Once the Musical Big Winner at 66th Tony Awards

Once was the big winner at the 66th annual Tony Awards hosted by Neil Patrick Harris at New York’s Beacon Theatre on Sunday June 10, 2012, with a tally of eight awards including Best Musical, Best Actor (Steve Kazee), and six other Tonys (John Tiffany – direction, book, by Enda Walsh, set, lighting, sound design and orchestrations).

Newsies, the musical about the 1899 New York newsboys strike won two Tonys, for choreography and score.

Common factor for both Once and Newsies is that they are both relatively low budget musicals (about $5 million each).

Audra McDonald won her fifth Tony as Bess for Best Actress in a Musical in the revival of Porgy and Bess. The production was also recognized for Best Revival of a Musical.

Michael McGrath and Judy Kaye took out the awards for featured performances in a musical (Nice Work if You Can Get It).

Last year’s Pulitzer Prize winnng play Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris took out the best play award, but it was the play’s sole award, with Peter Pan prequel Peter and the Starcatcher, winning five Tonys (Best Supporting Actor, costume, set, lighting and sound) the biggest winner in the straight play categories.

Best actor awards in Drama Categories went to James Corden (One Man, Two Guvnors) and Nina Arianda (Venus in Fur). Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher) and Judith Light (Other Desert Cities) took out the supporting categories.

Director Mike Nichols, aged 80, took out his seventh Tony for Death of a Salesman, also the winner for Best Revival.

11 out of 37 eligible productions received at least one Tony Award.

Image from Once. Photographer: Joan Marcus.