Tony Awards 2012 Winners

Once was the big winner of the night taking home 8 of its 11 Tony nominations including Best Musical and Best Actor. Peter and the Starcatcher had the next best tally with 5 wins despite losing Best Play to Clybourne Park (its only win). Death of a Salesman and Porgy and Bess also took top honors. The complete list of winners are below:

Best Play: Clybourne Park
Best Musical: Once
Best Revival of a Play: Death of a Salesman
Best Revival of a Musical: Porgy and Bess

Best Actor, Play: James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Best Actress, Play: Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur
Best Actor, Musical: Steve Kazee, Once
Best Actress, Musical: Audra McDonald, Porgy and Bess
Best Feat. Actor, Play: Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Best Feat. Actress, Play: Judith Light, Other Desert Cities
Best Feat. Actor, Musical: Michael McGrath, Nice Work If You Get It
Best Feat. Actress, Musical: Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Direction of a Musical: John Tiffany, Once
Best Direction of a Play: Mike Nichols, Death of a Salesman
Best Book of a Musical: Once
Best Costume Design for a Play: Peter and the Starcatcher
Best Costume Design for a Musical: Follies
Best Scenic Design for a Play: Peter and the Starcatcher
Best Scenic Design for a Musical: Once
Best Lighting Design for a Play: Peter and the Starcatcher
Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Once
Best Choreography: Newsies
Best Original Score: Newsies
Best Orchestrations for a Musical: Once
Best Sound Design for a Musical: Once
Best Sound Design in a Play: Peter and the Starcatcher

Despite only seeing one Broadway show this season (Godspell) which wasn't even nominated for anything, I still thought the ceremony was thoroughly entertaining. Most of that is certainly due to Neil Patrick Harris, who called the Tony Awards "Fifty Shades of Gay" right up front, and his fun and easy way of hosting--a song and dance number about the theater to open the show, some witty jokes sprinkled throughout including another jab at Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, and a recap song to close it all out. It also helped that the winners across the board delivered wonderful speeches from Steve Kazee's ode to his mother to Nina Arianda's glee at receiving an award from Christopher Plummer. Or how about the great reaction of underdog James Corden when he won or Audra McDonald's tearful message to her daughter? I also enjoyed the short and sweet presentation of Hugh Jackman's wife giving him a special Tony award.

The performances were mostly good with a few or so exceptions which I'd rather not go into (ahem Ghost). I'd rather focus on the welcome performance from last year's winner Book of Mormon to open the show (though I was missing original stars Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad), the exuberant gymnastic skills of the Newsies cast, and the heartbreaking and beautiful show put on by Kazee and the Once ensemble. I also found the montage of Best Plays particularly well done if a bit odd to do so in musical style. I halfheartedly livetweeted the show last night, which I hadn't planned on, but I was plenty amused that my tweet about losing nominee Andrew Garfield going home with Emma Stone still making him a winner got a lot of attention.