Effervescent African-American entertainer Ben Vereen attended New Yorks High School of the Performing Arts and Emerson College. Vereen was 18 when he made his New York stage bow in Prodigal Son; shortly thereafter, he was cast in the touring company of Sweet Charity, eventually making his 1969 screen debut in the film version of that Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields musical. He joined the cast of Hair in 1969, at various junctures playing both Claude and Berger. The following year, he won the Theatre World Award for his portrayal of Judas in Andrew Lloyd Webbers Jesus Christ Superstar. After a season with the National Shakespeare Company, Vereen was cast as "The Leading Player" in the Broadway musical Pippin, a performance that earned him a Tony Award. While he seemed destined to appear in naught but film musicfests like Funny Lady (1975) and All That Jazz (1979), Vereen proved his dramatic mettle with his unforgettable portrayal of Chicken George in the landmark miniseries Roots. While he didnt win the Emmy for this role (as many expected), his 1978 TV special Ben Vereen...His Roots copped the gold statuette. Vereen has also been honored with the American Guild of Variety Artists George M. Cohan award, and with the NAACPs Image Award. In 1980, he co-starred with Jeff Goldblum in the Steven Cannell-produced TV series Tenspeed and Brownshoe. Though the series failed, Vereen reserved a warm place in his heart for his wheeler-dealer "Tenspeed Turner" character, reprising the role on the 1987 TV weekly J. J. Starbuck. His additional TV credits include the 1975 summer series Ben Vereen...Comin at Ya, the recurring role of Uncle Phillip on Webster (1986), and the hosting chores for the syndicated talent contest You Write the Songs (1986) At the height of his fame, Vereen ebulliently attributed his success to "Jesus." His faith was sorely tested in the late 1980s; enduring the death of his son, Vereen began contemplating suicide, at one point deliberately standing in the middle of a busy Los Angeles street, allowing himself to be struck down by a passing car. Happily, Vereen recovered both emotionally and professionally; his recent credits include the Broadway musical Jellys Last Jam and the recurring role of Captain Hutchinson in the TV cop series Silk Stalkings (1991- ).
Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar, for which he received a Tony Award nomination, and Pippin, for which he won the 1973 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
Contents
1Early life
2Career
2.1Stage
2.2Television
3Personal life
3.1Sexual harassment allegations
4Filmography
4.1Film
4.2Television
5Theatre
6Discography
6.1Solo albums
6.2Ensemble albums
6.3Singles and EPs
7Awards and Nominations
8References
9External links
Early life
Vereen was born Benjamin Augustus Middleton on October 10, 1946 in Laurinburg, North Carolina.[2][3][4] While still an infant, Vereen and his family relocated to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. He was adopted by James Vereen, a paint-factory worker, and his wife, Pauline, who worked as a maid and theatre wardrobe mistress.[5] He discovered he was adopted when he applied for a passport to join Sammy Davis Jr. on a tour of "Golden Boy" to London when he was 25.[6] He was raised Pentecostal.[7]
During his pre-teen years, he exhibited an innate talent for drama and dance and often performed in local variety shows. At the age of 14, Vereen enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts, where he studied under world-renowned choreographers Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins. Upon his graduation, he struggled to find suitable stage work and was often forced to take odd jobs to supplement his income.
Career
Stage
When Vereen was 18 years old, he made his New York stage bow off-off Broadway in The Prodigal Son at the Greenwich Mews Theater directed by Stella Holt. By the following year, he was in Las Vegas, performing in Bob Fosses production of Sweet Charity, a show with which he toured in 1967–68. He returned to New York City to play Claude in Hair in the Broadway production, before joining the national touring company.
The following year, he was cast opposite Sammy Davis Jr. in the film adaptation of Sweet Charity. After developing a rapport with Davis, Vereen was cast as his understudy in the upcoming production of Golden Boy, which toured England and ended the run at the Palladium Theatre in Londons West End.
Vereen was nominated for a Tony Award for Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972 and won a Tony for his appearance in Pippin in 1973. Vereen appeared in the Broadway musical Wicked as the Wizard of Oz in 2005. Vereen has also performed in one-man shows and actively lectures on black history and inspirational topics.
Television
Vereen in 2007
Vereen has also starred in numerous television programs, and is well known for the role of Chicken George Moore in Alex Haleys landmark TV miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1977.
Vereens four-week summer variety series, Ben Vereen ... Comin At Ya, aired on NBC in August 1975 and featured regulars Lola Falana, Avery Schreiber and Liz Torres.
In 1978, on a Boston Pops TV special, Vereen performed a tribute to Bert Williams, complete with period makeup and attire, and reprising Williams high-kick dance steps, to Vaudeville standards such as "Waitin for the Robert E. Lee".
In 1981, Vereen performed at Ronald Reagans first inauguration. The performance generated controversy as Vereen performed the first part of the show in blackface. Before the finale, ABC cut the live performance, generating confusion and anger from viewers at home.[8] According to video artist Edgar Arcenaux, what TV viewers didn't see was the second part of the performance, in which Vereen mimicked being refused service because of his color while trying to buy the Republican elite a congratulatory drink. As Arceneaux explains, Vereens performance was meant as a critique of Republican civil rights policies, but the TV audience didnt get to see it.[9]
Vereen was cast opposite Jeff Goldblum in the short-lived detective series Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980). During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vereen worked steadily on television with projects ranging from the sitcom Webster to the drama Silk Stalkings.
In 1985, Vereen starred in the Faerie Tale Theatre series as Puss in Boots alongside Gregory Hines. He appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Papas Got a Brand New Excuse", in which he played Will Smiths biological father Lou Smith. He made several appearances on the 1980s sitcom Webster as the title characters biological uncle.
He also appeared as Mayor Ben (a leopard) on the childrens program Zoobilee Zoo and as Itsy Bitsy Spider in Mother Goose Rock n Rhyme. In 1993 he appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Interface" as the father of Roots co-star LeVar Burtons character Geordi La Forge; fellow Roots star Madge Sinclair appeared in the same episode as Geordis mother. In Roots, Vereen had played "Chicken George", the grandson of Burtons character Kunta Kinte.[10] He also appeared on the television series The Nanny episode "Pishke Business". In 2010, he appeared on the television series How I Met Your Mother episodes "Cleaning House" and "False Positive" as Sam Gibbs, the long lost father of James Stinson, Barney Stinsons brother. He returned in 2013 and 2014 for another two episodes.
Personal life
Vereen has appeared as a public speaker and humanitarian speaking on such topics as black history, overcoming adversity, and the importance of continuing education.
In 2007, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and has a website in which he shares his personal story along with advice from medical experts.
According to The Fayetteville Observer of April 29, 2006, Vereen learned while applying for a passport in the late 1960s that he was adopted. His birth certificate revealed that his birth name was Benjamin Augustus Middleton, that he was the son of Essie Middleton, and that he was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina. In April 2006, Vereen visited Scotland County with a genealogist on a search for family members and learned that his mothers name was Essie May Pearson. The Laurinburg Exchange reported: "Vereen, an adoptee who learned that he was born in Laurinburg and made a celebrated trip to Scotland County in 2006 to reconnect with family. While on the trip he learned his mother had died 24 years before, but that several relatives still lived in the area." According to her acquaintances, Essie had gone on a trip when Vereen was a child, and had left her baby in someones care. When she returned, the child was gone. In the April 28, 2006 interview with the Laurinburg Exchange, Vereen said that his visit "has just all been so overwhelming ... Ive finally found my family".[11] In May 2006, he met his mothers daughter, (his sister), Gloria Walker, of Derby, Connecticut.[12][13][14] He also has a brother, James Middleton, who lives in Tucson, Arizona.
In the early 1980s, Vereen moved with his family to Saddle River, New Jersey.[15]
His 16-year-old daughter, Naja, was killed in an auto accident in 1987[16] on the New Jersey Turnpike when a truck overturned on her car.
In 1992, Vereen suffered three accidents in one day, when his car hit a tree causing him to hit his head on the roof of his car, then he suffered a stroke while he was walking on a Malibu highway, apparently veering into the road where he was struck by a car driven by record producer David Foster. His critical injuries (including a broken leg) required him to undergo arduous physical rehabilitation in the ensuing months.[17][18]
Vereen is the godfather of R&B superstar Usher and is also the first cousin once removed of New York Giants running back Shane Vereen. Vereen was the keynote speaker for the Boys & Girls Clubs in St. Petersburg, Florida annual alumni tribute gala held in October 2007.
In August 2011, Vereen was named Co-Artistic Director of Tampas Broadway Theatre Project.[19]
In September 2012, Vereen filed for divorce from his wife Nancy Bruner Vereen of 36 years, citing irreconcilable differences.[20]
He is an active Democrat.[21]
Vereen was inducted as an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity on April 9, 2019.[22]
His 55-year old son, Ben Vereen Jr., died in 2020.[23]
Sexual harassment allegations
In January 2018, four actresses in a Florida production of Hair directed by Vereen in 2015 alleged that he sexually harassed them throughout the production.[24]
According to the New York Daily News, "the women — part of the Venice Theatre production outside of Tampa — say Vereen forced unwanted kisses, hugged them aggressively, stripped naked during an acting exercise and made degrading comments about their weight, sex appeal and personal lives". The Daily News published cast members claims that he used his position of authority as a director and mentor to pressure them to engage him in unwanted sexual interactions. For example, two of the actresses said he tendance did this by privately luring them on separate occasions to his Florida rental home. One woman willingly admits she and Vereen began a relationship though feels it was ultimately coerced; the other says he sexually molested her and later nonconsensually kissed her and made sexually disparaging remarks.[25]
According to Variety, "While directing the 2015 production of the musical at the Venice Theatre in Florida, Vereen is alleged to have invited female cast members back to his apartment and goaded them into sex acts. He's also accused of inappropriate talk and conduct during rehearsals that involved cast members stripping naked, ostensibly as preparation for a show that has, since its original 1967 production, been associated with a famous, full-cast nude scene."[26]
Vereen has since apologized for his misconduct.[27]
Filmography
Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1969Sweet CharityDancer
1970Gas-s-s-sCarlos
1975Funny LadyBert Robbins
1979All That JazzOConnor Flood
1980This Boxer Wears a Shirt
1982Cycling Through ChinaHimselfDocumentary
1982SabineStanley
1985The Zoo GangThe Winch
1988Buy & CellShaka
1993Once Upon a ForestPhineasvoice
1998Why Do Fools Fall in LoveRichard Barrett
1999Ill Take You ThereMr. Gwin
2001The PaintingWhistlin Willie Weston
2006IdlewildPercy Senior
2007And Then Came LoveChuck Cooper
2009TapiocaNuts
200921 and a Wake-UpGeneral Garner
2011Mama, I Want to Sing!Horace Payne
2013KhumbaMkhulu, the Elder Zebravoice
2014Top FiveCarl
2014Time Out of MindDixon
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1975Ben Vereen... Comin at YaHost4 episodes
1976Louis Armstrong – Chicago StyleLouis ArmstrongTelevision Movie
1976The Muppet ShowSpecial Guest StarEpisode: "Ben Vereen"
1977RootsChicken George Moore3 episodes
1977The Carol Burnett ShowSelf2 episodes
1980Tenspeed and Brown ShoeE.L. Tenspeed Turner14 episodes
1981Pippin: His Life and TimesThe Leading PlayerTelevision Movie
1982-84The Love BoatVarious roles3 episodes
1983The CharmkinsDragonweedVoice; Television Short
1983-85WebsterUncle Philip Long11 episodes
1984SCTV
1984The Jesse Owens StoryHerb DouglasTelevision Movie
1984Ellis IslandRoscoe Haines3 episodes
1985A.D.Ethiopian5 part miniseries
1985Lost in LondonPaul WilliamsTelevision Movie
1985Faerie Tale TheatrePuss in BootsEpisode: Puss in Boots
1986-87Zoobilee ZooMayor Ben62 episodes
1988Jennys SongJoeTelevision Movie
1988J.J. StarbuckE.L. "Tenspeed" Turner5 episodes
1990The Kid Who Loved ChristmasPerformerTelevision Movie
1990Mother Goose Rock n RhymeItsy Bitsy SpiderTelevision Movie
1990BookerCarl McQueenEpisode: "The Life and Death of Chick Sterling"
1991-93Silk StalkingsCapt. Ben Hutchinson11 episodes
1992IntrudersGene Randall2 episodes
1993Star Trek: The Next GenerationDr. Edward LaForgeEpisode: "Interface"
1994Lois and Clark:
The New Adventures of SupermanDr. Andre NovakEpisode: "Illusions of Grandeur"
1994The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirLou SmithEpisode: "Papas Got a Brand New Excuse"
1994The NannyBen VereenEpisode: "Pishke Business"
1995New York UndercoverLouieEpisode: "Eliminate the Middleman"
1996Touched by an AngelUlysses DoddEpisode: "Secret Service"
1997Second NoahSweet BillyEpisode: "Desperately Seeking Mickey"
1998Soldier of Fortune, Inc.Senator Stanford ParksEpisode: "Party Girl"
1999Promised LandLawrence Taggert Sr.3 episodes
1999The Jamie Foxx ShowRoyalEpisode: "Taps for Royal"
2001The Feast of All SaintsRudolphe LermontantTelevision Movie
2002OzA.R. WhitworthEpisode: "Good Intentions"
2007Greys AnatomyArchie RocheEpisode: "Love/Addiction"
2007Law & Order: Criminal IntentRev. Jeremiah MorrisEpisode: "Senseless"
2008Accidental FriendshipWesTelevision Movie
2008Your Mama Dont DanceJudge8 episodes
2010House of PayneClarence SandersonEpisode: "Curtis Sings the Blues
2010-14How I Met Your MotherSam Gibbs4 episodes
2011Broadway: The Next GenerationHimselfDocumentary Series
2014Love That Girl!JudgeEpisode: "Business is Business"
2013NCISLamar AddisonEpisode: "Homesick"
2015Hot in ClevelandMayor of ClevelandEpisode: "Out of Our Minds"
2016The Rocky Horror Picture Show:
Lets Do the Time Warp AgainDr. Everett von ScottTelevision Special NBC
2017Making HistoryDr. Theodore Anthony Cobell3 episodes
2017-18Sneaky PetePorter6 episodes
2018Magnum P.I.Henry BarrEpisode: "Death Is Only Temporary"
2018-19StarCalvin5 episodes
2019BullWillie LambertEpisode: "Forfeiture"
2019TalesHarryEpisode: "My Life"
2021The Good FightFrederick Douglas4 episodes
Theatre
YearProductionRoleVenueNotes
1965The Prodigal SonDancerGreenwich Mews Theater, Off-Broadway
1967–68Sweet CharityDancerUS & Canada Tour
1968–72HairHud - ClaudeBiltmore Theatre, Broadway
National Tour
1968Golden BoyUnderstudy to
Sammy Davis Jr.London Palladium
International Tour
1970Gurtons Apocalyptic NeedleAlternate rolesThe New Troupe/Touring
1970Dont Call Me TobySinger/DancerThe New Troupe, Touring
1970–71No Place to be SomebodyAlternate rolesTouring Company
1971–73Jesus Christ SuperstarJudas IscariotMark Hellinger Theatre, Broadway
1972–74PippinLeading PlayerImperial Theater, Broadway,
U.S. tour
1985GrindLeRoyMark Hellinger Theatre, Broadway
1992–93Jellys Last JamChimney ManShubert Theater, BroadwayReplacement
1995–96A Christmas CarolGhost of Christmas PresentMadison Square Garden, Broadway
1999ChicagoBilly FlynnU.S. & Canada Tour
2001FossePerformerShubert Theater, BroadwayReplacement
2002Im not RappaportMidgeShubert Theater, Broadway
U.S. National tour
2003The ExoneratedPerformerOff-Broadway
2005-06WickedThe Wizard of OzGershwin Theatre, BroadwayReplacement
Discography
Solo albums
Off-Stage (Buddah Records, 1975)
Ben Vereen (Buddah Records, 1976)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered! (51 West, 1979)
Here I Am (Accord, 1982)
Steppin Out Live (Ghostlight Records, 2010)
Ensemble albums
Grind (Original Cast Recording) (TER, 1985)
Pippin (Original Broadway Cast) (Decca Broadway, 2000)
Singles and EPs
Superstar (MCA Records, 1971)
Could We Start Again Please? / Heaven On Their Minds (Decca, 1972)
Stop Your Half-Steppin Ma Ma (Buddah Records, 1975)
By Your Side (Buddah Records, 1975)
Got It Made / Read Between the Lines (Ariola, 1980)
Awards and Nominations
The handprints of Ben Vereen in front of Theater of the Stars at Walt Disney Worlds Disneys Hollywood Studios theme park
Theater
YearAwardCategoryTitleResults
1972Tony AwardBest Featured Actor in a MusicalJesus Christ SuperstarNominated
1972Theatre World AwardN/AWon
1973Drama Desk AwardOutstanding PerformancePippinWon
1973Tony AwardBest Actor in a MusicalWon
Television
YearAwardCategoryTitleResults
1976Golden Globe AwardNew Star of the Year – ActorFunny LadyNominated
1977Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actor in Variety or MusicThe Bell Telephone JubileeNominated
Outstanding Lead Actor Drama or Comedy SeriesRootsNominated
1984Golden Globe AwardBest Supporting Actor - TelevisionEllis IslandNominated
1992Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actor in a MiniseriesIntrudersNominated
Honors
The Community Mental Health Council awarded Vereen with their 2004 Lifeline Celebration Achievement Award. For his humanitarian contributions, he has received a number of awards including Israels Cultural and Humanitarian Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and a Victory Award. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Arizona, Emerson College, St. Francis College, and Columbia College in Chicago. In 2001, Medgar Evers College created the Ben Vereen Scholarship for the Performing Arts, and in 2004, he received an Achievement in Excellence Award from his alma mater, the High School of the Performing Arts.
He was the first simultaneous winner of the "Entertainer of the Year," “Rising Star," and "Song and Dance Star" awards from the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). He also earned a coveted spot in the Casino Legends Hall of Fame.
Vereen was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his performance in the Hallmark movie An Accidental Friendship. In 2004, Vereen was nominated for a "Career Achievement Award" by the Le Prix International Film Star Awards Organization.
In 2011, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.[28]
In 2012, Vereen was inducted into the National Museum of Dances Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame.
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre,[1] more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League[2] at an annual ceremony in Midtown Manhattan.
The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given, as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award.[3]
The awards founded by Brock Pemberton are named after Antoinette "Tony" Perry, an actress, producer and theatre director who was co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing. The trophy consists of a medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks, mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel.
The rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the official document "Rules and Regulations of The American Theatre Wings Tony Awards", which applies for that season only.[4] The Tony Awards are considered the highest U.S. theatre honor, the New York theatre industrys equivalent to the Academy Awards (Oscars) for film, the Emmy Awards for television, and the Grammy Awards for music. It also forms the fourth spoke in the EGOT, that is, someone who has won all four major annual American entertainment awards. The Tony Awards are also considered the equivalent of the Laurence Olivier Awards in the United Kingdom and the Molière Awards in France.
The 74th annual ceremony was held on September 26, 2021, at Winter Garden Theatre in New York City and was broadcast live on Paramount+. Audra McDonald served as the host.
Contents
1Award categories
1.1Performance categories
1.2Show and technical categories
1.3Special awards
1.4Retired awards
2History
2.1Medallion
3Details of the Tony Awards
3.1Rules for a new play or musical
3.2Committees and voters
3.3Eligibility date (Season)
3.4Broadway theatre
4Criticism
5Award milestones
5.1Productions
5.2Individuals
5.3Firsts
6See also
7References
8External links
Award categories
Most recent Tony Award winners
← 20192020 Tony Awards2022 →
Mary-Louise Parker by Gage Skidmore.jpg
AwardBest Leading Actor in a PlayBest Leading Actress in a Play
WinnerAndrew Burnap
(The Inheritance)Mary-Louise Parker
(The Sound Inside)
Aaron Tveit in Boston.jpg
AwardBest Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Leading Actress in a Musical
WinnerAaron Tveit
(Moulin Rouge!)Adrienne Warren
(Tina)
Stephen Daldry 2013.jpg
AwardBest Direction of a MusicalBest Direction of a Play
WinnerAlex Timbers
(Moulin Rouge!)Stephen Daldry
(The Inheritance)
Previous Best Musical
Hadestown
Previous Best Play
The Ferryman
Best Musical
Moulin Rouge!
Best Play
The Inheritance
As of 2014, there were 26 categories of awards, in addition to several special awards. Starting with 11 awards in 1947, the names and number of categories have changed over the years. Some examples: the category Best Book of a Musical was originally called "Best Author (Musical)". The category of Best Costume Design was one of the original awards. For two years, in 1960 and 1961, this category was split into Best Costume Designer (Dramatic) and Best Costume Designer (Musical). It then went to a single category, but in 2005 it was divided again. For the category of Best Director of a Play, a single category was for directors of plays and musicals prior to 1960.[5]
A newly established non-competitive award, The Isabelle Stevenson Award, was given for the first time at the awards ceremony in 2009. The award is for an individual who has made a "substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations".[6]
The category of Best Special Theatrical Event was retired as of the 2009–2010 season.[7] The categories of Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical were retired as of the 2014–2015 season.[8] On April 24, 2017, the Tony Awards administration committee announced that the Sound Design Award would be reintroduced for the 2017–2018 season.[9]
Performance categories
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Show and technical categories
Best Musical
Best Revival of a Musical
Best Direction of a Musical
Best Book of a Musical
Best Original Score
Best Orchestrations
Best Choreography
Best Scenic Design in a Musical
Best Costume Design in a Musical
Best Lighting Design in a Musical
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Best Play
Best Revival of a Play
Best Direction of a Play
Best Scenic Design in a Play
Best Costume Design in a Play
Best Lighting Design in a Play
Best Sound Design of a Play
Special awards
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Special Tony Award (includes Lifetime Achievement Award)
Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
Isabelle Stevenson Award
Retired awards
Best Author
Best Conductor and Musical Director
Best Costume Design (split into two categories: Best Costume Design in a Musical and Best Costume Design in a Play)
Best Lighting Design (split into two categories: Best Lighting Design in a Musical and Best Lighting Design in a Play)
Best Newcomer
Best Revival (split into two categories: Best Revival of a Musical and Best Revival of a Play)
Best Scenic Design (split into two categories: Best Scenic Design in a Musical and Best Scenic Design in a Play)
Best Stage Technician
Best Special Theatrical Event
Best Director (split into two categories: Best Direction of a Musical and Best Direction of a Play)
History
Main article: List of Tony Awards ceremonies
The award was founded in 1947 by a committee of the American Theatre Wing (ATW) headed by Brock Pemberton. The award is named after Antoinette Perry, nicknamed Tony, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who died in 1946.[10] As her official biography at the Tony Awards website states, "At [Warner Bros. story editor] Jacob Wilks suggestion, [Pemberton] proposed an award in her honor for distinguished stage acting and technical achievement. At the initial event in 1947, as he handed out an award, he called it a Tony. The name stuck."[11] Nevertheless, the awards were sometimes referred to as the "Perry Awards" in their early years.[12][13]
The 1st Tony Awards was held on April 6, 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.[14] The first prizes were "a scroll, cigarette lighter and articles of jewelry such as 14-carat gold compacts and bracelets for the women, and money clips for the men".[15] ATW co-founder Louise Heims Beck was responsible for over seeing the organization of the first awards.[16] It was not until the third awards ceremony in 1949 that the first Tony medallion was given to award winners.[15]
Since 1967, the award ceremony has been broadcast on U.S. national television and includes songs from the nominated musicals, and occasionally has included video clips of, or presentations about, nominated plays. The American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League jointly present and administer the awards. Audience size for the telecast is generally well below that of the Academy Awards shows, but the program reaches an affluent audience, which is prized by advertisers. According to a June 2003 article in The New York Times: "What the Tony broadcast does have, say CBS officials, is an all-important demographic: rich and smart. Jack Sussman, CBSs senior vice president in charge of specials, said the Tony show sold almost all its advertising slots shortly after CBS announced it would present the three hours. It draws upscale premium viewers who are attractive to upscale premium advertisers, Mr. Sussman said..."[17][18] The viewership has declined from the early years of its broadcast history (for example, the number of viewers in 1974 was 20 million; in 1999, 9.2 million) but has settled into between six and eight million viewers for most of the decade of the 2000s.[19] In contrast, the 2009 Oscar telecast had 36.3 million viewers.[20]
Medallion
The Tony Award medallion was designed by art director Herman Rosse and is a mix of mostly brass and a little bronze, with a nickel plating on the outside; a black acrylic glass base, and the nickel-plated pewter swivel.[21] The face of the medallion portrays an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks. Originally, the reverse side had a relief profile of Antoinette Perry; this later was changed to contain the winners name, award category, production and year. The medallion has been mounted on a black base since 1967.[22][23]
A larger base was introduced in time for the 2010 award ceremony. The new base is slightly taller – 5 inches (13 cm), up from 3+1⁄4 inches (8.3 cm) – and heavier – 3+1⁄2 pounds (1.6 kg), up from 1+1⁄2 pounds (680 grams). This change was implemented to make the award "feel more substantial" and easier to handle at the moment the award is presented to the winners. According to Howard Sherman, the executive director of the American Theatre Wing:
We know the physical scale of the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys. While were not attempting to keep up with the Joneses, we felt this is a significant award, and it could feel and look a bit more significant... By adding height, now someone can grip the Tony, raise it over their head in triumph and not worry about keeping their grip. Believe me, you can tell the difference.[24]
For the specific Tony Awards presented to a Broadway production, awards are given to the author and up to two of the producers free of charge. All other members of the above-the-title producing team are eligible to purchase the physical award. Sums collected are designed to help defray the cost of the Tony Awards ceremony itself. An award cost $400 as of at least 2000, $750 as of at least 2009, and, as of 2013, had been $2,500 "for several years", according to Tony Award Productions.[25]
Details of the Tony Awards
Source: Tony Awards Official Site, Rules[26]
Rules for a new play or musical
For the purposes of the award, a new play or musical is one that has not previously been produced on Broadway and is not "determined… to be a classic or in the historical or popular repertoire", as determined by the Administration Committee (per Section (2g) of the Rules and Regulations).[4] The rule about "classic" productions was instituted by the Tony Award Administration Committee in 2002, and stated (in summary) "A play or musical that is determined ... to be a classic or in the historical or popular repertoire shall not be eligible for an award in the Best Play or Best Musical Category but may be eligible in that appropriate Best Revival category."[27] Shows transferred from Off-Broadway or the West End are eligible as "new", as are productions based closely on films.
This rule has been the subject of some controversy, as some shows, such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Violet,[28] have been ruled ineligible for the "new" category, meaning that their authors did not have a chance to win the important awards of Best Play or Best Musical (or Best Score or Best Book for musicals). On the other hand, some people[who?] feel that allowing plays and musicals that have been frequently produced to be eligible as "new" gives them an unfair advantage because they will have benefited from additional development time as well as additional familiarity with the Tony voters.
Committees and voters
The Tony Awards Administration Committee has twenty-four members: ten designated by the American Theatre Wing, ten by The Broadway League, and one each by the Dramatists Guild, Actors Equity Association, United Scenic Artists and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. This committee, among other duties, determines eligibility for nominations in all awards categories.[29]
The Tony Awards Nominating Committee makes the nominations for the various categories. This rotating group of theatre professionals is selected by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. Nominators serve three-year terms and are asked to see every new Broadway production.[30] The Nominating Committee for the 2012–13 Broadway season (named in June 2012) had 42 members;[31] the Nominating Committee for the 2014–2015 season has 50 members and was appointed in June 2014.[30]
There are approximately 868 eligible Tony Award voters (as of 2014),[26] a number that changes slightly from year to year. The number was decreased in 2009 when the first-night critics were excluded as voters.[32][33] That decision was changed, and members of the New York Drama Critics Circle were invited to be Tony voters beginning in the 2010–2011 season.[34]
The eligible Tony voters include the board of directors and designated members of the advisory committee of the American Theatre Wing, members of the governing boards of Actors Equity Association, the Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, United Scenic Artists, and the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, members of the Theatrical Council of the Casting Society of America and voting members of The Broadway League (in 2000, what was then The League of American Theaters and Producers changed membership eligibility and Tony voting status from a lifetime honor to all above-the-title producers, to ones who had been active in the previous 10 years. This action disenfranchised scores of Tony voters, including Gail Berman, Harve Brosten, Dick Button, Tony Lo Bianco, and Raymond Serra).
Eligibility date (Season)
To be eligible for Tony Award consideration, a production must have officially opened on Broadway by the eligibility date that the Management Committee establishes each year. For example, the cut-off date for eligibility the 2013–2014 season was April 24, 2014.[35] The season for Tony Award eligibility is defined in the Rules and Regulations.
In 2020, the 74th Annual Tony Awards were postponed due to the -19 pandemic.[36] On August 21, 2020, it was announced that the 74th Annual Tony Awards would take place digitally later in 2020.[37]
Broadway theatre
A Broadway theatre is defined as having 500 or more seats, among other requirements. While the rules define a Broadway theatre in terms of its size, not its geographical location, the list of Broadway theatres is determined solely by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. As of the 2016–2017 season, the list consisted solely of the 41 theaters located in the vicinity of Times Square in New York City and Lincoln Centers Vivian Beaumont Theater.[38][39]
Criticism
While the theatre-going public may consider the Tony Awards to be the Oscars of live theatre, critics have suggested that the Tony Awards are primarily a promotional vehicle for a small number of large production companies and theatre owners in New York City.[40][41] In a 2014 Playbill article, Robert Simonson wrote that "Who gets to perform on the Tony Awards broadcast, what they get to perform, and for how long, have long been politically charged questions in the Broadway theatre community..." The producers "accept the situation ... because just as much as actually winning a Tony, a performance that lands well with the viewing public can translate into big box-office sales." Producer Robyn Goodman noted that, if the presentation at the ceremony shows well and the show wins a Tony, "you're going to spike at the box office".[42]
The awards met further criticism when they eliminated the sound design awards in 2014.[43] In 2014, a petition calling for the return of the Sound Design categories received more than 30,000 signatures.[44] Addressing their previous concerns over Tony voters[45] in the category, it was announced that upon the awards return for the 2017–2018 season, they would be decided by a subset of voters based on their expertise.[9][46][47]
Some advocates of gender equality and non-binary people have criticized the separation of male and female acting categories in the Tony Awards, Academy Awards, and Emmy Awards. Though some commentators worry that gender discrimination would cause men to dominate unsegregated categories, other categories are unsegregated. The Grammy Awards went gender-neutral in 2012, while the Daytime Emmy Awards introduced a single Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series category in 2019 to replace their two gender-specific younger actor and actress categories.[48][49]
Award milestones
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Some notable records and facts about the Tony Awards include the following:[50]
Productions
Nominations: The most Tony nominations ever received by a single production was the musical Hamilton (2016) with 16 nominations in 13 categories, narrowly passing the previous holders of this record, The Producers (2001; 15 nominations in 12 categories) and Billy Elliot (2009; 15 nominations in 13 categories). The most Tony nominations for a non-musical play was Slave Play (2020; 12 nominations in 10 categories).
Wins: The most Tony Awards ever received by a single production was the musical The Producers (2001) with 12 awards, including Best Musical.
Non-musical wins: The most Tonys ever received by a non-musical play was The Coast of Utopia (2007) with 7 awards, including Best Play.
Most nominations with fewest wins: Musicals Mean Girls (2018) and The Scottsboro Boys (2011), as well as non-musical play Slave Play (2020) are tied: all three were nominated for 12 Tony Awards but did not win any.[51]
Four productions, all musicals, have won all "big six" awards for their category: South Pacific (1950 awards), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979 awards), Hairspray (2003 awards)[52] and The Bands Visit (2018 awards); each won the Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best Performance by a Leading Actor, Best Performance by a Leading Actress, and Best Direction awards.
Acting Awards: Only one production, South Pacific (1950 awards), has won all four of the acting awards in a single year.
Words and Music: Only six musicals have won the Tony Award for Best Musical when a person had (co-)written the Book (non-sung dialogue and storyline) and the Score (music and lyrics): 1958 winner The Music Man (Meredith Willson – award for Book and Score did not exist that year), 1986 winner The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Rupert Holmes – who also won for Book and Score), 1996 winner Rent (Jonathan Larson posthumously – who also won for Book and Score), 2011 winner The Book of Mormon (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone also won for Book and Score), 2016 winner Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda also won for Book and Score), and 2019 winner Hadestown (Anaïs Mitchell also won for Score).
Design Awards: Eleven shows have swept the Design Awards (original 3 of Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design – joined by Best Sound Design starting in 2008): Follies (1972), The Phantom of the Opera (1986), The Lion King (1998), The Producers (2001), The Light in the Piazza (2005), The Coast of Utopia (2007), the 2008 revival of South Pacific (first to sweep the expanded four awards for Creative Arts), Peter and the Starcatcher (first straight play to sweep the expanded four awards for Creative Arts) (2012), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2018), A Christmas Carol and Moulin Rouge! (both 2020).
Revivals: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller in 2012 became the first show (play or musical) to win as Best Production in four different years, Best Play at the 1949 awards, Best Revival at the 1984 awards (before the Best Revival award was split into two categories for Play and Musical in 1994), and Best Revival of a Play at the 1999 and 2012 awards. La Cage aux Folles made history as the first musical to win as Best Production in three different years, Best Musical at the 1984 awards and Best Revival of a Musical at both the 2005 awards and the 2010 awards. The King and I has also garnered 3 Tony Awards, one for each time it has been produced on Broadway, first as Best Musical and then twice as Best Revival of a Musical.
Individuals
Wins: Harold Prince has won 21 Tony Awards, more than anyone else, including eight for Best Direction of a Musical, eight for Best Musical, two for Best Producer of a Musical, and three special Tony Awards. Tommy Tune has won ten Tony Awards including three for direction, four for choreography, two for performing, and one special Tony Award. Stephen Sondheim has won more music Tony Awards than any other individual, with eight awards (six for Best Original Score, one for Best Composer, and one for Best Lyricist). Bob Fosse has won the most Tonys for choreography, also eight. Oliver Smith has won a record eight scenic design Tony Awards. Jules Fisher has won the most lighting design awards, with nine. Audra McDonald has the most performance Tony Awards with six. Terrence McNally and Tom Stoppard are the most awarded writers with four Tonys each; McNally has won Best Play twice and Best Book of a Musical twice, while Stoppard has won Best Play four times.
Most nominations: Julie Harris and Chita Rivera have been nominated more often than any other performer, ten apiece.[53][54]
Performers in two categories: Six performers have been nominated in two acting categories in the same year: Amanda Plummer, Dana Ivey, Kate Burton, Jan Maxwell, Mark Rylance, and Jeremy Pope. Plummer in 1982 was nominated for Best Actress in a Play for A Taste of Honey and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Agnes of God, for which she won. Ivey in 1984 was nominated as Best Featured Actress in Musical for Sunday in the Park with George and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Heartbreak House. In 2002, Burton was nominated for Best Actress in Play for Hedda Gabler and Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Elephant Man. Maxwell was nominated in 2010 for Best Actress in a Play for The Royal Family and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Lend Me a Tenor. Rylance was nominated in 2014 for Best Actor in a Play for Richard III and Best Featured Actor in a Play for Twelfth Night, for which he won. Pope was nominated in 2019 for Best Actor in a Play for Choir Boy and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Aint Too Proud.
Performers in all categories: Five performers have been nominated for all four performance awards for which a performer is eligible.
Boyd Gaines was the first performer to be nominated for each of Best Featured Actor in a Play in The Heidi Chronicles (1989), Best Actor in a Musical for She Loves Me (1994), Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Contact (2000) and Gypsy (2008) and Best Actor in a Play for Journeys End (2007). Gaines won in three of the categories (and four of the five nominations), missing only for the performance in Journeys End.
Raúl Esparza was the second performer to be nominated in all four categories (no wins), achieving this over a mere six seasons: Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Taboo (2004), Best Actor in a Musical for Company (2007), Best Featured Actor in a Play for The Homecoming (2008), and Best Actor in a Play for Speed-the-Plow (2009).
Angela Lansbury was the third performer to be nominated for all four performance awards. She won Best Actress in a Musical for Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Gypsy (1975), and Sweeney Todd (1979). She was nominated for Best Actress in a Play for Deuce (2007). She won Best Featured Actress in a Play for Blithe Spirit (2009). She was nominated for Featured Actress in a Musical for A Little Night Music (2010).
Jan Maxwell became the fourth performer to achieve this distinction by being nominated (no wins) for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2005), Best Featured Actress in a Play for Coram Boy (2007) and Lend Me a Tenor (2010), Best Actress in a Play for The Royal Family (2010), and Best Actress in a Musical for Follies (2012).
Audra McDonald became the fifth performer to accomplish the feat and the first to win in all four categories, winning Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for Carousel (1994) and Ragtime (1998), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Master Class (1996) and A Raisin in the Sun (2004), Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Porgy and Bess (2012), and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for Lady Day at Emersons Bar and Grill (2014). She was nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Marie Christine (2000) and 110 in the Shade (2007) and for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (2020/21).
Performers Playing Opposite Sex: While several performers have won Tonys for roles that have involved cross-dressing, only four have won for playing a character of the opposite sex: Mary Martin in the title role of Peter Pan (1955), Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (2003), Mark Rylance as Olivia in Twelfth Night (2014), and Lena Hall as Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2014). In 2000, Australian actor Barry Humphries won the Special Tony Award for a live theatrical event at the 55th Annual Tony Awards for Dame Edna: The Royal Tour.
Shared Performances: All three of the young actors who shared the duties of performing the lead character in Billy Elliot the Musical (2009 awards) – David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish – also shared a single nomination, then shared the win, for Best Actor in a Musical. Previously, the only prior joint winners were John Kani and Winston Ntshona, who shared the Best Actor in a Play award in 1975 for Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island, two plays they co-wrote and co-starred in.
Both sexes in one role: Ben Vereen and Patina Miller both won, respectively, Best Actor in a Musical in 1972 and Best Actress in a Musical in 2013 for the role of the Leading Player in Pippin, marking the first time the same role has been won by both a male and a female in a Broadway production.
Writing and performing: Two people have won Tonys as an author and as a performer. Harvey Fierstein won Best Play and Best Lead Actor in a Play for Torch Song Trilogy (1983), Best Book of a Musical for La Cage aux Folles, and Best Lead Actor in a Musical for Hairspray. Tracy Letts, the author of 2008 Best Play August: Osage County, won Best Lead Actor in a Play for Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2013).
Youngest and oldest composers to win: Lin-Manuel Miranda is the youngest person to win the award; he was 28 when he won for In The Heights. If T. S. Eliot had been alive when he won for Cats, he would have been 94. Eliot is one of two people to receive the award posthumously, the other being Jonathan Larson, who won for Rent. He would have been 36.
Youngest and oldest actors to win: Dick Latessa is the oldest actor to win a Tony for his performance in Hairspray aged 72, whilst Lois Smith holds the record for oldest actress for her performance in The Inheritance, which she won at age 90. The youngest actor to win the Best Supporting Actor Tony Award was Frankie Michaels, a record he broke in 1966 aged 11 which still stands today, for his performance in Mame. 25 years later, Daisy Eagan took home a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in The Secret Garden at 11 and a half years old, cementing her place in Tony history as the youngest ever woman to win the award.
In 2013, the four girls who alternated for the title role in Matilda the Musical (Sophia Gennusa, aged 9; Bailey Ryon, aged 10; Oona Laurence, aged 10; and Milly Shapiro, aged 10) won a joint Tony Honors award, making Gennusa the youngest to ever win a Tony, albeit non-competitive.
Firsts
First African-American to win Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical: Juanita Hall for South Pacific in 1950.
First African-American to win Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical: Harry Belafonte for John Murray Andersons Almanac in 1954.
First female author to win Best Play: Frances Goodrich with her partner (and husband) Albert Hackett for The Diary of Anne Frank in 1956.
First African-American to win Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Diahann Carroll for No Strings in 1962.
First African-American to win Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: James Earl Jones for The Great White Hope in 1969.
First African-American to win Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Cleavon Little for Purlie in 1970.
First African-American author to win Best Play: Joseph A. Walker for The River Niger in 1974.
First African-American composer to solely win Tony Award for Best Score: Charlie Smalls for The Wiz in 1975.
First female to win Tony Award for Best Score: Betty Comden for On the Twentieth Century in 1978. (In 1968, she became the first female to win the previous version of the Best Score Award, the Tony Award for Best Composer And Lyricist for Hallelujah, Baby!
First Asian-American author to win Best Play: David Henry Hwang for M Butterfly in 1988.
First Asian-American to win Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: BD Wong for M Butterfly in 1988.
First female author to solely win Best Play: Wendy Wasserstein for The Heidi Chronicles in 1989.
First Asian to win Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Lea Salonga for Miss Saigon in 1991.
First female to win Best Direction of a Musical: Julie Taymor for The Lion King in 1998.
First female to win Best Direction of a Play: Garry Hynes for The Beauty Queen of Leenane in 1998.
First African-American to win Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play: Phylicia Rashad for A Raisin in the Sun in 2004.
First Brazilian to win Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Paulo Szot for South Pacific in 2008.
First female to solely win Tony Award for Best Score: Cyndi Lauper for Kinky Boots in 2013.
First Asian-American to win Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical: Ruthie Ann Miles for The King and I in 2015.
First female team to win Tony Award for Best Score and Tony Award for Best Book: Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron for Fun Home in 2015.
First Lebanese-American to win Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Tony Shalhoub for The Bands Visit in 2018.
First Yemeni-American to win Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical: Ariel Stachel for The Bands Visit in 2018.
First person who uses a wheelchair to be nominated for and to receive a Tony Award for acting: Ali Stroker with the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Oklahoma! in 2019.[55][56]
First female to be nominated for and to win Best Sound Design of a Musical: Jessica Paz for Hadestown in 2019.[57]
See also
