Year by Year

2009 – 63rd Annual Tony Awards
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Radio City Music Hall

Broadcast on CBS
Executive Producers: Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, White Cherry Entertainment
Director: Glenn Weiss
Musical Direction: Elliot Lawrence
Writer: Dave Boone

General Managers: Alan Wasser and Allan Williams

"It's Show Time!"

Host

Neil Patrick Harris

Presenters

Lucie Arnaz, Kate Burton, Kristin Chenoweth, Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Edie Falco, Will Ferrell, Harvey Fierstein, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Hallie Foote, James Gandolfini, Lauren Graham, Colin Hanks, Marcia Gay Harden, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Lange, Frank Langella, Angela Lansbury, Samantha Mathis, Audra McDonald, Gerald McRaney, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bebe Neuwirth, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce, Piper Perabo, Oliver Platt, Susan Sarandon, John Stamos, and Chandra Wilson

Shows Represented

• Opening Medley:
  • Billy Elliot, The Musical – Tony-winners David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish performed "Electricity" with a special appearance by nominee Elton John.
  • West Side Story – Tony-winner Karen Olivo, nominee Josefina Scaglione, Matt Cavenaugh, and company performed "Tonight."
  • Guys and Dolls – Craig Bierko and the company performed "Luck Be a Lady."
  • Rock of Ages – The company, joined onstage by '80s rock band Poison, had "Nothin' But a Good Time."
  • Pal Joey – Nominee Stockard Channing was "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered."
  • Next to Normal – Aaron Tveit performed a lively rendition of "I'm Alive."
  • Shrek The Musical – Nominees Brian d'Arcy James and Sutton Foster and the company let their "Freak Flag" fly.
  • 9 to 5: The Musical – The company performed "9 to 5" with a special appearance by nominee Dolly Parton.
  • Liza's at The Palace – Liza Minnelli sung "And the World Goes ‘Round."
  • Hair – Nominees Gavin Creel and Will Swenson and company "Let the Sun Shine In."
• Shrek The Musical – Nominee Christopher Sieber and the company asked the question, "What's Up Duloc?".
• West Side Story – Tony-winner Karen Olivo, nominee Josefina Scaglione, Matt Cavenaugh, and the company performed "Dance at the Gym."
• Rock of Ages – Nominee Constantine Maroulis led the company in a medley of "I Want to Rock" and "Don't Stop Believing."
• Guys and Dolls – Tituss Burgess, Mary Testa, and the company performed "Sit Down, You're Rockin' The Boat."
• Next to Normal – Tony-winner Alice Ripley and nominee J. Robert Spencer, and Aaron Tveit performed "You Don't Know" and "I Am The One."
• Billy Elliot, The Musical – Tony winner Trent Kowalik and the company performed "Angry Dance."
• Hair – Nominees Gavin Creel and Will Swenson led the rest of the tribe in a performance of "Hair."

Other Elements

Host Neil Patrick Harris performed an original 11 o'clock number to the tunes of "Tonight" from West Side Story and "Luck Be a Lady" from Guys and Dolls, highlighting the winners, performances, and backstage action at Radio City.

Michelle Dawson, Kittra Wynn Commer, Rachel Tyler, and the company of the national tour of Mamma Mia! performed "Dancing Queen."

The current touring company of Legally Blonde The Musical, led by Becky Gulsvig as Elle Woods, performed "So Much Better."

Four of the current Frankie Vallis on tour in Jersey Boys (Joseph Leo Bwarie, Rick Faugno, Courter Simmons, and Dominic Scaglione, Jr.) performed a medley of "Can't Take My Eyes off of You" and "Oh What a Night" with the show's current Broadway cast.

Bebe Neuwirth and the Broadway Inspirational Voices paid tribute to members of the Broadway community who passed away in the previous year with a moving performance of "What I Did for Love."

"Best Play Moments" featured clips from each of the nominated Best Plays (33 Variations, Dividing the Estate, God of Carnage, and reasons to be pretty).

Laura Benanti and Brian Stokes Mitchell hosted the presentation of the Creative Arts Award ceremony immediately before the telecast began. Webcast exclusively on TonyAwards.com, this portion of the ceremony included 11 competitive awards, as well as the Regional Theatre Award, the Isabelle Stevenson Award, and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre.

For the first time ever, fans in the New York area were able to watch the Tony Awards telecast right in the heart of Manhattan's Theatre District. The Tony Awards ceremony was shown live from Radio City Music Hall on the ClearChannel Spectacolor HD Screen in Times Square. The simulcast featured both the pre-telecast Creative Arts Awards and the Tony Awards broadcast. Tovah Feldshuh and Katie McGee hosted the Duffy Square event.

Emmy Awards

Outstanding Special Class Programs - 2010
Ricky Kirshner, Executive Producer; Glenn Weiss, Executive Producer; Neil Patrick Harris, Host

Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special - 2010
Dave Boone, Writer; Paul Greenberg, Special Material