Tony Telecasts

The 47th Annual Tony Awards were hosted by Liza Minnelli on June 6, 1993. Presented at the Gershwin Theatre, the theme of the ceremony was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of theatre in Times Square. Heading into the ceremony, Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Who’s Tommy led the pack with 11 nominations each, followed by Blood Brothers with six and The Goodbye Girl with five. This season there were no musicals nominated for Best Revival.

Well, Mo, the 1992-93 season saw the inauguration of the US’s 42nd president, President Bill Jefferson Clinton and the installation of the nation’s first female attorney general, Janet Reno. Outside of those momentous occasions, the country was mainly dealing with ongoing issues, both abroad and domestically: The United States was still dealing with the aftermath of the Gulf War, waged by the previous administration, and with the nation finally acknowledging HIV/AIDS within the last few years as a nationwide epidemic, the US found itself playing catch-up to dealing with a plague that was ravaging its citizens.

In New York, the Broadway industry and community were heavily laden by the effects of the AIDS epidemic, as we see in the telecast. Red ribbons everywhere; emotion overtaking hosts, presenters, and recipients alike; a nominated performance directly addressing the disease AND its stigma; and even an honorary Tony being given to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for its leadership in the industry’s fight against the disease... we ultimately find a community in mourning, even in this celebratory ceremony of the last hundred years of Broadway.

The 47th Annual Tony Awards were hosted by Liza Minnelli on June 6, 1993. Presented at the Gershwin Theatre, the theme of the ceremony was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of theatre in Times Square. Heading into the ceremony, Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Who’s Tommy led the pack with 11 nominations each, followed by Blood Brothers with six and The Goodbye Girl with five. This season there were no musicals nominated for Best Revival.

Well, Mo, the 1992-93 season saw the inauguration of the US’s 42nd president, President Bill Jefferson Clinton and the installation of the nation’s first female attorney general, Janet Reno. Outside of those momentous occasions, the country was mainly dealing with ongoing issues, both abroad and domestically: The United States was still dealing with the aftermath of the Gulf War, waged by the previous administration, and with the nation finally acknowledging HIV/AIDS within the last few years as a nationwide epidemic, the US found itself playing catch-up to dealing with a plague that was ravaging its citizens.

In New York, the Broadway industry and community were heavily laden by the effects of the AIDS epidemic, as we see in the telecast. Red ribbons everywhere; emotion overtaking hosts, presenters, and recipients alike; a nominated performance directly addressing the disease AND its stigma; and even an honorary Tony being given to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for its leadership in the industry’s fight against the disease... we ultimately find a community in mourning, even in this celebratory ceremony of the last hundred years of Broadway.

The 61st Annual Tony Awards was presented at Radio City Music Hall on June 10, 2007. Just like the last ceremony, the 2007 Tonys had no host but instead a score of celebrity duos as presenters. Heading into the ceremony, two musicals were virtually tied for the most nominations: Spring Awakening with 11 nominations and Grey Gardens with 10. Also with a respectable set of 7 or 8 nominations were Curtains, Legally Blonde and Mary Poppins. Nominated for Best Revival were productions of Company, 110 in the Shade, The Apple Tree and A Chorus Line. 

The 2006-2007 Broadway season found itself amidst many cultural highs and lows. Right in the middle of President George W. Bush’s second presidential term and his international “War on Terror,” the season witnessed the inauguration of the nation’s first female speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. On a more sober note, 2007 also saw the school shooting at Virginia Tech, which remains the deadliest school shooting in the history of the United States.

Culturally, the season also saw the inauguration of the very first version of Apple’s iPhone, propelling the world solidly into the age of the smartphone, allowing all the actors in New York to be able to check their rehearsal schedules, and text their stage managers with they’re calling out, RIGHT from the comfort of their cell phone!

The 61st Annual Tony Awards was presented at Radio City Music Hall on June 10, 2007. Just like the last ceremony, the 2007 Tonys had no host but instead a score of celebrity duos as presenters. Heading into the ceremony, two musicals were virtually tied for the most nominations: Spring Awakening with 11 nominations and Grey Gardens with 10. Also with a respectable set of 7 or 8 nominations were Curtains, Legally Blonde and Mary Poppins. Nominated for Best Revival were productions of Company, 110 in the Shade, The Apple Tree and A Chorus Line. 

The 2006-2007 Broadway season found itself amidst many cultural highs and lows. Right in the middle of President George W. Bush’s second presidential term and his international “War on Terror,” the season witnessed the inauguration of the nation’s first female speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. On a more sober note, 2007 also saw the school shooting at Virginia Tech, which remains the deadliest school shooting in the history of the United States.

Culturally, the season also saw the inauguration of the very first version of Apple’s iPhone, propelling the world solidly into the age of the smartphone, allowing all the actors in New York to be able to check their rehearsal schedules, and text their stage managers with they’re calling out, RIGHT from the comfort of their cell phone!

The 38th Annual Tony Awards was hosted by Julie Andrews and Robert Preston on June 3, 1984. Presented at the Gershwin Theatre, current home of the long-running Wicked, the show featured three medleys dedicated to composers: John Kander and Fred Ebb, Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim. Heading into the ceremony, two musicals were virtually tied for the most nominations: Sunday in the Park with George with 10 nominations and La Cage aux Folles with nine. Baby and The Tap Dance Kid followed behind with seven nominations each. This season there were no musicals nominated for Best Revival.

The 1983-84 Broadway season spanned a time with many notable events. Marking the final year of President Ronald Reagan’s first term, 1984 found itself a leap year, an election year, and a Summer Olympics year, which the US hosted in Los Angeles, CA; in an internationally petty move, our long-time Cold War rivals, The Soviet Union, boycotted those games. This season also saw the creation of the federal holiday to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with Reagan having signed its originating bill the previous November. This year also would see the founding of Canada’s famed entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil.

In New York, one of the largest events to take place, and it is mentioned in the telecast, is that A Chorus Line makes history as the longest running musical on Broadway; after eight years, and 3,389 performances, A Chorus Line broke the record on September 29th, 1983. It would continue to hold that record until 1997, when it was overtaken by Cats. Today it holds the Number 7 spot on the list of longest running Broadway musicals, surpassed only by Phantom, the Chicago revival, The Lion King, the original production of Cats, Wicked, and the original production of Les Miserables.

The 38th Annual Tony Awards was hosted by Julie Andrews and Robert Preston on June 3, 1984. Presented at the Gershwin Theatre, current home of the long-running Wicked, the show featured three medleys dedicated to composers: John Kander and Fred Ebb, Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim. Heading into the ceremony, two musicals were virtually tied for the most nominations: Sunday in the Park with George with 10 nominations and La Cage aux Folles with nine. Baby and The Tap Dance Kid followed behind with seven nominations each. This season there were no musicals nominated for Best Revival.

The 1983-84 Broadway season spanned a time with many notable events. Marking the final year of President Ronald Reagan’s first term, 1984 found itself a leap year, an election year, and a Summer Olympics year, which the US hosted in Los Angeles, CA; in an internationally petty move, our long-time Cold War rivals, The Soviet Union, boycotted those games. This season also saw the creation of the federal holiday to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with Reagan having signed its originating bill the previous November. This year also would see the founding of Canada’s famed entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil.

In New York, one of the largest events to take place, and it is mentioned in the telecast, is that A Chorus Line makes history as the longest running musical on Broadway; after eight years, and 3,389 performances, A Chorus Line broke the record on September 29th, 1983. It would continue to hold that record until 1997, when it was overtaken by Cats. Today it holds the Number 7 spot on the list of longest running Broadway musicals, surpassed only by Phantom, the Chicago revival, The Lion King, the original production of Cats, Wicked, and the original production of Les Miserables.

The 53rd Annual Tony Awards were held at the Gershwin Theatre on June 6, 1999. Unlike every other award ceremony we’ve discussed in this miniseries, the show did not have a formal host. Heading into the ceremony, the closed Lincoln Center Theatre production of Parade led the pack with nine nominations. Following closely behind was the eventual winner for Best Musical: Fosse. Also in the running for Best Musical were It Ain’t Nothin But The Blues and The Civil War with four and two nominations, respectively. In the race for Best Revival of a Musical were You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Little Me with four nominations, and Annie Get Your Gun with three nominations, followed by Peter Pan with a singular nomination, for Best Revival.

The 1998-1999 Broadway season found itself in a very tumultuous time in US history. Smack-dab in the middle of President Bill Clinton’s second term in office, domestically the country was facing a multitude of newsworthy events: among them were the impeachment and acquittal of said president in the scandal involving Monica Lewinsky, the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, WY, and the mass school shooting in Columbine, CO that would sadly become the first of a number of school shootings in the nation, in what the Washington Post would eventually refer to as a “uniquely American crisis” in 2018. Abroad the world was embroiled in the Kosovo War, which permeated the American zeitgeist as well.

The 53rd Annual Tony Awards were held at the Gershwin Theatre on June 6, 1999. Unlike every other award ceremony we’ve discussed in this miniseries, the show did not have a formal host. Heading into the ceremony, the closed Lincoln Center Theatre production of Parade led the pack with nine nominations. Following closely behind was the eventual winner for Best Musical: Fosse. Also in the running for Best Musical were It Ain’t Nothin But The Blues and The Civil War with four and two nominations, respectively. In the race for Best Revival of a Musical were You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Little Me with four nominations, and Annie Get Your Gun with three nominations, followed by Peter Pan with a singular nomination, for Best Revival.

The 1998-1999 Broadway season found itself in a very tumultuous time in US history. Smack-dab in the middle of President Bill Clinton’s second term in office, domestically the country was facing a multitude of newsworthy events: among them were the impeachment and acquittal of said president in the scandal involving Monica Lewinsky, the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, WY, and the mass school shooting in Columbine, CO that would sadly become the first of a number of school shootings in the nation, in what the Washington Post would eventually refer to as a “uniquely American crisis” in 2018. Abroad the world was embroiled in the Kosovo War, which permeated the American zeitgeist as well.

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards were held June 9, 2019 at Radio City Music Hall with James Corden hosting for his second time. Heading into the ceremony, Hadestown led with 14 nominations, followed by Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations with 12, Tootsie with 11, Beetlejuice with 8 and The Prom with 7. In the running for Best Revival of a Musical were just a pair of shows: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and the Roundabout Theatre revival of Kiss Me, Kate.

The 2018-2019 season was the last complete season on Broadway, since the 2019-2020 season was cut short this past March for two weeks...er, for two months...just kidding, we’re still here, due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I digress. 2019 marked the 3rd year of President Donald Trump’s term in office, and while he was rarely -- if not ever -- mentioned by name, his presence definitely loomed in the broadcast; from poignant speeches speaking out against demagoguery and systemic discrimination, to other beautiful speeches uplifting representation and opportunity for immigrants and the disabled, and even in the content of the work being celebrated itself, this telecast -- and this season as a whole -- seemed to stand against all the hate and intolerance being shepherded by the recent administration…

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards were held June 9, 2019 at Radio City Music Hall with James Corden hosting for his second time. Heading into the ceremony, Hadestown led with 14 nominations, followed by Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations with 12, Tootsie with 11, Beetlejuice with 8 and The Prom with 7. In the running for Best Revival of a Musical were just a pair of shows: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and the Roundabout Theatre revival of Kiss Me, Kate.

The 2018-2019 season was the last complete season on Broadway, since the 2019-2020 season was cut short this past March for two weeks...er, for two months...just kidding, we’re still here, due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I digress. 2019 marked the 3rd year of President Donald Trump’s term in office, and while he was rarely -- if not ever -- mentioned by name, his presence definitely loomed in the broadcast; from poignant speeches speaking out against demagoguery and systemic discrimination, to other beautiful speeches uplifting representation and opportunity for immigrants and the disabled, and even in the content of the work being celebrated itself, this telecast -- and this season as a whole -- seemed to stand against all the hate and intolerance being shepherded by the recent administration…