(Photo credit: CBS)

 

by Matt Smith

Once a year, the theatre community gathers together to commemorate the season and salute the best of the best. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s plans were instantly, and rightfully, forced to be altered. To fill the void, in celebration of the joy of theatre and the decades-long tradition of the Tony Awards, we put together this star-studded compilation of moments and memories from past ceremonies. To our beloved community and the mélange of Tony winners, nominees and hopefuls of past, would-be-present and future… this one’s for you.

 

FEATURING:

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik & Kiril Kulish

Billy Elliot, the Musical

Best Performance by a Leading Actor(s) in a Musical

2009

 

Laura Benanti

Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2008

 

Michael Bennett

A Chorus Line

Best Director of a Musical

1976

 

Christian Borle

Something Rotten!

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

2015

 

Betty Buckley

Cats

Best Leading Actress in a Musical

1983

 

Michael Cerveris

Assassins

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

2004

 

Michael Cerveris

Fun Home

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

2015

 

 

 

Rachel Chavkin

Hadestown

Best Director of a Musical

2019

 

Kristin Chenoweth

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

1999

 

Cleavant Derricks

Dreamgirls

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

1982

 

André De Shields

Hadestown

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

2019

 

Daisy Eagan

The Secret Garden

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

1991

 

Cynthia Erivo

The Color Purple

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2016

 

Harvey Fierstein

Hairspray

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

2003

  

Sutton Foster

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2002

 

Sutton Foster

Anything Goes

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2011

 

Robyn Goodman

Avenue Q

Best Musical

2004

 

Lena Hall

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2014

 

Ben Harney

Dreamgirls

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

1982

 

Neil Patrick Harris

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

2014

 

Jennifer Holliday

Dreamgirls

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

1982

 

James Monroe Iglehart

Aladdin

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

2014

 

Hugh Jackman

The Boy from Oz

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

2004

 

Nikki M. James

The Book of Mormon

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2011

 

Michael Jeter

Grand Hotel

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

1990

 

Larry Kramer

Lifetime Achievement Award

2013

 

Beth Leavel

The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2006

 

Patti LuPone

Gypsy

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2008

 

Kevin McCollum

Avenue Q

Best Musical

2004

 

Audra McDonald

Raisin in the Sun

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

2004

 

Audra McDonald

Porgy and Bess

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2012

 

Terrence McNally

Lifetime Achievement Award

2019

 

Idina Menzel

Wicked

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2004

 

Patina Miller

Pippin

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2013

 

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton

Best Score

2016

 

Kelli O’Hara

The King and I

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2015

 

Michael Peters

Dreamgirls

Best Choreography

1982

 

Ben Platt

Dear Evan Hansen

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

2017

 

Billy Porter

Kinky Boots

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

2013

 

Hal Prince

Lifetime Achievement Award

2006

 

Sara Ramirez

Monty Python’s Spamalot

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2005

 

Alice Ripley

Next to Normal

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

2009

 

Anika Noni Rose

Caroline, or Change

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2004

 

Lea Salonga

Miss Saigon

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

1991

 

Ali Stroker

Oklahoma!

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2019

 

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Lifetime Achievement Award

2018

 

Mary Louise Wilson

Grey Gardens

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

2007

 

John Lloyd Young

Jersey Boys

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

2006

 

AND CLIPS FROM THE FOLLOWING PERFORMANCES:

 

“Along Came Bialy”

The Producers

2001

 

“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”

Dreamgirls

1982

 

“Angry Dance”

Billy Elliot, the Musical

2009

 

“Another Openin’, Another Show”

feat. Bernadette Peters

2005

 

“Anything Goes”

Anything Goes

2011

 

“The Best of Times”

La Cage aux Folles

2010

 

“Bigger”

Music and lyrics by Tom Kitt

Rap verse written by Lin-Manuel Miranda

2013

 

“Circle of Life”

The Lion King

1998

 

Costume Swap

Sara Bareilles & Josh Groban

2018

 

“Curtain Call”

Company

Music composed by Stephen Sondheim

2020

 

“Defying Gravity”

Wicked

2004

 

“Do Re Mi”

The Sound of Music

1998

 

“Everything’s Coming Up Roses”

Gypsy

2008

 

“Finale Ultimo”

42nd Street

2001

 

“Find Your Grail”

Monty Python’s Spamalot

2005

 

“Forget About the Boy”

Thoroughly Modern Millie

2002

 

“Hot Honey Rag”

Chicago

1997

 

“Into the Woods”

Into the Woods

2002

 

“It’s the Hard Knock Life”

Annie

2013

 

“La Vie Boheme”

Rent

1996

 

Monologue & “Mary Poppins” Entrance

Whoopi Goldberg

2008

 

“Memory”

Cats

1983

 

“The Music of the Night”

The Phantom of the Opera

2013

 

“My New Philosophy”

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

1999

 

“Not the Boy Next Door”

The Boy from Oz

2004

  

“One”

A Chorus Line

2007

 

“One Day More”

Les Miserables

1987

 

“One Night Only”

Dreamgirls

2004

 

“Prologue”

Ragtime

1998

 

“Rose’s Turn”

Gypsy

2003

 

“Ring of Keys”

Fun Home

2015

 

“Seasons of Love”

Rent

1996

 

“Seize the Day”

Newsies

2012

 

“Seventy-Six Trombones”

The Music Man

2000

 

“Shy”

Once Upon a Mattress

1997

 

“Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”

Guys and Dolls

1992

 

Spider-Man Entrance

Neil Patrick Harris

2011

 

“This One’s for You”

Music by Sara Bareilles

Lyrics by Sara Bareilles, Josh Groban & Shaina Taub

2018

 

“Totally F*cked”

Spring Awakening

2007

 

“Wait for Me”

Hadestown

2019

 

“We Are Live”

Music and lyrics by David Javerbaum & Tom Kitt

2019

 

“We Are What We Are”

La Cage aux Folles

2010

 

“We’ll Take a Glass Together”

Grand Hotel

1990

 

“When I Grow Up”

Matilda the Musical

2013

 

“Wilkommen”

Cabaret

1998

 

“You Can’t Stop the Beat”

Hairspray

2003

 

“You Learn”

Jagged Little Pill

Music and lyrics by Alanis Morissette

2020

 

“You’re in the Band”

School of Rock: The Musical

2016

 

Photo & Video courtesy of CBS/Tony Awards Productions