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A Tale of Success August: Osage County's winning streak continues as it picks up several Tonys
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Published: June 16, 2008
NEW YORK
In the Heights, a joyous celebration of Latino life in the upper reaches of Manhattan, was named best musical at last night's Tony Awards, while August: Osage County, Tracy Letts' scabrous tale of a dysfunctional Oklahoma family, took best play.
August: Osage County also picked up two acting prizes as well as an award for direction.
Thanking the show's producers, Letts said: "They did an amazing thing. They decided to produce an American play on Broadway with theater actors."
The win was not unexpected since August already has won most major theater awards including the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award.
Deanna Dunagan, who portrays the play's acidulous matriarch, took the actress prize and Rondi Reed, who plays her flighty sister, won in the featured category.
Anna D. Shapiro, who directed the production, also triumphed. "If you're really followed by a star, Tracy Letts hands you August: Osage County and says, ‘Wanna?' Then heaven opens up and you get the greatest cast you will ever work with in your entire life," said a tearful Shapiro.
The lavish revival of South Pacific picked up five prizes, including director of a musical, and Boeing-Boeing, a 1960s sex farce filled with slamming doors and eager stewardesses, was named best-revival play. It also won the top acting prize for its star, Mark Rylance.
Bartlett Sher, who oversaw South Pacific, thanked the show's creators, composer Richard Rodgers, lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, its original director and co-author (with Hammerstein) Joshua Logan and James Michener, who wrote the novel on which the show was based.
Gypsy, the main competition for South Pacific, celebrated with two featured performer awards. Boyd Gaines won his fourth Tony, this time for portraying Herbie, the good-natured candy salesman in the show. And Laura Benanti, who plays the title character, the ugly duckling who grows up to become the glamorous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, also was victorious.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music and lyrics for In the Heights, rapped his way through his acceptance speech for best score, saying: "I know I wrote a little show about home. Mr. Sondheim, look, I made a hat. (a reference to a lyric in Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George) But there never was a hat -- it's a Latin hat at that!"
But Stew, the star and co-creator of Passing Strange took the prize for best book of a musical. "Yeah, yeah. Um. Yeah," said the almost speechless performer, who did not expect awards to be given out so early. "I thought this was going to happen like an hour from now. I was looking for some M&Ms in my pocket."
Jim Norton, who played a cantankerous blind Irishman in The Seafarer, took the featured actor-play prize and said: "This has to be one of the happiest days of my life. I can't believe it."
The winners
A partial list of winners for the 62nd annual Tony Awards:
PLAY (AND PLAYWRIGHTS):
August: Osage County (Tracy Letts).
BOOK-MUSICAL: Passing Strange (Stew).
ORIGINAL SCORE (music and/or lyrics): In the Heights (Lin-Manuel Miranda).
REVIVAL-PLAY: Boeing-Boeing.
REVIVAL-MUSICAL: South Pacific.
ACTOR-PLAY: Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing.
ACTRESS-PLAY: Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County.
FEATURED ACTOR-PLAY: Jim Norton, The Seafarer.
FEATURED ACTRESS-PLAY: Rondi Reed, August: Osage County.
FEATURED ACTOR-MUSICAL: Boyd Gaines, Gypsy.
FEATURED ACTRESS-MUSICAL: Laura Benanti, Gypsy.
DIRECTION-PLAY: Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County.
DIRECTION-MUSICAL: Bartlett Sher, South Pacific.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights.
ORCHESTRATIONS: Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman, In the Heights.
SCENIC DESIGN-PLAY: Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County.
SCENIC DESIGN-MUSICAL: Michael Yeargen, South Pacific."
COSTUME DESIGN-PLAY: Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
COSTUME DESIGN-MUSICAL: Catherine Zuber, South Pacific.
LIGHTING DESIGN-PLAY: Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps.
LIGHTING DESIGN-MUSICAL: Donald Holder, South Pacific.
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