54-813: George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards , the Pulitzer Prize , the Kennedy Center Honors in 1982. the National Medal of Arts in 1990. and was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame . Starting as an actor he later became known for producing numerous Broadway productions such as Pal Joey (1940), On
108-682: A Special Tony Award , the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre , and the Isabelle Stevenson Award . The awards were founded by theatre producer and director Brock Pemberton and 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 spinnable medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of
162-585: A Tony Award , recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre . The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in Manhattan . The ceremony is usually held in June. 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
216-551: A Tony. The name stuck." Nevertheless, the awards were sometimes referred to as the "Perry Awards" in their early years. The 1st Tony Awards was held on April 6, 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. 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". ATW co-founder Louise Heims Beck
270-468: 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. 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
324-476: 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 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. The Tony Awards Administration Committee has twenty-four members: ten designated by
378-553: A few years, his family returned to New York, and he graduated from Hamburg High School in 1907. In 1911 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester , where he wrote his first play, Perfectly Harmless , for the University Dramatic Club. Abbott then attended Harvard University , to take a course in playwriting from George Pierce Baker . Under Baker's tutelage, he wrote The Head of
432-514: 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 ). 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,
486-555: A long romance with actress Maureen Stapleton from 1968 to 1978. She was 43 and he was 81 when they began their affair, then ten years later Abbott left her for a younger woman. His third wife was Joy Valderrama. They were married from 1983 until his death in 1995. Abbott was a vigorous man who remained active past his 100th birthday by golfing and dancing. He died from complications of a stroke on January 31, 1995, at his home on Sunset Island off Miami Beach , Florida, at age 107. The New York Times obituary read, "Mrs. Abbott said that
540-506: A number that changes slightly from year to year. The number was decreased in 2009 when the first-night critics were excluded as voters. 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. The eligible Tony voters include the board of directors and designated members of the advisory committee of the American Theatre Wing, members of
594-547: A person who has won all four is said to have won the EGOT . The Tony Awards are the U.S. equivalent of the United Kingdom 's Laurence Olivier Awards and France 's Molière Awards . Kimberly Akimbo Previous Best Play Leopoldstadt The Outsiders Best Play Stereophonic As of 2014 , there were 26 categories of awards, in addition to several special awards. Starting with 11 awards in 1947,
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#1732790156413648-496: A reputation as an astute "show doctor". He frequently was called upon to supervise changes when a show was having difficulties in tryouts or previews prior to its Broadway opening. His first hit was Broadway , written and directed in partnership with Philip Dunning , whose play Abbott "rejiggered". It opened on September 16, 1926, at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for 603 performances. Other successes followed, and it
702-538: A series of Broadway musicals , including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became successful films: Gypsy , Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , and Funny Girl . Styne was born to a Jewish family in London , England. His parents, Anna Kertman and Isadore Stein, were emigrants from Ukraine, the Russian Empire , and ran a small grocery. Even before his family left Britain, he did impressions on
756-507: A story based on the movie Some Like It Hot , but all new music), and the Tony-winning Hallelujah, Baby! . Styne wrote original music for the short-lived themed amusement park Freedomland U.S.A. that opened on June 19, 1960. His collaborators included Sammy Cahn , Leo Robin , Betty Comden and Adolph Green , Stephen Sondheim , Bob Hilliard , and Bob Merrill . He wrote career-altering Broadway scores for
810-516: A week and a half before his death he was dictating revisions to the second act of Pajama Game with a revival in mind, in addition to working on a revival of Damn Yankees . At the age of 106, he walked down the aisle on opening night of the Damn Yankees revival and received a standing ovation. He was heard saying to his companion, 'There must be somebody important here.'" Just thirteen days before his 107th birthday, Abbott made an appearance at
864-573: A wide variety of major stars, including Phil Silvers , Carol Channing , Mary Martin , Judy Holliday , Ethel Merman , and an up-and-coming Barbra Streisand . He was the subject of This Is Your Life for British television in 1978 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in New York's Time Square. Styne married Englishwoman Margaret Brown (born in Torquay) and they remained married until his death. Styne died of heart failure in New York City at
918-810: Is also named after him. He received New York City's Handel Medallion in 1976, honorary doctorates from the Universities of Rochester and Miami , and the Kennedy Centre Honors in 1982. He was also inducted into the Western New York Entertainment Hall of Fame and the American Theatre Hall of Fame . In 1990, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts . Source: Playbill Source: Playbill Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre , more commonly known as
972-496: Is named after Antoinette Perry , nicknamed Tony, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who died in 1946. As her official biography at the Tony Awards website states, "At [ Warner Bros. story editor] Jacob Wilk's 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
1026-668: 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). 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
1080-572: Is selected by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. Nominators serve three-year terms and are asked to see every new Broadway production. The Nominating Committee for the 2012–13 Broadway season (named in June 2012) had 42 members; the Nominating Committee for the 2014–2015 season has 50 members and was appointed in June 2014. There are approximately 868 eligible Tony Award voters (as of 2014),
1134-491: The 48th Tony Awards , coming onstage with fellow Damn Yankees alumni Gwen Verdon and Jean Stapleton at the end of the opening number, a medley performed by the nominees for Best Revival of A Musical, which included Grease , She Loves Me , Carousel , and his own Damn Yankees . He was cremated at Woodlawn Park Cemetery in Miami and the ashes were taken by his wife. In addition to his wife, who died in 2020 at 88, Abbott
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#17327901564131188-506: The Oscar -winning title song for Three Coins in the Fountain (1954). Ten of his songs were Oscar-nominated, many of them written with Cahn, including " I've Heard That Song Before " (No. 1 for 13 weeks for Harry James and His Orchestra in 1943), " I'll Walk Alone ", " It's Magic " (a No. 2 hit for Doris Day in 1948), and " I Fall In Love Too Easily ". He collaborated with Leo Robin on
1242-502: The sound design awards in 2014. In 2014, a petition calling for the return of the Sound Design categories received more than 30,000 signatures. Addressing their previous concerns over Tony voters 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. Some advocates of gender equality and non-binary people have criticized
1296-407: The "fast-paced, tightly integrated style that influenced" performers and especially directors such as Jerome Robbins , Bob Fosse and Hal Prince . In 1963, he published his autobiography, Mister Abbott . Abbott was married to Edna Lewis from 1914 to her death in 1930; they had one child. Actress Mary Sinclair was his second wife. Their marriage lasted from 1946 until their 1951 divorce. He had
1350-555: 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. The Tony Awards Nominating Committee makes the nominations for the various categories. This rotating group of theatre professionals
1404-611: The Best Play or Best Musical Category but may be eligible in that appropriate Best Revival category." 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 , have been ruled ineligible for the "new" category, meaning that their authors did not have
1458-485: 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". The awards met further criticism when they eliminated
1512-801: The Family , which was performed at the Harvard Dramatic Club in 1912. He then worked for a year as "author, gofer, and actor" at the Bijou Theatre in Boston , where his play The Man in the Manhole won a contest. Abbott started acting on Broadway in 1913, debuting in The Misleading Lady . While acting in several plays in New York City, he began to write; his first successful play was The Fall Guy (1925). Abbott acquired
1566-538: 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 . 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
1620-459: 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..." 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
1674-610: The Town (1944), Call Me Madam (1950), Wonderful Town (1953), The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), New Girl in Town (1957), Once Upon a Mattress (1959), Fiorello! (book, 1959), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Broadway (1987), Damn Yankees (1994). Abbot also acted in numerous films in the 1920s and 1930s. He received an Academy Award for Best Writing nomination for All Quiet on
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1728-654: The Western Front (1930). He later directed the movie musicals adaptations of The Pajama Game (1957), and Damn Yankees (1958). Abbott was born in Forestville, New York , to George Burwell Abbott (May 1858 Erie County, New York – February 4, 1942 Hamburg, New York ) and Hannah May McLaury (1869 – June 20, 1940 Hamburg, New York ). He later moved to the city of Salamanca , which twice elected his father mayor. In 1898, his family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming , where he attended Kearney Military Academy . Within
1782-535: The age of 88. His archive – including original hand-written compositions, letters, and production materials – is housed at the Harry Ransom Center . Margaret Styne oversaw Styne's estate until she died on February 20, 2022. Styne was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972 and the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981, and he was a recipient of
1836-506: The attention of another teenager, Mike Todd , later a successful film producer, who commissioned him to write a song for a musical act that he was creating. It was the first of over 1,500 published songs Styne composed in his career. His first hit, "Sunday", was written in 1926. In 1929, Styne was playing with the Ben Pollack band. Styne was a vocal coach for 20th Century Fox until Darryl F. Zanuck fired him because vocal coaching
1890-543: 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, CBS's senior vice president in charge of specials, said
1944-614: 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 Wing's Tony Awards", which applies for that season only. The Tony Awards are the New York theatre industry's equivalent to the Emmy Awards for television, the Grammy Awards for music, and the Academy Awards (Oscars) for film, and
1998-501: The cut-off date for eligibility the 2013–2014 season was April 24, 2014. 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 COVID-19 pandemic. On August 21, 2020, it was announced that the 74th Annual Tony Awards would take place digitally later in 2020. A Broadway theatre is defined as having 500 or more seats, among other requirements. While
2052-422: The decade of the 2000s. In contrast, the 2009 Oscar telecast had 36.3 million viewers. 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. The face of the medallion portrays an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks. Originally,
2106-564: The first nonbinary actors to be nominated for Tony Awards. Both would go on to win in their respective categories. Fellow nonbinary performer Justin David Sullivan withdrew from Tony consideration due to the gendered categories. Jules Styne Jule Styne ( / ˈ dʒ uː l i / JOO -lee ; born Julius Kerwin Stein ; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for
2160-641: 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
2214-411: 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
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2268-427: 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. Source: Tony Awards Official Site, Rules For the purposes of the award, a new play or musical is one that has not previously been produced on Broadway and
2322-562: The reverse side had a relief profile of Antoinette Perry; this later was changed to contain the winner's name, award category, production and year. The medallion has been mounted on a black base since 1967. A larger base was introduced and first presented in the 2010 award ceremony. That 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
2376-414: 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 41 theaters: 40 located in the vicinity of Times Square in New York City and Lincoln Center 's Vivian Beaumont Theater . While the theatre-going public may consider
2430-402: The score for the 1955 musical film My Sister Eileen . In 1947, Styne wrote his first score for a Broadway musical, High Button Shoes , with Cahn, and over the next several decades wrote the scores for many Broadway shows, most notably Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , Peter Pan (additional music), Bells Are Ringing , Gypsy , Do Re Mi , Funny Girl , Lorelei , Sugar (with
2484-620: 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. In 2023, J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell became
2538-478: The stage of well-known singers, including Harry Lauder , who saw him perform and advised him to take up the piano. At the age of eight, he moved with his family to Chicago , where he began taking piano lessons. He proved to be a prodigy and performed with the Chicago, St. Louis , and Detroit symphonies before he was 10 years old. Before Styne attended Chicago Musical College , he had already attracted
2592-524: Was "a luxury, and we're cutting out those luxuries." Zanuck told him he should write songs because "that's forever." Styne established his own dance band, which got him noticed in Hollywood, where he was championed by Frank Sinatra and began a collaboration with lyricist Sammy Cahn . He and Cahn wrote many songs for the movies, including "It's Been a Long, Long Time" (No. 1 for three weeks for Harry James and His Orchestra in 1945), "Five Minutes More", and
2646-457: Was a rare year that did not have an Abbott production on Broadway. He also worked in Hollywood as a film writer and director while continuing with his theatre work. Among those who worked with Abbott early in their careers are Desi Arnaz , Gene Kelly , June Havoc , Betty Comden , Adolph Green , Leonard Bernstein , Jules Styne , Stephen Sondheim , Elaine Stritch , John Kander , Fred Ebb , Carol Burnett and Liza Minnelli . He introduced
2700-512: 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. 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." The category of Best Special Theatrical Event
2754-590: 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 we're not attempting to keep up with the Joneses , we felt this is a significant award, and it could feel and look
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#17327901564132808-478: Was responsible for over seeing the organization of the first awards. It was not until the third awards ceremony in 1949 that the first Tony medallion was given to award winners. 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
2862-500: Was retired as of the 2009–2010 season. The categories of Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical were retired as of the 2014–2015 season. On April 24, 2017, the Tony Awards administration committee announced that the Sound Design Award would be reintroduced for the 2017–2018 season. The award was founded in 1947 by a committee of the American Theatre Wing (ATW) headed by Brock Pemberton. The award
2916-505: Was survived by a sister, Isabel Juergens, who died a year later at the age of 102; two granddaughters, Amy Clark Davidson and Susan Clark Hansley; a grandson, George Clark, and six great-grandchildren. In 1965, the 54th Street Theatre was rechristened the George Abbott Theatre in his honor. The building was demolished in 1970. New York City's George Abbott Way , the section of West 45th Street northwest of Times Square ,
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