer Gad.

Most Tony pundits agree with McNulty that Laura Benanti ("Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown") will win best featured (or supporting) actress in a musical, but I'm scooting out on a limb for Victoria Clark ("Sister Act"). Yeah, because I'm such a swashbuckling daredevil.

I'm absolutely sure that McNulty is dead wrong about who'll prevail as best director of a play. He picks Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe ("The Normal Heart"). I say Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, ("War Horse").

McNulty doesn't make predictions beyond the main categories, but I square off against 13 other Broadway experts, including the editors of Entertainment Weekly, Playbill and Back Stage, over at Gold Derby. You can see all of us rank nominees in each category according to their likelihood of winning. Even better: You can make your own predictions and see how you fare on Monday morning, when you'll receive an email tallying your score. Can you beat the experts? That's a dare!

Below, my predix, category by category:

BEST MUSICAL
"The Book of Mormon"

BEST PLAY
"War Horse"

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
"Anything Goes"

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
"The Normal Heart"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Mark Rylance, "Jerusalem"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Frances McDormand, "Good People"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Josh Gad, "The Book of Mormon"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Sutton Foster, "Anything Goes"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
John Benjamin Hickey, "The Normal Heart"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Ellen Barkin, "The Normal Heart"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
John Larroquette, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Victoria Clark, "Sister Act"

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, "War Horse"

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, "The Book of Mormon"

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
"The Book of Mormon" (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATER
"The Book of Mormon" (music and lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone)

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Rae Smith, "War Horse"

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Scott Pask, "The Book of Mormon"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Mark Thompson, "La Bête"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, "Priscilla Queen of the Desert"

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Paule Constable, "War Horse"

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Brian MacDevitt, "The Book of Mormon"

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Christopher Shutt, "War Horse"

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Brian Ronan, "The Book of Mormon"

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, "The Book of Mormon"

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Charles McNulty's Tony picks

Play-at-Home Tonys Ballot

Photo: Andrew Rannels and Josh Gad in "The Book of Mormon." Credit: Eugene O'Neill Theatre

Stagehands' union may picket Tony Awards' red carpet

A threatened union strike is not expected to stop superstars from attending Sunday night's Tony Awards, but celebrities may choose to avoid entering the Beacon Theater via the red carpet.

Local 1 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees plans to disrupt the VIP arrivals zone with inflatable rats and as many as 400 pickets plan to protest its exclusion from setting up the area this year. Usually, the union organizes the red carpet, but budget cutbacks caused the Tony chiefs to remove the official entry from the union's jurisdiction when the ceremony moved uptown.

In the past, when the Tonys ceremony was held in Midtown at Radio City Music Hall, the awards organization reaped revenue from the sale of nearly 6,000 tickets, but the show just got displaced by Cirque du Soleil's "Zarkana." There are only 3,000 seats at the Tonys' new venue, the Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side where the stagehands union would normally have jurisdiction over the red carpet entry if it was located outside the theater's entrance on Broadway. However, Tony chiefs moved the arrivals area to Amsterdam Avenue behind the theater where the union doesn't have official authority.

-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: Tony Awards